QE2 Story Forum
The QE2's Story (in-service) => The QE2 herself => Topic started by: Isabelle Prondzynski on Jan 30, 2009, 03:41 PM
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My shore excursion is currently taking place in a train, equipped with satellite wifi, where I am told that I am whizzing along at 300 km/hr.
Which of course takes me to QE2's speed. Some 34 knots. Impressive, and last year unbeaten by any merchant navy ship (please correct me if I'm wrong!).
Now, many have talked about the speed of a ship vs the enjoyment of a cruise. As for myself, I enjoy both speed and leisure. One after the other. Or before the other. Or at the same time!
Running along at high speed on the high seas, leaving other ships behind, knowing that the accelerator has it in it to catch up for any delays, going ahead even during a storm at only slightly reduced speed. The wind in my hair on deck. Exhilarating!
Or moving ever so slowly among lobster pots or up a fjord, hardly creating any wake at all, the passengers enjoying the moment with hardly a breeze...
Both are wonderful, to me. Every night on board, I have ended up with a final walk on Boat Deck, QE2 slicing through the waves in the dark, plenty of wind and waves around. And a thankful heart within.
Thinking of other ships I could now book for a cruise, it is the sense of speed that I would be missing as much as every other aspect of QE2. Those ships that, even if they want to, cannot accelerate much beyond 17 knots... that takes some of the joy out of the voyage!
What do y'all think?
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The amazement to me as a 12 year old boy, was the relentless nature of QE2 ploughing through the Atlantic at a steady speed that never faultered. And every night I would go on deck to walk, sit or think. And it was just the sounds and the smells that would be 'oh so familiar'. Although the QE2 was FAST (no doubting that), I never really thought of 32. 1/2 Knots as racing speed. So im not sure I would notice a slower ship. But the thought of being able to out run anything reasured me.
Im not sure how I would take to QV that would have to go slower accross the Bay of Biscay- she is more liable to LULL in the water not slice through the waves. And to see waves lapping under the bridge or QV doen not fill me with confidence.
QE2 survived a 100ft freak wave. Thats good enough for me to put her in the 5* N-Cap Safety test. So I would always have faith in her whatever she faced.
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I don't think everybody cared about it, or even knew about it, but to me it was a huge factor in the enjoyment of her. As a car nut, cruise ships feel like Ford Fiestas compared to the ultra-luxury Bentley that is the QE2. She also Looked fast which really helped.
The itinerary for the Med cruise I took last summer, would not have been possible on any other ship, except QM2.
Less than a year ago :-
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2469249030_eb4b174713.jpg)
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and who can forget her final farewell dash of speed as she headed down past the IoW and into the English Channel on the 11th!
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That final dash was amazing. Thanks to Rob for keeping me and Myles informed. We were both in a pub in Southampton celebrating QE2's career and it seemed she was just going to get faster and faster. I wonder how many onbaord were aware of what was happening around them?
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Matt (& Myles) that sounds like a good place to drown your sorrows :'(
I was being a bit of a geeky ship girl and watching the AIS screens for updates on my little 'puter (whilst drinking wine in pyjamas and sending drunken texts to Rob as the speed kept increasing. Sorry mate! :-[)
My mum was onboard and I had spoken to her a couple of times earlier on in the night and so tried to phone and fill her in on the news but kept getting voicemail instead.
Mind you, by then she'd have finished dinner and was probably in the Crystal Bar having a whale of a time ;D
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Thinking of other ships I could now book for a cruise, it is the sense of speed that I would be missing as much as every other aspect of QE2. Those ships that, even if they want to, cannot accelerate much beyond 17 knots... that takes some of the joy out of the voyage!
What do y'all think?
Isabelle....
Hmmm, if thinking back to my Christmas escapades (that I have discussed elsewhere :-X) all I can say is it is very disconcerting to be out in open sea going bumpety, bumpety over the waves instead of slicing through them.
Even just wandering around on deck on sea days I had a feeling of "It's not quite right". This was especially evident when travelling short distances between a couple of islands and we were informed in the 12 noon announcement from the Bridge that:
(Needs to be read with a Norwegian accent for full effect)
"Ve vill only be needing a cruising schpeed of between nine and tirteen knots to get to our next port and so ve vill be only using one engine and giving ze ozzers a rest.
So, that's it from ze Bridge.
(Pause for dramatic effect)
Now buckle up and enjoy ze ride"
Bing bong!
I'll be interested to hear your opinions on the matter ;D
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An interesting and most amusing post there Ali (with suitable apology to any Norwegian friends who might be reading lol). I had an 'interesting' track up through Biscay en route to Southampton last year on QM2. Although the pitching a rolling was certainly noticeable (particularly from my position of being on my knees on the floor of my Stateroom), but she rode it well and I was thankful that I was on a liner, (hopefully) built to withstand the worst the North Atlantic can throw at her.
Oh, and in case you were wondering why I was on my knees at the time, the answer is not half as exciting I'm afraid (otherwise it might just have been posted elsewhere). I was packing my suitcase and getting increasingly frustrated trying to crack that strange connundrum that befalls all travellers (you know the one, 'well it came out so must therefore go back in again')!
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That's a very vivid picture - wish I could say that about my packing - there was extra this time - the little QE2 'Coronation mug' had to be kept safe!
From on the top of our little Blue Funnel boat, it seemed as if someone had just put a foot hard on the gas pedal...
The gathering speed was as if she could stand the Goodbye no longer - on the other hand, might it have been the competitive spirit!
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Her farewell departure was something else, other than shield hall, l was on Red jet 4 having got soaked by the fire boat plume, (it masked the tears)we were one of the last to head back, l was amazed at just how quickly QE2 speeded up, she literally seemed to surge ahead, by which time everyone had been called below, and nobody looked back :'(
It was a great comfort to end up in a salsa bar with Matt talking QE2..... the whole day seemed very unreal
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(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/3023568402_b73a6a5979.jpg)
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And if you want to know how fast 32 knots is - try doing it in a small boat .... it doesn't seem so fast from 60' up on the boat deck but down there when you feel each slam of the waves - it's pretty fast and you can't keep it up for long. I read a book recently about the Queens at War and one of the chapters was about the Queen Mary cutting the Curacao (a Royal Navy cruiser) in two. Part of the reason was the difference in speed. QM1 could easily maintain 29-30 knots in any weather and the old cruiser could not maintain 25 in smooth water .... hence the unfortunate conjunction.
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http://www.roblightbody.com/liners/qe-2/speed_queen.htm
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First we lose the option of Mach 2 travel near outer space and now The Greyhound of The Sea replaced by vessels with rather less puff. It's nice to spend time on board cruising around no doubt but this is progress?
The beauty of having a powerful engine is having the facility of extra oomph when you need it
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First we lose the option of Mach 2 travel near outer space and now The Greyhound of The Sea replaced by vessels with rather less puff.
How very true Kev and they call it progress eh?
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And I thought my carribean cruise was a fast one. :)
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Does anyone recall what the average speed was on the Final Crossing with QM2? Myles do you recall? Any screen shots? I assume it was at or close to the service speed since it was with two liners :) After looking at some of the Youtube vids of that crossing, she looks like she's traveling much faster than I experienced in January with QV in tandem.
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I would have thought it would be 24/25 knots as it was a 6 night crossing, rather than 7 with the QV puffing along at 20-22... It would have been nice if they'd done it in 5, like the old days.
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That's about right looking at the screens - we slowed down so that the QM2 did not have to run the gas turbines. Here's the navigator's log from the first day (Saturday) noon observation - 23.1 knots.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thepumpdoctor/2947533421/in/set-72157608090406881/
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Hey Andrew.
I was onboard at the same time ... maybe we met?
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It would have been nice if they'd done it in 5
Why not four as she once managed? ;D
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For me one of the best/most amusing things about QE2's speed was the fact that as a liner she could travel faster going astern than most modern cruise ships could travel going forwards.
Now that would have been something to have seen!!!!!
John
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I always wondered if GBTT had an own "fastline"track in the channel on her way back home, like the purple carpet for the Queens plane.
Every time we were speeding along the channel like no other.
Like a speedboat ! AMAZING
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Does anyone recall what the average speed was on the Final Crossing with QM2? Myles do you recall? Any screen shots
Im sure l do have screen shots but having only just got back online and a new pc just give me some time and will see what l can do..
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May I ask a really naive question :) !!
Did it cost more for QE2 to sail for a day - going at say, an overall slower speed for the whole voyage - or to spend it in Southampton?
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Question. Whats the fastest the QE2 has ever gone? 33/ 34 knots?
Something still slightly in topic. QE2 was very nearly caught in the speed race by another merchant vessel. Maersks B class container vessels, when new, could travel at 31 knots. Plus thats with one engine and one prop!!
However these vessels have now been derated slightly as the top speed is no longer needed. Dont know what the top speed is now.
James
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Question. Whats the fastest the QE2 has ever gone? 33/ 34 knots?
Not sure, but she did 33.8 in 1987 when returning from Bremerhaven to Southampton with me on board! (Source for this exact figure is bruce peter's book)
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Cheers Rob,
She definitely still holds the record as the fastest merchant vessel then.
James
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Hello James - and it's good that you have joined us!
It sounds as if there might be fun to be had, 'racing ships'!
Was QE2 really a target for beating? :)
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Not sure, but she did 33.8 in 1987 when returning from Bremerhaven to Southampton with me on board! (Source for this exact figure is bruce peter's book)
That figure was true during the seas trial with the new engines.After that refit she did go over 32 knots a few times.
With the new engine she could make 28.5 knots just with 85% of her engine power.
Louis
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It was actually after the sea trials, with a nearly full complement of 'shakedown' passengers, and while Lorna Dallas sang in the new Grand Lounge - it was quite something - and the vibrations shook the coloured filters off some of the spotlights above! Taking shakedown a little literally i think!
I don't have BP's book here, but his speed trials figure was about a knot slower than that... maybe they adjusted something after the trials, and wanted to check it 'on the way home'.
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Hello James - and it's good that you have joined us!
It sounds as if there might be fun to be had, 'racing ships'!
Was QE2 really a target for beating? :)
I dont think anybody has set out to build a faster conventional vessel, but was just saying she was very nearly overtaken as the fastest merchant vessel.
If anybody wants to know what these B class look like, take a visit to Loch Striven!! A few of them are laid up there!!
James
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Not sure, but she did 33.8 in 1987 when returning from Bremerhaven to Southampton with me on board! (Source for this exact figure is bruce peter's book)
This is quite amazing. The target for the refit was a maximum speed of 32.5 knots and a cruising speed of 28.5 knots. The refit exceeded the shipyard's own target!
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When companies state a maximum speed they usually require the vessel to be able to reach that speed at around 90% engine power, as they dont really want to run the vessel at 100%.
So the 33.8 knots was probably reached at 100%, just to see what the vessel could do. That makes sense considering this speed was reached on the way back from drydock, but we havent seen this speed since.
So its possible the vessel hasnt exceeded requirements.
James
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Her in cabin TV's were reporting 32.8 knots in March last year when she needed to make up some time... pretty impressive for a ship 8 months away from retirement! Theres a photo earlier in this topic I think (or elsewhere).
Moderator's comment (with apologies to Rob!) : It is here :
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,57.msg367.html#msg367
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What she'd give to 'stretch her legs' again, eh!
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Well, if they put a that high tech antifouling that QM2 had recently applied, I bet that speed could be exceeded. Sadly, she sits, and her bottom and props becoming fouled with inactivity. :'(
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With the new engine she could make 28.5 knots just with 85% of her engine power.
I've been checking that figure with an expert, and apparently she could achieve 28.5 knots on just 6 or 7 engines, depending on conditions - between 67% and 78% power approximately.
Basically, in order to maintain the scheduled 5 night Atlantic service, she had to easily EXCEED 29 knots, WITH redundancy left over for engine failure.
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Cheers Rob,
She definitely still holds the record as the fastest merchant vessel then.
James
Don't forget SS United States. Far, far faster than QE2.
Matthew
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Don't forget SS United States. Far, far faster than QE2.
Yes indeed! However definitely not capable of it today whereas QE2 just about is!
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one to give QE2 a good race was Finnjet. she could hit 33.4 knots and if she had the new stronger gear box's she would go faster. 0 to 30 knots 3mins not bad for a 50 000 ton ferry.
John
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And Cunard call it a cruise at this speed......
<broken image link removed>
The night before landing in Southampton that amused me, if you look closely you can see us going round in circles, Not once but twice !!!!
<broken image link removed>
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(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/3023568402_b73a6a5979.jpg)
Just to compliment Robs previous image, I managed to capture 30.1 knots as QE2 effortlessly stretched her legs leaving Southampton on her 'final' departure :)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/3080595030_cb3d4a878b_o.jpg)
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Thanks Rob - and this was definitely on "only" 8 engines - fact. ;D
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How long did she run at top speed? I suspected Captain McNaught would "stretch her legs" for one final time. I wonder if Cunard handed her over with empty tanks too. Why not?
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... she did 33.8 in 1987 when returning from Bremerhaven to Southampton with me on board! (Source for this exact figure is bruce peter's book)
It's staggering!!!
Does anyone know if there are there any warships that can go faster that 38.4 knots?
I believe the nuclear powered American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise can equal it.
What can beat her?
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Well, there are a few ships faster than the QE2, although they are mostly nuclear powered US navy ships. (or at least GTG ships from the Navy)
If any of you have Janes Fighting ships, a quick look through will reveal that very few ships can actually get much above 30 knots because of the massive hull form vs power compromises required.
The QE2 was designed for a 5 day tranny, so don't be surprised that it goes like a rat down a drain pipe!
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As far as vibrations go when leaving Shanghai late on the world cruise 2009 we did 33knots around midnight, while dancing in the queens room you could feel the vibration through the floor. In the lido at midnight buffet the spoons were rattling in the cups and outside the lido the noise had to be heard to believe,the drain pipes and other fixtures were shaking like mad. I have attached a picture of the in cabin tele on channel 4.The speed was 32.9knots for ages reaching 33knots for about 60 seconds then back to sit steady at 32.9.
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Ooh! Lovely! Thats the highest speed i've seen on a telly-photo!
If I'd been watching that I'd have been saying "wow wow wow" and rushing about making sure everybody knew. As is said elsewhere in the forum, this run that you enjoyed could be the fastest any liner ever goes again...
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WOW!
At nearly 40 years of age, and carrying a fairly full load
That is superb.
Thank you for that image, and Well Done to you, the engineers and QE2!
(btw -was she running late?!)
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Yes, Rosie, she was running late -- and yet, she arrived in Osaka bang on time!
This is what Malcolm writes in his diary :
Once I’d been to the restaurant for breakfast I turned on the television for firstly the speed (28 knots) and then the Breakfast Show.
[...]
When we were late leaving Vung Tau and had to rush to get to Hong Kong we were told that the QE2 was being pushed as fast as she could. We only reached speeds of 29 knots. Today we are not racing (as far as I know) but our speed seems to have increased. Before lunch we were doing 28 knots and this afternoon we managed 29 knots. Paul’s just turned the TV on and we’ve hit 30 knots. 30.3 to be precise. We have already dropped to 29.3 knots but at 5-25 pm we did pass the magic point of 30 knots.
[...]
The seas had been getting a bit choppy this evening and when we got back to the cabin we turned the TV on to see what speed we were doing. 31.6 knots! We’ve passed the 30 mark again! So much for the rumour that was going around after leaving Vung Tau – that the Captain had tried to speed up and had been forced to slow again because of the way the ship was shaking herself to bits.
He missed the moment of the 33 knots, but he adds that she was in fact speeding along all day!
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Yes, Rosie, she was running late -- and yet, she arrived in Osaka bang on time!
This is what Malcolm writes in his diary :
He missed the moment of the 33 knots, but he adds that she was in fact speeding along all day!
Great!
Well Done to you, Isabelle!
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I asked my young fella tonight what was the fastest speed he ever saw while on QE2 - when they went southwards after leaving Japan in Feb/March? 2008 they were in the strong Japanese current. Speed over the ground was averaged at 34.1 knots on 8 engines over about an hour, but, as he said, that current was sometimes running at 5 knots.
The bridge team all commented on the speed, but no one went down to get a camera.
Cheers
Skilly
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The " speed " of QE2 was one of my best souvenir during my only little cruise .
From : Bilbao to Le Verdon and from Le Verdon to Guernsey we " hit " the famous 30 Knots , of course in the night .
Yes the QE2 was the fastet Liner with " Diesel " propulsion .
The Finnjet was a little faster , but have a completily other propulsion system .
But in the past another " Liner " was very fast !
Not the United States (Big U) with the all time record ;D
This ship came from the otherside of the Channel ::)
Yes " my " Ship , the s/s FRANCE
Build for a average of 30 Knots for the North Atlantic route ! During the test end November 1961 the speed maxi was : 35.5 Knots
Some times the ship have a speed day of : 31 or 32 or 33 Knots from New York to Le Havre 8)
And i'm not forget the " battle " of the Blue Ribbond from : rms QUEEN MARY & s/s NORMANDIE ::)
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QE2's propellers interest me because there so different than the other propellers i've seen. They do look powerful no wonder she's the fastest ship.
Is she the fastest ship in the world still?
Never was the fastest ship. USS United States.
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Never was the fastest ship. USS United States.
QE2 was the fastest liner in service for most of her career.
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Ok I will give you that.
I have done 35 knots on her but that was going downhill with a following wind. But, for sustained speed , the US was the fastest.
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Just wondering what type of speed was shown on the tv in the room. Was it speed over ground or through the water? That does make a huge difference. My apologies if this has been covered already. 33 knots over the ground with or without aid of current is nevertheless an impressive feat, probably never to be repeated again. :'(
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There was a particular throb and vibration when QE2 was going very fast. It was really exciting. Especially for long periods.
I particularly remember one such. We were working on board for part of the 2007 WC. We departed Walvis Bay Namibia
on 10 April and arrived 132 hours (5.5 days) later (17 April) at Las Palmas Canary Islands. It is a distance of some 4,500 miles and to achieve it QE2 averaged 30 knots. Incredible.
But I do have a question for the forum experts.
We all know that it takes longer to fly westwards across the Atlantic or from the far east than it does the other way.
From JFK to LHR a 100 knot tail wind (jet stream) may add 100 knots to the airspeed of 550 knots to give a groundspeed of 650 knots. The other way round that same 100 knot jet stream is a head wind and will give the groundspeed of 450 knots.
Do current movements such as the Gulf Stream affect a ship's speed? Does a ship need a tail wind to achieve maximum speed?
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Warships:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_class_fast_patrol_boat
Travelled on both of them.
Recently travelled on a USCG patrol boat...RR powered that did 57mph.
Most of the postings showing TV screens are instaneous speeds. Sustained speeds are different. Most of the speeds shown would be calculated by sat nav. I Remember a Navigator telling me the ship made 42 kts after a particular stormy crossing. That was for about 2 seconds!
Regarding 8 engines or 9...would make no difference, the power providers, the generators could provide more than enough power. The electric motors could only convert so much I believe that originally QE2 would do max on 7 engines. From 86-89 when I left I never saw the ship on 9. A GE guy told me that if the propulsion plant and the props and the hull could take it the engines could provide power for 45 kts. But the MOTORS, props and hull were not designed that way.
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With just two propellers any talk of 40+ knots is nuts, but her 87 system was definitely designed to allow her to easily reach 30 knots.
The motors were the largest and most powerful ever put into a ship, capable of over 44. megawatts each,
http://www.roblightbody.com/liners/qe-2/1987_Refit/index.htm
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The " speed " of QE2 was one of my best souvenir during my only little cruise .
From : Bilbao to Le Verdon and from Le Verdon to Guernsey we " hit " the famous 30 Knots , of course in the night .
Yes the QE2 was the fastet Liner with " Diesel " propulsion .
The Finnjet was a little faster , but have a completily other propulsion system .
But in the past another " Liner " was very fast !
Not the United States (Big U) with the all time record ;D
This ship came from the otherside of the Channel ::)
Yes " my " Ship , the s/s FRANCE
Build for a average of 30 Knots for the North Atlantic route ! During the test end November 1961 the speed maxi was : 35.5 Knots
Some times the ship have a speed day of : 31 or 32 or 33 Knots from New York to Le Havre 8)
And i'm not forget the " battle " of the Blue Ribbond from : rms QUEEN MARY & s/s NORMANDIE ::)
Lets not forget there was another British Ship that could snap at the heels of the QE2 in the right conditions when she was a steamer, namely the SS Oriana which apparently did 30+ for a day or two on her last P&O voyage in 1986.
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With just two propellers any talk of 40+ knots is nuts, but her 87 system was definitely designed to allow her to easily reach 30 knots.
The motors were the largest and most powerful ever put into a ship, capable of over 44. megawatts each,
http://www.roblightbody.com/liners/qe-2/1987_Refit/index.htm
"Captain Bob" Arnott writes in his book that on one of QE2's speed trials prior to going into service, she easily reached 31.87 knots.
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From the Eastbound Voyage after the new engines in May 1987...
Guess the new ships can only dream of such things.. ;)
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Hi Myles -
Thanks for your posting.
Yes indeed, the new ships can only dream of such things !!
June ;D
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Somewhere between the backend of 72 and the front end of 74, we had a medical emergency with a passenger who needed to be in New York after suffering a heart attack. We pulled out all the stops and hammered across the Atlantic at - and I can't confirm this - 36knots! Down in the boiler room you could really feel the pressure and the power, as if she was absolutely in her element a really stretching her legs.
We shouldn't forget the liner United States. We berthed alongside her a few times and a sorry sight she was having been already decommissioned. Rumour had it that she would do 40+ knots, but her engines even at that time were said to be classified top secret.
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My brother reports that he read this in a brochure on board QM2 :
’Within Cunard there are interesting arguments about which ship is faster: the Queen Elizabeth 2 or the QM2. Advocates for both ships are right. The QE2’s maximum speed was 2 knots faster than the equivalent maximum speed of he QM2. However, the QM2’s average cruising speed is 2 knots faster than the QE2 cruising speed.’
I am trying to work out what this means... and whether it is comparing apples and oranges...?
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I think it's apples and oranges; if they're quoting an average cruising speed it'll need to be calculated ( weighted ) to take into account the distance between stops as well - if one of them is on one stop every day and the other is on one stop every two days, the one on every two days will produce a straight average speed that is higher even if both were doing exactly the same speed between the ports.
What really counts is the average speed between Southampton and New York non stop, and we all know which of the two wins on that count. :)
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Holy Nougat - are you about?
It would be really interesting to know more
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My brother reports that he read this in a brochure on board QM2 :
I am trying to work out what this means... and whether it is comparing apples and oranges...?
That's complete nonsense.
QE2's service speed, her normal speed, was 28.5 knots, designed to do that speed for days at a time. QM2 simply wasn't. Ask Stephen Payne. Both QE2's maximum speed and service speed was higher.
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QE2 was faster end of discussion
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QE2 was faster end of discussion
Agreed !
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I spent around 4 years on QE2 and 5 years on QM2 as a Deck Officer - QE2 was faster, for sure.
QM2's service speed was basically her top speed, whereas QE2's service speed was significantly lower than her top speed. I say 'was' for QM2, because she is now slower than she was when she entered service due to load restrictions on the DG's.
QE2 was just as fast at the end as she was when converted to Diesel.
The whole service speed thing is a bit of a con anyway - very few ships go around at a set speed, service speed gives the impression that it is somehow the most efficient speed, whereas it seldom is.
My current command apparently has a service speed of 17.0 Knots - simply put - it does not.
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I spent around 4 years on QE2 and 5 years on QM2 as a Deck Officer - QE2 was faster, for sure.
QM2's service speed was basically her top speed, whereas QE2's service speed was significantly lower than her top speed. I say 'was' for QM2, because she is now slower than she was when she entered service due to load restrictions on the DG's.
QE2 was just as fast at the end as she was when converted to Diesel.
The whole service speed thing is a bit of a con anyway - very few ships go around at a set speed, service speed gives the impression that it is somehow the most efficient speed, whereas it seldom is.
My current command apparently has a service speed of 17.0 Knots - simply put - it does not.
Thanks for pitching up at just the right moment! I love your technical insights.
There's a couple of pics on my own website about QE2's refit to illustrate. QE2's most frequent speeds, and how much power was needed to do that... http://www.roblightbody.com/qe2-1987-rebirth.html
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Hello and Thank you HN!
Comparing the speed of similar ships seems to be an interesting exercise - was QE2 always subject to the same questions?
Although, surely, unless you have totally identical ships with identical loads, sailing in the same space, same weather and sea conditions, same fuel load etc, with radio contact between Bridge and ECR etc of each, there wouldn't be any way the comparison could be true, would there? (Bit like FI - really requires same car for everyone)
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My brother reports that, at yesterday's noon announcement, Captain Chris Wells said that, since leaving Halifax, QM2 had been sailing at 30 knots.
Just passing on his message (which he wrote after reading this topic)...
I have asked him whether the TV screen in his cabin gives regular updates on the ship's speed.
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Is QM2 capable of 30kts?
There is an interesting topic here which is relevant to speed and contains some very interesting facts relating to fuel consumption at different speeds.
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,6853.msg72740.html#msg72740
In relation to top speeds, the last sentence of reply#3 in the linked topic on fuel speaks volumes!
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Well, the short answer is no, I don't think she is capable of 30 knots through the water. I saw 4 +2 online many times and I don't ever recall her breaking 30.0 in dead water, it would be possible with reduced hotel load and lifted limits on the DG's etc... but today. No, I really don't think so.
She is capable of 30 knots over the ground, that is to say with a healthy does of favorable current, indeed, I've already posted a picture on this forum of her doing 31.7 over the ground - but the kicker is that the photo also shows her doing 27.7 through the water - and really, it's the latter speed which is the true indication.
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Well, the short answer is no, I don't think she is capable of 30 knots through the water. I saw 4 +2 online many times and I don't ever recall her breaking 30.0 in dead water, it would be possible with reduced hotel load and lifted limits on the DG's etc... but today. No, I really don't think so.
She is capable of 30 knots over the ground, that is to say with a healthy does of favorable current, indeed, I've already posted a picture on this forum of her doing 31.7 over the ground - but the kicker is that the photo also shows her doing 27.7 through the water - and really, it's the latter speed which is the true indication.
There were thoughts about speed when we /QM2 was sailing through areas (The Gulf etc) where additional security measures were in situ...Someone mentioned 30 knots then (Worldie, in early late March / early April 2011)
Would she have used her DGs then too?
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There were thoughts about speed when we /QM2 was sailing through areas (The Gulf etc) where additional security measures were in situ...Someone mentioned 30 knots then (Worldie, in early late March / early April 2011)
Would she have used her DGs then too?
I was Navigator for that world cruise, then chief officer from Dubai as I recall.
Well, for sure she would have been using the DG's, but really QM2 is not capable of 30 knots, I would say that really, her top speed today in calm conditions, with everything as it is, possibly 28 knots, and I'm being pretty generous...
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My brother reports that, at yesterday's noon announcement, Captain Chris Wells said that, since leaving Halifax, QM2 had been sailing at 30 knots.
Just passing on his message (which he wrote after reading this topic)...
I have asked him whether the TV screen in his cabin gives regular updates on the ship's speed.
Maybe the new anti-fouling is helping there along with some current? Speed through water vs. speed over ground issue again I am guessing. I have not heard much of anything in the 'Remastering" regarding any mechanical upgrades except for regular maintenance and pod work. Could the new pods be better as well?
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You know Isabelle, you and I aren't so different.
I'm a speed demon, which equates to me being a racer and just loving the thrill of speed. When you're going fast, I don't know, but for me, everything just makes sense. And I may not have ever been on QE2 or QM2, but as a speedster, I know that's kind of, if not exactly the way you feel. :)
I've only been cruising once; I've been on the Steamships more times than I can remember. Only a few ships I've been on were truly fast, and boats are out if the question because they are smaller, lol ;D.
Your experience makes me long more and more to travel on QM2. I'm a speedster and speed lover enough; I can only imagine what it would be like to be on a ship, at sea, in a storm (to add to the adrenaline ;)), at speed. ???
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Speed is whatever the engineers wanted it to be!
Down in the MCR we had the Walkers Electromagnetic Log cabinet, which receives the signal from the log head that pierces the hull down in the forward tunnel. We also had the trimming knob, that could adjust that signal up or down to wherever we wanted it. We also had the test switch in the same box - flicking the switch would take the recorded speed from 0 knots up to about 28.5 - 29 knots.
We had one new stroppy know-it-all nav officer who swore he could predict the exact arrival time at the next pilot station, and would put money on it! We would always get one of our team to accept his wager, then we would start playing with the master cabinet controls down below. The other mates were in on it as well, so eventually our smart-arsed nav found he was losing too often, and pulled his head in! Amazing how the engine loads can fluctuate when they want to 8)
In the MCR are also the pitch limiter controls/load verniers, and engine governor controls. Topsides may be demanding that everything be 'on the blood', but they will only ever get what the engineers are prepared to give them. I'm not talking QE2 here - her test switch probably took the log to 40+!
Skilly
ps - Forgot to add, this was pre-GPS days. We had an old Satnav, and there were long gaps between satellites.
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I spent around 4 years on QE2 and 5 years on QM2 as a Deck Officer - QE2 was faster, for sure.
QM2's service speed was basically her top speed, whereas QE2's service speed was significantly lower than her top speed. I say 'was' for QM2, because she is now slower than she was when she entered service due to load restrictions on the DG's.
QE2 was just as fast at the end as she was when converted to Diesel.
The whole service speed thing is a bit of a con anyway - very few ships go around at a set speed, service speed gives the impression that it is somehow the most efficient speed, whereas it seldom is.
My current command apparently has a service speed of 17.0 Knots - simply put - it does not.
I curious to know more about the restrictions on her diesel generators (DGs). Is this something mechanical or scientific or economic?
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We are currently discussing various ships' speeds in other topics. To me, QE2's speed is the speed against which I measure the speed of any other ships (such as the fast little catamaran across Osaka Bay, which is 17 knots).
I did not think it worth starting another topic just yet, and so let me add here that airplanes' speed is also measured in knots (which was a surprise to me). The A340 which I often enjoy as a passenger, goes up to about 497 knots (I usually wait for the 500 mark to appear on the screen but may well have missed it). What a huge figure! I then compare the resistance of water with that of air...
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I don't think everybody cared about it, or even knew about it, but to me it was a huge factor in the enjoyment of her. As a car nut, cruise ships feel like Ford Fiestas compared to the ultra-luxury Bentley that is the QE2. She also Looked fast which really helped.
The itinerary for the Med cruise I took last summer, would not have been possible on any other ship, except QM2.
Less than a year ago :-
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/2469249030_eb4b174713.jpg)
I wonder if Michael will see this, or someone who knows.
The above photo of her going so fast (32.8 knots), was from forum friend Kyle "stowaway2k" in March 18th 2008.
If I remember rightly, QE2 had had some sort of a problem, and was trying to make up time. Can someone tell more please?
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Will have to get to my 2008 WC box to see if there was an issue, Rob. She left Shanghai on 17 March and spent the day at sea (18 March) before arriving into Osaka on 19 March as scheduled. The average speed for the journey from Shanghai to Osaka was 29.4 knots.
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Does anyone know if there are there any warships that can go faster that 38.4 knots?
I believe the nuclear powered American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise can equal it.
What can beat her?
Many moons ago I was fortunate enough to join a press trip to the USS Enterprise, yes I am an honorary tailhooker! Whilst up on the bridge the "Full Ahead" order was given. There was a large speedometer on the console that very quickly "pegged" at over 30 knots, nobody would tell us what the exact speed was as it was classified. From my experience working on the QE2 I could tell from watching the wake that we were going a lot faster than she did....
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Just saw this photo of the eighth Nimitz class carrier, USS Harry S Truman at speed,
pretty good for 100000 tons of ship! Miss blasting across the oceans on the QE2!😀
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Rob - that TV shot of 32.8 knots - I plotted the position many years ago and I seem to recall it worked out as being off the S.E. corner of Japan when they were heading south.
Later on in that voyage, the engineers got an engine back together after survey/overhaul (they were running on eight engines at the time), so then they had nine running. QE2 was going down past the Madagascar coast & heading for Walvis Bay at the time. Anyway. a family member was on the bridge at the time, and later told me they had the southerly current with them, and the SOG on the plot was over 35 knots! And nobody took a photo!!!
Family member heads back to QE on Thursday from here in Auckland.
Cheers,
Skilly
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Warship Speeds - back in the very late 1930s the RN found a need for some fast minelayers - these ships were called the Abdiel Class, and six were built, coming into commission beginning in 1941.
Basically, they were oversized destroyer-sized hulls fitted up with cruiser propulsion systems of around 72,000 hp.
The specs were for a maximum speed of 40 knots, but the engineers could 'Pull the Foot' on the steam plants and increase the output to the point where both Apollo and Manxman were reputed to have exceeded 43 knots! Pretty good for a 400 ft, 3,400 ton displacement warship!
These ships were used for all sorts of high-speed tasks (eg - keeping Malta supplied at the height of the blitz, sneaking into Axis Mediterranean ports at night and placing mines in the shipping channels, then being hundreds of miles away by breakfast time). Three were sunk by enemy action during the war, but I think it was Manxman that remained in service until 1972.
Numerous stories involving her speed, racing other ships, etc, can be found on-line.
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When I was in the cadets at school, I was lucky enough to get on HMS Brave Borderer for a couple of hours while they were putting her through her paces in the Firth of Forth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave-class_patrol_boat
Now thats motoring!
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Definitely fast at 52 knots.
The only time I have been faster than that on water I was landing, then taking off again in a WWII PBY Catalina flying boat!
Skilly
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The pictures of screen captures posted on this topic have been a good way of recording QE2's speed, so I downloaded these and added to the Gallery a new album called Speed (https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=277). The highest speed captured was 33 knots on 18 March 2003.
If you have taken screen shots of QE2's speed please post so we can add to the gallery album.
(https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/albums/userpics/10596/normal_33kn.jpg)
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Interesting!
The two photos of QE2's posted speed, on posts #86 and #94, are taken only 45 minutes apart, on the same day, and are both taken on the voyage I was referring to in my post #90. The ship had already completed her final visits to NZ and Australia at this point in her final RWC.
The ship was approximately 40 nm south of the southern tip of the island of Shikoku, Japan. (To be remembered, this position is being plotted by an engineer, who normally doesn't have access to navigational instruments unless they are guiding him to the bar!).
My son was a 3rd officer on her at the time.
Great records of the ship's capabilities.
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Here's a red duster and a fast wake to stir up some nostalgia :D
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Brilliant thanks Chris for sharing the video
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Wonderful video!