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).

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.

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).