QE2 Anchors

[Bob C.]

Was there ever a spare anchored stowed on deck?  I do not remember any such thing.  Anyone have any pix of this?

[Peter Mugridge]

As far as I know the spare was always kept in a warehouse in Southampton.

[Michael Gallagher]

The spare anchor was stowed on the foredeck up until the 1992 refit when it went off to the Testbank Storage facility in Southampton. I know that the anchor did have to change at some point since then but the spare remained at testbank and is still there waiting to be placed on the QE2 Mile.

[Peter Mugridge]

So does that mean that instead of using the spare they had a whole new anchor cast?

And a supplementary question springs to mind - what happened that meant a new anchor was needed?

[Michael Gallagher]

They used the spare one and the one that was replaced became the spare one. It's classified why they had to use the spare one

[Peter Mugridge]

Ahhhh......  Something like they went fishing with the anchor and caught something very large, then?  Like a "boomer"?!







You do, of course, always have to be very careful with anchors anyway:

Note: Video no longer available

[highlander0108]

There is a pic of the spare anchor stowed on deck in this thread.
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,1790.0/topicseen.html

[Twynkle]

Hi Ken,
What's number is the post, please?
Thanks,
Rosie.

[Rob Lightbody]

For everybody's information - you can link to an individual post, within a topic, if you copy the link from that post, rather than topic. 

[Bob C.]

There is a pic of the spare anchor stowed on deck in this thread.
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,1790.0/topicseen.html

Are we talking about a spare anchor that was stored on deck on the focsle or one that was secured in its hawsepipe being the result of 3 bow anchors serviced by 2 anchor windlasses? 

I have not found a photo of a spare anchor stored topside.  See this link for an explanation of the "spare" anchor.  I think it is line with my thinking - 3 anchors, 2 windlasses.

http://books.google.com/books?id=hLFpqMZn5vkC&pg=PA195&lpg=PA195&dq=qe2+forward+anchor+storm&source=bl&ots=Xpdjawp97I&sig=RRf-E5N64bUG4Ur7byzAMmIkwnk&hl=en&ei=xPTVS_LwCMOC8gbIiPWCDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Bob C.]

OK, its Monday and still have not recovered fully from the weekend.  I just found the picture of the spare anchor on the port focsle (1 Deck).  I initially mistook it for a hatch cover with the way the color and position made it look.

Ignore my rantings above but here is how I understand the "spare" anchor's history

1969-1981 - Spare anchor was any anchor not attached to the two anchor chain/windlass
1981 - Heavy seas during a storm jammed the forward anchor in its hawsepipe and required cutting out.
1981 - 1995 - Forward hawsepipe plated over and spare anchor stored on deck, focsle port side
1995 - Starboard anchor damaged and replaced.  Decision made to keep the spare anchor in a Southampton warehouse.
1996-present - Two forward anchors, port and stbd, with spare in warehouse.

I wonder what the damage was to the starboard anchor in '95 and if that anchor is presently the spare.

[Michael Gallagher]

I've done some research into this now:

PLATING OVER STEM:

On 2 December 1976 QE2 ran into a really foul night of Atlantic weather. The 12.5-ton bow anchor came adrift and ripped a hole in the bulbous bow on its way into the sea. Constant pumping evicted the unwelcome Atlantic water.
QE2 was diverted to Boston for repairs which involved fitting metal patches inside and out. The ship had be tilted slightly by ballasting to enable workmen to repair the gash. Work was completed in time to allow QE2 to sail on her Caribbean cruise on schedule with the cruise passengers being brought to Boston from New York by plane and train. The bow anchor was never replaced so the stem was plated over.

1995:

While approaching anchorage in 1 November 1995 it was noticed that the starboard anchor had been damaged and 50% of one fluke was missing. QE2 carried a spare anchor (positioned on the foredeck) and Captain Burton-Hall suggested that the spare should replace the damaged anchor while QE2 was in Amsterdam overnight on 13 / 14 December 1995 as Southampton lacked the necessary floating crane, barge and dockyard requirements. The spare anchor did require some work to free up the shackle but this proved difficult to do so a new anchor was purchased from Lloyds Beal in Cardiff for £6,740. Regulations which insisted a spare anchor was carried changed so a spare anchor did not need to be carried so the spare was removed from the foredeck while QE2 was dry docked in Southampton for her 1996 refit and sent to the Testbank Storage facility near the dry dock for storage. There it remained until 2009 when it was presented to the City of Southampton as a reminder of QE2.

[Twynkle]

Hello,
This is really interesting!
What good things to learn about - Thank You.
I read about the stormy night when Queen Mary's anchor became really fouled up in a considerable amount of cabling on the sea-bed in Cherbourg harbour - thought to be left there after WWll).
(there's a proper expression for this!)
I wonder - do you know whether did the same thing ever happen to QE2?

[Bob C.]

I've been watching interesting topics pop up about various components of the ship but have not read much about the need, use and design of the stern anchor.

I do not recall QM or QE having one, is QE2 the first liner of her size (Cunard or otherwise) to have one?  One thats Integrated into the hull?

Also, where is the windlass and chain locker for the stern anchor?  Seems that space is very limited astern even for a shorter chain.  Anyone been onboard when the stern anchor was in use?

Thanks! 

[Chris]

I don't recall ever seeing QE2 use her stern anchor at any of our anchor ports.

I wonder if it was used at all in recent times?