Bring QE2 Home

Image courtesy of Marc-Antoine Bombail http://www.mab-creations.ch/Maboceanbooks/

QE2 has been in the news again.  Mostly bad news, but with a glimmer of hopeful news.  This News of potential scrapping and or sale to Far East buyers hit the newspapers just before Christmas.  Adding legitimacy to this concern are confirmed reports that her current able crew that had been taking care of the ship at considerable expense had been dispensed for a much smaller Chinese crew unfamiliar with the operations of the ship.  A trip to the scrappers could be in her future, but a group of investors in the UK have approached the ships current owners with a viable plan to return the ship to the UK, London specifically.  Word of her imminent demise eventually reached Scottish newspapers as well.  Southampton papers, with obvious QE2 ties picked up the story as well. I posted a link to the article at the Cunard forum in Cruise Critic with the hope of generating some interest, which they shortly picked up on the news and ran an article on their news page. 

It appears that the main hurdle may be Cunard itself, who reportedly had a 10 year scrapping clause inserted in the sale agreement, a wise decision considering the bad press that was generated when this scrapping rumor was floated out just before Christmas.  Loyal fans, myself included posted comments to the Cunard Facebook page regarding the scrapping rumors.  I politely asked Cunard to comment on the status of the ship.  With all the backlash mounting on their website, Cunard wisely released this:

We have noted the messages of understandable concern with regards to the recent article in the Daily Mail with reference to QE2. We remain in close contact with Dubai and can reassure you that to the very best of our knowledge this story is pure speculation - one of a number of stories and rumours as we have seen over recent months. Our best advice would be to ignore the story.

Best regards,
Cunard Line.

Current news on the fate of the ship can be found here.  Rob Lightbody can take pride in that the website he owns and moderates has consistently reported on actual facts regarding the status of the ship.  Rob reported on the V-Ships crew departure and his rightful concern that this move could be the beginning of the end. 

Rest assured the plan presented by QE2 London is real and is viable.  While I have previously blogged on the viability of returning the ship to the Clyde and Clydebank specifically, permanently berthing QE2 in London makes the most sense for the long term viability of the ship to operate as a hotel, restaurant, museum, or all of the above.  Finally, the UK's Daily Mail, who brought us the original rumor, now has done some more reporting and has reported on QE2 London's plan to bring her home to the UK, but once again, full of inaccuracies and poor reporting.  Keith Hamilton, a reporter from the Daily Echo, whom I believe is a fan of QE2 filed this report on the QE2 London plan.  Maritime Matters detailed report on the London plan included renderings of the ship in its proposed location.

Sure, the naysayers are about, trying their best to poke holes in this plan, but experts quoted in the various news reports state that the ship CAN be brought up the Thames and a suitable site is available, ripe for further economic development.  QE2 fans, contact Cunard and urge them to lend their support to this endevour.  With official Cunard backing, rest assured, this will go along way to healing the wounds when they announced the sale of QE2 to Dubai.  QE2 is a maritime icon, a national treasure, and the world's most famous ship.  It was a shame she was let go to Dubai.  Now is the chance to get her back!

QE2 Arrives in Dubai - November 26, 2008

Two years ago today, QE2 arrived in Dubai, bringing to a close 39 distinguished years of service with Cunard.  The excellent photograph above is courtesy of Furstleur Photography, who had posted a full album of photographs of the day, but unfortunately, these photos have been taken off their website.  It is hard to believe two full years have passed since this day.  As documented here, on my favorite QE2 website, she sits, engines running in rotation, her fate still unknown.

QE2: In the Haze of Dubai

The latest picture of QE2, looking very lonely, in the afternoon haze of Dubai.  The movable cranes at the pier have been moved, giving an unobstructed view from the webcam.
http://www.dubaicoast.ae/coastimages/index.jsp?camera=0&format=1&view=View

QE2 Webcam Found

Thanks to "Dubai Guy" posting on my favorite website for finding this cam. 
http://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,1912.0.html
This is a high resolution cam and if you save the image as mentioned in the forum post, you can zoom in and get a decent idea of our ship is doing in Dubai. 

While not the bridge cam that I used to have open and minimized to a corner of my desktop to see where QE2 was on any given day, this Port Rashid harbor cam is the next best thing.  How sad it is though to see her sitting there idle, baking in the hot sun.

The Queens Meet Again

Queen Elizabeth 2 currently sits idle in Port Rashid, Dubia, all polished up by the current owners Nakheel.  She's all dressed up with, sadly, nowhere to go. Her nine MAN diesel engines, which have provided ship's power and power for her two massive electric motors to turn her props since the conversion from steam to diesel-electric power in 1987, are continually run in rotation, maintaining their operational condition.   Air conditioning, which has been a concern with her continued stay in Dubai, is running well, having been maintained and modified with supplementary equipment to handle the constant intense heat of Dubai.

Unfortunately, the plans to send the ship to Capetown, news which were so eagerly cheered by QE2 fans when announced this past summer, to act as a floating hotel for the World Cup have been shelved indefinitely due to concerns of Capetown.  Nakheel, the development arm of Dubaiworld is also experiencing financial difficulties after a previous spending spree in which the QE2 was aquired and the subsequent worldwide economic resession.  Nakheel, nevertheless, has not neglected their investment, investing money on the past summer's drydock, exterior repainting, air conditioning upgrades, and other maintenance necessary on a 41 year old ship.  This should offer some solace for all her fans, who are justified in their concern of her fate.  A hired crew, unfortunately without Cunard employee experience, is currently onboard to oversee the ship while plans are revised for her fate.

Today, Queen Mary 2, the replacement for Cunard's Flagship Queen Elizabeth 2 has met up with her in Port Rashid while on her 2010 World Cruise.  Unfortunately, QM2 has been docked at a considerable distance from QE2 along the pier negating a closeup view from the QM2 bridge cam.  Nevertheless, it must be a welcome sight for crew and passengers alike with deep affection for QE2.  Hopefully, at QM2's departure, the captain will sneak QM2 up close to QE2 and will begin an exchange of Tyfon horn salutes again, similar to the 2009 meeting of the two Queens.  QE2's signature voice will be heard once again.

For continued updates on the status of QE2 and spirited discussion of the most famous ship in the world, or in the galaxy, as she was refered to in a Star Trek episode, check out http://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php