Model Boat Mayhem

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Author Topic: QE2 Voyage  (Read 4954 times)

Tug-Kenny RIP

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Re: QE2 Voyage
« Reply #25 on: May 05, 2008, 10:55:54 am »


Hi Peter

Will you be here for the Wicksted Bash ?

Ken
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Peter Fitness

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Re: QE2 Voyage
« Reply #26 on: May 05, 2008, 05:49:59 pm »

Thanks Bob, but I would do it all over again, given the chance.
Ken, unfortunately I won't be able to make Wicksteed :'(
I've attached some more photos I took during the cruise. The shot of the bridge was taken in Fremantle - note the blue umbrella on the starboard wing. The other 3 were all taken while we were anchored off Maui, one is of a tender alongside the boarding platform, one is of the platform hoist mechanism, and the other is of one of the big tenders returning to the ship from Lahaina - check out the glorious blue water, exactly how it was.
Peter.
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Peter Fitness

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Re: QE2 Voyage
« Reply #27 on: May 06, 2008, 05:50:07 pm »

Here's a photo that is perhaps rather appropriate, the sun setting in the Indian Ocean, as QE2 leaves an Australian port for the final time. It's all a bit sad really :'(
The 4 small craft are the remnants of what was quite a large flotilla of vessels that accompanied us out of Fremantle. There was also a huge crowd (for Fremantle) of people on every vantage point to wave farewell to a grand ship.
Peter.
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cos918

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Re: QE2 Voyage
« Reply #28 on: May 06, 2008, 07:35:17 pm »

hi peter lovely photos. The one of the bridge were you mentioned the blue umber la. If you look to the left you will see a disk . That is the sonic weapon they put up while the are at dock/ anchor. So the umber la is to keep the operator in the shade.

john
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Peter Fitness

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Re: QE2 Voyage
« Reply #29 on: May 07, 2008, 05:59:33 pm »

John, I noticed that dish each time we were docked/anchored. You called it a "sonic weapon", what does it actually do?
Peter.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: QE2 Voyage
« Reply #30 on: May 07, 2008, 06:04:46 pm »

It's an anti piracy device as described below:

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MIAMI (AP) - The crew of a luxury cruise ship used a sonic weapon that blasts earsplitting noise in a directed beam while being attacked by a gang of pirates off Africa this weekend, the cruise line said Monday.
The Seabourn Spirit had a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, installed as a part of its defense systems, said Bruce Good, a spokesman for Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line. The Spirit was about 100 miles off Somalia when pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns as they tried to get onboard.



The subsidiary of Carnival Corp. was investigating whether the weapon was successful in warding off the pirates, he said. The ship's captain also changed its course, shifted into high speed and headed out into the open sea to elude the pirates, who were in two small boats, he said. He had no further details.

Device maker American Technology Corp. said earsplitting "bangs" were directed by trained security personnel toward the pirates. That, combined with ship maneuvers, caused the attackers to leave the area, the company said.

The LRAD is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed for the U.S. military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole off Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships.

The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected.

American Technology, based in San Diego, compares its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder. It can be as loud as about 150 decibels, while smoke alarms are about 80 to 90 decibels.

The devices have been deployed on commercial and naval vessels worldwide since summer 2003, the company said.




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Peter Fitness

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Re: QE2 Voyage
« Reply #31 on: May 08, 2008, 05:45:43 pm »

If it isnt too late , dont forget the nice maritime museum in Barrow-in- Furness, southern end of the Lake District (kinda). Not getting north of the border ? 
I went to the Barrow Dock Museum today and found it very interesting. They have some beautiful models there, nearly all made by the shipyard model makers, so the standards are very high. I spoke to one of the people there about the shipyard's current status, and was told that it is owned by BAE Systems, still employs around 4-5000 people, and is currently building "Astute" class nuclear submarines, and will soon be commencing work on sections of a new class of aircraft carrier. All construction work for the subs is carried out in huge covered buildings, so it is not possible to see what is going on. The photo shows the museum and the BAE facility.
Peter.
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