Queen Mary 2 sails to Durban
17 March 2010, 15:56
By Terry Hutson
Queen Mary 2, which arrives in Durban next Tuesday (March 23) for a one-day visit, is named in succession to the first RMS Queen Mary, a transatlantic liner named after the wife of King George V in 1934.
Queen Mary 2 was built at the French Alsthom Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St Nazaire and, at the time, was the largest and tallest passenger ship ever built.
The naming ceremony took place on January 8, 2004, and was performed by Queen Elizabeth II in the French shipyard after the ship underwent successful sea-going trials the previous November.
The ship's maiden voyage took place from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale in Florida, US, commencing on January 12, 2004.
Unlike her predecessor, Queen Mary 2 is not a steamship but is powered by four 16-cylinder Wartsila diesel engines and two additional gas turbines, and utilises a Codag (combined diesel and gas turbine) configuration to achieve maximum power and propulsion.
Four Rolls-Royce Mermaid propulsion pods are connected to low vibration stainless steel propellers - each pod weighs 250 tons.
There are also three thrusters providing manoeuvrability in port. There are four folding fin stabilisers which when combined are said to reduce the ship's roll by 90 percent.
For bunkering, the ship loads 5 350 tons of heavy fuel oil and 3 885 tons of marine gas oil stored in 22 tanks. The diesel engines burn approximately three tons an hour each while the gas turbines burn about six tons an hour each when in operation.
Unlike other cruise ships, Queen Mary 2 can cross oceans at 30 knots although her cruising speed is generally between 22 and 26 knots - as a liner in the North Atlantic in summer, speed is important, but in the northern winter the ship converts for cruising in warmer climes and speed is no longer so important.
As a transatlantic liner the ship carries the prefix RMS - Royal Mail Ship. Up on the 50m-wide bridge, the ship is steered by a single joystick. The vessel also uses dynamic positioning, making her one of the more technically advanced passenger ships.
The ship's whistles are interesting and are likely to be heard when Queen Mary 2 sails from Durban on Tuesday afternoon.
There are two traditional "Typhon"-style whistles on the forward end of the funnel, with the starboard side whistle being an original from the Queen Mary which was mounted on that ship's middle funnel. This whistle is on permanent loan to Cunard. The other is a replica built by Kockums AB of Sweden.
The ship is 345m long and has a beam on the waterline of 41m. She is more than twice the size of the Queen Elizabeth 2 and three times the size of the Titanic.
Queen Mary 2 is a post-panamax vessel, which means she is too wide to use the Panama Canal. The ship sails via the Magellan Strait at the tip of South America on her world cruises and therefore performs a circumnavigation of South America, enabling visits to several South American ports on the way.
There are 17 decks in total, of which 14 are for passengers. There are 22 lifts for passenger use, plus another nine for crew and six for service purposes. That's in addition to four passenger stair towers.
Queen Mary 2 has a maximum passenger accommodation of 3 090, of which 2 620 are lower berth. The ship has 1 238 crew. The officers are mainly British.
The main entry to the ship is impressive, leading into a six-storey atrium, with the lobby featuring a grand staircase, interior glass lifts and a bridge located over the atrium on the highest level.
Seven restaurants/cafes cater for mealtimes while some of the pubs and the winter garden venue provide light meals.
Queen Mary 2 boasts the largest library at sea, featuring about 9 000 books including audio books and CD-Roms. The cinema and auditorium includes the only planetarium at sea where, apart from astronomy shows, passengers can undertake virtual reality movies such as a roller coaster ride.
There are also art galleries, lounges and terraces. The ship has no less than five swimming pools, one being only centimetres deep (for little children).
Eight jacuzzis, a SpaClub and general sports facilities that include two virtual reality golf machines are also available. The ship boasts a full 11-bed hospital with two doctors and five nurses on call, as well as a dispenser, physiotherapist and medical assistants.
If you have to take your pet on a cruise, there's a kennel complete with exercise area. Oh, and the ship boasts an art collection worth a cool £3.5 million (R40m).
Of the 1 310 staterooms, 73 percent feature balconies. There are 10 different types of staterooms, of which three quarters are outside-facing. Four forward suites can be combined to create a single suite of over 455 square metres, or grand duplex apartments on a slightly lower level can be combined to a potential 770 square metres.
Finally, some bits of information you shouldn't sail without, kindly provided by the Durban ships' agents King & Sons.
On board the Queen Mary 2 in a year, 1.35 million teabags are consumed along with 24 947kg of coffee, 1.28 million eggs and 420 000 packets of breakfast cereal. If your taste extends to smoked salmon, the ship will have 17 236kg of it, plus 112 944kg of potatoes, 1.32 million litres of fruit juice and, oh yes, 540 000 tooth picks.
Queen Mary 2, which arrives in Durban next Tuesday (March 23) for a one-day visit, is named in succession to the first RMS Queen Mary, a transatlantic liner named after the wife of King George V in 1934.
Queen Mary 2 was built at the French Alsthom Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St Nazaire and, at the time, was the largest and tallest passenger ship ever built.
The naming ceremony took place on January 8, 2004, and was performed by Queen Elizabeth II in the French shipyard after the ship underwent successful sea-going trials the previous November.
The ship's maiden voyage took place from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale in Florida, US, commencing on January 12, 2004.
Unlike her predecessor, Queen Mary 2 is not a steamship but is powered by four 16-cylinder Wartsila diesel engines and two additional gas turbines, and utilises a Codag (combined diesel and gas turbine) configuration to achieve maximum power and propulsion.
Four Rolls-Royce Mermaid propulsion pods are connected to low vibration stainless steel propellers - each pod weighs 250 tons.
There are also three thrusters providing manoeuvrability in port. There are four folding fin stabilisers which when combined are said to reduce the ship's roll by 90 percent.
For bunkering, the ship loads 5 350 tons of heavy fuel oil and 3 885 tons of marine gas oil stored in 22 tanks. The diesel engines burn approximately three tons an hour each while the gas turbines burn about six tons an hour each when in operation.
Unlike other cruise ships, Queen Mary 2 can cross oceans at 30 knots although her cruising speed is generally between 22 and 26 knots - as a liner in the North Atlantic in summer, speed is important, but in the northern winter the ship converts for cruising in warmer climes and speed is no longer so important.
As a transatlantic liner the ship carries the prefix RMS - Royal Mail Ship. Up on the 50m-wide bridge, the ship is steered by a single joystick. The vessel also uses dynamic positioning, making her one of the more technically advanced passenger ships.
The ship's whistles are interesting and are likely to be heard when Queen Mary 2 sails from Durban on Tuesday afternoon.
There are two traditional "Typhon"-style whistles on the forward end of the funnel, with the starboard side whistle being an original from the Queen Mary which was mounted on that ship's middle funnel. This whistle is on permanent loan to Cunard. The other is a replica built by Kockums AB of Sweden.
The ship is 345m long and has a beam on the waterline of 41m. She is more than twice the size of the Queen Elizabeth 2 and three times the size of the Titanic.
Queen Mary 2 is a post-panamax vessel, which means she is too wide to use the Panama Canal. The ship sails via the Magellan Strait at the tip of South America on her world cruises and therefore performs a circumnavigation of South America, enabling visits to several South American ports on the way.
There are 17 decks in total, of which 14 are for passengers. There are 22 lifts for passenger use, plus another nine for crew and six for service purposes. That's in addition to four passenger stair towers.
Queen Mary 2 has a maximum passenger accommodation of 3 090, of which 2 620 are lower berth. The ship has 1 238 crew. The officers are mainly British.
The main entry to the ship is impressive, leading into a six-storey atrium, with the lobby featuring a grand staircase, interior glass lifts and a bridge located over the atrium on the highest level.
Seven restaurants/cafes cater for mealtimes while some of the pubs and the winter garden venue provide light meals.
Queen Mary 2 boasts the largest library at sea, featuring about 9 000 books including audio books and CD-Roms. The cinema and auditorium includes the only planetarium at sea where, apart from astronomy shows, passengers can undertake virtual reality movies such as a roller coaster ride.
There are also art galleries, lounges and terraces. The ship has no less than five swimming pools, one being only centimetres deep (for little children).
Eight jacuzzis, a SpaClub and general sports facilities that include two virtual reality golf machines are also available. The ship boasts a full 11-bed hospital with two doctors and five nurses on call, as well as a dispenser, physiotherapist and medical assistants.
If you have to take your pet on a cruise, there's a kennel complete with exercise area. Oh, and the ship boasts an art collection worth a cool £3.5 million (R40m).
Of the 1 310 staterooms, 73 percent feature balconies. There are 10 different types of staterooms, of which three quarters are outside-facing. Four forward suites can be combined to create a single suite of over 455 square metres, or grand duplex apartments on a slightly lower level can be combined to a potential 770 square metres.
Finally, some bits of information you shouldn't sail without, kindly provided by the Durban ships' agents King & Sons.
On board the Queen Mary 2 in a year, 1.35 million teabags are consumed along with 24 947kg of coffee, 1.28 million eggs and 420 000 packets of breakfast cereal. If your taste extends to smoked salmon, the ship will have 17 236kg of it, plus 112 944kg of potatoes, 1.32 million litres of fruit juice and, oh yes, 540 000 tooth picks.
Johannesburg
