RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
| RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 | | RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 in Norway, June 2006 |
| Career | |
|---|
| Ordered: | 1964 |
| Laid down: | July 5, 1965 |
| Launched: | September 20, 1967 |
| Christened: | September 20, 1967
by Queen Elizabeth II |
| Maiden voyage: | May 2, 1969 |
| Fate: | in service |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Tonnage: | 70,327 gross tonnes |
| Displacement: | 48,923 (loaded) |
| Length: | 293.5 m (963 ft) |
| Beam: | 32.03 m (105 ft) |
| Draft: | 9.87 m (32 ft) |
| Height: | 52.2 m (171 ft 4 in) |
| Power: | 9 x 10,625 kW at 400 rpm |
| Propulsion: | 9 MAN 9-cylinder medium speed turbo-charged diesel engines turning two five-bladed propellers |
| Speed: | 32.5 knots (61 km/h), 20 knots (37 km/h) in reverse |
| Complement: | 1,756 passengers
1,892 (all berths) passengers
1,015 officers and crew |
| Cost: | £29,091,000 |
The
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (
QE2) is a
Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner
Queen Elizabeth. She was the
flagship of the line from 1969 until she was succeeded by
RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. She was considered the last of the great
transatlantic ocean liners prior to the construction of the
QM2, and before she was refitted with a diesel power plant she was the last oil-fired passenger
steamship to cross the
Atlantic in scheduled liner service. During her service as the Cunard flagship, the
QE2 traveled all over the world, and now operates predominantly as a
cruise ship sailing out of
Southampton,
England.
At 70,327 gross tons and 963 ft (294 m) long, with a top speed of 32.5 knots (60 km/h), the
Queen Elizabeth 2 is one of the fastest
passenger ships afloat. Contrary to what commonly occurred in previous decades where shipping lines would construct ever larger flagships to out-do one another, the
QE2 was built smaller than her predecessor
RMS Queen Elizabeth, as Cunard realised passenger demand was no longer as great, fuel was increasingly expensive, and in order to allow her to pass through the
Panama Canal. Her successor,
Queen Mary 2, built some 40 years later, is approximately twice the size of
QE2. The ship can carry approximately 1,700 passengers and 1,015 crew members, for a total of approximately 2,715 people on board.
The
QE2 was not named after
Queen Elizabeth II, who launched her in 1969, but instead for the previous
Queen Elizabeth. Thus, as Roman numerals are always used for monarchs, the Arabic numeral "2" is used in the ship's name is to distinguish her from the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
[Queen Elizabeth 2 - The first 30 years] Further, when Queen Elizabeth II launched the ship in 1967 she spoke the name as "Queen Elizabeth the Second".
[1967: Queen Elizabeth 2 takes to the waves], however the ship is normally called "Queen Elizabeth Two," not "The Second", for the same reason.
Concept and construction
By the middle of the 1960s transatlantic travel was clearly dominated by the
aeroplane, due to it being much faster and greatly cheaper to the paying passenger, and further expansion of this mode of travel showed no signs of slowing down, let alone stopping. Conversely, the
Queen Mary and
Queen Elizabeth were becoming increasingly expensive to operate, and both internally and externally were relics of the pre-war years. However, Cunard did not want to give up the business of passenger service, and so gambled $80 million on a new ocean liner to replace the original "Queens," as well as to compete with the
French Line's recently built
SS France.
Realising the decline of transatlantic trade, Cunard decided their new ship was to be smaller and cheaper to operate than her predecessors. Originally designated "Q4" (a previous ship "Q3" had been abandoned just after the end of World War II), she was to be a three class liner. However, looking to the
France, designs were changed to make "Q4" a two-class
liner that could be modified into a single-class
cruise ship, thereby allowing the ship to ply the Atlantic during peak summer season, as well as warmer waters during the winter.
[Queen Elizabeth 2: History] The
Queen Elizabeth 2 was built by the
Upper Clyde Shipbuilders in the John Brown Shipyard in
Clydebank,
Scotland, her keel being laid down on
July 5,
1965. She launched on
September 20,
1967, by
Queen Elizabeth II, using the same pair of gold scissors used by her mother and grandmother to launch the
Queen Elizabeth and
Queen Mary respectively.
The
QE2 returned to the shipbuilders in 1986 to have her
steam turbines replaced by
diesel engines. This refit took the ship out of service for six months, and cost Cunard $162 million, not including lost revenue. At this time her funnel was also replaced with a more bulky design.
Service history
The
Queen Elizabeth 2's maiden voyage, from Southampton to
New York City, commenced on
May 2,
1969, taking 4 days, 16 hours and 35 minutes. However,
Prince Charles was the first "civilian" passenger to board the ship, on her voyage from the shipyard in Clydebank to drydock in
Greenock.
In 1970 she set a record in crossing the Atlantic in 3 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes, an average speed of 30.36 knots. The following year she participated in the rescue of some 500 passengers from the burning
French Line ship
Antilles.
On
May 17,
1972, while travelling from New York to Southampton, she was the subject of a
bomb threat. She was searched by her crew, and a bomb disposal team
parachuted into the sea near the ship. No bomb was found, but the
hoaxer was arrested by the
FBI. This incident went on to inspire the 1974
Richard Lester feature film Juggernaut. The following year the
QE2 undertook two chartered cruises through the Mediterranean to
Israel in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the state's founding. Later, on July 16, 1974,
Egyptian President
Anwar Sadat revealed in a television interview that
Libyan President
Muammar al-Qaddafi had ordered an Egyptian submarine to torpedo the
QE2 during the cruise. Sadat said he had personally intercepted and nullified the order.
|
The Queen Elizabeth 2 sporting her post-Falklands grey hull |
In 1982, she took part in the
Falklands War, carrying 3,000 troops and 650 volunteer crew to the south Atlantic. She was refitted in Southampton in preparation for war service, including the installation of three helicopter pads. That same year she returned to the UK, being welcomed by
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother on board the
Royal Yacht Britannia, and underwent conversion back to passenger service, with her funnel being painted in the traditional Cunard orange-red with black stripes, but her hull painted an unconventional light charcoal grey, this colour proved hard to maintain, and so was reverted to traditional colours in 1983.
The 1986 removal of her steam engines in favour of diesel marked the end of Cunard's 146 year history of operating steam ships on the Atlantic. The
QE2's steam turbines had taken her 2,622,858 miles (4,221,089 km), the equivalent of 120 times around the world. At the same time she was given a more bulky funnel, which altered the overall appearance of the ship. Four years later, in 1990, the
QE2 completed the fastest Atlantic crossing by diesel, undertaking the journey in 4 days, 6 hours and 57 minutes at an average speed of 30.16 knots.
In August 1992, her
hull was damaged when she ran aground off Cuttyhunk Island near
Cape Cod, while returning from a five day cruise to
Halifax along the east coast of the
United States and
Canada. A combination of outdated charts and faster than normal speed (proportional to the distance from the coast, only 20-30 miles) led to the ship's hull scraping a rock on the ocean floor. The accident resulted in the ship being taken out of service while repairs were made in drydock. Several years later, divers found red paint on rocks in the vicinity of where the ship was said to have hit bottom.
|
Berthed in Malaga Spain 1982 |
In 1995, she encountered a
freak wave, estimated at 29 m (95 ft), caused by
Hurricane Luis in the North
Atlantic Ocean.
The
QE2 celebrated the 30th anniversary of her maiden voyage in Southampton in 1999. In three decades she had 1,159 voyages, sailed 4,648,050 nautical miles (5,347,018 mi, 8,605,209 km) and carried over 2 million passengers. (Much of above from
[Queen Elizabeth 2 - The first 30 years])
Over the months of November and December 2001 the
QE2 was given a major refurbishment, which saw new carpets and furnishing throughout many cabins and public rooms, as well as minor changes to layout, such as on the upper level of the Grand Lounge.
While she has been taken off the traditional "transatlantic" route, which was taken over by the
QM2 in 2005, the
QE2 still undertakes an annual world cruise and regular trips around the Mediterranean. At the end of her 2005 world cruise, certain pieces of her artwork were damaged when some crew members who had become inebriated at an onboard crew party, went on a vandalism rampage through the public areas of the ship. A "priceless" tapestry of
Queen Elizabeth II, commissioned for the launch of the ship, was thrown overboard. Further, an oil painting of the
QE2 and two other tapestries were damaged, along with a part of the entertainment area and a lifeboat. The crew were dismissed from service with charges pending.
[Cruise Critic News: QE2 Winds Up World Cruise With a Whimper]As the
QE2 approaches her 40th anniversary in service, there is bound to be some speculation over her future, especially as the new Cunard cruise ship
MS Queen Victoria, which is of similar size to the
QE2, is due to begin sailing in 2007. For the time being, however, Cunard remains committed to the oldest, if no longer the largest, ship in its fleet.
 |
The Queen Elizabeth 2 in Southampton, 1976, with her original white funnel |
Exterior
Cunard's last major liner, the
Queen Elizabeth, when completed in 1940 was even then considered of an outmoded design, despite some alterations to her overall design which made her sleeker than her sister ship, the
Queen Mary. This was especially noticeable when she was compared to French liners like the SS
Normandie, built in 1935, and later the SS
France, completed in 1962. So, when designing the
Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard wanted her to be modern and reflective of 1960s Britain, as well as featuring the most modern advancements in maritime design.
Like both the
Normandie and
France, the
QE2 has a
bulbous bow, flared stem, and clean
forecastle. One innovation that made her distinct from all other ships is her funnel, which bears at its base an upward turned wind scoop that uses the forward motion of the ship to push air directly up the flanks of the funnel to catch the exhaust and disperse it far above the aft passenger decks.
[Queen Elizabeth 2: An engineering marvel] What was controversial at the time was that Cunard decided not to paint the funnel with the line's distinctive colour and pattern, something that had been done on all merchant vessels since the first Cunard ship, the
Britannia, sailed in 1840. Instead the funnel was painted white and black, with the Cunard orange-red appearing only on the inside of the wind scoop. This practice ended in 1983 when the
QE2 returned from service in the
Falklands War, and the funnel has been painted in Cunard orange-red with black horizontal bands (correctly known as "hands") ever since. The original pencil-like funnel was replaced in 1986 with a more robust one, but still using the wind scoop.
Large amounts of
aluminium were used in the framing and cladding of the
QE2's superstructure. This reduced weight, and therefore fuel consumption, but also posed problems with joining the aluminium to the steel hull, as with the
SS United States. The low melting point of aluminium caused concern when the
QE2 was serving as a troop ship during the
Falklands War: some feared that if the ship were struck by rockets her upper decks would collapse quickly due to fire, thereby causing greater casualties.
In 1972, two penthouse suites were added in an aluminium structure on the Signal Deck, behind the ship's
bridge, and in 1977 this structure was expanded to include more suites with balconies, making the
QE2 one of the first ships to offer private terraces to passengers since the
RMS Olympic was decommissioned in 1935.
Interior
|
The original configuration of the Queen's Room on QE2 |
|
The modern configuration of the Queen's Room on QE2 |
The
Queen Elizabeth 2s interior configuration was laid out in a horizontal fashion, similar to the SS France
, where the spaces dedicated to the two classes were spread horizontally on specific decks, in contrast to the vertical class divisions of older liners. Where the QE2
differed from the France
was that the first class deck (Quarter Deck) was below the deck dedicated to tourist class (Upper Deck). Originally there were to be main lounges serving three classes, layered one atop the other, but when Cunard decided to make the ship a two-class vessel, only two main lounges were needed. Instead of completely reconfiguring the Boat Deck, the ship's architects simply opened a well in the deck between what were to have been the second and third class lounges, creating a double-height space known as the Double Room, now the Grand Lounge. This too was unconventional in that it designated a grander two-storey space for tourist class passengers, while first class passengers gathered in the standard height Queen's Room. However, the configuration for segregated Atlantic crossings gave first class passengers the theatre balcony on Boat Deck, while tourist class used the orchestra level on Upper Deck.
Over the span of 30 years the QE2
has had a number of interior refits and alterations.
1969, the year of her fitting out, was also the year of the Apollo 11 mission, when the Concorde's prototype was unveiled, and the previous year Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered. In keeping with those times, originally Cunard broke from the traditional interiors of their previous liners for the QE2
, especially the Art Deco modern of the previous Queens
. Instead modern materials like plastic laminates, aluminium, and Plexiglas were used. Furniture was modular, and abstract art was used throughout public rooms and cabins.
The Midships Lobby on Two Deck, where first class passengers boarded for transatlantic journeys and all passengers boarded for cruises, was a circular room with a sunken seating area in the centre with green leather clad banquettes, and surrounded by a chrome railing. As a king-pin to this was a flared, white, trumpet-shaped, up-lit column. Another room where the QE2s advanced interior design was demonstrated was the first class lounge, the Queen's Room on Quarter Deck. This space, in colours of white and tan, featured a recessed, slotted ceiling, and indirect lighting. As well, the columns were flared in the same fashion as the one in the Midships Lobby, with recessed up-lighting, and also reflecting the shape of the bases of the tables and leather shell chairs. The Theatre Bar on Upper Deck featured red chairs, red drapes, a red egg-crate fibreglass screen, and even a red baby
grand piano. Some more traditional materials like wood veneer were used as highlights throughout the ship, especially in passenger corridors and staterooms.
There was also an Observation Bar on Quarter Deck, a successor to its namesake, located in a similar location, on both previous
Queens, which offered views through large windows over the ship's bow. This room was lost in the
QE2s 1972 refit, becoming kitchen space with the forward-facing windows plated over. Cunard ships were without a forward passenger room like this until the Commodore Club on the Queen Mary 2
. Queen Elizabeth 2
: Interiors
In the 1994 refit almost all of the remaining original decor was lost, with Cunard opting to reverse the original decision of the QE2s designers and use the line's traditional ocean liners as inspiration. The green velvet and leather Midships Bar became the
Art Deco inspired Chart Room, and received an original, custom designed piano from the
Queen Mary. The (by now) blue-dominated Theatre Bar was transformed into the Golden Lion Pub, which mimics a traditional
Edwardian pub.
The
Synagogue is the only room that remains unaltered since 1969.
[Queen Elizabeth 2: Today]Artwork and artefacts
|
Helena Barynina Hernmarck's tapestries on Queen Elizabeth 2 |
The
Queen Elizabeth 2 holds many pieces of artwork, as well as maritime artefacts drawn from Cunard's long history of operating merchant vessels.
In the Mauritania Restaurant sits Althea Wynne's sculpture of the
White Horses of the Atlantic Ocean. There are bronze busts of both Sir
Samuel Cunard (outside the Yacht Club) and
Queen Elizabeth II (in the Queen's Room). The Princess Grill holds four life-size statues of human forms representing the four elements, done by sculptor Janine Janet in marine materials like shell and coral. The Chart Room's frieze was designed by Brody Nevenshwander, and depicts the words of
T. S. Eliot, Sir
Francis Drake, and
John Masefield. The Midships Lobby holds a solid silver model of the
Queen Elizabeth 2 made by Asprey of Bond Street in 1975, that was lost until a photograph was found in 1997 that led to the discovery of the model itself, and its placement on the
QE2 in 1999. In "E" stairway hangs three custom designed tapestries, commissioned from Helena Barynina Hernmarck for the ship's launch, that depict the Queen as well as the launch of the ship. These tapestries, which were originally hung in "D" Stairway, Quarter Deck, outside the Colombia Restaurant, were damaged, and one thrown overboard, in 2005, as mentioned in the
Service history (above). They were originally made with golden threads however much of this was lost when they were cleaned incorrectly as part of the 1987 refit.
There are also numerous photographs, oils and pastels of various members of the
Royal Family throughout the vessel, and silver plaques commemorating the visits of every member of the Royal Family, as well as other dignitaries like
South African president
Nelson Mandela.
Amongst the artefacts on board is a set of antique Japanese armour presented to the
QE2 by the Governor of
Kagoshima,
Japan, during her 1979 world cruise, and a
Wedgewood vase presented to the ship by Lord Wedgewood.
From previous Cunard ships are a brass relief plaque with a fish motif from the
RMS Mauretania, as well as an Art Deco bas-relief titled
Winged Horse and Clouds, by Norman Foster for the
RMS Queen Elizabeth. There is also a vast array of Cunard postcards, porcelain, flatware, boxes, linen, and
Lines Bros Ltd Tri-anic model ships. One of her key pieces is a replica of the
figurehead from Cunard's first ship, the
RMS Britannia, carved from
Quebec yellow pine by
Cornish sculptor Charles Moore, and presented to the ship by
Lloyds of London. On Upper Deck sits the silver Boston Commemorative Cup, presented to the
Britannia by the City of
Boston in 1840. This cup was lost for many decades until being found in a pawn shop in
Halifax. On "2" Deck is a bronze entitled
Spirit of the Atlantic which was designed by Barney Seale for the second ship
Mauretania. A large wooden plaque was presented to the
QE2 by
First Sea Lord Sir
John Fieldhouse to commemorate the ship's service in the
Falklands War.
There is also an extensive collection of large scale models of various Cunard ships throughout the
QE2.
[My Cunard Hertiage Trail]Crew accommodation
The majority of crew are accommodated in mostly four, and some two, berth cabins, with showers and toilets at the end of the alleyway. These are located forward and aft on Decks 3, 4, and 5 as well as various points along 6 Deck, where the Crew Purser's Office is also located. Cabins in the aft end of the vessel are subject to severe noise and vibration owing to their proximity to the variable pitch propellers.
Accommodation is cramped, basic, lacking in privacy, as well as natural light, and is subject to inspection by Officers every five days. Unlike the passenger areas, crew accommodation has seen little renovation in the
Queen Elizabeth 2's 40 years of service.
There are two crew bars, one nicknamed "The Pig & Whistle" ("The Pig" for short), and the other "Castaways".
Officers are accommodated in single cabins with private en suite bathrooms. These cabins are located on 1 Deck forward, and on Sports Deck.
The
Queen Elizabeth 2 has been featured in a number of films and television shows.
* The 1981 television adaptation of
Brideshead Revisited used the aft decks of the
QE2 for outdoor scenes aboard a fictional transatlantic liner.
* In 1993, BBC filmed the double-length "Sea Fever" episode of
Keeping Up Appearances on board the
QE2.
* A 1995 episode of
Coronation Street was filmed on the
QE2.
* In the 1998 remake of
The Parent Trap, the parents of twins are shown meeting on the
QE2.
* The 2003 telefilm
Attack on the Queen (
Counterstrike in the U.S.), based on the novel by Richard P. Henrick of the same name, was filmed aboard the
QE2. The film concerns the hijacking of the
QE2 by Chinese terrorists during a summit between the U.S. and Chinese Presidents.
*
Official QE2 website*
TGOL - Queen Elizabeth 2*
QE2 Org website*
Aboard QE2 - pictures of the ship's exterior and interior
