Contact with Ice

[Michael Gallagher]

1982

During the night of 26 and 27 May 1982 as troopship QE2 headed for the Falkland Islands the radar was switched on every 30 minutes and at one time more than 100 icebergs could be seen on the screen. Captain Jackson would later write that “never have I known such a harrowing experience”.
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1983

During a westbound transatlantic crossing (27 May – 2 June 1983) QE2 experienced a “close encounter” with a growler - “scraping noises” could be heard in the Engine Room.
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1988

During a westbound transatlantic crossing on 29 September 1988 the first iceberg to be sighted visually – as opposed to an unidentified radar target – was encountered by QE2.
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Sunday 26 July 1998

QE2 made her first contact with the Arctic ice flow. The ice flow consisted of moderate to large growlers, open ice and very open ice and covered an estimated 80 square miles. The ice was first sighted at 1610 hours, 20.4 nautical miles west of Spitsbergen. The ship’s speed was reduced from 30 knots to between 1 and 3 knots until the ship was clear at 2316 hours.

[cunardqueen]

Some might say the closest we passengers got to ice was at The Midnight buffet, or in our G&TS

[sotonsean]

The QE2 often made contact with ice in the River Hudson during the winter months, I remember in January 1985 when we were preparing for the departure of the World Cruise that the river was flowing with ice and the slips between the piers was blocked with ice with a tug boat having to break the ice up before we could sail.

There was even icicles running down from the anchor into the dock. We had a snowball fight on deck that morning and I remember that the Holland America Lines Rotterdam was alongside the adjacent pier, we got to meet up with her again in Singapore a few months later where I went onboard her for what was my second visit to the ship.

[Dave Lowing]

I found this photo from the 70's of the Hudson in winter.