The QE2 Timeline - maiden calls, final calls

[Twynkle]

10.8.2008:  Final Call to Oslo, Norway - copied to timeline list
It seemed as if a thousand vessels sailed out of Stavanger harbour with us.
It's 2 years since we disembarked.
http://www.pcurtis.com/qe08fi-p2.htm#oslo
A good report - Thanks to Pauline Curtis

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Maiden call to Bar Harbor : 23 July 1981
Source : Daily Programme of 19 September 2008 (final call to Bar Harbor).

Maiden call to St John, New Brunswick : 5 August 1992
Source : Daily Programme of 20 September 2008 (final call to St John, New Brunswick).

Maiden call to Halifax, Nova Scotia : 11 October 1973
Source : Daily Programme of 21 September 2008 (final call to Halifax, Nova Scotia).

Maiden call to Quebec : 20 July 1981
Source : Daily Programme of 23 September 2008 (final call to Quebec).

Maiden call to St John's, Newfoundland : 9 September 2005
Source : Daily Programme of 26 September 2008 (aborted final call to St John's, Newfoundland).

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

A mix of important events here, to be sorted out later :

17 - 22 July Anniversary Crossing (eastbound). 4 days 6 hours and 57 minutes / average speed: 30.16 knots making it her fastest eastbound crossing.

22 July: Southampton
23 July: Cork. She opened the Ringaskiddy Terminal. President or Ireland visited and lunched on board.
24 July: Liverpool. First visit. Biggest ever crowd. Service held in church for Cunard War dead.
25 July: Greenock. First time back on the Clyde.
26 July: Cherbourg
27 July: Spithead Review. HM The Queen (and DoE) boarded from Royal Yacht Britannia after inspecting Cunard ships and naval vessels.
Back to Southampton

28 July - : Anniversary Crossing (westbound).

The Spithead Review was impressive. Will need to scan images.

Then in the autumn she made an anniversary cruise to Halifax.

[Rob Lightbody]

Are the events that people are posting, ever getting updated onto the 2 master lists?  Moderators can do this...  if not, I will get to it sometime!  When added to the master list, the posting should be removed so we know what is still "to do".

[Lynda Bradford]

Friday 3 October 2008 Brief visit to Douglas Bay Isle of Man en route from Cork to Liverpool but not sure if this is a maiden or final call

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/isle_of_man/7642681.stm

[Lynda Bradford]

Maiden call to Bar Harbor : 23 July 1981
Source : Daily Programme of 19 September 2008 (final call to Bar Harbor).

Maiden call to St John, New Brunswick : 5 August 1992
Source : Daily Programme of 20 September 2008 (final call to St John, New Brunswick).

Maiden call to Halifax, Nova Scotia : 11 October 1973
Source : Daily Programme of 21 September 2008 (final call to Halifax, Nova Scotia).

Maiden call to Quebec : 20 July 1981
Source : Daily Programme of 23 September 2008 (final call to Quebec).

Maiden call to St John's, Newfoundland : 9 September 2005
Source : Daily Programme of 26 September 2008 (aborted final call to St John's, Newfoundland).

5 August 1992
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/vmorley/QE2history.html
This site gives details QE2 first visit in St John's, New Brunswick on 5 August 1992. I am still looking for a newspaper report that would verify this date.  It was 9 August 1992 that she ran aground 10 miles west of Martha's Vineyard so you would think there would be a report detailing where she was sailing from.     

It seems, Boston media incorrectly reported the QE2 as having sailed from St. John's, Newfoundland, and not Saint John, N.B. which may have contributed to the incorrect information being noted on this site. 

9 September 2005 - I think we need some verification of the date of the maiden call to St John's Newfoundland being in 2005.  I was on QE2 in October 2003 and there was an aborted call to St John's Newfoundland at that time. Was it possibly that there had been intentions to call at St John's over the years and she finally had a maiden call in 2005?

 Does anyone have any other information to verify these two dates so we can update the timeline?

Thank-you

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Are the events that people are posting, ever getting updated onto the 2 master lists?  Moderators can do this...  if not, I will get to it sometime!  When added to the master list, the posting should be removed so we know what is still "to do".

That's a good idea, Rob. I'll do a bit from time to time to integrate the dates gathering here.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

9 September 2005 - I think we need some verification of the date of the maiden call to St John's Newfoundland being in 2005.  I was on QE2 in October 2003 and there was an aborted call to St John's Newfoundland at that time. Was it possibly that there had been intentions to call at St John's over the years and she finally had a maiden call in 2005?

I was on board during the last (and particularly disappointing) aborted call to St John's Newfoundland. I remember from what was being said at the time that there had been other aborted calls before. Maybe she only called there twice ever.

Lynda, do you have any reason to believe that the dates published onboard in the Daily Programmes might not be correct?

[Lynda Bradford]

I was on board during the last (and particularly disappointing) aborted call to St John's Newfoundland. I remember from what was being said at the time that there had been other aborted calls before. Maybe she only called there twice ever.

Lynda, do you have any reason to believe that the dates published onboard in the Daily Programmes might not be correct?

Isabelle it just seems strange that her first ever call at St John's Newfoundland was 2005.   It would be interesting to find out how many times a proposed call had been aborted mainly because when I was onboard in 2003 there was an aborted call and you had the same experience in 2008.

[Twynkle]

Lynda

For dates - might these links be of use?

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,314.0.html

and
http://www.qe2.org.uk/itinerary_2005.html

There's also a prospective list of dates here - maybe needing to be verified?
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/discus/messages/6937/121289.html?1207800197

Cunard had an Itinerary, too - on the 'old' website, I think(?)

[Lynda Bradford]

Hi Rosie

Thanks for the links.

St John's Newfoundland is noted as 3 September 2008 in the itinerary link and the  encyclopedia-titanica site is using a planned itinerary where the planned visit to St John's was nearer the end of September. 

Isabelle  has taken the dates from her QE2 cruise itinery which should be accurate as it is a reliable source so I think that is the one to use.  I just had a recollection on the 2003 QE2 cruise to Canada (where we had an aborted call at St John's) of someone mentioning that he had been there before on the QE2 but maybe another aborted trip. That was the only reason I thought it strange that 2005 was the maiden call at St John's. 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

This correspondence seems to take account of 2006 as well as 2005 :

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=420556

It may turn out that 2006 was in fact her final call!

[cunardqueen]

   

    It may turn out that 2006 was in fact her final call!

Makes you wonder how many final calls QE2 had and nobody realised she wouldnt be back

[Lynda Bradford]

I searched for information on QE2 in "the Telegram St John's Newfoundland" and found this article relating to 2008. I have also sent an email to this newspaper to ask if they have information in their records on the dates for QE2's first and last call at Newfoundland. 

Note: Link removed as no longer active

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

St John's Newfoundland is noted as 3 September 2008 in the itinerary link and the  encyclopedia-titanica site is using a planned itinerary where the planned visit to St John's was nearer the end of September. 

Isabelle  has taken the dates from her QE2 cruise itinery which should be accurate as it is a reliable source so I think that is the one to use.  I just had a recollection on the 2003 QE2 cruise to Canada (where we had an aborted call at St John's) of someone mentioning that he had been there before on the QE2 but maybe another aborted trip. That was the only reason I thought it strange that 2005 was the maiden call at St John's. 

The itinerary on this site does not mention St John's Newfoundland at all for 2003 (and the "Autumn Colours" cruise seems to have taken place in October that year) :

http://www.qe2.org.uk/itinerary_2003.html

I wonder what is "Corner Brook NFL", listed for 3 October that year? Might that have been the anchor port for St John's?

Michael, Flagship, what do your brochures say? And then, I wonder what really happened...?