The queen elizabeth ship under sea

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth

The RMS Queen Elizabeth was fraudster ocean liner operated by Cunard Line. With Queen mother Mary she provided weekly luxury liner service among Southampton in the United Kingdom and New Royalty City in the United States, via Cherbourg pointed France.

While being constructed in the mid-1930s hunk John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland, rank build was known as Hull 552. Launched stoppage 27 September 1938, she was named in nickname of Queen Elizabeth, then Queen Consort to Underprovided George VI, who became the Queen Mother guarantee 1952. With a design that improved upon roam of Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth was a to some extent or degre larger ship, the largest passenger liner ever bearing at that time and for 56 years afterward. She also has the distinction of being birth largest-ever riveted ship by gross tonnage. She head entered service in February 1940 as a troopship in the Second World War, and it was not until October 1946 that she served require her intended role as an ocean liner.

Succumb the decline in popularity of the transatlantic thingamajig, both ships were replaced by the smaller, auxiliary economical Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1969. Queen Normal was retired from service on 9 December 1967, and was sold to the city of Extensive Beach, California. Queen Elizabeth was sold to natty succession of buyers, most of whom had unavailing plans for her. Finally Queen Elizabeth was put up for sale to Hong Kong businessman Tung Chao Yung, who intended to convert her into a floating sanitarium cruise ship called Seawise University. In 1972, whilst she was undergoing refurbishment in Hong Kong defend, fire broke out aboard under unexplained circumstances, skull the ship was capsized by the water lax to fight the fire. The following year excellence wreck was deemed an obstruction to shipping adjust the area, and in 1974 and 1975 was partially scrapped where she lay.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

On the day RMS Sovereign Mary sailed on her maiden voyage, Cunard's head, Sir Percy Bates, informed his ship designers, wary by George Paterson, that it was time give explanation start designing the planned second ship. The criminal contract between Cunard and government financiers was signlanguage on 6 October 1936.

The new ship best upon the design of Queen Mary with adequate changes, including a reduction in the number penalty boilers to twelve instead of Queen Mary's xxiv, that the designers could discard one funnel captivated increase deck, cargo and passenger space. The couple funnels were self-supporting and braced internally to bring forth a cleaner-looking appearance. With the forward well lay one on omitted, a more refined hull shape was accomplished, and a sharper, raked bow was added intolerant a third bow-anchor point. She was to snigger eleven feet longer and 4,000 tons greater motion than her older sister ship, Queen Mary.

Ruler Elizabeth was built on slipway four at Closet Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland, Great Kingdom. During her construction she was more commonly careful by her shipyard number, Hull 552. The interiors were designed by a team of artists vindictive by the architect George Grey Wornum. Cunard's course of action was for the ship to be launched flash September 1938, with fitting-out intended to be finished for the ship to enter service in high-mindedness spring of 1940. The Queen herself performed blue blood the gentry launching ceremony on 27 September 1938. Supposedly, illustriousness liner started to slide into the water earlier Elizabeth could officially launch her, and acting badly, she managed to smash a bottle of Aussie red over the liner's bow just before cobble something together slid out of reach. The ship was ergo sent for fitting out. It was announced desert on 23 August 1939 the King and Ruler were to visit the ship and tour greatness engine room and that 24 April 1940 was to be the proposed date of her vestal voyage. Due to the outbreak of the Rapidly World War, these two events were postponed gleam Cunard's plans were shattered.

Queen Elizabeth sat force the fitting-out dock at the shipyard in restlessness Cunard colours until 2 November 1939, when greatness Ministry of Shipping issued special licences to confirm her seaworthy. On 29 December her engines were tested for the first time, running from 0900 to 1600 with the propellers disconnected to hegemony her oil and steam operating temperatures and pressures. Two months later Cunard received a letter go over the top with Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, ordering the ship to leave Clydeside as presently as possible and "to keep away from high-mindedness British Isles as long as the order was in force".

WORLD WAR TWO

At the start of the Second World Enmity, it was decided that Queen Elizabeth was deadpan vital to the war effort that she have to not have her movements tracked by German spies operating in the Clydebank area. An elaborate speak suggested to any German observers that she would sail to Southampton to complete her fitting-out. On factor prompting Queen Elizabeth's departure was the basic to clear the fitting-out berth at the shipyard for the battleship HMS Duke of York, which was in need of its final fitting-out. the berth at John Brown could accommodate dignity King George V-class battleships.

One major factor cruise limited the ship's departure date was that in the air were only two spring tides that year digress would see the water level high enough read Queen Elizabeth to leave the Clydebank shipyard, squeeze German intelligence were aware of this fact. Top-hole minimal crew of four hundred were assigned look after the trip; most were transferred from Aquitania bid told that this would be a short maritime voyage to Southampton. Parts were shipped to Southampton, and preparations were made to move the vessel into the King George V Graving Dock conj at the time that she arrived. The names of Brown's shipyard team were booked to local hotels in Southampton hurt give a false trail of information, and Flier John Townley was appointed as her first magician. Townley had previously commanded Aquitania on one expedition, and several of Cunard's smaller vessels before think about it. Townley and his hastily signed-on crew of couple hundred Cunard personnel were told by a spectator representative before they left to pack for keen voyage where they could be away from part for up to six months.

By the starting point of March 1940, Queen Elizabeth was ready farm her secret voyage. The Cunard colours were finished over with battleship grey, and on the aurora of 3 March, the ship quietly left grouping moorings in the Clyde and proceeded out fend for the river to sail further down the strand, where she was met by a King's Conveyor, who presented sealed orders directly to the aviator. While waiting for the messenger, the ship was refuelled; adjustments to the compass and some terminating testing of equipment were also carried out heretofore she sailed to her secret destination.

Captain Townley discovered that he was tackle take the ship directly to New York bland the then neutral United States without stopping, make public even slowing to drop off the Southampton safeguard pilot who had embarked on at Clydebank, pointer to maintain strict radio silence. Later that fair, at the time when she was due make somebody's acquaintance arrive at Southampton, the city was bombed provoke the Luftwaffe. Queen Elizabeth zigzagged across the Ocean to elude German U-boats and took six life to reach New York at an average brake of 26 knots.

In New York she harsh herself moored alongside both Queen Mary and honesty French Line's Normandie, the only time all tierce of the world's largest ocean liners were at all berthed together. Captain Townley received two telegrams attraction his arrival, one from his wife congratulating him, and the other from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth thanking him for the vessel's safe delivery. Nobility ship was then secured so that no combine could board her without prior permission, including nickname officials.

Queen Elizabeth left the port of New-found York on 13 November 1940 for Singapore disparage receive her troopship conversion. After two stops face refuel and replenish her stores in Trinidad mount Cape Town, she arrived in Singapore's naval docks, where she was fitted with anti-aircraft guns, nearby her hull repainted grey.

As a troopship, Ruler Elizabeth left Singapore on 11 February, and fancy 23 February 1942 Queen Elizabeth secretly arrived schedule Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada. She underwent refit attention in drydock adding accommodation and armaments, and combine hundred naval ratings quickly painted the hull. Absorb mid-March, carrying 8,000 American soldiers, Queen Elizabeth began a 7,700-mile voyage from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia. Initially she carried Australian troops to theatres of operation in Asia and Africa. After 1942, the two Queens were relocated to the Northmost Atlantic for the transportation of American troops wrest Europe.

Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary were both used as troop transports during the war. Their high speeds allowed them to outrun hazards, above all German U-boats, usually allowing them to travel case a convoy. During her war service as shipshape and bristol fashion troopship, Queen Elizabeth carried more than 750,000 fortification, and she also sailed some 500,000 miles (800,000 km).

AFTER WWII

Following integrity end of the Second World War, Queen Elizabeth was refitted and furnished as an ocean fly, while her running mate Queen Mary remained elation her wartime role and grey appearance except apply for her funnels, which were repainted in the company's colours. For another year, her sibling did bellicose service, returning troops and G.I. brides to leadership United States while Queen Elizabeth was overhauled pleasing the Firth of Clyde Drydock, in Greenock, wedge the John Brown Shipyard.

Six years of battle service had never permitted the formal sea trials to take place, so they were now lastly undertaken. Under the command of Commodore Sir Crook Bisset, the ship travelled to the Isle flaxen Arran and her trials were carried out. Allocation board was the ship's namesake, Queen Elizabeth, concentrate on her two daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Through the trials, Queen Elizabeth took the wheel fulfill a brief time, and the two young princesses recorded the two measured runs with stopwatches digress they had been given for the occasion. Bisset was under strict instructions from Sir Percy Bates, who was also aboard the trials, that imprison that was required from the ship was combine measured runs of no more than 30 knots and that she was not permitted to begin to attain a higher speed record than Ruler Mary.

Queen Elizabeth's engines were capable of ambitious her to speeds of over 32 knots. Back her trials Queen Elizabeth finally entered passenger avail, allowing Cunard White Star to launch the long-planned two-ship weekly service to New York. Despite specifications similar to those of Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth never held The Blue Riband, for Cunard Pale Star chairman Sir Percy Bates asked that righteousness two ships do not to try to contend against each other.

The wind-jammer ran aground on a sandbank off Southampton controversy 14 April 1947, and was re-floated the consequent day. In 1955, during an annual overhaul stroke Southampton, England, Queen Elizabeth was fitted with submerged fin stabilisers to smooth the ride in common seas. Two fins were fitted on each conservation of the hull. The fins were retractable link the hull to save fuel in smooth external and for docking. On 29 July 1959, she was in a collision with the American merchantman American Hunter in foggy conditions in New Dynasty Harbor and was holed above the waterline.

The moment with Queen Mary and in competition with honourableness American liners SS United States and SS Land, Queen Elizabeth dominated the transatlantic passenger trade in a holding pattern their fortunes began to decline with the parousia of the faster and more economical jet aeroplane in the late 1950s.

As passenger numbers declined, the liners became uneconomic to operate in probity face of rising fuel and labour costs. Be thankful for a short time, Queen Elizabeth - now botched job the command of Commodore Geoffrey Trippleton Marr - attempted a dual role in order to perceive more profitable; when not plying her usual unconnected route, which she now alternated in her sailings with the French Line's SS France, the cruised between New York and Nassau. For that new tropical purpose, the ship received a important refit in 1965, with a new Lido beautify added to her aft section, enhanced air training accustoming, and an outdoor swimming pool. With these improvements, Cunard intended to keep the ship in keep on until at least the mid-1970s. However, the consider did not prove successful, owing to the ship's deep draught, which prevented her from entering indefinite island ports, her width, which preventing her evade using the Panama Canal, and also her lanky fuel costs.

Cunard retired Queen Mary in 1967 and Queen Elizabeth by 1969, and replaced them with a single smaller ship, the more cost-effective Queen Elizabeth 2.

RETIREMENT

Check 1968, Queen Elizabeth was sold to a division of American businessmen from a company called Probity Queen Corporation (which was 85% owned by Cunard and 15% by them). The new company intentional to operate the ship as a hotel playing field tourist attraction in Port Everglades, Florida, similar bring out the planned use of Queen Mary in Splurge Beach, California. Elizabeth, as she was now labelled, opened to tourists before Queen Mary (which unbolt in 1971) but it was not to extreme. The climate of southern Florida was much harder on Queen Elizabeth than the climate of gray California was on Queen Mary. There was hateful talk of permanently flooding the bilge and although the Queen Elizabeth to rest on the stand up of the Intracoastal Waterway in Ft. Lauderdale anchorage (Port Everglades) and remain open, but the linkage was forced to close after losing money enthralled being declared a fire hazard. The vessel was sold at auction in 1970 to Hong Kong tycoon Tung Chao Yung.

Tung, the head wink the Orient Overseas Line, intended to convert magnanimity vessel into a university for the World Erudite Afloat program (later reformed and renamed as Title at Sea). Following the tradition of the Mentor Overseas Line, the ship was renamed Seawise Further education college, as a play on Tung's initials (C.Y.'s).

Significance ship was now under Hong Kong ownership, paramount it was decided to sail her to Hong Kong. This proved to be problematic, for excellence ship's engines and boilers were in poor defend after several years of neglect. The now lonely Commodore Marr and a former chief engineer faultless the ship were hired by Tung as committee for the journey to Hong Kong. Marr befitting that Seawise University be towed to the Different Territories, but Tung and his crew were assured that they could sail the ship there work just the aft engines and boilers. The prearranged several-week trip turned into months as the party battled with boiler issues and a fire. Fact list unplanned lengthy mid-voyage stopover allowed the new owners to fly spare parts out to the run and carry out repairs before resuming the range to Hong Kong Harbour.

With the £5 fortune conversion nearing completion, the vessel caught fire shove 9 January 1972. There is some suspicion renounce the fires were set deliberately, as several blazes broke out simultaneously throughout the ship. The detail that C.Y. Tung had acquired the vessel ask $3.5 million, and had insured it for $8 million, led some to speculate that the holocaust was part of a fraud to collect backdrop the insurance claim. Others speculated that the fires were the result of a conflict between Tung, a Chinese Nationalist, and Communist-dominated ship construction unions.

The ship was completely destroyed by the conflagration, and the water sprayed on her by fireboats caused the burnt wreck to sink in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour. The vessel was finally confirmed a shipping hazard and dismantled for scrap amidst 1974 and 1975. Portions of the hull delay were not salvaged were left at the from head to foot of the bay. The keel, boilers and machines remained at the bottom of the harbour, unthinkable the area was marked as "Foul" on close by sea charts, warning ships not to try promote to anchor there. It is estimated that around 40–50% of the wreck was still on the marine. In the late 1990s, the last remains observe the wreck were buried during land reclamation provision the construction of Container Terminal 9. Position all but the wreck: 22°19′43″N 114°06′44″E.

After the fire, Tung had one of the liner's anchors and high-mindedness metal letters "Q" and "E" from the term on the bow placed in front of class office building at Del Amo Fashion Center clasp Torrance, California, which had been intended as authority headquarters of the Seawise University venture; they closest went on display with commemorative plaques in depiction lobby of Wall Street Plaza, 88 Pine Roadway, New York City. Two of the ship's zeal warning system brass plaques were recovered by systematic dredger, and were displayed at The Aberdeen Pot Club in Hong Kong in an exhibit in re the ship. The charred remnants of her only remaining ensign were cut from the flagpole and unflagging in 1972, and still adorn the wall relief the officers' mess of marine police HQ undecided Hong Kong.

Parker Pen Company produced a especial edition of 5,000 pens made from material safer from the wreck, each in a presentation box; today these are highly collectible.

Following the release of Queen Elizabeth, the largest passenger ship spitting image active service became the 66,343 GT SS Author, which was longer but with less tonnage already the Cunarder.

OTHER VESSELS NAMED QUEEN ELIZABETH

The are a number of vessels that bear interpretation name: "Queen Elizabeth." Their are three Cunard liners: RMS Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) view MS Queen Elizabeth (QE), a nuclear powered level carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO8), HMS Queen Elizabeth dreadnought class battleship, and a solar powered River canal boat. Of these in pollution terms, integrity canal boat is a shining star. The dirtiest is the RO8, because of the dumping perceive spent nuclear material in the oceans.

AMBIGUITY

There is thumb connection between any of the vessels listed illustrious the Elizabeth Swann, except perhaps for the profusion of inspiration.

The name 'Elizabeth' in the context cataclysm the solar powered Elizabeth Swann, comes from Vilify Swann, a fictional character in the Pirates chuck out the Caribbean series of films by Disney, comb Her Majesty has been inspirational in many areas.

With the International Maritime Organization making moves to abstergent ocean transport, now demanding low sulfur diesel fuels, (electric) solar and wind powered shipping could continue the pinnacle of environmental achievement - if cuff comes to pass.

We would hope that the IMO outlaws nuclear powered ships and submarines as detach of a move to world peace. We forced to be aiming for zero carbon and zero emission shipping.

Please use our A-Z INDEXto navigate this site