1972 - The Big Storm & The Bomb Scare by Pete Dennett

[cunardqueen]

Fascinating interview and brutally honest !....one wonders today if he would have been able to say he thought it was a hoax or even mentions they had the money ready to pay up.... and the smoking a cigarette

[skilly56]

The attached article describes the new loading computer as installed in QE2 in 1995. This computer will only accept data that is manually entered by staff, and then say if the condition is safe or otherwise. It doesn't give real-time stress & strain readouts in a storm.

Today, large hulls are wired up with strain gauges, and the stresses & strains can be seen changing as a vessel powers through a storm, so, larger seas that bring the actual stress conditions closer to the limits can be observed, then the vessel course can be changed to reduce those stresses. Advances in electronics and measurement devices have enabled real-time readouts.

Skilly

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

We have had a couple of fascinating emails from Clint Priestley, relating to the big storm on 16 April 1972 :

Going through items of my deceased mother's estate and found the mentioned item in subject matter.  My second cousin Mary Frances Irelan (Mary F Irelan on the storm certificate) was onboard for that horrific event!



Could not find any online with maps attached, but perhaps I did not look hard enough. It's in pretty good shape!

The storm certificate we hold is very similar to the one attached above in this topic, but I have two signatures at the bottom, not just one.  Also the storm certificate is on the left side of a large one sided horizontal layout page that has the storm certificate on the left side and the map showing the intended route, actual route and locations at noon each day of the journey.  Also, regarding the two signatures, one is in black ink and the other blue.  Same captains name, his in blue ink. Also the map extends out to the right of the storm certificate.





Attached are three photos of the certificate.  Please feel free to post!  Thanks!

The pictures can be viewed in larger size in the Gallery, here :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Clint writes and adds :

I remember back in '72 when Mary Frances, then in her 60s (passed in 1998), my second cousin, I believe I recall my mother saying she had heard of the incident and was very concerned for Mary Frances, who she was close to.  My mother did not know she was ok until we got word through relatives that all was well with her.

[Lynda Bradford]

These are really good images of the storm certificate and it is good to hear the story of how concerned family were of the person who was onboard QE2.  A big thank you to Clint for sending the pictures and the story to the Admin mail box. 

[Thomas Hypher]

I never realised QE2 rolled to over 40 degrees as it's not widely published etc. I always thought that the most she had rolled to (and still a lot!) was around 22 degrees whilst in the Irish Sea in the early 1990s. We always keep learning despite our abilities and age etc!

Thomas

[June Ingram]

Hi Thomas -

Here is a link to just one of many topics and posts which address degrees of roll -

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,1762.msg19419.html#msg19419

[Maureen Kragten-Munsch]

We have had a couple of fascinating emails from Clint Priestley, relating to the big storm on 16 April 1972 :

The pictures can be viewed in larger size in the Gallery, here :

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5

Hello,
I found this certificate fascinating, I have certainly never seen one before.  I was aboard QE2 for that voyage from New York to Southampton and it was quite a nightmare.  The ship, as I remember, and I can see from the map could not head in her normal direction and at one time we were heading towards Africa.

One day I stepped out of the elevator by the first class Dining room where they had just laid up all the tables with China etc. thinking we were out of the storm!  Next minute the ship gave an almighty lurch and China AND waiters were on the floor.  Luckily there was a brass rail immediately outside the elevator or I also would have been on the floor.

We were 2 1/2 days late getting into port and all crew Receiverd a printed white card stating that it was the worst voyage the Captain had ever experienced.
Maureen

[Chris Thompson]

After reading this post I thought wouldn't it be a great idea for the folks in Dubai to incorporate a 'Storm Simulator' into the QE2 exhibit where one could safely experience a 42 degree roll!!!!!!
I experienced a 35 degree roll on my first ship during a hurricane, and yes it was terrifying, especially when you see the staff captain walking the corridors looking white as a sheet!!!

[June Ingram]

Just this morning, Lynda had a conversation with someone about QE2's 43 degree list !!

[Lynda Bradford]

Just this morning, Lynda had a conversation with someone about QE2's 43 degree list !!

This was in relation to the fact that we can never underestimate the value of the forum and how it informs about the service life of QE2. 

I for one would not have known so much about the ship if it had not been for the forum and this was evidenced recently the I was asked, if I knew that QE2 had nearly sunk, when she was caught in a storm and nearly tipped over. 

I remembered I had read this topic with details of how QE2 had got caught in a storm in 1972 and the ship had rolled nearly 43 degrees.  So I was able to recount the story and to answer some of questions and all because of forum members taking time to tell us their experiences on QE2. 

[David Risley]

I have had a lot of fun reading this stream, i was on-board at the time and remember the storm as a real exciting time. I started off as a Bell Boy and eventually worked in all restaurants during my time. I do have an enduring memory of the band still playing in the Queens room (i was serving). Some die hard passengers trying to keep up the fun dancing in the Ballroom. As the shipped rolled from side to side the passengers rolled with it getting washed from one side of the dance floor to the other, most of them were well pissed. I had a right laugh at all the shenanigans while keeping the alcohol flowing! I do recall some quite serious damaged which resulted in us limping in to Boston for repairs.

[Lynda Bradford]

After the July newsletter was mailed to subscribers, Peter French, QE2's 3rd Hotel Officer at the time of the Big Storm contacted me to say he was onboard and sent me his memory of the event. As Peter has mentioned it would be good to hear more recollections from passengers and crew who were on the ship. 

I noticed that Peter has the date as Spring 1971.  Was there a storm in both 1971 and 1972?

I was aboard QE2 that spring of 1971, working in the Crew Office with John Duffy, Bill Ayling and Alex Hunter-Robinson.  John Sawyer and KBA were Hotel Managers.  Leaving New York no one could have suspected that we were going to experience one of the worst storms ever recorded in the North Atlantic . What is even more memorable now was the coincidence of timing and location
 
The weather leaving New York was warm, bright, with clear blue skies. We had been made aware that a significant storm was approaching from the South and therefore it was decided to track North to avoid it.  However the speed at which it was travelling was faster than anticipated and approached very quickly, literally following us directly astern.
 
As the storm came closer and closer, we were now starting to enter ice berg territory.  We were now a few hundred miles from coordinates 41.7 degrees N, -49.9 degrees W (Titanic sinking location on 31st May))  Therefore it was decided to attempt to turn to starboard and attempt to cut South.  The strength of the storm would not allow the ship to turn safely and she was forced to continue on the Northern track.  The waves by this time were somewhere near 60-80 feet from peak to trough.  We were not carrying the bow anchor at that time and so as the ship hit the trough a spout a water was forced up through it’s retaining cavity and was strong enough to hit the bridge.
 
The stress on the hull was obviously quite substantial and windows in the Britannia  Restaurant and the Queens Room fell out into the sea and were hastily boarded up.  Obviously by this time no passengers were to be seen and many of the crew had retirei to the P&W!
 
Eventually the storm tracked more northerly and QE2 was able to cut a more southerly route.  We made Southampton a day late a needless to say it was my last trip to sea.  Trafalgar House had already acquired Cunard by this time and I transferred to Cunard Hotels ashore.
 
It would be interesting to hear if anybody has any further recollections.
 
Peter  3rd Hotel Officer

Peter French