Louis de Sousa 90- 92, + 93-98

[Louis De Sousa]

Hello my name is Louis
I was a crewmember from July 1990 to August 1992 (then i worked on another ship) and from April 1993 to August 1998.
I started as deck steward up on heli deck with Dennis,Keith and a girl from sweden cant remember her name.Then i became a PRS until October 1992.In April 1993 i returned to QE2 again as PRS.By 1993 i became restaurant Barkeeper,working behind the scenes so therefore no contact to passengers.End of 1994 i was one of the few crews member onboard  that made the transatlantic from New York to Hamburg for the refit.Ship sailed with no paxs but a skelton crew and contactors.Onboard i also meet Anja she was a waitress in the Princess griil she worked for 5 years today we are married with 2 wonderfull kids.I have lots of good memories though somedays were bad.But overhaul it was the best time of my life.the only thing i try and not remember is the night from 10 to 11 September 1995 when we hit Hurricane Luis.My cabin was 419 on 4 deck forward staboard,there was water all over.
that is it for now i hope to post more topics.
regards Louis.

[KEV]

Hi Louis and welcome!

Great to hear from a crew members point of view-you must tell us more and also about the Hurricane
How great that you met your wife on board-I wonder how many other couples met on QE2 !

Cheers
Kev

[Rob Lightbody]

Louis who encountered Hurricane Luis on board QE2?  Thats not easy to forget!       Welcome on board!!  Can't wait to hear some more of your stories.

In one prominent rogue-wave encounter, Capt. Ronald Warwick, who followed in his father's footsteps to command the British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II, was on the bridge at 4 a.m. on Sept. 11, 1995. Two hundred miles off Newfoundland, headed for New York, Warwick had been trying, without success, to dodge Hurricane Luis.

Minutes before, monstrous seas smashed windows in the Grand Salon, 72 feet off the water. Warwick had given the order confining passengers to quarters.

Suddenly, a huge wave loomed off the bow, huge even for a ship the size of the QE2, at nearly 1,000 feet long, more than 100 feet wide, carrying nearly 3,000 people.

Hundreds of miles from shore, the face of the wave was steep, like a breaking wall of water. Warwick later described that "it looked as though the ship was headed for the white cliffs of Dover."

Officers on the bridge estimated the wave at 92 feet, because they were eyeball to eyeball with the crest.

"(I)t broke with tremendous force over the bow. An incredible shudder went through the ship, followed a few minutes later by two smaller shudders," Warwick recalled in a 1996 article in Marine Observer.

The ship's bow dropped into a "hole" of a trough behind the first wave and was hit by a second wave of between 91 and 96 feet high that cleaned a mast right off the foredeck.

Warwick, his passengers and crew were lucky. No one was injured. It was a far different fate for the German container ship Munchen, which sank in the middle of the Atlantic in 1978 with no warning, no May Day.

[Andy F]

Welcome Louis and great to have you join us

[Louis De Sousa]

Heres the damage after Hurricane Luis

[attachment deleted by admin because its too large]

[Rob Lightbody]

Wow - all the plating is buckled and pushed down.  I think one of the doors onto the bow burst open, didn't it? - hence everything being soaking?  Still, not bad for a 95ft freak wave!

[Louis De Sousa]

Heres the fog horn

[KEV]

Amazing! First photos Ive ever seen of the aftermath. Well done and how fortutious Louis for taking them at the time. No chance of any of the wave then.....!!!

[Louis De Sousa]

We arrived in  New York very late afternoon the whole area got sealed of even from the pier side was not possible to take pictures. I was very lucky to take a few thanks to one of the deck officers.The free overnight in New York was one of my best nights.

Regards Louis

[Twynkle]

Hello Louis

Welcome - It's really good to know that you survived what must have been a terrifying experience.

Looking forward to hearing more about your time aboard QE2 - it's good that you have joined us!
Thank you!
 

[Pia]

Welcome Louis,

Glad you have found us and am looking forward to hearing lots more about your life on QE2. I don't envy you the hurricane experience, but it's good to hear that there were no serious injuries and that QE2 is well able to survive such tough challenges.

You are in calmer waters here and it's all fun (and only voluteer work) 

Pia

[Louis De Sousa]

One more after hurricane Luis

[Louis De Sousa]

Would like to invite yous guys to my photo album link,its still under construction due to the amount of photos that need to be scanned.Hope yous guys enjoy it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ex-crewmember/sets/

Louis