Arsonist on board QE2 in the 1970s ?

[Bob Higginson]

Can anyone shed some light on the events surrounding an arsonist aboard QE2 during the 1970's?

Thanks

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Can anyone shed some light on the events surrounding an arsonist aboard QE2 during the 1970's?

Thanks

I can't, but would be very interested if anyone here has memories of such an event.

[Twynkle]

Hi Bob, and a rather belated welcome!
It's great that you have joined us.
Just noticed that you were a crew-member - and if you have some spare time,
and it's not too intrusive to ask -
please do feel free to tell us something of Your own QE2 Story!

Just wondering - were you thinking about an arsonist specifically?
Or - was this the fire that you were referring to?
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php?topic=3934.0
There was another small fire, just after the new boilers were installed in the 1980s.
Neither fire was thought to be caused deliberately.
All the best
Rosie

[Rod]

From my recollection, there was an "arsonist" around that time. I put the word arsonist in quotation marks because the fires set were never intended to cause major damage. They never even set a sprinkler off.
But at the time it did appear that somebody who had access to most of the ship including crew accom was deliberately lighting fires. But in places like garbage cans etc. Never a mattress or cabin.. The arson suddenly started, suddenly stopped!
As did the phantom defecator. But thats another story!

[Alan Dutton]

Can anyone shed some light on the events surrounding an arsonist aboard QE2 during the 1970's?

Thanks

[Alan Dutton]

So here's the deal.
In the early 70's, and on a Transatlantic,  there was someone on the ship who was setting fires in certain areas, which as you know is very dangerous.
Captain asked for volunteers, especially at night, to hide themselves away in the public room areas and restaurants and try and catch him in the act.
I remember being stationed in the Britannia Restaurant sitting under an 8 top from 11pm to 6am.
Eventually the person was caught, it was a crew member and he was caught in a Crew cabin where he had lit a candle and put it in a mattress.
he was put in the brig and eventually landed in Southampton.
Brian Cocup was managing Director of Cunard at the time, and every person who volunteered to do the extra duty was given a pair of Stratton QE2 cufflinks which I proudly still wear.
Best regards to all
Alan K Dutton Junior First Hotel officer QE2 1969 to 1979

[Michael Gallagher]

Not QE2 related but other ships have had arsonists on board...

I was on P&O Cruises' Victoria in 1995 on a two-week cruise to the Baltic when a suspected arsonist set five different fires over the course of the fortnight. We were summoned to Muster stations at various times in the night. I actually reported one of the fires as saw smoke coming up the forward staircase when leaving the nightclub. The fires were things like setting alight to paper in a bin etc - things that left unchecked could have serious consequences. The arsonist was never caught.

Roll on two years and in 1997 Cunard's Vistafjord was plagued for several months by an arsonist. Sadly a crewmember died in one of the incidents.

The police checked the Vistafjord's crew list to see if anyone had served on Victoria two years previously but no such person was found and the arsonist of both ships has never been caught for setting fires on those two ships.

[Trevor Harris]

Not QE2 related but other ships have had arsonists on board...

I was on P&O Cruises' Victoria in 1995 on a two-week cruise to the Baltic when a suspected arsonist set five different fires over the course of the fortnight. We were summoned to Muster stations at various times in the night. I actually reported one of the fires as saw smoke coming up the forward staircase when leaving the nightclub. The fires were things like setting alight to paper in a bin etc - things that left unchecked could have serious consequences. The arsonist was never caught.

Roll on two years and in 1997 Cunard's Vistafjord was plagued for several months by an arsonist. Sadly a crewmember died in one of the incidents.

The police checked the Vistafjord's crew list to see if anyone had served on Victoria two years previously but no such person was found and the arsonist of both ships has never been caught for setting fires on those two ships.

So here's the deal.
In the early 70's, and on a Transatlantic,  there was someone on the ship who was setting fires in certain areas, which as you know is very dangerous.
Captain asked for volunteers, especially at night, to hide themselves away in the public room areas and restaurants and try and catch him in the act.
I remember being stationed in the Britannia Restaurant sitting under an 8 top from 11pm to 6am.
Eventually the person was caught, it was a crew member and he was caught in a Crew cabin where he had lit a candle and put it in a mattress.
he was put in the brig and eventually landed in Southampton.
Brian Cocup was managing Director of Cunard at the time, and every person who volunteered to do the extra duty was given a pair of Stratton QE2 cufflinks which I proudly still wear.
Best regards to all
Alan K Dutton Junior First Hotel officer QE2 1969 to 1979

Scary!

[Peter Mugridge]

The police checked the Vistafjord's crew list to see if anyone had served on Victoria two years previously but no such person was found and the arsonist of both ships has never been caught for setting fires on those two ships.

Did they cross-check the passenger lists as well?

[Andy Holloway]

As all fires began in Crew Areas it was probably not deemed necessary.

I'm just in the process of writing a post with reference to the Vistafjord fires, which i hope to have finished tomorrow, possibly!

The joys of retirement - you don't have enough time to do things and wonder how you managed to fit in work as well! Especially being at sea and away for 3/4 months at a time!