since there's a thread on the Queen Mary, I will not start a new one, but ask my question here instead. I was recently reading a article on another really small forum and it stated the RMS Queen Mary was in horrible condition stating her keel was bad, and her plates in some spots actually had holes through and through. Now I understand years of sitting, and the fact that longbeach's "preparation of the ship" don't help the subject, but is it really that bad. I understand she is fragile after the modifications but is the grand old lady really that bad, I can't believe it. To say 40yrs will rot a hole in a hull plate of a true liner is a big claim, and I don't think it can be true, at least not as bad as they accuse. I could have sworn she was undergoing a interior restoration at this point in time theres a video on the web of it.
One trip on the QE(1) we found a hole about 25mm diameter in the ships side, luckily it was in a small water tight cofferdam in the port genny room. Quick pump out, 6" of the broom handle cut off, bit of a point put on end and knocked in . kept us going till the annual dry dock.
how exactly do rivets come off, I would guess it would have something to do with the movement of the ship? You guys are very much the experts, I'm just wondering? Would the same thing happen to the Queen whilst she is in long beach?
Rivets come off now and then; the usual cause is, "cold finishing", where a rivet has had to travel too far from the warmer to the holder up, cooling all the time, the rivet goes in the hole and is NOT red enough, i.e. below the austenitic point, the result is that the finished rivet is more brittle than the others in the run, (row or rows of rivets put in at the same time, by the same gang). It's unusual to find more than two rivets missing next to each other if there has not been any mechanical damage such as a collision or a grounding.
With respect to the QM, rivets will rust if exposed to salt water and or oxygen.
I quite doubt that she's got any significant hole in her hull, beyond that attrocity built around the port prop. Last I saw her, I got a pretty thorough solo tour with the owner of the lease. Aside from the ill-conceived gutting, I was actually impressed by the overall condition of the steel in the hull. Everything had been freshly painted shortly before I was there. From recent photos, it looks like to me she's due another good coat. Lease owner described that process to me. Seems it involves flooding tanks to induce about a 6-degree list (which is possible as she is still afloat), to paint a bit below the waterline. He said visitors and staff find that disconcerting. I'd love to see that. I've seen similar reports elsewhere but have seen no basis for them on personal inspection. (In my fondest dreams, I'd love to sort out a fun job on her for nominal salary primarily for good on-board accommodations. Even in her present condition, she'd still be my favorite address.)
Hi Norman,
Nice show. The QM was always my favourite ship,although now all theses years later she dies look a little old fashioned accommodation wise. I was with Cunard fifteen years mainly on their smaller ships. When Sir Basil Smallpeice annouced their sale I said to my wife Ann we must do a trip on the QM before she finishes and we did,a round Southampton to NY trip in cabin class at staff prices. We had a great trip and very fond memories of a great voyage made more memorable by special treatment by US Immigration and Customs in NY and NYPD,all who I normally dealt with in my job.
Stuart
France
Great shots. I stayed on board roughly the same time. One thing I never got used to on either the Mary or Elizabeth were those weird bathtubs with no flat spot on the bottom--damn hard to stand up and take a shower. When I crossed on the Lizzie I had to try the salt water. It had a terrible smell. I'd love to see the Mary again with the renovations Delaware North is supposedly doing.
Nice shots. Pictures of the radio room (round about #120) need some clarification.
The true radio room, sadly demolished, was located inboard (no portholes) just beneath the sports deck. You could hear the rumble of the shuffleboard deck quoits overhead on a calm day.
This pictured radio room has portholes and is used by the Long Beach amateur radio society. However some of the old original radio equipment remains on the top shelves including one of the main receivers - called an IMR54 - on the last radio picture. Built like a tank, you needed both hands to change frequency channels.
Ken
hi dickyboy, i was on her then, 1st class winger. that last trip was something else! when we docked at LONG BEACH i had the job of showing the yanks around the ship including the bridge. johnny mathis amongst others was on board, he gave the crew a show one night. brilliant. those were the days mate. sad to think all those liners have gone. iused to love it going over to the pool at southampton. great atmosphere. i used to live on the I. OF. WIGHT i'm retired now. best wishes.
hi dickyboy, i was on her then, 1st class winger. that last trip was something else! when we docked at LONG BEACH i had the job of showing the yanks around the ship including the bridge. johnny mathis amongst others was on board, he gave the crew a show one night. brilliant. those were the days mate. sad to think all those liners have gone. iused to love it going over to the pool at southampton. great atmosphere. i used to live on the I. OF. WIGHT i'm retired now. best wishes.
I never got into the Restaurants, but as a Bridge Boy I used to run messages all over the ship, Daily Memo's, things like Dress of the day. Often went into the Galley to delever stuff to the Head Chef in his office. What a manic place that 1st Class galley seemed to be to me
She was a good ship, but I never settled in pazzie boats, and after short periods on others, Capetown Castle, Andes, the Reina and a couple of others I went on the tankers.
I remember bumping into Janette Scott, literally! on one trip, but didn't have a lot of direct contact with passengers.
Sad to see them all gone. I remember standing on the road by the Royal Pier and seeing all the funnels sticking above the dockyard sheds in the Old Docks, and a long row of passenger and other ships in the New Docks. The Cunarders were always the most eye catching I think. Bigger and more solid looking than the rest.
hi, dickyboy, i ended up on liners because in them days good tips were common more so the yanks! i wsa and still am married so needed the dosh. i first worked on cargo ships tramping round the world sowing my wild oats. what are you doing these days i finished my working days running a machine shop, worked my way up from the bottom. happy days.
My only Queen Mary story was when it came into Balboa for bunkers in December of 1967. The tide there is normally 14 to 20 feet. Low tide was needed to get under the Bridge of the Americas. Barges were used as fenders because there wasn't enough water alongside. Real long makeshift gangways were needed to get ashore. The rest of her voyage was her last as she headed up to California.
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