View the wave in the North Atlantic

[cusyl]

The wave

 

A bad day at sea is better than a good day at work

26 cruises since 1964 -Proud member of O.A.T.C.

 

Queen Mary 2 Maiden Caribbean Voyage 1/31/2004

HAL Zuiderdam 3/27/2004

 

Carnival Miracle from Tampa 11/7/04

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[JudyJB]

I was wondering about the wisdom of putting so many public rooms so low in the ship on QM2.

 

On QE2, the two lowest passenger decks have portholes which are covered by large screwed down covers in bad weather.

 

Do the lower decks like the one shown in the video have covers for their windows? I wonder how much bad weather the windows in the dining and other public rooms can handle. Anyone know?

 

Frankly if I were sitting near the window, I would want to know if the window would blow in. Anyone remember the earlier posting in 2003 where several people talked about being on a cruise ship and having a wave come into their cabins? If I remember correctly, there were some injuries and several people had to be relocated because of damage to cabins.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I share your concern Judy.

 

In Feb this year ,we were on P&O's Aurora,sailing from San Francisco to Sydney,and 1 day out from Auckland,a cabin on deck4,towards the bow of the ship had a direct hit from a wave and the window was blown out.

The cabin,and surrounding cabins were flooded.

Fortunately the only mishap was a cut hand from the flying glass.

But this cabin had a low picture window,when perhaps it should have only had a porthole.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thanks Cusyl

for steering folk over to

Cruise Talk

It is a great board.......

[Colin_Cameron]

Hi, It wasn't so much "The" wave. Just one of many. And not the biggest either.

 

No covers on these windows. There may be on the portholes on deck 1 but each time I went down there to try and see out the tender lounges were in use and I didn't think the medical facility would appreciate the interuption.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Frankly if I were sitting near the window, I would want to know if the window would blow in. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>But then, if you knew that the window would blow in you wouldn't sit near it

 

If I remember correctly, the investigation into the P&O incidents concluded that the problem wasn't that the glass broke but that both Aurora and Oriana, which had a similar problem on a transatlantic, have their windows mounted to the inside of the hull making them easier to 'push in'. QM2's windows, I believe, are mounted from the outside. Oriana at least, also had badly made windows, the glass was too small for the frames.

 

Having said all that, I too have my doubts.

Regards, Colin.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Well here are the 'windows" in question

and here is the staff repairing them

[cusyl]

This ship was built for the North Atlantic weather and I'm sure it was designed with that in mind. Perhaps Stephen Payne could address the issue.

[Crouton]

Wow, cusyl -- thanks!

[Hve2cruise]

That was great! Thanks for the Wave and a great website too.

 

Helane

 

40+ Cruises

QM2 7/1/04

[2moose]

thanx for the great video. remember "bacchus hath drowned more men then neptune"

 

2moose

[seaventurer]

For you ship nuts (like me), this link is to a PDF file detailing the wave incidents on bard the Oriana in September of 2000 - including PHOTOS - wow !!! enjoy.

 

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_maritimesafety/documents/page/dft_masafety_507699.pdf

[Crouton]

More than once on the Maiden Eastbound crossing (the one after "the wave") I was grateful that QM2's welds had already been thoroughly tested by the North Atlantic on the Maiden Westbound. So were other passengers I talked to.

 

The Maiden Westbound voyage was extremely significant also for two unplanned reasons: that QM2 proved both her ocean worthiness in the storm and her liner worthiness by arriving on time in spite of it.

 

To anyone who knew about the storm, seeing her sail slowly and majestically up the Hudson on the morning of April 22nd -- precisely on schedule -- made a bigger statement than any fireworks, fireboats, or other hoopla could possibly have.

 

Crouton

 

P.S. Any of the other great ocean liners welded and not riveted?

[cusyl]

Thanks for that great article. I have not yet done a trans-atlantic, but now I know the only one I would consider would be the seaworthy QM2.

 

A bad day at sea is better than a good day at work

26 cruises since 1964 -Proud member of O.A.T.C.

 

Queen Mary 2 Maiden Caribbean Voyage 1/31/2004

HAL Zuiderdam 3/27/2004

 

Carnival Miracle from Tampa 11/7/04

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<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">

</center>

 

[highcbob]

That's why there are OCEAN LINERS and...

cardboard 'cruise' ships.

 

Long live the Queens!!!

[dougnewmanatsea]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by seaventurer:

For you ship nuts (like me), this link is to a PDF file detailing the wave incidents on bard the Oriana in September of 2000<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now why on earth didn't I think to post that link ?

 

I read that MAIB report when it came out and I have to say it was not only interesting but slightly unsettling. On the other hand the bit where the officers did everything right after the accident was reassuring; I've read a fair number of reports like these and there is usually at least some human error noted. I don't think there was any in that one, which is a great thing. Of course the windows not being properly installed was a human error, but that is the fault of the window manufacturer, shipyard, classification society, or someone like that not actually involved in running the ship.

 

I was also rather astounded that the window design regulations (at least for the UK, whose regulations are apparently the basis of everyone else's) are so completely obsolete that nobody even bothers to follow them and the classification societies basically offer unlimited exemptions. Clearly this is something which needs to be adressed as it simply will not do thave regulations so impractical nobody would actually dream of enforcing them.

 

Anyway no doubt the more technically-minded among this board's members who have not discovered that report will be very interested. They might also be interested in other MAIB reports, most of which do not relate to passenger ships but some of which do.

 

Doug Newman

Cruise Critic Message Boards Host

e-mail: shiploverny AT yahoo DOT com