QE2 nooks and crannies

[Louis De Sousa]

Now about the smoke alarms... How sensitive were they, you would have thought the smoke from the sparklers would have set them off.

The smoke alarms (better known as smoke detectors) are sensitive and yes it would sound the alarm in the Control Room,when the alarms sounds they know from which room/cabins its from. The sparklers are not hot enough to set the Sprinkler Systems off.

Louis

[Paul White]

Thank you for enjoying the nooks and crannies! I too am enjoying looking at all these again, and discovering new angles to some of the photos I took. This is one of those -- I had never noticed this detail :



Louis writes, about the small yellow lamp-looking item (if you open the photo in Flickr, he has marked the exact item he is writing about) :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/3758660203/

I hate to resurect an old thread but the pedant in me can't let this go

That is not an EPIRB. That is the smoke and light float for the man overboard lifebuoy which is housed in the box like structure to the left of it.

You can see a rope connected to the smoke float. If somebody raises a man overboard alarm the officer on watch will run out to the bridge wing and pull a wooden pin which you cannot see in the picture. This allows the lifebuoy to roll out of the box (see the slope in its bottom?) and its weight and momentum will pull the smoke float after it.

As it detatches from the bracket it breaks a seal which starts the smoke. On hitting the sea a circuit is made with a battery and lamp starting the light to flash. This makes a very effective mark to return to to rescue the poor soul who has fell out of the boat. Top tip - stay inboard!

I once had one of these go off in my face, I looked like an umpah-lumpah for a week!

I think we used these http://www.pwss.com/ProductSpec.aspx?ProductId=16&CatId=5

Paul

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

I hate to resurect an old thread but the pedant in me can't let this go

Thank you for the information, Paul. This sounds like a highly useful piece of equipment. I know there have been men (and presumably women) overboard -- it may not always have been possible to use this item.

In this Forum, we relish working on old threads, and I am sure that the pedant in you will help us to understand even more about many things we have been discussing! Looking forward to hearing more from you.

[skilly56]

Paul,

Thank you for popping in that photo of the steps up from the port Boat Deck - that single window to the right is the 3rd Officers cabin that my wife and I occupied for 17 days (there is another 3rd officers cabin, roughly same position, on the Stbd side as well -I'm not sure where the 3rd 3rd Officer's cabin was). Ian McNaught told our young fella to go buzz off down to a little dog box on Five Deck while we used his house.

I just had to virtually step out the door with a book and into a deck chair - nice and handy.

Your timing is pretty good as well - just checked the date, and it's exactly 2 years and 3 days since we unpacked in there.

Cheers

Skilly

[Paul White]

I spent some time in that cabin too. Most of the Navigator's lived on the Stbd side behind the Wardroom bar in what was known as 'Navigators' Alleyway' (we weren't big on imagination!). On the Port side, there was one Navigator's cabin, the Crew Chief Steward's cabin and the Crew Purser's cabin (I may have that one wrong).

During my time as Chief Officer I had both those cabins knocked into one and it became mine. I believe they were later turned into passenger cabins, but that must have been after I left Cunard in 2005.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

I have a picture of a QE2 fire door -- it was situated on Quarterdeck, just outside the Caronia Restaurant :



https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2976185276/

I cannot easily work out the mechanism for closing / opening this door, and have never seen it shut either (probably luckily so!).

[Louis De Sousa]

Isabelle theses doors are rolling doors to shut the doors you just need to switch the magnet off to roll the doors back up you use the handle insert in the hole and turn it anticlockwide.

[R80OOP]

loving these facts!!!!

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

loving these facts!!!!

Thank you for that, R80OOP. I enjoy working out the significance of the many pictures I have taken over time, and Louis is wonderful with his memories of all these places.  

Here is another :



https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2929595139/

I love the way it says "For Emergency Use Only"...
Presumably the telephone is inside the yellow box -- I should have checked!

There was another emergency telephone in the Lido, to be used in case of an environmental catastrophe.

I wonder whether either of these were ever used?

[Rod]

Louis (Blue Bombay) is currently doing a tour of some of our more obsessive detailed Flickr photos and adding comments coming from his detailed knowledge of the ship and his years of life on board. I shall add the pictures and his comments here, bit by bit, and perhaps others who have more comments or questions, may want to join in! If you have similar pictures to offer for comment by Louis, you may want to do that as well. Thank you, Louis -- I love this sort of information!  



Do you recognise the place? Where is it? I have a fair idea, as I was grinning at myself taking it -- it was the sort of thing you only photograph if you know you are never likely to have the chance again...

Louis writes :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/3110867911/

I would say starboard side of the galley towards the restaurant.

[Rod]

All the cabins had the little sprinkler thing in the ceiling,  But just how hot would it have to be before they went off, and if one went off in the cabin would the rest of the ones in the same area go off as well? Just wondering you understand.
 And while on the subject the Baked Alaska parade in Mauretania it was always joked that the fire alarms were turned off, or were they turned to Baked Alaska setting ??

Sprinklers were heat activated. the ones in the public ares were generally 175 degrees, not adjustable. Hotter places like galleys were generally 200 degrees. If one sprinkler was activated, it would not set the others off. They would go off if they attained that temp, or somebody put a wire coat hanger throught them. Sprinkler systems were charged with fresh water. Then if they went off a sea water pump would cut in rated at 800 gallons/minute. After the emergency was over, the system would be drained, flushed 3 times with fresh water and recharged.
Sprinklers can do a whole lot of damage but save lives. We had one cabin gutted on 5 deck by c stair because a lady had washed her wig and put it over the light by the dressing table mirror to dry.