QE2 Repairs 4 to 7 January 1976 (Repair)

[Lynda Bradford]

The QE2 Story would like to thank Michael Gallagher for giving his permission to extract information from information he had compiled on refits and allowing us to make this information available on the QE2 Story Forum.

Date: 4 – 7 January 1976
Place: Newport News
Cost:
Captain: M Hehir

Read details of this incident in The QE2 Story topic "31 Dec 1975 QE2 collides with coral reef in Nassau"

Background and Repairs

31 December 1975 “QE2 was manoeuvring in the ‘swinging’ ground at Nassau prior to sailing. The seas were choppy and the wind was rough. As her bow turned, her underwater bulbous bow collided with a coral reef and was holed. Damage was reported to be a six-foot fracture of the bow, with a jagged hole 18 inches to 20 inches in diameter, and plating was heavily indented.”

2 January 1976: A temporary concrete patch was fitted by a diver when QE2 arrived as per her schedule at Port Everglades

“QE2 sailed at just before Midnight on 2 January. However, on the voyage to New York the temporary repairs started to leak (the repair plates worked loose and QE2 began to take in water). The ship reduced speed to 14.5 knots. Cunard had the ship diverted to Norfolk to offload passengers and then Newport News for inspection and repairs during a 48-hour dry-dock. “

4 January 1976: QE2 arrived in Norfolk at 1900 hours.  She was was placed into the Dry-Dock for 48 hours at Newport News on 5 January where a eight foot steel plate was welded into place. 

7 January 1976: QE2 continued her journey to New York. 

8 January 1976: QE2 arrived in New York and later that day sailed on a revised 9 day (instead of a 14 day) Caribbean cruise

Permanent Repairs

January 1977 “Permanent repairs were made to the bulbous bow in January 1977 at Bayonne (New Jersey) during a special repairs period at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation shipyard.”