Farewell to RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 :o(

I was on the 'Autumn Colours' cruise to USA & Canada in September.
I see the Q Victoria is doing it next year but taking an extra 2 or 3 days, presumably because that Italian tub can't manage the speeds of the QE2.
Progress?

 

I did laugh when that annoying little twirp from Carnival said on the TV yesterday QV and the new QE would have places in peoples hearts in the same way the QE2 has . . . . . I fail to see what the attraction is of a series build. QV is actually Arcadia following a change of plan and putting the initial QV into the P&O fleet.

Perhaps the QM - built as a one off will take the QE2's place in peoples hearts however I think that'll take a long time . . .

Should the description 'Liner' now be removed from Lloyds Register as the last liner goes out of service - after all the remaining ships were all built for a cruise market and as such are Cruise Ships . . .

 

Speed was an important consideration in the days before jetliners. Modern cruise liners are designed to dawdle around the Med, not beat their competitors by making the fastest transatlantic crossing. As an Atlantic liner, the QE2 was an anachronism long before she was launched, but she thankfully found a second life with the popularity of cruises rising.

 

Absolutely not ! QM2 is a true liner. If anyone doubts that, talk with her designer Stephen Payne. She is all steel - unlike the QE2, and the thickness of that steel is greater than the industry standard. Like the QE2 she was designed and built for the Atlantic with an ability to cruise in warmer climes.

She may not be as 'pretty' to look at as QE2, but iinside she is a true 'Cunarder' with much of her interiors paying homage to the much loved original Mary.

Having sailed as a passenger on both, I definately prefer the QM2. She is a better 'sea boat' and much easier to get around. Will she gain a great following ? Well, the evidence on Cunard discussion boards would indicates she has already.

The QE2 suffered a lot of criticism when she was new (compared to the QM and QE)mainly because she was "all chrome and vinyl" and she only really gained her popularity after the Falklands and a major refit.

Time will tell if the new 'Queen Elizabeth' is a 'standard cruise bucket' or a liner in the true sense. Either way, the brand still holds a position in the maritime world and Carnival (love them or hate them) are the only owners of the name in the last 40 yrs who have acutally done something with it.

 

The new SOLAS regs will take care of most good lookers . . .

Saga pair to be retired before long - beleive a date for ones finale has already been announced?

 

Yep - and you cant stop the march of progress towards safer ships and cleaner sea's !

 

Well I was down there at Hythe watching and common concensus was that she should of stayed here.... Even if it had cost tax payers money for Southampton tax payers, it would of been a far better investment than Portsmouths Spinikar Tower. The ship in the hands of the arabs will be vandalised with the removal of the funnel and the stripping of the interior fittings. It would be like Repaining the VSOE into virgin livery and modernising the interior with 21st centualry fittings.... These people havent a clue about heritage..... all they want to do is turn a bit of their country into a Las Vagas style "theme park". What next, will 4472 be bought and converted to oil firing. What connection has the QE2 with Dubai???
Southampton is ripe for development, especially on the waterfront, and is in need for hotels. What better that the QE2 to serve the purpose. Also nave it open for the general public to visit.
Look how the yanks treated Concorde...
What would of happened if Britania had been sold off..... ....

 

Very well said that man!
Its a shame the old girl couldnt stay in the UK.

No doubt she will still be scrapped in time once she has been vandalised.

 

Where would the investment come from to convert her AND keep her running? The Queen Mary has lost money since she opened in Long Beach . Do you honestly think the QE2 would do better in damp wet UK ? Her superstructure (mainly alloy) is rotten, which is the real reason for her withdrawal. Who would replace / repair all that and at what cost? Dream on ! Yes its a shame she couldnt stay - but you have to be realistic. Unless you have countless millions to throw at her - there is nothing you can do.

 

We could not save the QE2 in the UK? Just look at Rotterdam in Rotterdam...where there is a will there is a way! But don't worry we have the Falmouth Museum of small boats to represent the greatest maritime nation in the world! They couldn't even manage to save a tug...

We are clueless in this country as far as ship preservation is concerned. Hamburg has two fantastic ocean going ships preserved (one still sea worthy) and we have nothing that comes close! They make more of a fuss over the Queens than we ever did.

 

Well said . . .

 

The thing I dont get is that some of you 'weed out' and totally ignore the facts that make her a preservation nightmare. I'll say no more on the subject.

 

If only the Olympic hadn't been scrapped in the 1930's.... What a preserved treasure she would be today!

 

If you listen to the conspiracy theorists the 'Olympic' sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg ,& 'Titanic' was scrapped in the 30's, their identities having ben switched following major damage caused by a collision between 'Olympic' & a Royal navy warship in the Solent.
The books on the subject make interesting reading.

Bob.

 

You will find them under "Fiction"

 

When the "Olympic" was withdrawn from service a lot of internal fitting were sold at auction. A friend has over the years aquired a quantity of cabin panelling etc., and not only is the cabin number stamped on it but also the name of the ship - "Olympic".

If there was an identity swap (which I very much doubt) could one really imagine everything with the ship's name on being exchanged?

 

The White Swan at Alnwick has some of that - a quantity also went through EBay awhile ago from a house modernisation in Southport - it got into all sorts of places and uses

 

Thursday 27th 10.00 GMT

QE2 will be handed over and the webcam switched off - for ever

Thank Goodness we didn't miss out on her - or the remarkable friends that we have made this last twelve months from all over the UK and North America.

Here she is at Valetta the last port of call where photography was possible