QE2 Maiden Voyage

[guernseyguy]

Funny how browsing old newspaper archives becomes addictive....anyroad up, from the Times report of May 8th 1969 'New York Greets QE2' a rather prescient Miss Jo-Ann Jenkins opined that 'The guess of several seasoned passengers is that she'll loose hard-core First Class sea travellers and develop as a great one-class Tourist ship with a small First Class occupying the best cabins and dining in the Grill'.......

 

The crossing from Le Havre lightship to Ambrose light took 4 days 16 hours and 39 minutes....and as none of the Blue Riband runs were between Le Havre and Ambrose, its difficult to place this in the scheme of things...unless anyone knows how far it is from Le Havre to Bishop Rock (its 190 miles to Cherbourg....)

 

Peter

[guernseyguy]

An article from 1972 states that 'A report commissioned by the previous Cunard management (this was after the Trafalgar takeover) had recommended that Cunard should consider laying up the 65,863 ton liner.....McKinsey's view was that if the existing trend continued the QE2 would lose £1.7 million in 1972, rising to £4.4 million by 1975' However Trafalgar were confident in the QE2's future (well, she's outlasted Trafalgar...) and were going to spend £1 million on 'improvements'. And so, it began......

 

Peter

[KenC]

An article from 1972 states that 'A report commissioned by the previous Cunard management (this was after the Trafalgar takeover) had recommended that Cunard should consider laying up the 65,863 ton liner.....McKinsey's view was that if the existing trend continued the QE2 would lose £1.7 million in 1972, rising to £4.4 million by 1975' However Trafalgar were confident in the QE2's future (well, she's outlasted Trafalgar...) and were going to spend £1 million on 'improvements'. And so, it began......

 

Peter

 

I'll ignore the title of the previous post Peter!!!! This should strike a chord with all the armchair accountants who bemoan QM2 ever making a profit on the Transatlantic.

 

You don't go into the history of the aborted maiden voyages Peter ... you know, the ones they couldn't do because she kept breaking down!!!

 

Ken

[guernseyguy]

You don't go into the history of the aborted maiden voyages Peter ... you know, the ones they couldn't do because she kept breaking down!!!

 

Ken,

 

They fixed that with nice new diesel engines in 1987 to give her another 30 years!

 

Peter

[KenC]

Ken,

 

They fixed that with nice new diesel engines in 1987 to give her another 30 years!

 

Peter

 

so much for Cunard tradition then eh??? and even you don't think 2017!!!!

 

Ken

[guernseyguy]

Well, since the first attempt at mothballing her was in 1972.....who knows - perhaps she'll be like our own dear Prime Minister and hang on, and on, and on.......;)

 

Peter

[KenC]

Well, since the first attempt at mothballing her was in 1972.....who knows - perhaps she'll be like our own dear Prime Minister and hang on, and on, and on.......;)

 

Peter

 

1972 may as well have been a million years ago maritime-wise, as you well know. Are they using mothballs on Alang beach these days???? As for the PM - I think enough offensive quasi political tosh has been written on other threads today ..... thank you kindly!

 

Cheers

 

Ken