Crew on the Rampage...QE2's World Cruise 2005

[Twynkle]

A report from Cruise Critic

"QE2 Winds Up World Cruise With a Whimper

April 20, 2005
Folks that work at Cunard were quite thrilled last week to discuss the "coming home" of Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2, which met for the first time ever in Southampton. Underneath all the festivities, however, QE2 has a messier story to tell.

As reported by an Edinburgh newspaper, a staff party held onboard as QE2 made the final crossing of its 2005 world cruise resulted in extensive damage to the venerable ship. A priceless tapestry of the Queen, which had been commissioned to mark the launch of the ship, was thrown overboard by drunken crewmen. An oil portrait of Queen Elizabeth 2 (the monarch, not the ship) was damaged as well during what The Scotsman describes as "a wrecking spree which left the cruise liner with thousands of pounds worth of damage."

Two other tapestries were also damaged as was part of the ship's entertainment area, toilets and a lifeboat.

The three crew members involved were detained onboard -- and then arrested when the ship docked at the end of the three-month-long world cruise. They were (obviously) dismissed and charges are pending.

In England, police have asked fishermen to keep an eye out for the precious lost tapestry, and the public has been asked to monitor beaches in case it washes up...."

[Andy Holloway]

Just shows how wrong Newspapers can get things!

I was Ch. Security Officer onboard at the time and my 'recollection' of events is a tadge different!

The Tapestries used to hang in 'E' Stairway and were three consecutive scenes from the launching of QE2. 1 was completely undamaged, 1 was torn at the top and one 'disappeared'.

The damaged on had been attempted to be torn off the wall but was just that bit too high to get any decent grip on and as such instead of coming away it just tore. The undamaged one was too high to grab hold off and as such the perpetrators left it in situ. The 1 that disappeared was found later in the day by the Hotel Services Manager, Mr Hilton Jeffries.
He was escorting an model designer around the ship who was remeasuring parts of QE2 prior to a new model being produced and, on climbing a ladder up to 'Doggy Deck' saw something underneath some of the service pipes. On checking he discovered what it was an i was called. At the time Hants Police CID were onboard making a report on the incident, so i escorted them up to the area and photos of the tapestry in situ were taken and once they were satisfied it was removed and taken for The Captain, Captain Warwick, to see.
The remaining tapestry was removed and all 3 were sent ashore to Cunard Office in S'ton. Later, with the help of The National Trust, all 3 tapestries were renovated and i think returned to QE2.   

As far as i can recollect the perpetrators were in fact a couple of young passengers and not crew, hence the Hants Police being called!

If i still had my records from that trip then i could tell you exactly who and when, but i disposed of them some years ago, i had just toooooo much to store!

[Peter Mugridge]

...the Hotel Services Manager, Mr Hilton Jeffries.

A very appropriate name given his position...?

[Brandon Sterkel]

A very appropriate name given his position...?

I didn't even notice that Peter! What a coincidence!