Author Topic: Unseen slides of QE2 being built, fitted out, on trials and early years.  (Read 49657 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Online Lynda Bradford

Following on from Waverley's suggestion to send this photo to the Clydebank local paper, I sent this photo along with some of Brian Price picture where we could clearly see the faces of workers.



I am delighted to report that Tristan, the Chief Reporter has ran an article this week - lets hope someone recognises some of the people and contact the newslpaper with information.

I was proud to be involved with planning QE2's 50 year conference in September 2017 in Clydebank

Offline Waverley

That’s brilliant Lynda. It would be great if someone is able to identify the two workers. Great too seeing the QE2 in the press again

Online Lynda Bradford

You can find the Clydebank Post article by following this link
I was proud to be involved with planning QE2's 50 year conference in September 2017 in Clydebank

Offline June Ingram

  • Global Moderator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 9582
  • Total likes: 6516
  • Beautiful, elegant QE2 - forever Queen of the Seas
Great, Lynda ! And agreed that it is great to see QE2 in print ! I hope we can get an answer to who those in the photos are !  :)
QE2 - the ship for all of time, a ship of timeless beauty !

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12352
  • Total likes: 15894
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
I just added a whole bunch more slide uploads to our album.

They all relate to the QE2 Technical Trials -- 23 December 1968 to 2 January 1969
« Last Edit: May 29, 2020, 09:04 PM by Rob Lightbody »
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12352
  • Total likes: 15894
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
QE2 limps home to the world's press in Southampton from her Technical Trials.

First photo - travelling on one propellor.

Second photo - arriving into Southampton.





Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Thomas Hypher

  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2879
  • Total likes: 5604
  • QE2 started a dream to go to sea - now a reality!
Where this photo (attached below, please excuse the reflections!) was taken a few moments later, her maiden arrival into Southampton and into (the old) Ocean Terminal. I gather Vosper Thornycroft (from their nearby yard at Woolston, just the other side of the River Itchen) were then drafted in to help fix her turbines and help complete her final fitting out of which there was plenty left to do.

In the background of the second photo Rob has posted, I spy Canberra, perhaps Uganda, Windsor Castle, and two of the laid up Saxonia quartet that went on to become Sitmar ships judging by the light coloured funnels they are sporting and that one of the pair kept her dark Cunard hull colours whilst laid up in Southampton at least longer than her sister from seeing other photos, in the distance from where City Terminal is these days all the way down to Mayflower Terminal (the Western Docks?).
« Last Edit: May 30, 2020, 02:32 PM by Thomas Hypher »
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Online Michael Gallagher

Thomas

You are correct re: Canberra and the 'new' Sitmar ships Fairland (to become Fairsea) and Fairwind (the former Cunarders Carinthia and Sylvania).

What you think is Uganda is Safmarine's S A Oranje and I don't think it is Windsor Castle. I think the built up superstructure forward of the funnel (where the Cinema was added) is the Reina del Mar.

Michael

Online Michael Gallagher

Oh and that helicopter we see in the Southampton arrival shot may have been the first helicopter to have touched down on QE2. The first touchdown happened that day and the image courtesy of Getty.

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12352
  • Total likes: 15894
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
Can anyone name this ship?

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=8339

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=8382

I have also just uploaded another fascinating batch of photos from the December 1968 to January 1969 Technical Trials to the QE2 Story Slides Collection album.
« Last Edit: Jun 11, 2020, 07:36 PM by Rob Lightbody »
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Thomas Hypher

  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2879
  • Total likes: 5604
  • QE2 started a dream to go to sea - now a reality!
That looks like RMS Andes the most to me, she'd already been converted to cruising by 1969 and was given a white hull in the process. The buff but not quite the same as P&O funnel colour also matches.

Edit: It's not RMS Andes as the ship in the photo has a signal mast and different derrick arrangement on her foredeck. Perhaps one of the similar looking Pacific Steam Navigation Company ships of the time?

Found the ship I think...

Elder Dempster's MV Aureol matches. She would go on to be bought by John Latsis who also bought RMS Windsor Castle.
« Last Edit: Jun 11, 2020, 08:26 PM by Thomas Hypher »
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Online Michael Gallagher

Yes it’s the Aureol.

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12352
  • Total likes: 15894
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
There is an excellent photo here in the slide collection, showing the khaki paint effect on the boat deck, and the davits (the split in the paint colour can be seen on the right).

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pid=8392#top_display_media
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12352
  • Total likes: 15894
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
I have just uploaded a whole lot more slides too many to list here.

However I wanted to pick out some favourites.

The last photo intrigues me - it shows the outdoor bar - which I think is where the Pavillion was in later years - and it looks great - if you go into the gallery you can enlarge it and see more detail.  I've never seen photos of this area as original, at night like this.

All the photos are here - https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=207









« Last Edit: Jul 05, 2020, 06:31 PM by Rob Lightbody »
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12352
  • Total likes: 15894
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
I have just uploaded a number of new photos to the album, including photos like these.





Link to the full album
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.