Camera lost overboard in the Atlantic - Oct 08 - QM2/QE2 - & Found again!

[Twynkle]

From the Cruise Critic website

31.1.2010 Mauregato writes:

'Hello, I'm a fisherman, and recently I have found a digital photo camera at the sea botton.

The camera is totally damaged by the sea water, but "miraculously" the photos and videos on the "SD Memory" are totally O.K.

I think the camera comes from from QM2, sailing from N.Y. on October 16, 2008, in a trasatlantic route to Europe.

I'd like to find the property to give to him the camera and photos.'

Read on...!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1133869

[Rob Lightbody]

Absolutely brilliant story... (a) that the photos survived (b) that the fisherman found the camera and (c) that the fisherman can post online to try to find the owner!   The moral of the tale may be to always keep one photo on your memory card that just shows your email address!

[Cunardqueen]

But sadly as is the trend with that place the threads are hijacked and it very soon descends into a farce..It used to be a good place...

[Rob Lightbody]

Reading some more... it appears to be an October 2008 crossing, with QE2, one of the 2 final transatlantics.

Photos of the couple who owned the camera - http://mas.farodevigo.es/galeria/galeria.php?foto=9036

[Twynkle]

The owner of the camera is still 'lost'!
Maybe someone here might know or find the couple whose appear on camera shots - although, they won't necessarily be the owner.
Whoever it is / was will have had a considerable interest in QE2 - If not before their voyage, then hopefully during and afterwards!
Maybe someone in the Cunard Customer / Guest Relations Dept might already have record of a reported missing camera....
I wonder whether QM2 ID computers might recognise the passenger's photos, if they were scanned again?
Who knows....?
Hope that Mauregato gets a reward!

(Mods - could it be an idea to post this under Miscellaneous - 'QE2 and Tandem Voyages'? - this would give an opportunity for Guests as well as Member to see it?)

[Cruise_Princess]

The finder of the camera should send the pic to Cunard maybe they will publish it in the Cunarder magazine.....and then both can be reunited..

what a story...why dont we hear this on the news instead of all the depressing wars, MPs allowances murders etc.....would make a pleasant change,

I still cant get over this story its just soooo amazing!

[Peter Mugridge]

I am told that Cunard are indeed "on the case" and also that the story is being circulated all over the place; I am sure we will hear about it should the owner be found - which certainly seems likely given all the details known, including which class of accomodation they were booked in.

[Rob Lightbody]

I told my BBC Contact at BBC South about this and... they ran a piece about it tonight (did anyone see it) and...

Watch tomorrow night for the exciting final instalment!

[Kathy M.]

It is such an interesting story!  Rob - make sure to let us know if you can link to the BBC story!

[Rob Lightbody]

Tonight's piece is here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/ondemand/england/realmedia/southtoday/southampton/southtoday?bgc=C0C0C0&nbram=1&lang=en&nbwm=1&bbram=1&ms3=6&ms_javascript=true&bbcws=1&size=16x9&bbwm=1

At 25 minutes and 25 seconds

[Rob Lightbody]

And here's a still from it

(attached)

[Rob Lightbody]

I/we get a wee mention/credit from the BBC guy here 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1133869&page=6

from Paul@bbc (Paul Clifton) - but thanks to Rosie for bringing to MY attention via the forum!   

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

That's totally remarkable! Well done, Rob, for having engineered this... such an unlikely story, with an even more unlikely ending!

For those like me having problems with the link above, try this :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/england/realmedia/southtoday/southampton/southtoday?size=16x9&bgc=C0C0C0&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1

The story is at the very end of the item, just after the weather forecast. This link may not work tomorrow, of course...

And to think that this broadcast actually located the owners!

[Twynkle]

Thanks, Rob!
However, if it hadn't been for QE2
none of this would have come to anyone's attention!
A short cut to the 'story' - it comes almost 25 minutes into the BBC programme.

Wouldn't it be an even better end to end all camera stories with the finding of Robert's (Waverley)camera?
The gallery here was started because he too, lost his camera - together with all his Final QE2 holiday photographs...
http://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,59.0.html

Off to read up about speed and dead water now!
Hope that 'someone' won't mind helping with some answers...yet again!

[Twynkle]

Here's the BBC page
There's no proof (yet!) that either of these people own the camera!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8509619.stm



And a useful site for anyone who has lost a camera!
http://ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com/

[Beardy Rich]

Fascinating story. Wouldn't it be great if the owners were traced?

[Twynkle]

GOOD NEWS!
'South African owners of camera found in the sea traced'

'...Barbara and Dennis Gregory, from South Africa, were en-route from New York to Southampton on the QM2 in 2008 when they lost their camera in the ocean....'

'Mrs Gregory said she had never expected to see the camera or the photos again.
"It's literally a dream come true" she told the BBC'
Read "all about it" here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8510314.stm

Maybe Mr and Mrs Gregory would like to visit the Forum, too.
Then they could see pictures of QE2 in New York!!

[LegendOfTheSeas]

It was on South Today this lunchtime. The Gregorys had bought a new camera to replace theirs which had broken and were, understandably, being very careful with it. Then someone spotted some dolphins and, in the Gregorys' haste to get pics before the creatures vanished, the camera got dropped in the drink.
I guess it was a one-in-a-billion chance of the camera being dredged up from the ocean floor in fishermens' nets. 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Just watched this evening's news report -- such a happy story!

This evening's instalment is on the same link as last night's (which it has replaced), i.e. here :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/england/realmedia/southtoday/southampton/southtoday?size=16x9&bgc=C0C0C0&nbram=1&bbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1

...right at the end, after the weather forecast.

Delight all round, including in the Forum which first raised the story -- the owner has now responded there :

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1133869&page=8

Congratulations to the invisible heroes, Rob and Rosie    ! And to Paul of the BBC, who picked up the challenge.

[Scott Ebersold]

That truly is an amazing story.  ... and to think I was a wee bit skeptical!   Congrats to all for a job well done!

[Twynkle]

From todays Daily Mail
....'It really is incredible after all this time we can finally get to view our pictures.'  Peter Shanks, managing director of Cunard, who own the QM2, said: 'In all my experience I have never encountered such a wonderful story.
'I am very pleased Mr and Mrs Gregory have been eventually reunited with their pictures. It almost seems too good to be true.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1250270/Couples-holiday-pictures-recovered-fishing-net-16-months-camera-dropped-cruise-ship.html#ixzz0fJIME4bW

The Express
CAMERA LOST IN THE ATLANTIC IS REUNITED WITH CRUISE COUPLE....
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/157628/Camera-lost-in-the-Atlantic-is-reunited-with-cruise-couple

The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7216467/Camera-dropped-in-the-ocean-is-returned-by-fisherman-18-months-later.html

And USA Today
....Cunard president Peter Shanks says in a statement. "The images are even more poignant as they depict the last transatlantic crossing of the great QE2 and can never be taken again."....
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=78701.blog

[jdl]

great little tale that warms the cockles of your heart as they say in the north of england.

Good as well that Cunard recognised the publicity benefits and alsoi mentioned QE2 favourably !!!

jdl

[citrail]

Spotted this article today

http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/02/18/couples-25th-wedding-anniversary-photos-survive-15-months-in-se

Sorry about the length of the link, don't know how to shorten them.

[citrail]

Ooops sorry, I don't often get this far down the board

[Peter Mugridge]

Ken, I've mailed you with how to shortlink.

Can't demonstrate it on here because the relevant HTML will work on it, but in the e-mail I don't have to leave confusing gaps.

[Cunardqueen]

And USA Today
....Cunard president Peter Shanks says in a statement. "The images are even more poignant as they depict the last transatlantic crossing of the great QE2 and can never be taken again."....
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=78701.blog

Im not sure what lm more surprised at, the camera being found or Shanks statement It wasnt that long ago he was saying that QE2 held the Cunard brand back

[Rob Lightbody]

Im not sure what lm more surprised at, the camera being found or Shanks statement It wasnt that long ago he was saying that QE2 held the Cunard brand back

He doesn't mind calling it 'great' now that its no longer a 'problem' to them... bah!