Southampton name removed from QE2

**bangorreg** · 09-13-2009

Hi:" Acdknowledgement to the BBC News for this information""

The QE2 is still alive?

The QE2 will no longer bear the name of its former home port Southampton.

The city's name has been replaced with the liner's temporary home port of Port Vila by its new owners, United Arab Emirates real estate developer Nakheel.

Cunard sold the ship for ?50m to Nakheel, which is now in talks to move it to Cape Town to become a hotel in time for the 2010 football World Cup.

The developer said international law required the removal of Southampton since it was now registered in Vanuatu.

The QE2 left the Drydocks World-Dubai, where it was transferred to in July for routine marine surveys in compliance with international standards, last Saturday in preparation for sea trials.

A spokesman for Nakheel said: "Although she will no longer be taking passengers or operating as a cruise ship, the registration documents will state her class as being 'a passenger/cruise ship'.

Floating hotel

"To conform to international law, the name 'Southampton' has been painted over on the stern, although the letters remain attached, and her temporary home port of Port Vila has now been painted underneath.

"To comply with the terms of the sale contract, the Cunard brand has also been removed from the side of the ship."

Nakheel had planned to refurbish the ship and open it as a floating hotel in Dubai but that has been put on hold.

The QE2 will now go to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, where there is a shortage of hotel rooms.

Nakheel, which has a financial interest in the South African port, said the ship would be staying in Cape Town for 18 months.
Reg

**naked lilac** · 09-13-2009

QE2 is now just memories of such a glorious cruise liner of grandeur it seems, through reading that article...

No one can take away those memories for the lucky passangers that had their time upon her gliding around the World..

Sounds very sad to have to strip her of her original names..and now to lay in pasture in So. Africa as a floating hotel..

Well, I assume you can look at it, as another adventure for her.. or as where do old liners go...: To scrape, or to still being useful..???

Money talks in this scenerio.. and I am totally torn on my thoughts on this... Could of kept her in British Waters . Or made her an attraction, like they have the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.. Kept her a museum and resturant and something to still admire for her grandeur of yesteryear...

Interesting article.. thanks for the update..

**Waterways** · 09-13-2009

The ship was conceived in Liverpool, but by the time it was launched Cunard were based in London not Liverpool. It originally had London on the stern. Then Southampton appeared.

I really couldn't care about a company that deserted the city, after being here for around 100 years.

The ship maybe could have been moored in Princes Dock as a hotel. The city is still short of hotels. It would be a squeeze. Certainly Brunswick Dock could hold her, if the original river locks were refitted. But in their wisdom the city fathers allowed a money making rip-off outfit who bought the docks to fill them in to inland canal barge depths. Yes a deep water port is now a canal barge-way.

**captain kong** · 09-13-2009

Thanks for the information Reg,
I have sailed on the QE2 many times, done three world cruises on her including her final one last year. and a few Trans Ats and CapeTowns.
The price of ?50,000,000 was very cheap, there is nearly 50 millions worth of Art on board, including a Falklands War memorial to the British Forces presented by the Military to QE2, left onboard. nothing was taken off, not even a spoon. I can see the Arab Muslims appreciating a British Army Memorial and taking care of it.
I told the President of Cunard at the time that she should have been sold to Liverpool, but the deal had been done. Someone like McCartney could have bought it for the City, ?50M would have been peanuts to him and he would have been giving something back to the City. What is he saving up for at his age?.
My plan would have been to have her in a tideless lagoon opposite the Cunard building where she was first designed, very similar to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Cal. I have stayed on her many times and she is fantastic. Well worth a visit if you are over that side.
Six Deck, crew accommodation, could have been used for Student accommodation
Five Deck could have been class rooms for the University,
Four Deck could have been Offices for Liverpool businesses,
Three Deck could have been used as conference centres,
Two Deck would have been restaraunts, theatres, shows and entertainments.
One Deck and above could have been hotel accommodation. Many people could have weekends on board or holidays. A wedding Chapel as well. There would have been a lot of space for a maritime museum.
That ship would have employed a couple of thousand people to operate and maintain it. It would have been a superb tourist attraction.both for guests and day visitors.
Liverpool has lost out again on a great money spinner for the City.

What after Cape Town? Alang Beach in Pakistan?, that big graveyard of many fine ships.
Maybe your next car will be made of steel from her.

**Paddy6** · 09-13-2009

Sorry to hear that news but I guess it had to happen. At least there's a good few more years for her as a floating hotel. Sad to see the end of a beautiful ship:

http://www.maritimematters.com/mall_alang_pk.html

**brian daley** · 09-13-2009

This is the last I saw of the QE11,berthed at Belem and the leaving Portugal as she passed beneath the Tagus bridge. Magnificent!!
BrianD

**bangorreg** · 09-15-2009

Hi QE2 leaves England for the last time on Utube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmp3U1vmidU

Reg

**captain kong** · 09-15-2009

Fantastic films of QE2 there Reg, I have saved them for future reference.
I have sailed further on that ship than on any other ship in my seafaring career.

**Sean SE16** · 09-15-2009

It would take more than a squeeze to get the QE2 into Princes Dock! Even the B&I car ferries of the 1960s were too wide at 18m, the QE2 is 32m beam. I don't know the original width of the Brunswick Lock, but I doubt that it was Panamax width.

Also I can't recall the QE2 ever being registered in London, all the photos I have seen from her early days all had Southampton on the stern. The last Cunard ship to be registered in Liverpool was the Atlantic Conveyor (2), but she has switched to Swedish registry since Cunard sold their stake in ACL.

**captain kong** · 09-15-2009

You are right Sean.
QE2 was launched with Southampton Registry.
Cunard moved its Headquarters to Southampton not London. At the time its passenger liner operations had more or less ceased in Liverpool and most of its fleet were sailing from Southampton, so it made sense for ther head office to be there.
I worked for Cunard and sailed as A.B. and Quartermaster on many of its ships, also since retirement sailed world wide many times on their cruise ships, Caronia, QE2, Queen Mary 2.

Definately a tight squeeze to get into the dock.
Tonnage: 70,327 GT (gross tonnage)
Displacement: 48,923 (loaded)
Length: 293.5 m (962.9 ft)
Beam: 32.03 m (105.1 ft)
Height: 52.2 m (171.3 ft)
Draft: 9.87 m (32.4 ft
Cunard was bought by the Carnival Corporation in 1998

Here is QE2 squeezing into the Locks in the Panama Canal last year on her final world cruise. she had about one foot on either side.

**Waterways** · 09-15-2009

At 32ft draft it "may" squeeze into the Brunswick. The two locks of the Brunswick have to be made into one. opening the locks again, may have been cheaper than building a whole new hotel.

The real point is that other attractive looking smaller cruise ships could have been made into hotels and fitted into the redundant docks near the city centre. Being berthed in the river is not that appealing. But they cannot do it in Princes as it is an inland canal barge-way. Brunswick is still full depth - maybe needs some dredging.

**Berger** · 09-15-2009

Originally Posted by captain kong

Thanks for the information Reg,
I have sailed on the QE2 many times, done three world cruises on her including her final one last year. and a few Trans Ats and CapeTowns.
The price of ?50,000,000 was very cheap, there is nearly 50 millions worth of Art on board, including a Falklands War memorial to the British Forces presented by the Military to QE2, left onboard. nothing was taken off, not even a spoon. I can see the Arab Muslims appreciating a British Army Memorial and taking care of it.
I told the President of Cunard at the time that she should have been sold to Liverpool, but the deal had been done. Someone like McCartney could have bought it for the City, ?50M would have been peanuts to him and he would have been giving something back to the City. What is he saving up for at his age?.
My plan would have been to have her in a tideless lagoon opposite the Cunard building where she was first designed, very similar to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Cal. I have stayed on her many times and she is fantastic. Well worth a visit if you are over that side.
Six Deck, crew accommodation, could have been used for Student accommodation
Five Deck could have been class rooms for the University,
Four Deck could have been Offices for Liverpool businesses,
Three Deck could have been used as conference centres,
Two Deck would have been restaraunts, theatres, shows and entertainments.
One Deck and above could have been hotel accommodation. Many people could have weekends on board or holidays. A wedding Chapel as well. There would have been a lot of space for a maritime museum.
That ship would have employed a couple of thousand people to operate and maintain it. It would have been a superb tourist attraction.both for guests and day visitors.
Liverpool has lost out again on a great money spinner for the City.

What after Cape Town? Alang Beach in Pakistan?, that big graveyard of many fine ships.
Maybe your next car will be made of steel from her.

Obviously a man of influence getting the ear of the President of Cunard, it?s a pity you didn?t tell him before the deal was done; the QE2 would have been an excellent tourist attraction for Liverpool.

**captain kong** · 09-15-2009

The President of Cunard is an attractive young lady, Carol Marlow, We have sailed with her a few times, had drinks with her at cocktail parties when she has been on board. and met her in Liverpool when QE2 opened the new Terminal. The Master, now retired, was a good friend of mine for many years and he introduced me to her.
Photos.........
Carol, at the New Cruise Terminal at Liverpool with QE2 alongside, on 21st of September 2007, Anne and I were invited as VIPs. She is also presenting the Lord Mayor of Liverpool with a picture of QE2,, Warren Bradley, the Leader of Liverpool City Council, is behind the picture, the man with the bald head in front is HRH, The Duke of Kent.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Carol Marlow, is about to leave Cunard and become President and Managing Director of P & O.
Peter Shanks is now taking over as President and Managing Director of Cunard.