QE2 in Old Saybrook, CT

Dock & Dine, located at the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook, CT is home to  local artist Steven Cryan, who just so happens to be a big fan of Queen Elizabeth 2 and her replacement Queen Mary 2. Steven's interests mirror my own to a great degree; ocean liners, trains, tugs, and model railroading.  He has been painting and photographing his interests for years.  His small studio, located at the entrance to the restaurant, has on display and for purchase photograghs and artwork of all his interests.  If you're so lucky, as we were tonight, you can catch him working on a new painting.

Tonight, we stopped in for dinner and to view the breathtaking view of the river and Long Island Sound at sunset.  It's times like these that bring back the reason why I wanted to move to this area that I had spent so much of my early years mucking about the river in my little 13' Boston Whaler.   In fact, looking at the center console boats out fishing for Striped Bass and Shad this night, reminded me that I need to get our 25' Whaler back in the water for this season.

View looking south at the breakwater, the inner lighthouse, Brewers Marina, and Long Island in the distance

As mentioned, we caught Steven Cryan actually at his studio, working on a painting of the outermost lighthouse located on the Old Saybrook breakwater, which reminded me of the painting we witnessed being painted onboard QE2 on our final trip.  With one of my QE2 hats on, Steven recognized a fellow QE2 fan and we struck up a conversation on our favorite liner.  He then showed me an impressive recent painting of QM2.  He also has a nice photograph of QE2 taken in 1983 in the very brief period that the ship was painted white.  I large version of this print is on display in the restaurant near the restrooms.

Steven has photographed, painted, and even played in a band onboard QM2.  Back in 2004, with his connections to Moran Tugs, he was onboard a Moran tug as QM2 approached New York City for the first time.  I have a video he offered of this historic event with some fantastic early morning video of QM2.  Unfortunately, Steven doesn't have much of a website, but if you're in the area, stop in and see his work.  Dock & Dine is just okay as far as the food goes, but the main draw is definitely the view.  Steven's model railroading work can also be seen locally on permanent display at the Pizzaworks Restaurant located at the Old Saybrook Amtrack Station.

 View looking North up the river.  The Amtrack train bridge and Route 95 bridge are way off in the distance.

QE2 Time Machine

Here is a compilation of pictures I have accumulated over the years, showing the forty plus years of QE2 history.  Some of these pictures are mine, others were culled from the internet.  The somewhat chronological order illustrates the changes that have occured over time to the ship, set to an aptly appropriate symphonic interpretation of Pink Floyd's "Time" from their "Dark Side of the Moon" album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5w-zFiPrfs

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.

Pride of the Clyde

When researching names for this blog, I found it difficult to come up with a unique name that had not already been taken. With the popularity of QE2, it is not amazing that there are a multitude of websites devoted to the ship.  I ultimately settled on "QE2 - Pride of the Clyde."  Unfortunately, a Goggle search found a Coach for hire company in Greenock using "Pride of the Clyde " already.  So much for my unique name.  Since I liked the ring to this name, I figured a way around this, which in theory, might add traffic to the site by adding "QE2" to the name.  Now I was ready to launch my new blog, thinking I had a somewhat unique name to capture my obsession, the pride of Scotland, and to honor the workers who built the last ocean liner in the UK.

The blog was started long after QE2 had made her trip to Dubai.  I had taken one of the final voyages, a very special one that had been shoehorned into the schedule once the announcement had been made that the ship had been sold to Dubai.  This voyage was billed by Cunard as the "Farewell to the UK" voyage and this would be a lap of honor for the ship around the UK.  When I saw the itinery, I knew the Greenock port of call would be special as this was the closest QE2 would return to where she was built.  Unbelievably, the weather was absolutely perfect for our arrival, with an escort my the HMS Manchester.  People were lining the waterfront as we arrived, along with our flotilla of small craft that accompanied us up the Firth of Clyde and eventually into Greenock.  My initial perceptions of Greenock were spot on.

The photo above was taken along the Esplanade, with the docks in the background.  QE2 had obviously not yet arrived, but as the photo shows, there was quite a turnout for QE2's final homecoming of sorts.  We unfortunately never got to see this display and it wasn't until months later did I find photos posted of this tribute.  Once the ship docked, we eventually got off and took a Cunard shore excursion to Glasgow to see the Transport Museum, which has a vast collection of shipbuilders models, but the main reason why we took this excursion was to visit the site of the former John Brown Shipyard to see QE2's birthplace.  I knew that there wasn't much left, but I was still shocked to see utter distruction.  Basically,  the only thing left is the Titan Crane as discussed in the previous post. 

This special day was full of a wide range of emotions.  For us, there was the initial excitement on the approach to Greenoch, seeing Scotland from the sea for the very first time.  Then, there was the feeling that we were experiencing something very historic.  It is not everyday that a non-military ship gets a naval escort into the pier.  The sense of pride was palpable.  People were lining the streets to see the ship all day.  After the euphoria of our arrival, seeing the remains of the John Brown yard later in the day brought the complete opposite emotion of incredible sadness. 

So many countless times I have heard that QE2 was the last great ship built in Scotland, but on this day, there was no escaping why this ship is extremely special, much beloved by so many, and the "Pride of the Clyde."  The once great yard that built her is gone along with industry that the Clyde was famous for.  At the peak of the shipbuilding industry in the UK, "Clydebuilt" meant the finest in shipbuilding, known worldwide.  The opinion voiced by our Titan Crane tour guide as well as everyone onboard QE2 was that the UK was about to loose their finest example of Scottish shipbuilding,craftsmanship, and engineering to Dubai in a few weeks time. The end was coming all too quickly.  QE2 would depart Greenock for the final time later that evening, with a spectacular fireworks send off and not a dry eye in sight. 

For me, though, the planner in me has kept thinking that there is a lost opportunity and by far a more suitible place for QE2 to be in her retirement.  The fitting out basin is empty, awaiting her return............

The John Brown Shipyard fitting out basin, with the red brick lined notch in the bulkhead, modified to accommodate the first two Queens in the background.  In the foreground, the bollards that QE2 and countless other great ships were tied up to during their fitout. 

Clydebank Rebuilt

This is the former Fitting Out Basin of the John Brown Shipyard.  In the background are mounds of  building demolition debris and the newly built Clydebank College.  This is the site where the great ocean liners Lusitania, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Elizabeth 2 were completed as well as many naval warships such as the HMS Hood.  Sadly, QE2 would end up being the last passenger ship built in Scotland, the "Pride of the Clyde."  The John Brown Shipyard, in a last ditched effort to stay afloat during the construction of QE2, merged with other yards on the Clyde into Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS).  UCS was later aquired by Trafalgar House , one time owners of QE2, then later acquired by Marathon Oil for oil rig repairing, which saw this industry declining on the North Sea and finally closed its doors for good in 2001.  The site was later completely demolished, save for the Titan Crane, which has been restored and is now open as a unique tourist attraction.

The Titan Crane is the only "A Listed" historic structure in all of Clydebank and stands silently as the sole reminder of the vast shipyard that once existed on this site.  Standing 150 feet tall, and with a 240 foot length of the cantilever, the crane was capable of lifting an astounding 200 tons.  The great gun turrets of the HMS Hood were lifted in place with this crane.  During World War II, Clydebank was targeted by the Germans due to the strategic importance of the shipyards.  Clydebank was the most heavily bombed city in all of Scotland during the war, but miraculously, the Titan Crane was never hit.  Fully restored and open now to the public via a new elevator, the views of the Clyde are breathtaking.

This view, looking down the Clyde towards the Erskine Bridge, shows both the beauty of the Clyde and the devastating remains of the building demolition of the site.  Clydebank Rebuilt has a master plan in place, covering redevelopment of the Clyde.  This short video offers a glimpse of the future for the area.  This video gives a glimpse of the past. For added context, this excellent series of videos document employment in Clydebank, the decline of shipbuilding, and the social changes.

Recently, a new mixed income housing development opened, but vast areas lay open.  Three minutes into the first linked video above, there is a view of the Fitting Out Basin as seen from the Clyde.  What I see missing from that view is the last great ship built on the Clyde and fitted out in that very basin, Queen Elizabeth 2.  Could she return?  There are obstacles such as the Erskine Bridge, which would require temporary removal of her Funnel and Forward Mast.  She could be THE centerpiece for redevelopment of the area.  Here is a Google Earth flyover of the area, which was obviouly taken before all of the buildings were demolished or the new College built.

Currently, QE2 sits in Dubai, fortunately being well cared for, while her ultimate fate is unknown.  Bring the Queen back home!

So Far From the Clyde

Mark Knopfler, lead singer and guitarist from the legendary band Dire Straights has a new solo album, themed about blue collar life in the Highlands of Scotland.  This haunting song is one of his best and is a reminder to all of what COULD happen to QE2 someday. 

Mark is no stranger to writing music befitting life in Scotland.  He composed the soundtrack to "Local Hero,"  a cult classic movie about a Scottish fishing village about to be developed into a oil refinery for the North Sea.  "Going Home" is my favorite instrumental track on the soundtrack and was previously featured on my YouTube posting of the same name.  According to Mark's website, he spend time in Glasgow until he was eight, and then moved to Newcastle on the Tyne.  Obviously, he has expressed his deep affection for Scotland in his music.  I suspect he is watching what is happening to QE2, the last great ship built on the Clyde and would NOT want her beached in Alang.   

RMS Titanic Exhibit

The RMS Titanic, Inc., the organization that recovered artifacts from the Titanic wreck site has several traveling exhibitions.  We visited the exhibition that is currently in our area at Foxwoods Casino.  I had seen this exhibit back in 1999 while in Las Vegas, but Ryan had not.  Unfortunately, this exhibit pales in comparison to the much larger version in Las Vegas at the Luxor.  For instance, missing was the large piece of the hull that was recovered and well as a great deal of the artifacts.  Photography was not allowed.  One unique display, which we were told had never been on display, were samples of the hull rivits, which have been analyized and found to have contributed to the sinkings since they were formed with inferior steel.  This finding has been recently reported and had these rivits been sufficiently strong, the hull breaching probably would have been minimized and the ship may have been able to remain afloat.  Testing procedures for steel had not yet been standardized at the time of construction.

As you enter the exhibit, you are given boarding passes of actual passengers.  At the end of the exhibit, there is a display listing all of the passengers, by class, and you can look up your name to see if you survived.  Graphically, it was easy to see if you were in Third Class, you were unlikely to have survived.  Our passengers assigned to us were Archibald Gracie and Paul Chevre.

One interesting exhibit was a refrigerated block of ice, recreating an iceberg.  You could go up to it and touch it.  The guide mentioned that the seawater was actually a few degrees colder than the sample iceberg and that almost all of the passengers that entered the water died from hypothermia.  Another interesting exhibit, towards the end of the tour, were samples of perfume bottles.  The showcase had openings in the plexiglass and you could still smell the scent of the perfume.  As we made it to the final passenger list display, we found out that both of us had survived!  Exiting the exhibit, you enter the gift shop, which had a nice collection of Titanic books, samples of actual coal recovered from the ship, posters, shirts, and replicas of crockery used onboard Titanic.

We would recommend going to the exhibit, but spend the extra five dollars and take the audio commentary, which adds so much more to the experience.  The exhibit left me wanting to see more, but then again, I had seen the more complete version before.  It truly is remarkable to see how well preserved the recovered artifacts on display are in.  It is also a bit morbid to see the clothes and personal effects of the passengers, which is a grim reminder of the grave loss of life that occured on April 15, 1912.  The loss of the Titanic resulted in the creation of ice patrols and Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations which affect construction and operation of all passenger ships to this day.