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thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt


2021 Posts
Posted -  03/06/2007  :  09:31

As an intro, to this section, I will use what is possibly the best known of them all, the "RMS Queen Mary". There is a small family conection here as my Great Uncle Angelo was involved with her conversion after her arrival at Long Beach CA. Around the base of at least one of her funnels were lockers, some of which had not been opened for many years. In one of these were found 40,000 "Tin Hats" left over from her days as a very succesful troopship.

The Queen Mary. Her keel was laid down on the 31. 01. 1931. at John Browns yard on the Clyde, work was suspended due to economic troubles and it was not until 1934 that work was resumed, she was finally handed over to "Cunard" on 11. 05. 1936. She began her war work in 1940 and during this time she travelled over 600,000 miles and carried nearly 800,000 people, amongst whom were German POWs, GI, War Brides and a great many Australian and American Troops. There is a lot more to this episode of course, but one notable and tragic event was her collision with her escort, HMS Curacoa with a loss of 329 of that ships company. She was sold to the Town of Long Beach in 1967 for the sum of £1,230,000, about the current cost of an appartment in Knightsbridge. She remains at Long Beach and is a Museum, Hotel and Conference Centre.

Also in this section I will post details of vessels that are not preserved but still exist. How well I remember the sad sight of "The Queen Elizabeth" as we steamed past her wreck on our entry to Hong Kong in 1974




thomo
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thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt


2021 Posts
Posted - 03/06/2007 : 13:05



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softsuvner
Regular Member


604 Posts
Posted - 06/06/2007 : 00:05

Thomo

Superb pictures, keep 'em coming. I saw both the Queens when I was a kid, most memorably on a school trip to the old Ocean Terminal when the Elizabeth was alongside. Like most families at that time, the cost of a trip on a liner was far out of our reach, but we felt such a pride in seeing them that is hard to account for nowadays. They had a style and grace that we won't see again.

Hope you will forgive a small Queens story. My sister married into an Isle of Wight family, and according to my brother in law, for the local kids a summer departure of the Queens was a special occasion. Not just for the spectacle of the ship, but to witness the ritual "drenching of the tripper".

The Atlantic liners normally left the Solent by the Western channel where it narrows between Fort Victoria on the Island and Hurst Castle on the mainland. Departures were (and still are), widely advertised locally. If possible the locals liked to get to Fort Victoria where the shoreline was occupied with holidaymakers to witness the departure. As the liner swept past, the locals would surreptiously head for high ground. After a few minutes, the wake would arrive at the shore scattering deckchairs, trippers and, although nobody drowned, providing general amusement for the local kids.

Other places, and other ships (notably the two United States Lines vessels) could produce a similar effect, but for the best show, it had to be Fort Victoria and the Queens!

Cheers

Malcolm




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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 06/06/2007 : 17:40

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main bar on the Queen Mary when I visited it in 1980 at Long Beach.  The thing that impressed me, apart from her size, was the number and size of the rivets.......




Stanley Challenger Graham




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Invernahaille
Regular Member


669 Posts
Posted - 06/06/2007 : 17:55
Thomo. I have sailed passed the wreck of the Queen Elizebeth. Like you say, there is something eerie about shipwrecks.


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thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt


2021 Posts
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 14:35

There is when you have seen them in their prime, and thanks to whoever resized the phots. Can anyone tell me about the sizes in the "add image" dialogue box, are they inches or centimetres.

SS United States, built 1952, biggest liner from US, also the fastest with a service speed of 35 kts, 53,000 tons gross, 990' long and beam of 101'. Power from Westinghouse double reduction turbines, Steam at 1,000 psi from four  Foster Wheeler boilers delivered 248,000 HP. Now owned by a Norweigan Co, she is at Philladelphia awaiting restoration.

SS America was not so lucky. The photo  shows half of her were she wrecked off Feurtoventura




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thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt


2021 Posts
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 15:36


SS United States, USA.

laid down in August 1950 and launched in 1952 at a cost of $78,000,000 she was 990' long and 101' wide of 53,330 tons. Power was supplied to four sets of Westinghouse double reduction geared turbines by eight Babcock and Wilcox boilers delivering 335,000 HP giving her a service speed of 36 knots and could carry 1928 passengers. She was put out of service in 1969 and owned thereafter by several companies, she is shown above at Philladelphia were she remains awaiting a saviour for preservation.

Edited by - thomo on 19/11/2009 12:57:05 PM


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thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt


2021 Posts
Posted - 07/06/2007 : 15:37


SS America, USA.

Built at Newport News shipbuilding and drydock co, Laid down 22. 08. 1938 and launched 31. 08. 1939 she was 723' long and 93.25' in the beam at 33,961 gross tons, speed 17 knots carrying 1,200 passengers in comfort, this was increased 7,678 when she became USS West Point as a troopship in 1941 to 1946. Left adrift she fetched up on the rocks as above and was declared a total loss off Fuertoventura in the Canary Islands on the sixth of July 1994. In July this year only the tip of the Bow could  be seen. A sad end for a grand old lady.

Edited by - thomo on 19/11/2009 1:17:20 PM


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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 06:54
Peter, ideal size in old money is 7" max dimension at 72 dpi.  That gives a file size of 559kb for a normal pic and works fine.  Cally will tell you what it is in pixels, I work in old money......


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
belle
VIP Member


6502 Posts
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 09:13
Thomo, loved the last pic, but there are no details on it...?


Life is what you make itGo to Top of Page
thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt


2021 Posts
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 22:04
Coming soon, when ive finished sorting the wheat from the chaff. Thanks Stanley, I prefer the old money too, my graphics prog can sort it be it Imp, Met or Pixels, now I know how it thinks, I shouldnt have any more updicks. Coming shortly, info & pics, Liberty and Victory Ships.


thomo Go to Top of Page
Invernahaille
Regular Member


669 Posts
Posted - 20/06/2007 : 17:42
So, the QE2 has been sold to a Mumbai consortium to be used as a floating hotel, and is to be moored to a man made island. I wonder if the same fate that her predecessor awaits.


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panbiker
Senior Member


2301 Posts
Posted - 28/06/2007 : 12:59
I do it in pixels, it equates to about 600 on the longest edge.


Ian Go to Top of Page
softsuvner
Regular Member


604 Posts
Posted - 29/01/2008 : 18:08
I've revived this topic for a photo that has just "turned up". Actually, I have just found a way to print up some old Box-Brownie type family pictures from the original negative.

SS United States, 1955

Not a great picture technically, but one that shows us just how much was involved in berthing the big ships before they were fitted with "thrusters".
The photo was taken by Dad or myself on a trip up Southampton Water on one of the old Red Funnel paddle steamers in 1955, (either the Princess Elizabeth or the Bournemouth Belle). We had found a good viewing spot, the opening just behind the paddle wheel sponson on tne engine deck. As the United States came into view, everybody rushed to the starboard side, the paddle "dug In," and we got a good face full of Southampton Water! I was just a child, I thought it was hilarious!
The tugs are from two fleets, Alexandra Towing and the local Red Funnel. The third tug from the right, is the ex Anchor Line tug/tender Paladin, built to tender liners on the Clyde, which saw out her last days at Southampton.

Malcolm 


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Tizer
VIP Member


5150 Posts
Posted - 29/01/2008 : 20:13
Malcolm, a brilliant photo. Those old black & white photos, even from a Brownie, were magnitudes better in resolution than the later colour "holiday snap" films. I can use my browser to enlarge your photo to full screen and it still looks good even though it begins to pixelate. I love those old tugs with the high narrow funnels. It looks like there might be a warship in the left background too.

Your comment about the passengers on the paddle steamer all rushing to one side reminds me of a tale my dad told me last week. As an RAF armourer in WWII, he was returning through the Atlantic to the UK on a merchant ship. As they passed thought the Bay of Biscay a U-boat came after them but a couple of destroyers depth-charged it close by. The sub came up and all the passengers on the merchant ship rushed to that side to have a look, so much so that the ship began to keel over. The seamen had to herd them back again. So the U-boat didn't manage to sink the ship but the passengers nearly did.

My wife's looking up the ship on the web. I think it was an armed merchantman called the Canton.

Tizer 


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Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart


36804 Posts
Posted - 30/01/2008 : 07:55
On the subject of heeling ships, did anyone hear anything more about the floating gin plaace that leaned over?  They look terribly top heavy to me.....


Stanley Challenger Graham




Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk Go to Top of Page
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