 Depiction of the RMS Queen Elizabeth. |
|
| Career (UK) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | RMS Queen Elizabeth |
| Operator: | Cunard Line |
| Port of Registry: |  United Kingdom |
| Ordered: | 1936 |
| Builder: | John Brown and Company Clydebank, Scotland |
| Laid down: | December 1936 |
| Launched: | 27 September 1938 |
| Christened: | 27 September 1938 |
| Maiden voyage: | 3 March 1940 |
| Out of service: | 7 December 1968 (Retired) |
| Status: | Scrapped in Hong Kong in 1974 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 83,673 gross tons |
| Displacement: | 83,000+ tonnes |
| Length: | 1,031 ft (314 m) |
| Beam: | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Height: | 233 ft (71 m) |
| Draft: | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Speed: | 28. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located John Brown and Company of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was a pre-eminent Shipbuilder, responsible for building many notable Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 5-knot (52. 8 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 2,283 passengers |
| Crew: | 1,000+ crew |
RMS Queen Elizabeth was an ocean liner which sailed the Atlantic Ocean for Cunard Line (then the Cunard White Star Line) and contracted to carry Royal Mail. (For the South African airport with IATA code "KMH" see Johan Pienaar Airport. Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship, Steamer) usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the Ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one Seaport to another along regular long-distance Maritime routes according to a schedule Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( Royal Mail is the national postal service of the United Kingdom. At the time of construction in the 1930s, she was known as Hull 552 by John Brown and Company in Clydebank, Scotland. John Brown and Company of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was a pre-eminent Shipbuilder, responsible for building many notable Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Named in honour of Queen Elizabeth (who was Queen Consort at the time of her launch in 1938),[1] she was the largest passenger liner ever built–-a record that was not exceeded for fifty-six years. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Elizabeth Angela Marguerite 4 August 1900 &ndash 30 March 2002 was the Queen Consort of King George A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning king. She was a slightly larger ship with an improved design over her running mate, the Queen Mary. Naming and construction With Germany launching their and into service the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race She first entered service as a troopship in the Second World War, and it was not until later that she served in her intended role as an ocean liner until her retirement in 1968. A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a Ship used to carry Soldiers either in peacetime or wartime World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Together with the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth maintained a two-ship weekly transatlantic service from Southampton to Cherbourg to New York for over twenty years. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England The City of New York Following a fire, she was scrapped in Hong Kong in 1975. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders
Contents |
Maiden voyage
At the start of World War II, the Queen Elizabeth had been launched, and was still in the process of fitting out. The ship and the John Brown shipyard were both targets for the German bombers so it was decided that the Queen should be completed to a state where she would be able to go to sea as soon as possible. It was also decided that as the Queen Elizabeth was so important to the war effort that she could not have her movements tracked by German spies operating in the Clydebank area. Therefore, it was falsely announced that she would sail for Southampton to complete her fitting out. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England It was also a priority to clear the dock at John Brown's to allow the battleship Duke of York to enter the shipyard for a refit, which could not be carried out until the Queen had departed.
There were only two tides that year where the water level was high enough for the Queen Elizabeth to leave the Clydebank shipyard and the Luftwaffe were aware of this. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. Thus, the new Cunarder had to be moved as soon as possible on Churchill's orders. The minimum number crew for the trip was four hundred and most were signed up for a short voyage to Southampton from the Aquitania, parts were shipped to Southampton, a booking was made to drydock the Queen when she arrived, and at the same time the names of Brown's shipyard employees were booked at hotels in Southampton to give a false trail of information - Captain John Townley was assigned as her first captain and he and his hastily signed on crew were told to pack for a voyage where they could be away from home for up to six months. Origin The origins of Aquitania lay in the rivalry between the White Star Line and Cunard, Britain 's two leading shipping companies
On 3 March 1940, the Queen Elizabeth sailed from the Clyde and was met en route by a King's Messenger where the captain was given sealed orders. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Captain Townley discovered that he was to take the untested vessel directly to New York (without stopping to drop off the Southampton harbour pilot who had travelled down in the Queen from Clydebank). The City of New York A pilot is a Mariner who guides Ships through dangerous or congested waters such as Harbours or River mouths Legally the master remains Later that day at the time when she was due to arrive at Southampton the city was bombed by the Luftwaffe. Six days later the Queen Elizabeth arrived in New York and the new Queen found herself moored alongside her running mate Queen Mary and the Normandie, this was the only time all three of the world's largest liners would be berthed together. Origin The beginnings of Normandie can be traced to the Roaring Twenties when shipping companies started to look for new ships to replace the aging veterans
Troopship
Refitted for naval use in Canada, Singapore and Sydney, the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary, were used as troop transports during the war. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Singapore Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Their high speeds allowed them to outrun hazards, foremostly German U-boats, allowing them to travel without a convoy. U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers A convoy is a group of Vehicles (of any type but usually motor vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support During its naval career, Queen Elizabeth carried more than 750,000 troops and sailed some 500,000 miles and was captained by John Townley, Ernest Fall, C. Gordon illinsworth, C. M Ford and James Bisset.
Liner
Following the end of the war, the Queen Elizabeth was refitted and completed as an ocean liner at Greenock by the John Brown Shipyard and her sea trials finally took place as the ship had been pressed into six years of war service before any trials were carried out. Greenock ( Gaelic Grianaig g̊ɾʲiənɛg̊ʲ is a large town and former Burgh of barony in the Inverclyde Council area of western As part of Cunard White Star's two ship, weekly service to New York. Despite similar specifications to the Queen Mary, her older sister ship, the Queen Elizabeth never held the Blue Riband as her sibling did as Cunard did not see the point of the two Queens trying to compete against one another. For use of the related term "Blue Ribbon" see Blue ribbon (disambiguation.
The ship ran aground on a sandbank off Southampton on 14 April 1947, and was refloated the following day. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Together with the Queen Mary, and in competition with the SS United States, the Queen Elizabeth dominated the transatlantic passenger trade until their fortunes began to decline with the advent of the faster and more economical jet airliner in the late 1950s and that the Queens were becoming uneconomic to operate with rising fuel and labour costs. Naming and construction With Germany launching their and into service the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race Construction Inspired by the exemplary service of the British liners and which transported hundreds of thousands of U The term transatlantic refers to something occurring all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. An airliner is a large Fixed-wing aircraft with the primary function of transporting paying passengers For a short time, the Queen Elizabeth (now under the command of commodore Geoffrey Trippleton Marr) attempted a new dual role to make the ageing liner more profitable; when not plying her usual transatlantic route, the ship cruised between New York and Nassau. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Nassau is the Capital, largest city and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. For this purpose, the ship received a refit, with an enhanced lido deck added to her aft section, enhanced air conditioning, and an outdoor swimming pool, however this did not prove successful due to her high fuel operating costs, deep draught (which had prevented her from going into various ports) and being too wide to use the Suez and Panama Canals. Venice 's Lido is an 11-mile (18 km long sandbar, home to about 20000 residents greatly augmented by the (mainly Italian tourists who move in every summer The term air conditioning refers to the cooling and dehumidification of indoor air for Thermal comfort. The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation The Panama Canal is a man-made Canal in Panama which joins the
Cunard retired both ships by 1969 and replaced them with a new, single, smaller ship, the more economical RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (the QE2). Characteristics The ship has a and is 963 ft (294 m long She had a top speed of using her original steam turbine powerplant which was increased to when she was re-engined
Final years
In 1968, the Queen Elizabeth was sold to a group of Philadelphia businessmen who intended to operate the ship as a hotel and tourist attraction in Port Everglades, Florida, similar to the use of Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Port Everglades, in Broward County, Florida, is one of the United States 's top container ports with more than 5400 ships at call in a year a major Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Losing money and forced to close after being declared a fire hazard, the ship was sold in 1970 to Hong Kong tycoon C.Y. Tung. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, baron, or industrialist, is a person who has reached a prominent place in Tung Chao Yung ( better known as 董浩雲, born 18th of the eighth lunar month in 1912 died April 15, 1982) also known as C
Tung, head of the Orient Overseas Line, intended to convert the vessel into a university for the World Campus Afloat program (later reformed and renamed as Semester at Sea). Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL is a Hong Kong -based container shipping and logistics service company A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Semester at Sea (SAS is a Study abroad program managed by the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE in Charlottesville Virginia Following the tradition of the Orient Overseas Line, the ship was renamed Seawise University, as a play on Tung's initials.
During the conversion however the vessel was gutted by a fire that broke out at several different places onboard, believed to have been caused by arson. The ship capsized in shallow water in Hong Kong Victoria Harbour on 9 January 1972. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The wreckage was dismantled for scrap in 1974-1975, before the project could ever be truly realised. Portions of the hull that were not salvaged were left at the bottom of the bay and later incorporated into landfill for the new Hong Kong International Airport. Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong.
The wreck was featured in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, as a covert headquarters for MI6. James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story The Man with the Golden Gun ( 1974) is the ninth film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional The Secret Intelligence Service ( SIS) colloquially known as MI6 is the United Kingdom 's external Intelligence agency.
Following her scrapping, the largest passenger ship in active service was the SS France, which was longer but had lesser tonnage than the Queen Elizabeth. Characteristics The SS France was the French Line Flagship from 1961 to 1974 combining regular Transatlantic crossings - six days and nights - with
Timeline
- 6 April 1968 – Cunard officially announced that "the QE" would retire and become a tourist attraction in Port Everglades, Florida. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Port Everglades, in Broward County, Florida, is one of the United States 's top container ports with more than 5400 ships at call in a year a major Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the
- 28 November 1968 – the QE departed Southampton for Port Everglades. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England
- 8 December 1968 – the QE arrived at Port Everglades. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At 11:54AM EST, the ship was moored at her temporary home between piers 24 and 25.
- February 14, 1969 – the QE opened her doors to the public. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
- May 1969 – Cunard offered to sell the the QE to the highest bidder.
- 19 July 1969 – Cunard sold the QE to the group of men who oversaw the original plan by which ship came to Florida. Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
- 11 November 1969 – Port Everglades Fire Chief John Gerkin ordered the QE closed to the public as a fire hazard. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
- December 1969 – the QE reopened to the public.
- 9 September 1970 – the QE was put up for auction when her owners company "Queen limited" (of which Cunard had an 85% share) filed for bankruptcy. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
- 17 September 1970 – purchased by C. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Y. Tung of Hong Kong.
- 1 January 1971 – the ship was prepared for her journey to Hong Kong. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar.
- 10 February 1971 – Queen Elizabeth was renamed Seawise University. Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar.
- August 1971 – arrived in Victoria Harbour. Victoria Harbour is a natural landform Harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. Work to convert the ship into a floating university commenced.
- 9 January 1972 – Several fires broke out simultaneously on board, and attempts to put them out flooded the ship. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. She listed onto her starboard side by the afternoon.
- 1973 – Footage was filmed of the wreck of the Seawise University for the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun as the secret location of MI6 headquarters. James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story The Man with the Golden Gun ( 1974) is the ninth film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional
- 1975 – Seawise University was scrapped.
References
- ^ Note: In 1952 became the Queen Mother
External links
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Normandie |
World's largest passenger ship 1940 – 1972 |
Succeeded by France |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic