Contents
1. QE2 40 Years ago today.
2. New topics on the forum.
3. A visit to a former liner, turned into a hotel.
4. QE2 today (and how to keep an eye on her).
5. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
6. QE2 fans get together.
7. New badges available.
8. 2 Million views coming up!
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Welcome to the June 2010 newsletter for TheQE2Story.com! An enhanced version of this was sent out today to all members of the forum. If you're just a guest, you missed out!
1. 40 years ago today, QE2 crossed the Atlantic westbound in a record time of 3 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes, making an average speed of 30.36 knots. QE2 is today still able to exceed 30 knots... see item 4 below for more details...
2. Over the past few weeks, our members have posted a wide variety of fascinating new topics on the forum. Archives have been opened, photos have been revealed. Within our 'design, concept and build' section we have no less than 13 new topics created from the vast archives and knowledge of Michael Gallagher - all are well worth reading.
Meanwhile within 'The ship' section, we go behind the scenes to areas that passengers never saw - The 'barn', some of the senior officers offices, into the engine room with Tony Skilton, even the butchers and furnishing departments. All amazing stuff.
Within the popular 'Service Life' section, we have created 2 timeline topics, to support the information already held in that section. Michael Gallagher has also helped again with quite detailed information about the huge amount of work carried out in QE2's final refit in April 2008 - its amazing how much "invisible" work was carried out. Have a look at the images, and read the list, and see if you spotted any of it - I didn't! Did you notice the couches in the midships lobby change colour?
The Crew and passenger memories sections continue to grow
3. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the SS Rotterdam 'Cruise Hotel' in Rotterdam. This is the Netherland's last "ship of state" liner, a beautiful ship inside & out, preserved and converted into a hotel. I have written something about it on the forum, but I believe the conversion has been brilliantly carried out, and is a tribute to both the ship and the people who have co-ordinated and carried out the work.
She still looks beautiful, ready to sail and the most important spaces on board have all been preserved and enhanced. The cabins, although not original, take many elements from the original cabins (e.g. furniture, mirrors, fittings etc) as well as being done in a clever 50s style, like the original cabins. She needs to attract a wide range of hotel guests, and these rooms allow her to do so. All in all, if this happened to QE2, I'd be very happy. Would you? The other question is, where to put her! All of this is being discussed on the forum.
4. QE2 has now been in Dubai at Port Rashid for over 18 months - 553 days. Although nobody anticipated this - not least her owners - she is at least, for now, still fully intact and the original daft plans have faded away. Amazingly her engines, air-conditioning and other systems have never stopped running and most of her public areas and cabins look as if the passengers are simply out for the day. Although she would obviously need some attention before setting out on a voyage to a new location after so long in one place, she is still capable of it, under her own mighty power.
We believe there are currently only 2 options open to her, given the current situation - (a) semi-permanent lay up, with plans for this being long-term, as opposed to the current month-by-month arrangement or (b) relocating to a suitable location and opening her doors "as is" without conversion. A lay-up could, hopefully in time, lead to an SS Rotterdam 'Cruise Hotel' type treatment somewhere. It took over 9 years for SS Rotterdam to go from being in service to being a hotel...
To keep an eye on QE2 today, our member 'Dubai Guy' found this excellent webcam for us . You'll find this and all the other discussions about QE2 in Dubai in the 'After Cunard' section.
5. Our website & Forum have pages on Twitter and Facebook that allow us to inform our fans about interesting pieces of news & updates. These are the best ways, anywhere on the internet, to keep up to date with QE2.
6. In just a few weeks time, a bunch of us (What's the collective name for a bunch of QE2 Geeks?) will be meeting on board the wonderful PS Waverley - the World's last sea-going paddle steamer for a traditional Glasgow trip 'Doon the Watter' which will, of course, pass QE2's birthplace. Arrangements and discussions for this are taking place in the 'Virtual Chart Room' area of the forum, which you have to be logged in to see. If you would like to suggest/arrange other meetings, feel free to start a topic to see who else is interested. A small gathering in New York took place last month.
7. Member Myles Devin has got a new batch of badges made up so if you are travelling, especially if its on board a Cunarder!, and want to keep QE2's memory alive, make sure you're wearing yours!
8. And finally... has anyone read this far?.... the forum is now close to 2 million page views since starting at the end of January last year (4000 per day). We have over 565 members, but many more are happy just to read the forum as guests without registering. The forum's moderating team will do our best to keep the thousands of posts organised to allow the forum to continue to be a great resource for the future.
Thanks for reading!
- Rob Lightbody for TheQE2Story.com
