Creating QM2

[KEV]

Interesting reading


http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/issues/issue26/payne.pdf

[Andy F]

Another good find Kev

[Waverley]

Very interesting Kev.  More details about the design here.  Scroll down for photos.

http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/qm2/specs.htm

[Andy F]

Interesting find Robert, thanks

[Waverley]

Some good details on construction

http://www.professionalmariner.com/February-2007/Queen-Mary-2-Built-to-keep-alive-the-traditions-of-the-great-ocean-liners/

[Waverley]

This is a great site showing the construction of the QM2 from start to finish right through to the sea trials. Some super photos and one with a london bus in the dry dock for a comparison of size. There are six pages and the link to the next page is at the bottom of each page.


http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.worldshipny.com/qm2tws2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.worldshipny.com/qm2pt1.htm&usg=__R0ct1pASMCJPkJMkJTFmQgU5m3g=&h=457&w=640&sz=51&hl=en&start=113&um=1&tbnid=hFh2eU8OMHKMXM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dqe2%2Bbelow%2Bthe%2Bmast%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D100%26um%3D1

[Andrew Collier]

Excellent link thanks!

I've long heald the opinion that with some very subtle cleverness QM2 could have looked a whole lot better, those shots of it on sea trials before it was finished painting have convinced me, how would she look if they did away with black bands areound the front and rear of the superstructure (which in my humble opinon look a bit like Brittany Ferries!) and paint the turbine housing under the funnel (and maybe the twin uptakes after of it) a khaki colour, (as per QE2 as built) or something other than white, to reduce the top heavy look? Those pics with that bit under the funnel unpainted make it look a lot sleeker! if ever there was a ship which would benefit from a bit of clever colouring its that one....

[Rob Lightbody]

I can see waht they were trying to do with the black stripes at the front - recreating the Queen Mary's 'wedding cake' bridge structure - and to a degree they were successful with it, and I have to be honest I think it looks better with because it hides those AWFUL bog-standard "Ferry" windows. 

One thing thats nice is they recreated QE2's bridge in the middle section of the bridge windows - if you look, they're shaped to stick out more - it would be nice if these were the only part of the bridge windows to be black, and the others left bare, I think this might look very 'QE2'.

[Andrew Collier]

I think the balck bands empasis the height of the ship, they make the bit in the middle of the bridgescreen look too narrow and tall, I think overall it looks a lok more elegant without them, I know they were trying to represent the original QM, but i think they would have done better to make the most of the QM2 for what it is in its own right! And I don't mind those windows, at least they are neat....

....As for the bridge screen, a couple of months ago, I photoshoped a pic to see how it would look, but it's saved only on my bosses PC and I can't get at it right now! can't recall wether I liked it or not, think I prefered it just all white, will check later!

[andyh]

I also agree the black banding adds to the looks of the ship, the early pictures where she is all white, makes her look too bland, with the stripes she has the look of yesteryear

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Great pictures of these black bands and these "ferry" windows have been uploaded during the past few days, by both Rob and Rob :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lightbody/4030078304/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/roblz/4047582901/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/roblz/4048316638/

On a different note, I was in a different place today, walking for a short moment not too far from the Eiffel Tower. It was overwhelming to think that the QM is just as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall, and the QM2 is even longer...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/seikinsou/4050685804/

The photo might have been better (apologies!), but we could not stop... and I did want to snap the scene quickly to ponder these measurements here later...

And yes... the weather in Paris was a sparkling mellow autumn day... we had lunch outdoors!

[Mauretania1907]

Has anybody seen the T>V> show Megastructures, there is a program about QMary being built and going out on trials, I found it fascinating and would like to see it again.

[Peter Mugridge]

Yes, I remember that.  It was Channel 5 I think, and was quite interesting if a little repetitive and short on serious detail.  I'd still certainly watch it again, though.

[Twynkle]

Here are the details!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MegaStructures
There's more via google, too!

[RMS Queen Elizabeth 2]

Found this video about the construction of Queen Mary 2.  It explains more about the flat design and balconies.