QE2 Build Photos

[mickey g]

These were four photos I took early September 1968 from Queen Mary II. They appear on my flickr site (galeforce.19)

[Twynkle]

Thank You!

These images are just so good -
and evoke all sorts of feelings - from real sadness now,
and it must have been really exciting then...

[Kev]

Fantastic Mickey-they look similar time to the shot in my collection (see further up in thread)
This forum keeps throwing up superb finds
Thanks for sharing

[Waverley]

Four good photographs

http://www.life.com/search/?q0=NEW+QE2&x=21&y=15

[Twynkle]

Thank you for finding these!

There's something about looking up at her bow - even in photographs -
it was so good before, and now so very sad.

[highlander0108]

Here is another series of construction, launching, and fitout photos in good resolution from the Clydebank Restoration website.  You can clearly see just how big of a hole was in the bow where the bow anchor once was nestled into.

http://www.clydebankrestoration.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=580

[mrkpnh (Malcolm K)]

I can't say that there must be more photographs of her launch now than there were at the time but that access is
 far more easily available. Thank you for finding that lot

[Waverley]

The general public allowed in to John Browns to see the new QE2.

http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=4785

[Kev]

The general public allowed in to John Browns to see the new QE2.

http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=4785

Robert-these are amazing. And not a high viz jacket in sight! Love the one with kids picking over the slipway after the launch!

[Waverley]

Qe2 propeller on a lorry.

http://media.photobucket.com/image/qe2%20propellers%20on%20a%20lorry/Taskman9/scan0003.jpg

[Twynkle]

Some 23 photos from the Daily Mirror found via the Liverpool Echo

http://3400.e-printphoto.co.uk/icliv/index.cfm?z=z&action=newsearch&prev=prev?rn=1245618846515

(sorry, as they are surrounded by flashing bits!!!)

[Waverley]

Turbine photo plus good aerial view

http://www.ssplprints.com/search.php?keywords=qe2&page=1&numperpage=

[Waverley]

http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=T0413

[Jem]

http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/archives/exhibitions/qe2/qe2photogallery1/

Cheers
Jeremy.

[Twynkle]

Hi Jem

There are  these and lots more besides  on the thread
'Photographic archive site'!

http://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,268.0.html

Rosie

[Jem]

Hi Jem

There are  these and lots more besides  on the thread
'Photographic archive site'!

http://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,268.0.html

Rosie
Thank you

[Fairfield]

Some old photos of her I have showing her in early days as No 736

[Andy F]

Great shots Fairfield and welcome!

[Lynsey Shaw]

*Whispers*  Being a student I get free access to Scran...if there are any pictures you would like to see bigger, I can try and see if I can oblige.  However, I will have to check to make sure I am not abusing my privileges first of all. 

[Fairfield]

Yes indeed, scenes from Seawards the Great Ships showing the Fairfield yard at Govan and then possibly one of the big BP or Federal Steam Navigation Co tankers built by Brown's in that period, 1959-60.

[Fairfield]

A photo kindly given to me by Jim Orr of her fitting out, not long after the funnel went on I think.
Also one of my own just a week before she went off to Greenock.

[Scott Ebersold]

Here is another series of construction, launching, and fitout photos in good resolution from the Clydebank Restoration website.  You can clearly see just how big of a hole was in the bow where the bow anchor once was nestled into.

http://www.clydebankrestoration.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=580

These are so great!  Thanks for sharing them.

[Rob Lightbody]

Here is another series of construction, launching, and fitout photos in good resolution from the Clydebank Restoration website.  You can clearly see just how big of a hole was in the bow where the bow anchor once was nestled into.

http://www.clydebankrestoration.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=580

One thing struck me when I looked at them - and I hope 'QE2 DXB' can get a look at them too - her beautiful hull , with a fresh coat of dark red, and then bright red, and then black gleaming paint.  Looks brand new then (obviously) but still does in 2009 after being repainted.  (please don't let me take this thread off-topic though - any discussions of the 09 dry docking should stay in that topic!).

[Fairfield]

A John Brown photo in my collection which might be of interest showing QUEEN MARY in the basin with her bow in the cutout.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Thank you for that! So now, we see what the scene caught in 2008 and 2009 should have looked like... a very different scene indeed...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2921599347/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/3657525977/

What a hive of activity it was -- and how much work must have been going on in those huge workshops pictured here...

[Kev]

Excellent shots of an interesting detail on the quayside
The shots of the workers along the fence is quite touching

[Matt]

So is this were the QE2 Was built on the Clyde?

Matt

[Fairfield]

Yes indeed- vastly changed now. The crane is still there open as a tourist attraction and the surrounding land has been redeveloped as a college campus.

[highlander0108]

The area to the left of the crane is a vast wasteland, as the picture depicts.  There are piles of rubble from demolished buildings.  It is a very sad site, whcich could be transformed by the arrival of a very special ship! 
Ken

[Rob Lightbody]

So is this were the QE2 Was built on the Clyde?

Matt

Almost!  To get a precise location, put G81 1BF into maps.google.com, this pointer will pretty much show you where QE2's bow was ... however if you switch to satellite view, you'll see the slipway as marked by the college architects, and also the remains of the slipway in the water.  The River Cart is directly opposite, which was an essential reason why John Browns was exactly where it was.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

In other words, as you said elsewhere, here     :

To be precise

Here

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=G81+1BF&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.564064,81.5625&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Clydebank,+Dunbartonshire+G81+1BF,+United+Kingdom&ll=55.868497,-4.352345&spn=0.010908,0.039825&t=h&z=15

The other basin, complete with the remaining Titan Crane, was her fitting-out basin, just a few metres away.

[Bob C.]

however if you switch to satellite view, you'll see the slipway as marked by the college architects, and also the remains of the slipway in the water. 

Rob, I'm going to disagree with you on the location of QE2's ways by a few meters.  The ones preserved as shown in Google maps is a bit to the West of where QE2 was actually laid down.  The key to locating the position of her ways is finding the small raised platform near the river.  I'm not sure what the purpose of this platform is but it has survived the recent renovations of the area and was also present when QE2 was built and launched. You can barely make out a small ramp by the platform where QE2's ways once were.

You can see the platform in the two photos below.  I blacked out a scale QE2 hull shape on the Goggle Earth screen capture that shows the platform as it is today and also added an arrow pointing to the platform the photo plus the one from the QE2 archive photo from this site (http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/archives/exhibitions/qe2/qe2photogallery4/aerialviewofshipno7362/).

[Stowaway2k]

Hi Bob

I thought at one time that the platform may have been a foundation for a crane.  Maybe, maybe not... perhaps just sort of "left overs" from the many changes to have been made throughout the yard's history.

In this photo, you can see the entire launch ways and Fitting Out Basin area as it was on 26 Sept, 1934; the day Queen Mary was launched
http://tinyurl.com/yhlj2vn

The same area a couple years later as Queen Mary was nearing completion
http://tinyurl.com/Queen-Mary-Fittied-Out

A 1942 RAF aerial view
http://tinyurl.com/yh4azxx

Here is a present-day (Sept. 2009) view of the platform
http://tinyurl.com/yfqvzh6

And a present-day view as seen from the viewing platform atop the Titan Crane
http://tinyurl.com/yzy34nw

[Rob Lightbody]

Bob,

Delighted to be corrected so precisely and with such great illustrations!  I look forward to printing this topic out and heading along there on my bike sometime soon!  

Next question - QE1/QM1/Aquitania (other great liners) - were they built where i had originally indicated, and where the landscaping indicates now?  Was there 2 launchways next to each other here that could be used simultaneously?  i.e. the QE2 one, and the one thats still marked out?

[Rob Lightbody]

Thanks Kyle, great stuff!

Does it look to you like the front of the college is deliberately designed to lie along QE2's launchway?  The landscaping in front of it also appears to follow the line that Bob's photos indicate...?

[Bob C.]

I cut out the applicable portion of the QE2 under construction and superimposed it on the satellite photo.  A bit off on the bow but the platform in the old photo is pasted exactly on top of the one in the satelite photo.

   

[Stowaway2k]

Thanks Kyle, great stuff!

Does it look to you like the front of the college is deliberately designed to lie along QE2's launchway?  The landscaping in front of it also appears to follow the line that Bob's photos indicate...?

Hi Rob

They (whoever "they" are...) have designed a greenbelt that does lie exactly along the lines of the launchway, as far as it can.  The buildings don't line up, but the greenbelt is a wonderful application of a nod to history and modern development needs.
Google Earth shows this beautifully.
http://tinyurl.com/ykole6s

For a ground view, photo #16 shows the foot of the greenbelt at the river's edge over the foot of the launchway, and photo 17 is at the top of the greenbelt/launchway looking towards the river http://tinyurl.com/yztdsoy
(the third row down of photos)

[Bob C.]

One more time but this time the overlay of the 1967 photo is as exact as the photo angle gets.  Rob, take this photo with you next time you head up to John Brown's. 


And no, I don't have too much time on my hands, just needed a distraction - moving to Pensacola, FL tomorrow - high stress!

[pete cain]

 As the header says , apologies in advance if this link has been previously posted ( I'd be very surprised if not), but whilst looking for a photograph of QE2 under construction, showing a forest of ( I believe plastic waste pipes) this was to link regarding the topic Air-conditioning in' Life After Cunard '. Havn't found it yet but this is interesting anyway..    
 http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/archives/exhibitions/qe2/qe2photogallery1/   Andy , shift as you see fit please

[Alistair]

I've had this old picture cut of the Clydebank Press hiding in a box for years. I thought I would share it.
I tried to re-balance the grey scale as the newspaper had gone all yellow with age so appologies for the quality.
It appeared in the summer of 1968, not sure exactly when though. The funnel is on but the mast is still not there yet. Looks like it was taken from Kilbowie Hill or possibly the high flats at the top with a telephoto lense. Doesn't she look stunning among all the old industrial buildings? When I read the words in the caption again after all these years I have to admit I got a lump in my throat. I've re-produced them here as they are very blurred on the image. I hope I'm not infringing anyone's copyright!

The funnel among the chimneys

GRANDMOTHER is the word for a woman who's life is complete.
The traces of age on her face can hide emotion, but when she holds her favourite granddaughter
in her arms something shows.
It is hard to define. A tenacious togetherness, a complete acceptance, a quiet pride.
Clydebank has many, many grandchildren. But when she gave life to John Brown's shipyard she scarcely
dreamed of anything so beautiful, so worthy of love...
...as the funnel among the chimneys.  Queen Elizabeth 2.


I don't remember the now defunct Clydebank Press being so poetic before but as a big fan of the aesthetics of the original funnel I have to agree with the sentiments! 

[Cruise_Princess]

How beautiful...

that one certainly got me this morning......words cant say how it makes you feel......thanks for sharing!

[Twynkle]

Thank you, Alistair
What a find!
And yes - it all fits perfectly!
Rosie

[Bob C.]

Awesome photo, I wonder how many more like it are out there

[Alistair]

It turns out I was wrong about this picture coming from the Clydebank Press. It was either the Glasgow Herald or the Express.
I also now have a higher quailty scanned version of it available. It's 5Mb in size so if anyone would like a copy please email me direct.

[Lynda]

Hi Alistair

thanks for posting the photo and the press story - the funnel among the chimneys.  This brought back memories for me. I was a teenager at the time when the QE2 was built and I remember being on an early morning bus going to work and as we were going down Kilbowie Road I looked out of the window to see the beauty of the QE2 towering above the Clydebank tenement buildings just like in the photo.  I have enjoyed all the links to the photos. 

[Twynkle]

QE2 in John Browns shipyard 1967
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/111928
(Rob, please, might it be possible to post the photograph here?)

Click on 'more nearby', too!

[Bob C.]

These were four photos I took early September 1968 from Queen Mary II. They appear on my flickr site (galeforce.19)

I just noticed this.  In the bottom of the 4 photos it looks like the engineering plant has been lit off evidenced by a thin stream of smoke coming from the funnel.  However it's not visible in the other 3 photos.  Is this smoke or is it dirt on the photo? 

It looks too natural for it to be a random smudging of dirt on the photo IMHO.

[Lynda]

I have enjoyed the photos and links posted to this topic.  My Dad took these photos for me in 1967 so they are special to me. 

[Lynda]

3 more photos

[Matt]

Treasure those photo's forever Linda, they are truely amazing!

Regards,
Matt

[Twynkle]

Lynda - Thank you!
and much appreciated!

These are superb - it's so good to see QE2 in the context of the yard.
There can't be that many that are as good in quality as these are.
Colour photography was still in it's early days then, like QE2!
No colour TV in the UK, and photos were often produced as 'slides!
Rosie
 

[Lynda]

 

Lynda - Thank you!
and much appreciated!

These are superb - it's so good to see QE2 in the context of the yard.
There can't be that many that are as good in quality as these are.
Colour photography was still in it's early days then, like QE2!
No colour TV in the UK, and photos were often produced as 'slides!
Rosie

Thanks Rosie and Matt for your comments. My Dad had taken the photos with a camera he had given me for my birthday that year (one of the first catridge film cameras).  I think my Dad must have had a good eye for taking photos. He would have been so interested in the content of this forum and would have been able to contribute a wealth of information had he still been alive.  He worked in John Brown's for about forty year and had worked on the three Queens.   

You may also be interested in this photo of the Gulftide (Jackup rig) that was being built at the same time as the QE2 photos were taken.  Although it is not a photo of the QE2 it does give a view from John Brown's and it is an indication of changes that were ahead for the company in years to come. 

[ancoaster78]

This section just keeps getting better and better, many many thanks to Lynda and everyone else who has posted :-D

[Bob C.]

Check out the photo at the bottom of this webpage.  A truck (lorry) stopped at a roadside with a QE2 propeller enroute to John Browns!

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=155935

[Twynkle]

That must have been quite a journey -
the roads were never much wider than that then-
the M1 motorway was (I think) still the only highway in the UK!