Bon Voyage, Queen Elizabeth 2

[Bushmaster]

The QE2 is about to leave on her final voyage, at the end of which she will be turned into some Arabian hotel thing in Dubai.

Sad end.

[Waynester]

All things must come to end..sadly.
At least she isn't being scrapped

How old is she?

[Semi hemi]

Waynester said:

All things must come to end..sadly.
At least she isn't being scrapped

How old is she?

Must be about 40/45yrs old.. I am sure I was a just a bairn when she was launched

[Waynester]

Semi hemi said:

Waynester said:

All things must come to end..sadly.
At least she isn't being scrapped

How old is she?

Must be about 40/45yrs old.. I am sure I was a just a bairn when she was launched

She was launched in '67, so before i was born. I still always associate her as one of the biggest ships in the world, but i guess she isn't anymore.
Some cruise liners look a lot bigger!

My abiding memory would be during the Falklands conflict. Wasn't she used as a troop transport/hospital ship or something...?

[Bushmaster]

Cruise ships are just massive floating hotels full of old people.

The QE2 is a proper liner.

[spitfire-ian]

Waynester said:

She was launched in '67, so before i was born. I still always associate her as one of the biggest ships in the world, but i guess she isn't anymore.

She's still the fastest isn't she?

[Balmoral Green]

She cost £30 million when new, you couldn't buy a small yacht to park up at the cheap end in Antibes with that now

[H2DaE]

Balmoral Green said:

She cost £30 million when new, you couldn't buy a small yacht to park up at the cheap end in Antibes with that now

Yes but £30 million was a lot more back then...

[FourWheelDrift]

spitfire-ian said:

Waynester said:

She was launched in '67, so before i was born. I still always associate her as one of the biggest ships in the world, but i guess she isn't anymore.

She's still the fastest isn't she?

In service it was. The SS United States if they ever get round to refitting it would take that back, with over twice the power (230,000shp) could do up to 38 knots.

Queen Mary 2 is the only other liner still operating as a liner and not a cruise ship (with the scrapping of the Norway, ex-France at Alang last year), more power than QE2 but less speed. All the others are cruise ships of which even the big Carnival Line ships like Freedom of the Seas despite being 150,000tns only have between 17-20,000shp and struggle to reach 21knts.

[C8PPO]

I remember as a kid being taken on a small boat for a tour around Portsmouth (I think) harbour when the QE2 was moored there. We sailed right under the bow and I remember being incredulous at both how big it was, and how far out it stuck. Immense ship.

[XB70]

Why did the United States have such as a massive amount of horsepower?

[whitechief]

Great ship. I see they managed to run her aground in the Solent this morning, Muppets

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/3437990/QE2-runs...

[FourWheelDrift]

XB70 said:

Why did the United States have such as a massive amount of horsepower?

To be the fastest and win the Blue Riband.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_United_States

248,000shp according to that.

[Balmoral Green]

H2DaE said:

Balmoral Green said:

She cost £30 million when new, you couldn't buy a small yacht to park up at the cheap end in Antibes with that now

Yes but £30 million was a lot more back then...

£385 million allowing for inflation.

[ninja-lewis]

FourWheelDrift said:

spitfire-ian said:

Waynester said:

She was launched in '67, so before i was born. I still always associate her as one of the biggest ships in the world, but i guess she isn't anymore.

She's still the fastest isn't she?

In service it was. The SS United States if they ever get round to refitting it would take that back, with over twice the power (230,000shp) could do up to 38 knots.

Queen Mary 2 is the only other liner still operating as a liner and not a cruise ship (with the scrapping of the Norway, ex-France at Alang last year), more power than QE2 but less speed. All the others are cruise ships of which even the big Carnival Line ships like Freedom of the Seas despite being 150,000tns only have between 17-20,000shp and struggle to reach 21knts.

QE2 managed about 20knts in reverse during trials - faster than most cruise ships can go forwards!

[thinfourth2]

ninja-lewis said:

FourWheelDrift said:

spitfire-ian said:

Waynester said:

She was launched in '67, so before i was born. I still always associate her as one of the biggest ships in the world, but i guess she isn't anymore.

She's still the fastest isn't she?

In service it was. The SS United States if they ever get round to refitting it would take that back, with over twice the power (230,000shp) could do up to 38 knots.

Queen Mary 2 is the only other liner still operating as a liner and not a cruise ship (with the scrapping of the Norway, ex-France at Alang last year), more power than QE2 but less speed. All the others are cruise ships of which even the big Carnival Line ships like Freedom of the Seas despite being 150,000tns only have between 17-20,000shp and struggle to reach 21knts.

QE2 managed about 20knts in reverse during trials - faster than most cruise ships can go forwards!

Yes 20knts astern and according to the vib guys from Lloyds you could see a peak with each blade falling off the grim wheels

[T5SOR]

I parked 100m from the docks today (leisure world) and didn't see the QE2 Lots of traffic around there though!

[Slacey]

I was in Southampton today for a survey so drove down to the docks for a look. Got a peek from the car but the traffic was horrendous so didn't get as far as parking up. In a hotel in Portsmouth now and it's live on the local BBC.