Queen Mary 2 under the Golden Gate!!!Wow!

[eschlein]

hi folks,

check out this link for perspective...

http://news.yahoo.com/photo/070205/ids_ ... 796639.jpg

cheers,
Erik

[drb9]

Wow. I wonder who can afford to be on an 81-day round-the-world cruise on the QM2.

[Cathy Monaghan]

My husband snapped this photo of her in New York Harbor in the Fall of 2005.

<a href="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... .jpg"><img width="540" src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c349/ ... 3.jpg"></a>

She is so big that she sticks out way beyond the end of her berth in NY.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[eschlein]

That friggin boat must be from another planet. It's beautiful, but I'd hate to have to sand all the bottom paint off, so for now I'll just enjoy my cd25.

-Erik

[Steve Laume]

Taking off the bottom paint is a dreadful thought. Not so bad as changing all the sanitation hoses, Steve.

[John D.]

She has diesel-electric turbines, with 2 fixed "pods" and 2 "azimuthing," which I take to mean rotating.

I wonder whether, when they are using fewer than all 4 pods, they lock the others, let them free-wheel in neutral, or use them to regenerate electricity?

[Oswego John]

John,

You are correct in what you say. The QM II is such an amazing ship that more must be made known about her.

Many don't realize that she is owned by Carnival Cruise Line and operated under the aegis of the Cunard Line.

She is powered by four propulsion pods, two placed forward and two toward the stern. The two pods in the stern pivot 360°. There are no transmissions or driveshafts. There are no rudders either. The ship is steered by pivoting the movable pods. Same thing goes for moving in reverse, the pods pivot 180°.

Gas turbines drive generators which provide power for the electric motors inside each pod.

The list of ingenious novel design concepts goes on and on in this great ocean liner of the 21st century. To see for yourself what wondrous thoughts are incorporated in the QM II, go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary_2#Power_

Best regards,
O J

[henry hey]

I think the QM2 is an amazing ship -- she certainly is big and a sight to behold in person.

I have romanticized about big ships for years -- that was until I worked on one. I played in the band on a cruise ship when I was much younger. Unfortunately cruising on these ships is one of the most environmentally damaging activities one can do. Actually cruising and sailing are almost diametrically opposed in that area. Cruise ships use (read 'waste') incredible amounts of energy to propel themselves and power all of the functions aboard. They create tremendous amounts of waste -- both in traditional garbage as well as grey water. They also waste large amounts of food on a daily basis. If you have been on a cruise you see the exhorbitant piles of food set up at daily buffets and even as gluttonous as one can be on a no-holds-barred vacation, there is still a lot that is tossed out and rotting at the end of the (every) day.

The other unfortunate situation with cruise ships is that they often employ foreign (developing nation sometimes) crew that is treated and paid less than fairly. Of course the top of the cruise industry is designed for huge profit so this practice is really no different than most other global businesses. . I just got to see it first hand.

I am sorry if I have upset anybody with my 'soap-boxing' and I hope I didn't ruin anybody's appreciation of those giant machines that we see moving around some of the harbors.

I am, however, glad that I am here amongst a community of sailors that I see as generally very aware of their impact on the oceans and world.

my 2cents

h

[Warren Kaplan]

A CITY THAT HAS SOMEHOW PUT TO SEA!

[chase]

I have never been on a cruise ship and don't know that I ever would. However, if I could somehow secure a birth and spend my free time on the bridge..well that might be cool. Or in the engine room? I guess I'll just wait for the Discovery channel special that's sure to come along one day.

After Henry's expose, I can't help but think of it as a floating confinement hog operation, but with music and better feed.

I guess that ship is about to make a whole slew of circumnavigators. Do they transit the canals or the great capes?

c

[M. R. Bober]

I wonder if they run on fewer than all 4 engines--at times-- to conserve fuel. If so, DO THEY LET HER PROPS FREEWHEEL TO REDUCE DRAG?

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Annapolis (where the QE2 would be recognized as a pretty good cruising boat), MD

[Oswego John]

Posted: Tue 2/6/07 7:37 am Post subject: cruise ships - the awe and the truth

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Quote, henry hey]
I think the QM2 is an amazing ship -- she certainly is big and a sight to behold in person.

I have romanticized about big ships for years -- that was until I worked on one. I played in the band on a cruise ship when I was much younger.

Hi henry,

What you say is very interesting. If you would, please tell me what cruise line and what ship you played for?

I'm not asking your age, but what era was it in? Was it mainly in the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska or where?

Thanks for any info,
O J

[Bob Luby]

Just so you know- My parents took a cruise on the QE2 - What a lot of the passengers did was take part of a world cruise - to spread out the cost They'd join the ship at one port or another, and leave a number of ports later.

However I think our boats use less energy even if they are a tad slower.
________
Yamaha xj900
________
Buy No2

[Steve Laume]

A ship that size is probably very efficient. I wonder how many small boats it would take to move that many people? I think the band would suffer immensely. You would have to split it up and it would be had to get good seats unless you were on one of the closer boats. I am imagining a huge raft of boats on the order of the pumice rafts of Fiji in fiberglass. The problem with these floating cities is not their efficiency but the concentration of wastes they create. There is waste all over the world. The problem is those ships discharge it in huge quantities,in a limited area of the sea, Steve.

[henry hey]

Hi Steve,

Were the ship merely transportation I would say you are probably right on.

However, these ships power casinos, malls, movie theatres, bars, restaurants, water parks (complete with water slides and such), as well as thousands of square feet of common space which is all lit and air-conditioned all the time.

Think about a 30,000 square foot building in the caribbean with the air conditioning on full 24/7. Now power that with direct diesel burning. You get the picture. .

I also do believe that in general sailors understand about energy conservation. You won't leave all your lights blazing and a heater plugged in when you are running off your battery.

-h