QE2 Story Forum
Non-QE2 Area => Ships => Topic started by: Twynkle on May 06, 2010, 09:11 AM
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Andy - you are correct in what you say. She was built to stand in for one of the Queens if needed. And she did get a sister ship but not until after the war! Believe it or not that sister was Caronia (the Green Goddess). While she looked totally different to Mauretania there were similarities. I read about this in detail somewere and will try and locate it but Cunard classed Mauretania and Caronia as sisters!
Here's something about RMS Caronia
She definitely was one of the best!
Commodore Marr said she was one of the happiest ship's he had known.
Note; These You Tube videos are no longer active and cannot find searching for these people who had posted:
Thanks to JoannaColemanND
Thanks tofrogsrule24
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Fantastic piece of cruise history where the video clip certainly shows the golden age of cruising. I liked the afternoon tea being served on trays on deck and the stewards serving cakes on the three tier cake stands. It is also interesting to see how well dressed the passengers look when disembarking at a port for a day's sightseeing. I have to confess that I do not know a lot about the Caronia despite her birth place being John Brown's, Clydebank but I do know that they built 2 Caronia ships for Cunard one was commissioned around 1905 and scrapped in Japan in 1933 and also the Caronia (Green Goddess) that is shown in the video clip.
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And it is interesting to note that the layouts for the first class (Bannenberg) rooms were takwn from Caronia when drawing up plans for Q3 and, apart from making the Q4 rooms slightly smaller, these layouts were transferred to Q4...
The layouts for QE2’s original First Class cabins, with the exception of the suites on One and Two Decks, were developed by Cunard naval architects using Caronia (1949) as their principal inspiration for the cabin designs. Cabins on board QE2 were remarkably standardized considering British shipbuilding practices of the time which generally stressed a more tailormade approach – none more so in the layouts devised for these standard first class cabins. Indeed it was this design of Caronia’s cabins which became the prototype for a widely replicated first-class adaptation on board QE2 20 years later. These rooms were arranged in mirrored pairs or near-identical layout and access to each pair of rooms was by way of doors facing each other across the ends of short beamwise alleyway. These semi-private passages, extending from the main corridors past the cabin bathrooms, allowed each pair of rooms to be combined by use of a third door at the secondary passage’s head. Additional connecting doors in the cabins themselves allowed greater numbers of rooms to be likewise joined. The comfort of side-by-side beds, upholstered easy chairs, abundant wardrobe and drawer space and luxury of spacious en-suite bathrooms with full-sized bathtubs, were ideally suited for long-duration worldwide voyages.
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The interiors on Caronia and HMY Britannia were designed by Hugh Casson - friend of Dennis Lennon!
http://www.caronia2.info/home.php
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Caronia's maiden voyage.
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=26380
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A launch photo I have found lying around on an old hard drive of Caronia going into the Clyde for the first time 30/10/47. (Photographer unknown)
More tech details on Caronia :
http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=2440 (http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=2440)
8)
Gav
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A lovely example of her Birthday :)
Thanks to you Gav - and 'old hard drive'!
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Final photos of the poor Caronia
http://www.caronia2.info/caribia6.php
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What a tragic end for a fine ship.
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I understand what you are saying Lynda but in a way it's a glorious end for a ship as she defied the breakers which is where she was on her way to. She did it her way!
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Great first video, especially shown in colour. What a treasure. Does anyone know the origins of the film?
She was a beautiful ship, both inside and out. The cabin shots reminded me of the Queen Mary from my time in Long Beach.
Did anyone else notice the portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip which hung on D-Stairway at Boat Deck level on the QE2? (around 51 seconds into the video)?
Such a tragic end too, what a waste. I did like the Caronia model aboard the QE2. I thought her a beautiful ship.
Sometimes I wish I'd be born much earlier so I could have been around when these great ships were around.
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I did like the Caronia model aboard the QE2. I thought her a beautiful ship.
Here is a picture of the model -- not a great one though, as I was equally interested in the reflection off the glass case.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2688853582_85e721ab7a.jpg)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2688853582/
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When I was a young girl, I met one of my grandfather's friends, who had been a seaman before and during WWII. I wish I had a copy of his discharge book. This man firmly believed that ships were entities and that a ship which sank on her way to the breakers had chosen her own way to die and that she 'cheated the Devil' of her fabric. The devil was soundly cheated, the ship gave herself to the sea.
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When I was a young girl, I met one of my grandfather's friends, who had been a seaman before and during WWII. I wish I had a copy of his discharge book. This man firmly believed that ships were entities and that a ship which sank on her way to the breakers had chosen her own way to die and that she 'cheated the Devil' of her fabric. The devil was soundly cheated, the ship gave herself to the sea.
Yes, I agree Mauritania1907 - a ship can easily be an entity - my dictionary says so too.
'a thing that has definite, individual existence outside or within the mind; anything real in itself ...'
After leaving Auckland next March, our next port of call is Guam, where she sank.
Hopefully someone on board might allow me to beg for the odd rose in the ship's floristry department.
Then - under strict supervision, you understand, ;)
it will be hurled into the sea, with great affection and respect for Caronia!!
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When will you be in Auckland? I Live in Auckland. You could get a rose off my front fence - sent to Caronia with love.
Further facts: she got a parking ticket while laid up in New York, it seems her owners virtually abandoned her to her fate after an engine-room explosion crippled her on a cruise. She was towed ignomoniously back to New York and it seems she never went to sea again. I would like to know more because she is one of the older British cruise ships, when all was caviar and diamonds.
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When will you be in Auckland? I Live in Auckland. You could get a rose off my front fence - sent to Caronia with love.
Further facts: she got a parking ticket while laid up in New York, it seems her owners virtually abandoned her to her fate after an engine-room explosion crippled her on a cruise. She was towed ignomoniously back to New York and it seems she never went to sea again. I would like to know more because she is one of the older British cruise ships, when all was caviar and diamonds.
Hi Ellen,
A rose for Caronia from your front fence - That's such a good idea!
and maybe, just maybe, you'll be around too, in March 2011.
(More about this, quite soon ;) )
Rosie
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Isabelle,
I also loved that model and had great difficulty in avoiding the reflections, not such a good angle but this was one of my attempts:
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Also loved this picture found on QE2, showing Caronia, examples of the South African steam tugs, and what appears to be a Shaw Saville cargo-passenger vessel in the background:
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Why was the Caronia painted green? Not the usual Cunard colours.
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It was typical of Cunard tradition to paint their cruising liners in the shades of green--also note Mauretania II and Carinthia and Franconia as having the green colors although they were repainted white before disposition. I seem to recall that the original Mauretania was painted white for cruising, but not sure. Anyone else care to chip in?
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Hi Jeff,
It was the Camania rather than the Carinthia which was painted green.
Robert.
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It was typical of Cunard tradition to paint their cruising liners in the shades of green--also note Mauretania II and Carinthia and Franconia as having the green colors although they were repainted white before disposition. I seem to recall that the original Mauretania was painted white for cruising, but not sure. Anyone else care to chip in?
Interesting to note that the colour was called "cruising green' and four shades of green were used. The colours were supposed to deflect the heat of the sun - I think this was Bill Miller's explanation.
The Caronia II was nicknamed the Green Goddess by Liverpudlians because she was the painted in the same shades of green as the trams of Liverpool, then also known as Green Goddesses. I remember them well; the colours in the link below are as close as you'll get!
http://www.caronia2.info/index.php
PS - Someone mentioned t'other day that Caronia was also called the Piglet, QE2 being called the Pig!
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Interesting to note that the colour was called "cruising green' and four shades of green were used. The colours were supposed to deflect the heat of the sun - I think this was Bill Miller's explanation.
The Caronia II was nicknamed the Green Goddess by Liverpudlians because she was the painted in the same shades of green as the trams of Liverpool, then also known as Green Goddesses. I remember them well; the colours in the link below are as close as you'll get!
http://www.caronia2.info/index.php
PS - Someone mentioned t'other day that Caronia was also called the Piglet, QE2 being called the Pig!
In the 70's when we had the firemen strikes, weren't the army's appliances also known as Green Goddesses?
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In the 70's when we had the firemen strikes, weren't the army's appliances also known as Green Goddesses?
Yes, Jem!
These were so very ugly, weren't they?
The Caronia definitely outshone them, as well as the trams.
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Guam - 7th March 2011.
QM2 arrived in the US Naval docks early this morning.
We have yet to see the harbour where Caribia was washed up on the rocks (as RMS Caronia became)
Having seen the massive rocks along the coast, together with the huge waves of surf crashing along the tropical island's beaches, it's not difficult to imagine her in trouble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Caronia
Heading off now to find some suitably green with red/orange flowers to hurl into the sea in memory this great ship.
(There seems not a lot else to do in these parts, other than to use free WiFi)
Then - by pure coincidence, Brian Hawley's email (below) has also just arrived ( :)!!)
'The Caronia book I co-wrote with Bill Miller (RMS Caronia: Cunard’s Green Goddess) is ready for release so I should be getting some copies shortly. If you are interested in ordering a signed copy, please send an e-mail to luxurylinerrow@yahoo.com as I have a list of folks who want to get the book directly from me. I’m now working on my next book, and it should be out later this year'.
Thank you Brian - and well done with the book about RMS Caronia, Brian - have you visited Guam too?
Rosie.
(calling at Guam with QM2)
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Does anyone know where I can buy a model of Caronia? I've looked everywhere but theres nothing.
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The first Chief Engineer of the Caronia was Douglas Horsburgh, a veteran of the White Star. He had a brother, Gordon. He was a White Star man too.He wasn't an Engineer, he was a Mate who rose to be Marine Super of Cunard White Star and died in harness just before the launch of the Mary. Their father, Stewart, again a White Star man, was an Engineer. In fact he was the Engineer. He was , is seems, the very first Engineer Super of the White Star Line from 1871 till 1904.
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Was looking at the history of The Green Goddess and was wondering, Were there any known meetings of QE2 and Caronia II?
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I always wondered why Caronia was painted green. From (colored) pictures the Cunard red funnel clashes with that mint green. Was she painted green for crusing?
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I can't answer why she was painted varying shades of green, nor who in Cunard made the decision. Wikipedia simply states it was a decision to differentiate her from the black and white livery of the Cunard White Star liners.
Apparently the Liverpudlians amongst the crew soon nicknamed her the 'Green Goddess' as she matched the livery of the then Liverpool trams, also termed 'Green Goddesses'. (As an aside, when I was in the British army in a previous life, we used to term our fire engines - painted bronze green in those days - as Green Goddesses. I guess scouse eventually infiltrates every institution).
Interestingly the original RMS Caronia (launched 1904) had the distinction of being the first ship to radio warnings of ice bergs to the Titanic. She was named Caronia after the grand-daughter of Cunard's New York Agent at that time - Caro Brown.
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I can't answer why she was painted varying shades of green, nor who in Cunard made the decision. Wikipedia simply states it was a decision to differentiate her from the black and white livery of the Cunard White Star liners.
Apparently the Liverpudlians amongst the crew soon nicknamed her the 'Green Goddess' as she matched the livery of the then Liverpool trams, also termed 'Green Goddesses'. (As an aside, when I was in the British army in a previous life, we used to term our fire engines - painted bronze green in those days - as Green Goddesses. I guess scouse eventually infiltrates every institution).
Interestingly the original RMS Caronia (launched 1904) had the distinction of being the first ship to radio warnings of ice bergs to the Titanic. She was named Caronia after the grand-daughter of Cunard's New York Agent at that time - Caro Brown.
Thanks Boris! I never understood why she was green. Guess they wanted her to be different.
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After doing some research online regarding your question Trevor, Cunard had Caronia painted in "Cruising Green" in order to make her fit for tropical destinations and it made her look more attractive and recognizable.
The RMS Mauretania of 1938 was also painted in "Crusing Green" towards the end of her service life.
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Thanks Brandon!
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What goes around ... etc. Found a thread elsewhere in this forum that appears to discuss, back in 2011, Caronia's colour scheme. Better than my response, above.
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,1937.msg29159.html#msg29159 (https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,1937.msg29159.html#msg29159)
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Did you see this?
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Think I saw Ronnie Bateson in the recieving line!
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Did you see this?
Wonderful film, thank you for sharing Rosie!