Favourite Liners and Ships

[June Ingram]

Thank you, Rob, for your commentaries on each ship - most interesting.  I was not thinking of the HMY Britannia when I made my list.  I am glad that you listed her.  June   

[Hank Hargrove]

I had to do a top 20. Mine are (The list changes):

1. Queen Mary
2. United States
3. Queen Elizabeth 2 (Or Rotterdam)
4. Rotterdam (Or QE2 or QM2)
5. Queen Mary 2 (Or Rotterdam)
6. Kungsholm
7. Eugenio C.
8. Ivernia
9. Funchal
10. Windsor Castle
11. Canberra
12. Augustus
13. Statendam
14. Southern Cross
15. Oriana
16. Victoria (Union-Castle, Incres, Chandris, Louis)
17. Stella Solaris, Athena (TIE)
18. Leonardo Da Vinci
19.  America
20. Olympia, Arion (TIE)

Strangely, I voted QM2 instead of QE2 or Rotterdam even though I like them more. I'm sailing on QM2 for my first time so I decided just in case my list changes...

[Adam Hodson]

I thought about doing 20 as there are so many ships out there I love, however I managed to narrow it down to just 10. Thanks to all for sharing your favourites with us.

[tdickson]

I have two lists:
Firstly my Top 5 sailed on board Ships are QM2, Oriana, Queen Victoria, Ventura & Oceana (The last two for the FUN factor)
Then my second list of Ships most interested in would be QM2 ,QE11, Titanic, any other Cunard Ship & the Costa Concordia
 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

These are my favourite ships that I have enjoyed :

QE2
Vistafjord / Caronia / Saga Ruby
Rotterdam
Marco Polo
Hikawa Maru
Bohuslän

One container liner that I was allowed to visit, and her new larger sisters that I would very much like to see too (both of them the largest container ships in their day) :

Emma Maersk (and her sisters, particularly Ebba)
Maersk McKinsey Møller (and her sisters)

Three ships I would love to see and try :

Hebridean Princess
Le Boréal
Liemba

[Cabin 2066]

Rob:
Some points to consider from your post of this morning.
RMS QM - it best that she's in Long Beach as she is the big fish in the small pond out there. It seems they have gotten their act together in maintaining her and keeping her as a hotel and museum. She's one of a kind in LA which out there is a big deal.  If she had been moored in NYC, she would have been long gone by now and she never would have been berthed in her old berth as the Ocean Passenger Terminal is still being used for passenger ships of a certain tonnage. The newer Cunarders use the Brooklyn terminal because QM2 draws too much and would endanger the Lincoln Tunnel in the Hudson River to use the OPT on Manhatten's upper west side.
SS United States - it all comes down to money. In 1990, I was allowed aboard the US when it was mothballed in Newport News, Va. At that time, its interior was mostly intact(except for furnishings which had been auctioned) and it could have been reasonably restored to reflect its heyday times.
I was aboard her last September with a group of potential investors. A difference of night and day! She is GUTTED inside and it is nearly impossible to make out where the public rooms even were. Just tunnels of metal throughout. Such a shame as different plans were executed halfway and then stopped as the money ran out and left to the next investor to begin again. I think it would need tens of millions to restore her and I don't see that ever happening. (At least QE2 is intact at present!)
RMS Olympic - From our age and sailing experience, I can understand your observations, but as I read through the journals of my great grandfather and my grandfather,  the Olympic was to them as QE2 is to us.
They didn't like Cunarders because they felt them to be too bare bones compaired to the White Star flagship. They traveled first cabin and did most of their transAtlantics on Olympic and, interestingly, believed it better after Olympic converted from coal to oil (history repeating don't you think?). One further note - I found that they were prebooked to sail on the Titanic in the summer of 1912.
Modern cruise ships - We are of the same thinking - YUK!

[Lynda Bradford]

I have voted for my top three and if I had to give my top ten they would be: (in this order)

QE2
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Mary
Sylvania
Kungsholm
Carinthia
Lucitania
Aquitania
Saxonia
Transaal Castle

I should have mentioned the reason for my choice of ships, which I am sure you have guessed was because they were built in John Brown's.  My father had worked on many ships built in John Brown's but my choice includes the ships that I can remember him talking about when I was young, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, QE2, Sylvania, Kungsholm, Carinthia, Saxonia and Transvaal Castle.  I had the opportunity to see around the QE2, Sylvania and Transvaal Castle when they were fitted out and before they left the shipyard.   My grandfather had worked on the Aquitania and my great grandfather had worked on the Lucitania. 

Another ship that should not be forgotten is the RMS Carpathia, built by Swan Hunter and the role she played in rescuing passengers from the Titanic. 

[Adam Hodson]

Thanks for that Lynda. It's interesting that your father worked on many ships in John Brown's. Have you any posts on the forum about him?

Later on this evening when I get some time I will list the reasoning for my choices.

Cheers

Adam

[Lynda Bradford]

Thanks for that Lynda. It's interesting that your father worked on many ships in John Brown's. Have you any posts on the forum about him?
Later on this evening when I get some time I will list the reasoning for my choices.
Cheers
Adam

Looking forward to hearing more about your choices. 

....and yes I have written about my father in the "John Brown's in with the Bricks" topic where gave details about his working life in John Brown's
https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,5769.0.html

[Adam Hodson]

Thanks Lynda. I will have a read later.

[Hank Hargrove]

I thought about doing 20 as there are so many ships out there I love, however I managed to narrow it down to just 10. Thanks to all for sharing your favourites with us.

You're welcome!

[Adam Hodson]

Off topic but your journey through your dad's time at John Brown's was brilliant. Please see my post on the topic itself. - Adam

[Adam Hodson]

Here are the reasons for my choices.

SS/TSMV Queen Elizabeth 2 is a beautiful ship, she was fast and extremely well engineered. She has an amazing history and at the time she must have been a very different and thoroughly modern ship.

RMS Queen Elizabeth (Lizzie) & RMS Queen Mary The two sisters were magnificant ships. At the time the fastest and biggest passenger ships ever built if I am correct. I prefer QE or QM just because for some reason which I do not know, I prefer the two funnels, and the slightly diifferent bow shape (not really very noticeable).

SS Rotterdam Well, just look at her. What a beautiful ship - her bridge in particular.

SS United States The fastest ship to cross the Atlantic and must have been very beautiful back in her heyday.

RMS Queen Mary 2 She is a brilliant piece of engineering and I hope she lives the long special life that our QE2 lived.

RMS Titanic/Olympic I say RMS Titanic but I actually prefer the Olympic. Olympic and Titanic were beautiful ships and I loved the architecture inside. The Olympic had a nice long life and has some interesting history.

SS Eugenio C She was quite fast, and I really liked her stern and her twin funnels (they almost remind me of SS Rotterdams).

Vistafjord/Saga Ruby & Sagafjord/Saga Rose They were both very nice ships and I really liked the interiors. They were 'Mini QE2s'.

SS France/Norway The QE2's rival once upon a time. I always liked her shape and those funnels were amazing. Surely that's where Carnival took their funnel design from? It's a shame that she was changed when she became the Norway.

Thanks for reading. Took me quite a while to think of how to write this up. - Adam 

[Hank Hargrove]

SS Eugenio C She was quite fast, and I really liked her stern and her twin funnels (they almost remind me of SS Rotterdams).

EUGENIO C. has always been one of my favorites. It is a shame how her final years were spent rusting before being driven onto a beach.

[Adam Hodson]

Am I the only one that thinks SS QE2 sounds like an even nicer name with the SS there?