Hello,
I watched a program recently on the PBS channel about the QE2, and I was excited about this as I was a student passenger on that QE2 voyage in 1976, travelling from Europe to New York when that fire broke out. I believe I boarded in northern France somewhere as I remember that I visited Bayeux before boarding at Cherbourg.
I was 25 at the time, and had just finished up a year of study at the Sorbonne in Paris. Back then, the price was right on the QE2 to travel back to North America and then to my home in Ottawa, Canada.
The film and forum were interesting as it proved my memory correct. We were woken up by the captain through loud speakers, and we could hear some noisy alarm signals. The message was that we were to report to our lifeboat stations. Once on deck in my life jacket, groggy and so looking forward to a full night of sleep, I quickly realized that this was a true emergency.
There were quite high flames shooting out of a funnel, the lifeboats had been lowered somewhat, and we were being organized in groups according to our stations. I was travelling alone, but was also looking out for my roommate that I had just met that day. Thankfully, the fire was extinguished by the crew and we were able to go back to bed. However, no one was able to sleep that night.
The ship limped back to England and a group of Americans launched a kind of grievance committee, so that they could help with individual needs such as pets on board, or cars, or people who were handicapped and needed help. A desk was set up in one of the lounges. The ship’s doctor happened to be at my table, and he had taken this week as a kind of holiday locum. It was no vacation for him at all as some passengers were afraid, nervous, a bit sick with the permanent slant of the ship as it sailed slowly back to Britian, and worried as to how to get their belongings, cars, pets, to New York. I believe he also looked after the man who was badly hurt.
I remember that there was some kind of a dock strike in Britain, so we were asked if we could carry our own suitcases off the ship. On the quay, despite it being a Sunday, there were cages with family pets, piles of luggage, lots of movement and a bit of chaos, before we were bussed to the airport.
Many other passengers boarded my Pan Am flight, and the pilot was terrific. To allay our common fear of flying, he told periodic jokes, and some interesting information on our flight pattern as we flew back across the Atlantic to NY City. I was never so glad to touch the terra firma of North America and see my dad who had come from Canada to meet me in NY City. The loud sounds of the cabbies and all the hubbub were very welcome. And every time I board a ship, I think of this night, and always hunt out my life preserver and check the safety routes on the ship.
I was dismayed when on a recent Caribbean cruise, the lifeboat drill was made into a kind of quiz game. Most people arrived without life jackets and there was chatter and clinking of glasses throughout. It was more like a cocktail party than a rehearsal for a potential emergency. I did complain to the Captain and staff and hopefully this will be changed for the better.
Thank you very much,
Kate Pocock, Toronto Canada
