QE2 Lifeboats -Where are they now?

[Louis De Sousa]

As we all know all the 20 lifeboats were removed between April and August 2016

Lifeboats 1 and 2 (plus one more at least) are now on display at the entrance to Terminal 3 now,check photo.
They will be seen now by all those passengers during the next cruising scene.

15 lifeboats are still in the parking lot about 150m away from ship.

2 lifeboats the harding ones were removed from location around December 2016,location at present unknown

[Louis De Sousa]

I have asked my contacts to try and get more photos maybe a wider scale so when can see the exact loction

[QE2forever]

I really hope this display is temporary, otherwise it means the lifeboats won't be re-installed on board QE2, which would be a very bad point for the new project.

[Rob Lightbody]

Thanks for the update.

Putting two on display like that indicates recognition and understanding to me, and eases worry that they'll just be 'binned'.

[Twynkle]

Thanks for the update.

Putting two on display like that indicates recognition and understanding to me, and eases worry that they'll just be 'binned'.

Yes, Rob - although they don't look very securely 'anchored', at least we know they are still in existence and
hopefully they won't disappear as the others apparently have done...
From the ship herself (hull and superstructure apart), are her 'boats', tenders and anchors the only things from the ship which remain as 'original'?
Heaven forfend if her magnificent doors have been removed - specially those in and out of the Boat deck.

[Bob C.]

I really hope this display is temporary, otherwise it means the lifeboats won't be re-installed on board QE2, which would be a very bad point for the new project.

Not that it means anything (but maybe it does), the Mina Rashid model display shows the lifeboats installed. 

I can't think of another preserved liner or ship that does not have lifeboats mounted on davits.  While no longer serving a purpose, they are part of the character of the ship - any ship.

[Louis De Sousa]

https://instagram.com/p/BXDus8Flzum

[Thomas Hypher]

It's good to see at least some of the lifeboats/tenders are being preserved to some level and not all being scrapped, just a shame it'll be unlikely they'll rejoin their "mothership" - unless this is a temporary preservation and mounting before returning onboard with the davits?

Thomas

[Rod]

Jeez, I have driven those a few times!

[Trevor Harris]

Jeez, I have driven those a few times!

What is the top speed for one of those? 5 knots?

[Brandon Sterkel]

It's good to see at least some of the lifeboats/tenders are being preserved to some level and not all being scrapped, just a shame it'll be unlikely they'll rejoin their "mothership" - unless this is a temporary preservation and mounting before returning onboard with the davits?

Thomas

I hope so, Thomas! They all belong back on the ship.

[Rod]

What is the top speed for one of those? 5 knots?

Launches could do about 7 knots. " hummy-dums", thats the semi enclosed one pictured, about 5. open boats about 5, numbers 7 & 8 about 5 even though they sounded as if they should be doing about 20!

[Trevor Harris]

Launches could do about 7 knots. " hummy-dums", thats the semi enclosed one pictured, about 5. open boats about 5, numbers 7 & 8 about 5 even though they sounded as if they should be doing about 20!

Wow. I guessed borderline correctly.

[June Ingram]

Poor "boatling" looks worse for wear and tear !

[Brandon Sterkel]

Don't know if this has been posted elsewhere on the forum,

While taking a closer look at Google Maps satellite view of the ship, it appears that 14 of the ship's lifeboats have been all lined up on either side of an access road leading to the area around the ship.

[Bob van Leeuwen]

If not on the ship, I thing that displayed and preserved lining the road to the QE2 with them is not such a bad idea, maybe even allowing going on them for a impression.

[Rob Lightbody]

The general consensus seems to be that we're happy the lifeboats are still with the ship.

But how long can they survive?  They've already had 9 years of baking in the sunshine, they were only maintained for the first couple of years (they were lowered and tested regularly).  Sand, incredible heat, salt...

[Rod]

I dear say they can last quite a bit longer. Big engines have probably had it but, the 2 and 3 cylinder Listers will probably still be usable until you, me and The QE2 Forum, have departed this earth!

[Bob van Leeuwen]

Would it not be more worrying the way they are stored, then how at the moment? I'm no export, but would they not be experiencing forces they where maybe not designed to take?

[cunardqueen]

  The general consensus seems to be that we're happy the lifeboats are still with the ship.

But how long can they survive?  They've already had 9 years of baking in the sunshine, they were only maintained for the first couple of years (they were lowered and tested regularly).  Sand, incredible heat, salt...   

Given the unofficial photos of QE2 , they could line them with brand new carperts and install lights in them...