Life and times of cruising’s grand old lady  :  Sep 16 2007

by Ken Oxley, Sunday Sun

http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/sundaysun/news/tm_headline=life-and-times-of-cruising-8217-s-grand-old-lady&method=full&objectid=19795640&siteid=50081-name_page.html

THE QE2 has had a fascinating history . . .

• September 20, 1967: Launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second at Greenock, Clydeside.
   
• May 2, 1969: Maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Her first arrival is 10 weeks before Neil Armstrong lands on the moon.
   
• September 1971: Rescues survivors from the burning French liner Antilles while on a Caribbean cruise.
   
• April 1972: Hoax bomb scare in mid-ocean. Divers parachuted out to the ship while en route from New York. The following month she was battered to a halt by one of the worst Atlantic storms in history, with 15m (50ft) waves over a 24-hour period.
   
• May 1973: Threatened with destruction by terrorists while on a Mediterranean cruise to Israel.
   
• April 1974: Suffers complete power failure while off Bermuda. 1654 passengers transferred to the cruise ship Sea Venture. That same September, French Line withdraws the SS France from service, leaving QE2 as the largest liner in the world.
   
• January 1975: Makes her first ever world cruise.
   
• July 1976: On board fire causes the cancellation of transatlantic crossing to New York.
   
• July 1977: Place of honour at the 1977 fleet review for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee at Spithead, off the Isle of Wight.
   
• December 1978: Loses a bow anchor in a mid-Atlantic storm. Emergency repairs made in Boston, USA.
   
• January 1980: Leaves New York at the start of her fourth world cruise. Cunard announces substantial profits on the QE2’s North Atlantic crossings.
   
• May 1980: SS Norway — the former SS France — resumes service after five years and becomes, once again, the largest cruise ship in the world.
   
• May 1982: Liner is requisitioned by the British Admiralty to carry 3500 Welsh Guards to South Georgia for Falkland’s War. Transformation from liner to troopship takes eight days. With helicopter pads fore and aft, QE2 sails alone, blacked out, through the South Atlantic, using icebergs as cover. The Argentine navy sends out two submarines with specific orders to sink her.
  
  QE2 is unescorted because the Royal Navy has nothing fast enough to keep up with her.
   
• August 1982: After a £7m refit resumes service to New York. After 13 years of service, the traditional Cunard black and red livery appears on her funnel for the first time. Gala welcome reception for the ship in New York.
   
• September 1982: Disabled off Falmouth for two days due to engine trouble. 700 passengers taken ashore.
   
• October 1986: Makes the last ever steam-powered crossing of the Atlantic, then heads to Bremerhaven, Germany to begin the biggest rebuild in maritime history.
   
• April 29, 1987: The “new” QE2 re-emerges to resume service to America with diesel electric engines, a new funnel, and complete refurbishment of all passenger areas and facilities, plus new penthouse suites. The total cost is in excess of £100m, or more than three times her original builders’ cost back in the late 1960s. With fuel bills slashed by almost 50 per cent, her life expectancy is extended well into the 21st century.
   
• July 1990: QE2 is the centre of world wide attention as she makes special voyages to mark Cunard’s 150th anniversary.
   
• August 1992: Runs aground while returning to New York from a New England cruise. Passengers were evacuated before temporary repairs were carried out. £30m of repairs were made. Any other ship would probably have been quietly scrapped.
   
• June 1994: Leads the fleet taking part in the D-Day 50th anniversary celebrations.
   
• August 1994: Celebrates the 25th anniversary of her maiden voyage by making a round Britain cruise, calling at Liverpool. On Clydebank, over half a million spectators line the river. At one point, an 18-mile traffic jam builds on the road to the river.
   
• November-December 1994: A massive, overly ambitious $45m refit in Germany is botched, resulting in the QE2 being interned in New York for several days by US Coast Guard.
   
• September 1995: Planned call at Newcastle by QE2 had to be abandoned because of thick fog. The liner had anchored off North Shields, but weather prevented her from using tenders to transport passengers ashore.
   
• September 11, 1995: Hit in mid-Atlantic by a 29m (95ft) wave from Hurricane Luis. Passengers issued with a “storm certificate” to mark the event.
   
• August 29, 2002: Logs up an incredible five million miles sailing since her completion . . . more than any other passenger ship in history.
   
• January 2004: The arrival of the Queen Mary 2 means the QE2 is no longer the Cunard flagship, and she relinquishes the Atlantic crossing to the new ship.
   
• September 2005: Becomes the longest serving Cunard liner ever.
   
• September 16-17, 2007: Makes maiden arrival on Tyneside, docking at North Shields after spectacular welcome. One final call on the Tyne is scheduled for 2008, a day-long visit before the liner sails for her new home in Dubai.