QE2 Dry Docking March 2018

[Clydebuilt1971]

Louis has been requested to not post any more photos of the dry docking just now, until the work is completed and we can all see the end result, which he's told is worth waiting for.

By cooperating with her managers in this way, we all hope we can work together in future

Good call Rob and I for one would like to thank Louis for keeping us in the loop to date.

Even if they did remove her props and put them on display - that would be a good thing to see rather than have them out of sight and all covered in growth again. Maybe they should consider a similar approach to QM in Long Beach where you can view an insitu prop.

I await the results of the dry dock with interest!

Gav

[cunardqueen]

Thanks Louis.

  Louis has been requested to not post any more photos of the dry docking just now, until the work is completed and we can all see the end result, which he's told is worth waiting for.   

Of course when  he is able to repost lets hope the site doesnt crash !

[Rob Lightbody]

News coverage.

https://www.thenational.ae/uae/famed-ocean-liner-qe2-moves-to-dubai-drydock-for-ship-to-hotel-conversion-work-1.714630

http://www.arabianindustry.com/supply-chain/news/2018/mar/20/qe2-cruise-ship-sales-from-port-rashid-for-first-time-in-three-years-5902052/

https://www.logisticsmiddleeast.com/transport/maritime/30485-qe2-cruise-ship-sales-from-port-rashid-for-first-time-in-three-years

[June Ingram]

Many thanks, Louis, photographers, and Rob, for keeping us updated.

I have said it before and will say it again - QE2 is the perfection of beauty !

[skilly56]

The props currently fitted are the third design/fitment.

First was the set fitted when she was a steam ship.
The second set was the first set fitted after conversion to a motor ship - they were designed to work with the Grimm wheels that failed during sea trials.
A year after the diesel-electric conversion sea trials and Grimm wheel failures, another set pf props were fitted by Lips, being designed to work without the Grimm wheels - these are the current installation.
Skilly

[Louis De Sousa]

Below is a Google Earth of Port Rashid and Dubai Dry Docks.
In green the circle is her new "home" at Berth 9/10 next to the Queen Elizabeth 2 terminal,in the red circle is Dock 3 at Dubai Dry Docks and where QE2 is from 18th March until 1st April 2018.QE2 was in the very same Dock 3 in 2013 and in 2009 she was in Dock 1.The yellow line is the route she takes to go back and forth.Each way is roughly 45 minutes.

[Louis De Sousa]

QE2 Day 3 (21st March) at the Dubai Dry Docks all going as planned

[Rob Lightbody]

Below is a Google Earth of Port Rashid and Dubai Dry Docks.
In green the circle is her new "home" at Berth 9/10 next to the Queen Elizabeth 2 terminal,in the red circle is Dock 3 at Dubai Dry Docks and where QE2 is from 18th March until 1st April 2018.QE2 was in the very same Dock 3 in 2013 and in 2009 she was in Dock 1.The yellow line is the route she takes to go back and forth.Each way is roughly 45 minutes.

QE2's last 45 minute voyage, for a very long time I should think, coming soon!  Thanks for highlighting it for those who haven't had the opportunity to explore the port.

Ample opportunity for people there to get photos as she comes back to her berth.  I hope to goodness they're going to do that as part of the relaunch.  Announce the time/date of her move, get the press out there to watch her glide past, gleaming to her berth, and at that point give them their tickets to the launch party.  I have my fingers crossed.

[Rob Lightbody]

https://instagram.com/p/BgguaD4A8cv

[Rob Lightbody]

https://instagram.com/p/BggSJkThkO8?hl=en&taken-at=245934257

[Rob Lightbody]

Noe; Link not active

[Rob Lightbody]

When they dry dock a ship, and she sits on the blocks, how do they paint where the blocks go?  Do they move the blocks one at a time to paint there maybe?

Also, if they're taking QE2 back to the metal for painting this time, when did that last happen?  We do have a topic somewhere, but I'm thinking its around 15 years?  The refit after QM2 came along wasn't it?

In terms of the coating that's applied below the waterline, is there something different that should be used now that she's to sit still?  Deterring marine grown would seem a good idea, if possible?

[Trevor Harris]

When they dry dock a ship, and she sits on the blocks, how do they paint where the blocks go?  Do they move the blocks one at a time to paint there maybe?

Also, if they're taking QE2 back to the metal for painting this time, when did that last happen?  We do have a topic somewhere, but I'm thinking its around 15 years?  The refit after QM2 came along wasn't it?

In terms of the coating that's applied below the waterline, is there something different that should be used now that she's to sit still?  Deterring marine grown would seem a good idea, if possible?

I thought they always strip it to metal..

[Michael Gallagher]

1999 Refit:

In the months leading up the refit, the condition of QE2’s exterior paintwork left a lot to be desired with the ship looking the worse for wear. One of the major undertakings in the refit was to restore the exterior of the ship to a level of that what was expected. In fact, continuous painting over the years had resulted in the hull wearing some 57 coats of paint (one inch thick).

Restoring the exterior involved grit- and hydro-blasting of the hull taking it back to the steel (last undertaken during the 1986 / 87 re-engining at Lloyd Werft) – an operation that took three weeks to complete. In total, some 91,000 square feet of hull was blasted prior to the application of new self-polishing anti-fouling paint. In addition, the boot-top was coated as was the hull and topsides. In total, International Coatings supplied about 12,000 litres of paint to cover 657,000 square feet.

2001 Refit:

General upgrading work involved the remaining steel topsides from Two deck to Quarter deck (white area of superstructure). The area was slurry-blasted to remove uneven build-up of old coatings and replaced with a high-grade anticorrosive system and long lasting polyurethane finish.

The aluminium superstructure was high pressure washed and repainted

2004 Refit:

•   The total underwater hull area and boot top was spot slurry-blasted and recoated with biocide-free antifouling.
 
•   The white steel and aluminium superstructure was slurry-blasted and recoated with biocide free antifouling from the Federal Gray line up to the Boat Deck for the length of the ship.

2006 Refit:

•   The front of the ship from Quarter to Sun Deck was completely blasted and repainted.

•   The white and federal gray sections of the ship were fully repainted.

[Rob Lightbody]

Wow, thank you Michael!

So IF they're taking her hull down to the metal just now, it will only be the third time since she was launched?

Also - should they consider lowering the red section of her hull a bit, to make her appear less high on the water?