QE2's Future

[Karen Kamuda]

A lot of people were led to believe when QE2 was sold, she would be preserved (as least similar as we all knew her). An article in The Times (London) tells an entirely different story. Father Eddie O'Donnell from Dublin sent us a copy of the paper.
Karen

QE2 to be ripped up for new life as a Dubai floating hotel

Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent

The QE2’s red funnel will be cut off, her decks stripped away and hundreds of cabins demolished when she retires to Dubai to become a floating hotel. The 41-year-old cruise ship appeared reluctant to submit herself to her fate yesterday: she briefly ran aground on a sandbank in the Solent on her way back from the Mediterranean, hours before beginning her final voyage.

Five tugs helped to refloat the 70,000-tonne vessel and she arrived an hour late at her home port of Southampton for a day of celebrations and a visit from the Duke of Edinburgh. But her retirement party was overshadowed by revelations about the refurbishment planned by her new owner, Dubai World, the Gulf state’s investment company.

It plans to make the QE2 a “hotel, retail and entertainment destination”. She will be moored on a specially constructed pier on Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island in the shape of a tree. Southampton and Clydebank, where the QE2 was built in the 1960s, both offered to provide a final home, but were unable to match the $100 million (£65 million) paid by Dubai.

The Queen launched Cunard's great new liner from John Brown's yard and gave her in ringing tones the name Queen Elizabeth II

Speaking from the portside as the QE2 left last night, Brian Parnell, the Mayor of Southampton, said he had been disappointed to learn that the word Southampton would be removed from the ship’s stern after she arrived in Dubai. “It is very sad. This is her 726th time here in Southampton.”

Little of the interior of the QE2 will be preserved and her famous silhouette will be altered by the removal of the funnel. In its place will be a tall glass funnel-shaped structure containing luxury suites. The old funnel is likely to be taken ashore to become part of a grand entrance to the ship.

The nine engines will be removed through the hole left by the removal of the funnel. The giant engine room, which many QE2 enthusiasts had hoped would be preserved and opened to the public, will become an entertainment complex. Almost all the 1,000 cabins will be ripped out and larger hotel rooms fitted in their place. The lifeboats suspended along the open deck will be removed. Dubai World has signed a gagging agreement with Cunard but has had a team on board for months drawing up plans for the two-year refurbishment, which will cost more than it paid for the ship.

More than 1,700 passengers have paid up to £18,000 each to be on the 16-night one-way trip to Dubai. Cunard had hoped to keep the gutting of the ship secret until after the voyage. The company had given the impression last June, when announcing the deal, that the QE2’s heritage would be preserved. Carol Marlow, Cunard’s president, said then: “There will continue to be a permanent home for her that will enable future generations to continue to experience fully both the ship and her history.”

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Dubai World’s chairman, said at the time: “Dubai is a maritime nation and we understand the rich heritage of QE2. She is coming to a home where she will be cherished.”

The grounding on the QE2’s final day in Britain prompted a wave of superstition among passengers. Shirley Newcombe, from Durham, who was making her tenth voyage on the QE2, said: “She didn’t want to come in. That’s the opinion of quite a few of us on board. She doesn’t want to go to Dubai.”

Robert Lightbody from Glasgow, whose father maintained the ship’s engines, said: “I’m now thinking it would have been better had she been scrapped. Lots of long-term crew agree. What annoys me most is the way Cunard implied that she was going to be preserved intact.”

Commodore John Burton-Hall, 72, captain of the QE2 in the 1990s, said that she could have carried on sailing for many years. “I suppose it is better that she goes to Dubai than ending up being scrapped from a beach in Pakistan. But it won’t be the QE2 as we know her now.”[/color]

[Karen Kamuda]

A selection from Flicker of QE2's last voyage, some stunning photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4737carlin/1419426279
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenlipton/2916195631
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pockets1/2904987793/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/seapigeon/1414856672/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirralbells/1423616799/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanmorrison/1412149011
http://www.flickr.com/photos/seapigeon/2915038237
http://www.flickr.com/photos/njphotographer/2225133016/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11672933@N00/2181190019/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11672933@N00/2181189601/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/njphotographer/2947703917/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/petecarr/2911726613/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7359188@N02/2440676073/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mowls/2306446123/

[Karen Kamuda]

More Flicker images: QE2 in Dubai taken (yesterday) on November 29 2008, she is flying the flag of the UAE

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/306 ... e9.jpg?v=0

[Timothy Trower]

She looks terribly out of place, and will forever.

[Karen Kamuda]

From Chris Dougherty:
QE2 to go to Capetown
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/C ... x?id=75394

V&A could get ocean liner QE2 as luxury floating hotel
Published: 2009/07/10 06:56:55 AM

Plans are afoot to berth the QE2 liner in Cape Town and convert it into a luxury hotel
by JULIUS BAUMANN

IN WHAT must be the most ambitious hotel project yet in SA, investment group Dubai World plans to berth the ageing QE2 passenger ship permanently at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront and convert it into a luxury hotel.

Dubai World subsidiary Nakheel acquired the ship in 2007, and took ownership last November after she was retired from active service. Dubai World is applying for berthing rights from the National Port Authority, and the Department of Tourism is weighing up the desirability of the plans.

Ronel Bester, the department’s spokeswoman, said yesterday that the department was aware of the plans, but several approvals were required before any decision could be made.

“The National Ports Authority has to decide on the practical implications of berthing (and) a decision has to be taken by the department on the desirability of allowing the QE2 to berth in Cape Town in the light of the available accommodation in the city and surrounds. We are consulting with the industry and the department will take a decision by the end of next week,” Bester said.

It is believed that Dubai World is also in talks with a local group to manage the new hotel.

The hotel group did not want to be named, and was unwilling to discuss the plans as talks are at a sensitive stage. The other groups involved in the plans were also reluctant to discuss the berthing of the QE2 except to say that it was a distinct possibility.

In a terse statement, Dubai World said: “Dubai World Africa is not in a position to comment on any speculative issues that may be raised.”

Transnet was also less than forthcoming. “Transnet has received numerous queries for the use of its port facilities, including from cruise liners. Our discussions with most of these are still at early stages, and it would be inappropriate for us to comment,” said spokesman John Dludlu.

One issue that must be resolved is where exactly the 40-year-old QE2 will be berthed.

Because of her size — she weighs 70327 tons and is 294m long — it is unlikely that she would be positioned close to the waterfront.

baumannj@bdfm.co.za

[Aaron Quirey]

The stock market in Dubai has just crashed. If the company that purchased the QE2 were already in financial difficulties, imagine what this blow will do. The QE2 will either rust away like the SS United States or she will be towed to Alang, India and be scrapped.



.

[Joshua Noble]

I hate that they're doing this to her. Such a sad ending to a beautiful ship. I wish that ships such as this could end up like the Queen Mary I. She will be missed by us. After the renovations, she'll no longer be the QE2, but a rusty hull. I give her my final salute.

[Timothy Trower]

I wouldn't write her off just yet. From what I've read, the ship is pretty much as she was upon delivery, and there may still be a market for her as a static hotel ship -- or perhaps someone with the money might take a chance on a 40 year old hull and rebuild her as was done with the France/Norway.

Frankly, I think Southampton would love to have her back, and to me, that would be the best place for her.

[Jeremy Aufderheide]

Such a sad ending to a beautiful ship.

Outwardly, I agree. Inwardly, I have to disagree. I've always thought that the QE2 interiors were terribly dated.

[Michael H Standart]

>>Frankly, I think Southampton would love to have her back, and to me, that would be the best place for her.<<

I can agree to that. I would hope that whoever gets the ship if she has to be sold off or given away to another concern would manage better then the outfits which have come and gone with the Queen Mary.

[Aly Jones]

British famous ships after retirement never return to britian,One I know of is in an American port as her home now,and now this one is going to be under dubi.
I agree,at least once in a while,an British ship should return to Southampton as her final resting place but Britian can not afford to do this,and this is why you find British ships in rich countries after retirement.
I'm an scentimental person,I would love to see th QE2 in Southampton.

[John W Clifford]

Update: "QE2 likely to be sold as owners struggle with debt".

See: http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/486 ... with_debt/

[Timothy Trower]

Inasmuch as this is very good news for the ship (she is an unlikely candidate to be sold for scrap) I'll wait for further developments. Many thanks for the tip.

[Tyler J Frederick]

I keep hearing about new jobs, but why isn't there new jobs for QE2? Why is That?! I'm sorry, but I'm really mad that nothing is being done to her! I love Ocean Liners very much. I hope you understand. I don't really care what happens to the rest of the world, I just want Queen Elizabeth 2 to be a hotel & museum. If you to lecture me as some kind of brat, sway by his emotions, go ahead, I welcome it. But I want Long life to Queen Elizabeth 2. T.J. Frederick

[Timothy Trower]

Because of the stringent requirements of SOLAS, it is doubtful that the QE2 will ever return to service as a seagoing vessel. It is possible to imagine her in the role of a hotel ship, but if you are imagining her classic interiors being saved as with the Queen Mary, you've another think coming. First off, the original interiors were, to me, horrible, with terrible color schemes and furnishings. Thankfully, most of that trash is long gone.

Changes to the ship mean that she no longer has the original silhouette that she was built with -- I'm not saying that the addition of suites was a bad thing, but the protected area on the upper deck forward was just a cool feature.

Her original steam boilers and engines are long gone, replaced with a Diesel installation, so, unlike the Mary once again, there are no vestiges of the original power train left. (It is easy to stand in the sole remaining intact engine room on the Queen Mary and imagine that you are in a living ship.)

At this point, I don't know what the future holds for the QE2. Chances are that she'll sit and rot a while longer until the economy improves . . . we shall see.

[Tyler J Frederick]

SOLAS. Why should I be concern with them? Oh, I don't care, just as long as QE2 isn't going to be scrap. if that ever happen. I am going to be so mad. T. J. Frederick

[Timothy Trower]

If you understand what SOLAS is, you'd completely understand why the QE2 is out of service. For safety's sake, there are regulations that determine what materials can be used in the interiors of a ship (none of the classic liners could possibly meet these standards save, maybe, the SS United States as built) and they are there to prevent disasters at sea (think the Morro Castle).

[Tyler J Frederick]

I know of the Morro Castle. And what is wrong with the interiors of any Ocean Liner? And Queen Elizabeth 2's case, her interiors are beautiful. I'm beginning to think that nobody, outside THS, & all the Shipping lines cares about Ocean Liners or anything else. If that's the case, then 2 can play this game. I don't have care about anything except Ocean Liners, Cunard & all shipping companies, & The Titanic Historical Soceity.
T.J. Frederick

[Tyler J Frederick]

Work better start on Queen Elizabeth 2 soon. I am losing my patience. I'm getting adgrivated. If something happens to her, I will never happy again. Nothing is going to make happy, except ships. I mean it too. I won't care for anything or anyone, if Something happens to Queen Elizabeth 2. You can say I'm selfish or unreasonable, but it's my life. Long live RMS Queen Elizabeth2.
Tyler Joshua Frederick
of the
Frederick Clan