Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas everyone!

Hope you all have a happy and safe holiday with friends and loved ones. I'd like to wish you everything you wish yourselves this season.

Snapshot: George Harrison on the QE2

George Harrison poses for a quick picture while sailing aboard QE2 in the early 1970s.

Despite the fact his music was often overlooked, George wrote some of the most beautiful songs in rock history (this includes his time with the Beatles as well as his subsequent solo career). He was the rare kind of musician who hated the limelight and having people watch him onstage; he would rather have been home gardening instead.

It was 10 years ago today that George Harrison died of cancer. But although his body may have passed away, his soul lives on through the music.

The Haunted QE2

The Queen Elizabeth 2, one of the finest ships to have ever sailed under the Cunard house flag, is said to have a healthy amount of ghostly activity.

It would make sense. She was in service for 40 years and even transported troops during the Falklands War of 1982. Considering the amount of emotion and energy that her passengers - both civilian and military - exhibited during their time aboard, the presence of ghosts should not be surprising.

Since her arrival in Dubai back in November 2008, workers have reported strange activities all throughout the ship. The spirit of an elderly woman has been seen wandering around the ship's corridors from time to time, and the sounds of children's voices can sometimes be heard in the long-abandoned hospital.

But there are reports that date back to QE2's sailing days.

There are rumors of a tragic accident that took place in the engineering section of the ship. The story goes that a workman was sealed up inside one of the propeller shafts during the 1980s as she underwent a major refit. Several of QE2's engineers have reported odd sensations and feelings around that area; some have even seen odd shapes and forms that they could not explain. Could there be some truth to the story?

Another account comes from a good friend of mine. He was aboard in 2008 (shortly before the ship's retirement) and swears that his cabin was haunted by something evilly sinister. This foreboding presence was felt several times during the voyage - and he is not the sort of person to make something like this up.

So is the famous Queen Elizabeth 2 really haunted? Perhaps. Does she have one of the most fascinating careers in the history of ocean travel? Yes. Does she still captivate us? Definitely.

References: Mail Foreign Service, "QE2 abandoned at Port Rashid in Dubai," Mail Online, March 16, 2010, under "Travel," http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1258298/QE2-abandoned-Port-Rashid-Dubai.html (accessed October 19, 2011).

"Is QE2 Haunted????," QE2 Crew - The Online Wardie, http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2550025714&topic=6342 (accessed October 19, 2011).

Lest We Forget

It was 10 years ago today that the world stopped turning. May we never forget the more than 2,900 souls lost on that terrible day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's to a happy and healthy St. Patrick's Day to you all!

Bogart "sure as hell showed us who was Master, and a mad one at that!"

Over their long careers, sea captains often obtain rather interesting stories and anecdotes from their passengers. Included among these were accounts from actors regarding their films and co-stars. The following was recounted in Captain Bob Arnott's book, just as QE2 was sailing from Hawaii:

Van Johnson came aboard to sail with us back to the States, and I chatted with him about some of the films he had starred in over the years. 'I really enjoyed your performance in The Caine Mutiny,' I remarked to him at my party the first night out after Honolulu.

'Well, as a master mariner you would,' he said, 'but I guess like many on that set I was a little overwhelmed by Bogey.'

'You mean Humphrey Bogart?'

'I do indeed,' said the tall, greying actor. 'D'ya know he learned his seamanship from Katie Hepburn in The African Queen?' I smiled, and Johnson went on: 'Don't get me wrong, Captain. Bogey was only half your size, but he sure as hell showed us who was Master, and a mad one at that, on the Caine set.'

References: Captain Robert Harry Arnott, Captain of the Queen: The autobiography of the most famous sea captain of the all. (London: Quadrant Books, 1982), 209.

"Juggernaut"

"Juggernaut" was released in 1974 with a star-studded cast that included Omar Sharif, Richard Harris, Anthony Hopkins, Julian Glover and Ian Holm. Richard Lester (famous for "A Hard Day's Night," "Help!" and "Superman II") directed this film, which was inspired by a 1972 event where a bomb threat was called in on the QE2.

The SS Hamburg (later renamed Maxim Gorkiy) plays the SS Britannic.

Myself and Commodore Warwick

Today, January 30, 2011, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Commodore Ronald W. Warwick aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. I introduced myself to him and told him what an honor it was to meet him, and then we chatted about the new Queen Elizabeth, the original Queen Mary and how unique and lovely each ship is. I cannot begin to say how happy I was to meet him; even more so when he agreed to take a photo with me:

When I ran into him and his wife Kim later, I presented them with a few gifts to take home as keepsakes. What the Commodore did next, though, I did not anticipate whatsoever. He insisted on giving me something, so he took his QE2 pin off his lapel and gave it to me. I was absolutely touched, and thanked him profusely. To say that Commodore Warwick is a kind and generous man is an understatement!

I don't think it will surprise anyone when I say that I will treasure this gift until my dying day.

Royal Rendezvous: Part II

The Royal Rendezvous was thoroughly celebrated by New York City. Not only was there the magnificent fireworks display this evening; Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared January 13, 2011 to be "Cunard Royal Rendezvous Day." The famous Empire State Building was illuminated in red and the New York Stock Exchange was closed with ringing from one of the original Queen Elizabeth's bells.

This event was quite similar to the one held in 2008 when the Queen Elizabeth 2 was still in service. Today marked the new Elizabeth's maiden entry into New York.

References: Patrick McGeehan, "Cruise Passenger Spending in City Is Up Sharply," The New York Times, January 14, 2011, under N.Y./Region, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/nyregion/14cruise.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=queen%20mary%202&st=cse (accessed January 13, 2011).

Fire Safety

Fire is the worst disaster that a ship can face next to sinking. Increasingly high safety standards have limited the number of accidents, but the threat is still a very real one. Not even a Cunard Queen is immune, as demonstrated by the fiery and tragic demise of the original Queen Elizabeth (which had recently been sold and renamed the SS Seawise University) on January 9, 1972.

Tragedy could have also fallen on her successor, the Queen Elizabeth 2. The new ship had been built according to both British and American safety regulations, which meant that she was extensively fire-proofed and had the best in fire suppression technology. The QE2 was built to be one of the safest ships afloat.

In 1976, an engine room erupted and ultimately knocked out one of the liner's boilers. This forced QE2 to limp back into port at Southampton, where it was clear to all that something had happened. The liner's distinctive white funnel had been blackened as a result of the blaze.

The faulty boiler was eventually replaced and the QE2 resumed her work. Had it not been for her high safety standards, she may have followed her older sister to Valhalla only four years later.



References: David F. Hutchings, QE2: A Ship For All Seasons (Dorset: Waterfront Publications, 1993), 40-41.

QE2: A Lady in Waiting

The famed Queen Elizabeth 2 - or more affectionately known as QE2 - arrived in Dubai on November 26, 2008 after serving the Cunard Line for a total of 40 years. She became one of the most beloved ships that the world has ever known, and her legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of those who sailed and worked aboard her. Sold to interests in Dubai, the QE2 was to be converted from an ocean liner to a floating hotel and tourist attraction (just as her predecessor Queen Mary was when she arrived in Long Beach, California). Several plans were made, including one to remove her famous funnel and replace it with a glass replica that would house several luxury suites. Another would replace her engine room with a dance club. These and more are outlined below:


Since the QE2's arrival two years ago, however, she has remained virtually untouched. The Cunard Queen sits empty in port with much of her furniture and fittings still aboard: as if she's waiting for the chance to set sail once again. Worsening economic conditions forced her owners to abandon their initial plans, and so she sits "like a modern-day Mary Celeste, abandoned and untouched" at her berth in Port Rashid.


No one knows for sure what the future of the Queen Elizabeth 2 may be, but one can only hope that this old ship will be saved from the breakers who would gladly dismantle the happy memories of so many people from across the globe.

References: Mail Foreign Service, "QE2 abandoned at Port Rashid in Dubai," Mail Online, March 16, 2010, under "Travel," http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1258298/QE2-abandoned-Port-Rashid-Dubai.html (accessed November 28, 2010).