Information provided by Michael Gallagher, former Cunard Historian from his personal QE2 information resource and posted on The QE2 Story with his permission.
Timescale: 1 November to 15 November 1969
Contractor: Vosper Thorneycroft, Southampton
The original schedule of one week in Dry Dock was increased to two weeks to address problems with the air conditioning system that had been identified when the ship was in warmer climates. The extra week was gained by cancelling the 8 – 13 Southampton to New York crossing and the 14 November 14-night Caribbean cruise to and from New York.
New schedule: QE2 left Southampton on 15 November, calling at Cherbourg, Tenerife, Barbados, Grenada, Martinique and St Thomas before arriving in New York on 28 November in time to assume her original schedule with a Caribbean cruise departing New York on 29 November.
Strike action by 30 men who prepared the dry dock delayed the start of the overhaul with the ship entering dry dock on 1 November instead of 29 October, and leaving the dry dock on 12 November.
RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth had always entered the dry-dock on high tide but QE2’s shallower draft allowed her to enter at low water.
Work carried out:
Improvements to the efficiency of the air-conditioning plant
The four sets of stabilisers were checked and efforts were made to increase the streamlining of the fins to achieve increased efficiency
The hull was checked
The propellers were checked
The rudder was checked
Turbines examined by a Board of Trade expert
TURBINES
"In the Engine room the turbines, which had had to be repaired before the ship was handed over to Cunard, were examined by experts who wanted to see the condition of the blading after six months in service. The examination of the turbines was made in accordance with an agreement between Cunard and the Board of Trade when QE2 was handed over after her second set of trials. QE2 had operated without main machinery trouble, reaching speeds of over 30 knots, since those trials.
The Board of Trade expert who starboard high pressure turbine was so pleased with its condition that he did not even bother to look at the twin port-side turbine which was also damaged after the original proving trials."
