With just 267 days until she enters service Cunard Line’s latest ship, Queen Elizabeth, has been floated out from drydock for outfitting. The following is video fo the occassion which was originally posted on Cunard’s blog posts Queen Elizabeth’s Float Out Ceremony Photos & Videos Part 1 & Part 2.
Tags: · cunard, queen elizabeth III
Maritime Journal Online writes of the QE2 entering port early Tuesday morning:
On its way into its home port at Southampton the ship ran hard aground on a sandbank at Calshot at the top of the Southampton Water approach. Most passengers were asleep at the time and no one was injured. Five tugs, one from Solent Tugs and four from Svitzer, which were all waiting for the QE2’s arrival at Southampton, came rushing to the rescue.
The QE2 was quickly freed by the tugs on the rising tide although, once started on its backwards path, it had a narrow miss with the Hill Head side of the approach. The liner made it safely into Southampton harbour just 25 minutes later than scheduled to be greeted by the Duke of Edinburgh, who led the farewell ceremonies. As divers checked the hull to see if any damage had been sustained, a Tiger Moth dropped a million poppies on the ship to mark the 90th anniversary of the World War 1 Armistice. Passengers who had paid up to £28,000 to be on QE2’s final voyage watched as a single RAF Harrier jet hovered over the vessel and dipped its nose in tribute. Two surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency fully inspected the ship and, together with the diver’s evidence, concluded it was not damaged and thus safe to undertake its final voyage. [Continue Reading →]
Tags: · cunard, cunard line, qe2, Queen Elizabeth II
(Image Courtesy of New York Times)
After 40 year’s in service, the famed Q.E. 2 arrived at Pier 90 early this morning for its 710th and final visit to New York. The New York Times tells us of her arrival:
With shrill blasts from its three Tyfon whistles and a 39-foot-long red paying-off pennant streaming from the mast — a foot for each year at sea — that traditionally marks the end of a ship’s commission, the Queen Elizabeth 2 (only the actual monarchs warrant Roman numerals, not the ships named for royalty) split the predawn darkness to begin a day of festivities and souvenir photos by the Statue of Liberty and berthed at Pier 90 at West 50th Street on the Hudson River, tying up around 6 a.m.
As she entered the harbor, she was trailed by the grander Queen Mary 2. The two queens paraded to the Statue of Liberty before the Queen Mary 2 split off to return to its dockage at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
The Q.E. 2, which was sold last year for eventual use as a floating hotel in Dubai, will be retired from active service later this year following her final voyage from her home in Southhampton, England to Dubai. The Queen Elizabeth 2, along with its two sister ships Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, is operated by the British shipping company Cunard Lines, one of the oldest transatlantic shipping companies in the world.
Tags: · Cruise Ship, cunard, cunard line, dubai, new york, new york city, Queen Elizabeth II, queen mary 2, queen victoria
Captain Paul Wright, a Cornishman, is a kind of latter day Henry VIII – a master and commander who moves from one queen to the next in quick succession.
He is the first person to command all three Queens in the Cunard fleet – Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2 and their “younger sister” Queen Victoria.
His first appointment with Cunard was to Cunard Countess, since when he has served on Cunard Princess, Sagafjord and Cunard Dynasty. In 1999 Captain Wright was promoted to Captain of Cunard’s flagship Queen Elizabeth 2 where he served until construction of the largest liner ever built, Queen Mary 2. He oversaw construction of the ship in St. Nazaire prior to commission, and in 2004 was appointed Master of Queen Mary 2, alternating with the recently retired Commodore Ron Warwick.
Asked what his most memorable moments at sea have been, Captain Wright cites two: when he brought QE2 into New York for the first time after the 11 September attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, and bringing Queen Mary 2 into Hamburg on her maiden call when half a million people turned out to greet the ship.
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This post was written by Richard Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, and US Coast Guard approved instructor for License Training. You can read more of his articles at the BitterEnd of the net.
Tags: · Captain Paul Wright, cruise line, cunard, cunard captain, cunard cruise, cunard line, cunard queen victoria, Queen Elizabeth II, queen mary II, queen victoria
Photo by AurelioZen
NewYorkology tells us of the first / last ever meeting of its three grand ships;
Cunard’s one-time-only royal rendezvous of its three queens — the QE2, QM2 and recently christened Queen Victoria — will be celebrated at 7 p.m. on January 13 with a harbor fireworks show as the three grand cruise liners meet near the Statue of Liberty.
The QE2 and Queen Victoria will arrive in tandem (likely pre-sunrise) from Southampton, England. During the day, the QE2 will be docked at Manhattan’s Pier 92 and the Queen Victoria nearby at Pier 88. The Queen Mary 2 will arrive separately (also early morning,) and dock in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
All three have bridge cams (Queen Victoria, QM2 and QE2) and Cruise Critic Ben Lyons is blogging the voyage.
UPDATE:
Henny Ray Abrams/Associated Press
The New York Times has reported on the festivities. They write:
In the annals of maritime history, the Queens’ sailing was momentous. It was the first time in the 168-year history of the Cunard Line, the owner of the liners, that it had three ships named after British queens in the same port at the same time. The company arranged the ships’ schedules so that they departed from New York City ports simultaneously.
The Queens’ meeting, witnessed by thousands on shore and on board, will also be their last, company officials said.
“They are not programmed to meet in any other port,” Cunard’s president, Carol Marlow, said during an afternoon news conference at Pier 88 in Manhattan, with the docked Queen Victoria visible in background. “This is a spine-tingling time.”
The Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard’s longest-serving ship, left Manhattan for its 26th and final around-the-world journey — a farewell tour that will usher in its retirement in November, when the liner will become a floating hotel in Dubai. The Queen Victoria, which came into service last month, embarked on its maiden world cruise. And the Queen Mary 2, the largest trans-Atlantic liner ever built, weighing about 151,400 gross tons, sailed to the Caribbean from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.
Click HERE to continue reading.
Tags: · Cruise Ship, cunard, fireworks, largest, Maritime, new york, nyc, ocean liner, qe2, qm2, Queen Elizabeth II, queen mary II, queen victoria, Queen Victoria Cunard, ship, world-record
Tags: · Cruise Ship, cruise_ship, cunard, qm2, queen_mary_2, ship, sydney, Video, youtube
The Cincinnati Enquirer as us: “As new cruise ships continue to get larger, it begs the question: Is bigger better?”
I admittedly don’t know much about cruise ship operations but quoting a friend… “The only problem with working on cruise ships…. cargo that complains!” The larger the ship the more cargo you have to load.
They tell us a little about these mega-ships including the Freedom of the Seas, pictured above;
Boasting the two largest ships afloat, Royal Caribbean is a leader of mega-ships.
Last year, the cruise line rolled out Freedom of the Seas, followed this May by its sister Liberty of the Seas. At 160,000 tons and 1,112 feet long, each ship houses 1,815 staterooms on 15 passenger decks and a crew of 1,360.
Double occupancy pushes capacity to 3,630 cruisers, but the ships are designed to spread people out. Miniature golf, karaoke, court sports, swimming, ice skating, spa services and FlowRider – the industry’s first surf simulator – are just a sampling of the onboard activities.
Norwegian Cruise Line features another industry first: a full-size, four-lane bowling alley onboard the new Pearl and the soon-to-launch Gem. These 93,530-ton ships also incorporate a new style of accommodations with much larger courtyard villas and garden villas, a dozen restaurants, 11 bars and lounges and rock climbing wall.
So what’s on the horizon for these mega ships?
Cunard rolls out the regal Queen Victoria this December with an elegant Todd English Restaurant.
Carnival’s Splendor makes its inaugural cruise next July. The 113,000-ton ship will have a sliding Sky Dome, a 21,000-square-foot health and fitness center and 68 special spa staterooms.If your interested in these new ships then head over to Holland America’s Eurodam Blog for a behind the scenes look at the building of a Mega-Ship.
Read the full Cincinnati Enquirer article HERE.
Tags: · Cruise Ship, cruise_ship, cuanrd, cunard, freedom_of_the_seas, holland_america, independence_of_the_seas, liberty_of_the_seas, mega_ships, MSC, norwegian_cruise_line, royal_caribbean, world largest cruise ships, world largest ships
The BBC tells us:
Cunard Lines is to build a 92,000 tonne liner which will be called the Queen Elizabeth.
The ship, which will be based at Southampton, will carry 2,092 passengers and more than 1,000 crew.Shipping firm Cunard also operates the QE2 liner, which will leave service next year, making this newer vessel the largest of a three-ship fleet.
The decision to build the vessel was prompted by the demand for cruises on Cunard’s new ship Queen Victoria. Read More…
Correction – The BBC has updated the details of the story. Many thanks to Phillip for pointing this out in the comments. Here is the new version of their article:
A shipping company is to build a 92,000 tonne liner which will be called the Queen Elizabeth not the QE3.
The ship, which will be based at Southampton, will carry 2,092 passengers and more than 1,000 crew.
Shipping firm Cunard also operates the QE2 liner, which will leave service next year to become a floating hotel in Dubai from 2009.
The decision to build the vessel was prompted by the demand for cruises on Cunard’s new ship Queen Victoria.
Tags: · Cruise Ship, cunard, dubai, qe3, queen elizabeth 3, queen elizabeth III
The most elegant ship built in decades has caught the inspiration of artists, photographers and amateur ship spotters worldwide. She is elegant, record breaking and capable. She’s also a YouTube Star! Here are two videos of the Queen Mary II that have reached over 25,000 viewers and for good reason. Take a look:
The liner Queen Mary 2 slips under the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Queen Mary 2 departing New York Harbor.
Like most celebrities she is also photogenic. The best series of photographs are by San Francisco Photo Blogger Todd Lapin and his team over at Telstar Logistics. Here is a slideshow of his photographs:
(Photos by Telstar Logistics)
(If you’re using Internet Explorer TRY THIS)
Interesting Facts from the New York Times:
The QM2 is more precisely referred to as an ocean liner, rather than a cruise ship; with its sleeker hull and more powerful engines, it was designed to cross oceans. Cruise ships, which typically sail closer to shore, have a more squarish profile for larger passenger loads.
Like the QE2, the QM2 is named after a ship, not a monarch. Eric Flounders, a Cunard spokesman in London, said that the original Queen Mary was the first vessel built after Cunard and White Star created one company. Before that, Cunard’s ship names typically ended in ia (Caronia, for example), White Star’s in ic (Titanic). Middle ground was sought (sorry, Queen Victoria). The liner, named after George V’s wife, sailed from 1936 to 1967.
Links:
Tags: · cunard, cunard queen mary, qm2, qm2 video, queen mary 2, queen mary II video
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