QE2 Slides preserved and researched by Brian Price, Cruise Director.

[Lynda Bradford]

Brian Price, who joined QE2 in May 1974 as Cruise Director, shares this fascinating story of how a collection of QE2 slides showing the building of QE2 came into his possession and how he has kept the memory of QE2 alive by presenting these slides on cruises and to groups interested in Maritime History

Origin of Slides:

Having served as Cruise Director on Cunard Adventurer and Ambassador, I was promoted to Cruise Director Queen Elizabeth 2 commencing 7 May 1974 in order to prepare for the upcoming Premier World Cruise.
 
During the summer of 1974, Terry Conroy, who had previously been CD of QE2 and now worked ashore in a management capacity, came to my office while the ship was alongside in Southampton, and threw a box of 80 slides on my desk and said ‘These might be some use. They’re just taking up space in my desk!’ He said.  And that was all.

During a rare quiet moment on the westbound crossing I took a close look at the slides.
They comprised a unique visual record of the ship being built. The pictures had been commissioned by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (previously John Brown’s Shipyard), and this was a set that had been passed on to Cunard Southampton, and then on to me.

Over the course of the next month or so, I researched each slide with various engineer and navigational officers so that I was confident that I knew everything that could be seen in each slide, and the intricate function of every part of the engines, hull and bridge.

I then presented the slides in lecture format on every crossing and cruise of QE2, to a usually full house. It wasn’t until after I retired that I got an after-talk question that I was not sure of the answer. It was to do with the Michell Thrust Bearings and their physics, and so I contacted the Company. They were amazed to hear from me, because this was now after the ship had been re-engined. Michell, were very helpful and also gave me a set of drawings and a full explanation of the function of the bearings.

Forum Members who attended the QE2 Story's QE2 50 years conference at Clydebank Town Hall in 2017 will remember the entertaining presentation that Brian gave to the audience.  Below he outlines his fantastic repertoire of talks:

Since I retired I have included a talk entitled ‘The Pride of the Clyde’ in my repertoire of talks.
 
A Laugh on the Ocean Wave
A Day in the Life of a Gigolo
Worse Things Happen at Sea
The Pride of the Clyde.
 
These talk have been popular with many organisations here in the north west.
The most prestigious venue at which I have spoken (apart from the Glasgow talk) has been The Liverpool Nautical Research Society where I have presented talks on a few occasions.
 
The original slides are still in my possession.....however I have digitised them in order to preserve the quality.

Brian has agreed to let the QE2 Story post some of his photos with background information.  Look out for the first instalment that I will post later today.

[June Ingram]

This is wonderful news, Lynda !  I, for one, am really looking forward to Brian's posts.   

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

That's an exciting contribution! I am very much looking forward to the slides and the technical details.

I wonder will we be asking any unusual questions about them? Brian Price will be sure to find us the answer .

[Lynda Bradford]

I hope you all enjoy the first instalment and the first two pictures that Brian has allowed me to post on his behalf:

Picture 1:
The keel of 736 was laid on 5 Jul 1965, two days later than the scheduled date. It was rumoured that the piece of the hull selected to represent the entire keel was too heavy for the crane.

(In the 60’s shipbuilding was at the very beginning of modular construction, rather than bring singular plates out of a workshop and weld or rivet them in place, larger parts of the ship are premade in a workshop and then brought to the slipway by cranes and welded on to the hull. Today, ships are constructed in enormous modules which comprise several decks along a proportional length of the hull.)

The slipway used to build QE2 was the same slipway that was used for her predecessors, The RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth. The revolutionary hull design was such that an aluminium superstructure would be fastened to a steel hull. This would provide a weight saving which would translate into more interior space for passengers and crew.

The estimated build cost at this stage was £25.5 million, but like all projects, this escalated prior to completion.
The chief designer of the yard build number 736 project was Dan Wallace.

The ship’s name would not be known until the launch, and the yard number lived on in the early days of the ship with a public room being named The 736 Club - a nightclub initially, which became the casino and then the Queen’s Grill.

Picture 2:
A good example of a preconstructed module, extremely modest by today’s standards, is the rear section of the propeller shaft housing. This is where the propeller shafts exit the hull. QE2 had just two main propulsion propellers, each with six fixed blades. Her predecessors had four propellers with four blades each. The propeller shafts were 76.2 meters long and 61 cm in diameter and were installed in sections enabling easy replacement if required.
 

Looking forward to lots of questions and discussion on these fabulous photos.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Fascinating! At the moment, I am simply enjoying the story and looking forward to the next instalment.

[June Ingram]

The photos are marvelous !  And the descriptions contain a wealth of information. 

Where in the shipyard was the workshop located where the modular units were constructed ?

Many thanks and looking forward to more !   

[Lynda Bradford]

What a treat to see the second instalment from Brian Price with two fantastic photos of QE2 being built.

Thank-you to Brian for making these photos plus the information he has researched available to the QE2 Story members.  I have added some links to forum topics to further enhance QE2's Story. 

736 Midship and Deck One and Two

No 736 midship’s section is now complete up to Deck One and Deck Two. Some of the most expensive cabins were to be located on these decks, that is until the Penthouse Suites were added five years after her maiden voyage.

This view over the stern of 736  shows that there has been very little work carried out so far on the stern  (or the bow), so that physical weight of the midship’s section will establish the stability of the ship while she sits on the slipway.

Today, most ships are built in drydocks, and when the hull is completed, the drydock is simply flooded and the ship floats (hopefully). Not nearly so much fun as a slipway.... or then there’s the ultimate excitement of a ‘sideways slipway launch’ such as those carried out at Myer Weerft Shipyard on the River Ems in Germany.
In the background......the River Clyde.

Bulbous Bow

The bulbous bow of 736 is very modest by modern standards. Today this same appendage would be cigar shaped and measure about 8 meters long.
Until just a few years before 736’s design, the bow of a ship was always knife edge sharp to cut through the sea, but then maritime hull designers discovered that having a big lump at the bow reduced the waves that flowed down the side of the hull, pushed the pressure of the sea away from the hull and over all increased the efficiency and stability of the hull as it passed through the sea resulting in and overall fuel cost saving.

You may like to also have a look at the forum's topic on the Bulbous Bow where there are more photos from the build stage
 
Incidents involving the Bulbous Bow

There were several incidents involving the bulbous bow of QE2.
On a crossing from Southampton to Boston (for a Crimson Travel Charter) the ship ran into heavy seas, and the force of inertia broke the anchor chain on the bow anchor. It should be noted that in early service QE2 had four anchors: at the bow on the port side, starboard side and one right at the bow and then at the stern (starboard side) there was another which was hardly ever used. Each anchor weighed 12.5 tons.  It was the bow anchor chain that broke, and the anchor dropped into the Atlantic Ocean and is still there today, but on it’s way down it pierced the bulbous bow. The compartment was sealed off and the ship continued to Boston, where she was trimmed so that the hole was above the waterline and the damage could be repaired. The bow anchor was never replaced.

See also topic on QE2 Anchors    ........ and Hull Patches
 
Collision with Whale

A few years later coming across the bar at the entrance to the Tagus River and entering the harbour at Lisbon, QE2 sadly collided with a whale. The ship was moving quite slowly at the time and the collision was thought to be unavoidable and perhaps also a contributory fact was that the whale was thought to be quite old. It had been impossible to remove the carcass and the ship unfortunately berthed with the whale wrapped around the bow. It was then removed. Nevertheless, the press came on board and interviewed the Captain..... it was almost as if we had run over someone’s cat.

The topic Whale of a Drama has discussions on this unfortunate incident.

Brian Price is giving forum members a unique opportunity to see some of his collection of photos that he uses for his lectures.  It would be good to hear your comments and memories. 

[Thomas Hypher]

Excellent photos and information from Brian (particularly the information on the loss of the bow anchor).

In the first photo in the most recent post, showing her midsection on the slipway, one can see where the epoxy riveted join between the steel hull (up to One Deck) and the aluminium superstructure (Quarter Deck and above) is — where the holes are punched in the steel hull above the One Deck portholes.

[Lynda Bradford]

Excellent photos and information from Brian (particularly the information on the loss of the bow anchor).

In the first photo in the most recent post, showing her midsection on the slipway, one can see where the epoxy riveted join between the steel hull (up to One Deck) and the aluminium superstructure (Quarter Deck and above) is — where the holes are punched in the steel hull above the One Deck portholes.

Thanks Thomas.  There is so much detail in this photo, I have been studying it but I have ended up with more questions than answers. I cannot think of a high viewpoint where the  first photo could have been taken, it could have been taken from an airplane or helicopter.  If you look closely you can see red funnel(s) of a ship in the fitting out basin. 

There is a similar photo on the RIBA webpage that dates the image as taken in 1966.  Brian's photo was probably taken around the same time. 

The view down river is very clear, so I would think the photo was taken in the Spring or Summer months.

I have been trying to find out what the white structure that is visible on the right beyond the shipyard. There was a Portland Cement Factory in the area but not sure where.  Maybe one of our members, remembers this structure.

You can imagine the hive of industry with hundreds of men working on the ship on any workday - brilliant photo.

 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

I have been amazed at the beauty of the photo of the bulbous bow. It looks like a piece of modern sculpture, with its angles and edges. Fascinating to think that this structure continues to be buried within the overall shape of QE2.

[Lynda Bradford]

Brian Price has sent a third instalment of his collection of QE2 build photos and what a fantastic opportunity we have to view these historic images.  Enjoy!



In this picture we can clearly distinguish between the steel hull and aluminium superstructure.
Fastening steel to aluminium was  a new technology, call Huck Bolting, which had been tried in Dutch shipyards, and QE2  was the first use of the technique in British shipbuilding.
The two surfaces have to be perfectly clean and then dressed with an epoxy resin before joining and fixing with huck bolts (rivets) and then the area joined is heated to complete the bond.
 
Notice that the slipway is lined up with a cut in the bank of the far side of the River Clyde, allowing for a little extra ‘wiggle room’ on the launch.
 
Aluminium was used for the superstructure in order to save weight which could then be translated into extra space inside the ship for passengers and crew....and of course cargo. QE2 was unique in transatlantic liners in that she had the capability of drive-on, drive off cars and vehicles. (During the stevedores strike in NYC I drove 6 brand new Daytona Ferraris off the ship during one call.)



Above is one of the two bow thruster propellers. These were installed in two tubes which cross from one side of the ship to the other at the bow where it is narrowest.
These were used when manoeuvring the ship in harbour, and at times negated the use of tug boats and therefore saved money. The propellers were 6.55 feet (2 meters) in diameter and were driven by 1000 hp electric motors. When the ship was underway, circular doors would then be closed to protect the doors while the ship was at sea.
They were controlled by a joystick on the bridge with repeater controls on the wing of the bridge. Two bow thrusters was quite modest for a ship of this size.

[pete cain]

I lovem, lovem, lovem the sepia effect is superb, the historical value - well .....
 however I think SS Oriana was well ahed of QE2 with Aluminiun superstructure build, answers please on a postcard

[Lynda Bradford]

I was delighted to receive the latest instalment of QE2 build slides from Brian Price today.  The slides show QE2 at John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank during the building of the ship - it is particularly poignant to see these images on the day when we remember QE2 leaving Southampton for the last time, as she sailed towards her new future in Dubai.

Brian has provided some text to accompany the photos giving us a little insight into each image. 


The Denny Brown stabilizers



"For a ship carrying passengers, it is imperative that it is equipped with an effective method of stabilizing the rocking motion caused by waves approaching the ship on the beam. It should also be mentioned that the crew and officers are not immune to The Motion of the Ocean and they also benefit from a stabilized ship.
 
Although there are various ways of ensuring a calmer sea passage, the most effective style of stabilizer for a ship the size of QE2 is the retractable fin stabilizer. QE was fitted with two pairs of stabilizers but it should be emphasized that they operated independently of each other and they are gyroscopically controlled. When the ship’s gyroscope detects a  difference on the horizontal level of the ship it sends a message to individual stabilizers which will in turn rotate slightly to counteract the motion, upwards on one side and downwards on the other. This reduces the effect of the sea by up to 80%, and if they were to be retracted during a heavy sea, would cause a lot of damage and possible injury within the ship.
 
During a heavy sea they will also help to maximize fuel efficiency, but if left out during a calm sea would have the opposite effect.
 
Each fin is 6 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. When not in use they hinge into the hull of the ship and protected by a door. They are retracted during calm weather and when the ship is entering and leaving port. In some ports around the world, notably Capetown and Lisbon, with stabilizers retracted (and the ship moving too slow for them to be effective anyway) QE2 occasionally adopted a fairly extreme rolling motion when entering the harbour.
 
There is no truth in the rumour that the ship’s doctor would bribe the Captain to retract the stabilizers for a short period during rough weather so that he could increase his revenue for seasickness jabs. These days, a pill is just as effective for most people."

View of QE2 from the South bank of the River Clyde


 
"Building at this stage is up to the outer bulkheads of Boat Deck"

And below.... a view across the John Brown workshop roof:

[Lynda Bradford]

Brian has sent these fabulous picture of the QE2's propeller shafts and propeller

QE2 had only 2 propellers, each with 6 fixed position blades (the original Queens had 4 propellers). This is the port side propeller in the process of being attached to the end of the propeller shaft. The propellers were cast in bronze  and measured 5.8 metres in diameter and weighed 31.75 tons each. And the other important fact: Cost of 2 propellers = £1 million.




A section of the propeller Hull shaft taken prior to installation in the ship.
It was designed to be in sections for ease of removal and replacement as and when required.
The total length of the propeller Hull shaft casing was 76.2 metres and each section measured 10.7 metres in length. The diameter measured 61 centimetres.



Thanks once again to Brian Price for making these images with information available to the forum. 

Look out for more photos: the most interesting pics are still to come with the construction of the steam turbines and gearboxes. 

[June Ingram]

Wonderful photos and great commentary !  Many thanks !   

[Clydebuilt1971]

These are just amazing!

In conjunction with the slides that Rob presented at Fairfields in May we have a very concise story of the ship from construction to trials and beyond!!

Cant wait until the next instalment.

Gav

[Lynda Bradford]

Thanks to Brian Price we start the New Year with fabulous pictures with information on the QE2's Turbines and Boilers in John Brown's Engineering, workshop in Clydebank.



"The original engines of QE2 comprised two high pressure turbines built by Parmetrada (Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company) and two low pressure turbines, a double reduction gearbox and a Michell thrust bearing.
Steam to drive the turbines was produced by 3 Foster Wheeler boilers.
 
In this overview of the engineering workshop at John Browns it’s hard to spot anyone doing any work except the two engineers in the foreground. They are standing in the bottom half of the low pressure turbine. Behind them is the lower half of the other low pressure turbine. Down the centre of the turbine base is the turbine shaft, onto which the turbine blades will be attached.
Just behind the bases are the two curved turbine covers for the low pressure turbines.
 
In the background are the three Foster Wheeler boilers which made the steam to drive the turbines."



"The Foster Wheeler boilers under construction.
 
Water, inserted at the base of the boiler, is heated to make steam and then super heated to pressurize it so that it can be used to drive the turbines.
The engineer on the left is standing on a bank of suoerheater elements. On rare occasions during service, the metal used in these superheater elements would deteriorate to the extend that steam would escape and the boiler would lose pressure, the ship would speed, and the element would have to be replaced / repaired."




"The boilers produced 231,000lbs of steam per hour at service speed and 310,000lbs at maximum speed just short of 34 knots.

The steam was heated to 510 degree C (950 degrees F) and pressurized to 850 lbs psi."

Follow links to read more about QE2's Boilers and Steam Turbines or join the discussion on the Foster Wheeler Boilers

[skilly56]

Regarding Reply#13, the lower photo actually shows the stern tube bearing liner being fed into the hull shaft casing, not the 'propeller shaft' as stated.



If one looks at the stud ring on the aft end of the stern tube in the lower photo, it matches the stern tube stud ring shown in the upper photo. Additionally, what is called the 'propeller shaft' in the lower photo has a flange on it's aft end, so it could not be fed into the ship through the stern tube - it is the stern tube liner!
Propeller shafting is designed to transmit huge torque, so it definitely wouldn't be bored out to the extent shown in the photo. (Some models of CPP shafting are bored out centrally for a push/pull rod, but definitely not to this extent).
All the inner sections of shafting in the shaft tunnels have flanges on each end for alignment and the fitted coupling bolts, the holes for which have to be drilled in the workshop. The flange shown has no coupling bolt holes. The inner sections of shafting are always installed from the engine room side because of the flanges, and in the days before hydraulic muff couplings, even the tailshaft was installed from the inboard side because of the large driving flange.

If it was the aftermost section of propeller shafting, where is the spigot for the propeller to mount on?

Once QE2 had CP props & shafting installed at the re-engining layup, the prop shafts did have a large flange on the aft end to mount the CPP hub on, and the connection inside was via hydraulic SKF muff couplings (photo attached). I have also attached photos of the propeller shaft flanges & coupling bolts for the CPP installation, but these would have been similar in size to the fixed pitch propeller shafting.

Cheers,

Skilly

[Lynda Bradford]

Brilliant to have such technical expertise to add to the photos, thanks Skilly.  I will certainly feedback to Brian your explanation. 

[pete cain]

This just gets better & better, what a lovely post Christmas/ New Year pick me up, thanks to Brian & also to
 Skilly for the  - as usual in depth info'.
   Does make you wonder what else is out there waiting to be discovered don't you think ?.

[Lynda Bradford]

Hope you are enjoying seeing these fantastic QE2 slides.  Brian Price has sent these photos for this month's instalment. 

And so now on to the turbines....
First the high pressure turbine:
This rotor with its blades is installed into a casing to ensure that the steam produced by the Foster Wheeler boilers passes through the turbine blades making the rotor spin. The quantity of the steam is controlled in the Turbine Control Room where the Officer on duty makes the ship go faster, slower, forwards or astern by releasing steam into the turbines.
The steam has been heated to 510 degrees C and pressurised to 850 psi, and will make the high pressure turbine spin at 5000 rpm.

In the picture you see the high pressure turbine is being lowered by a piece of ‘old rope’ into the lower half of the PH Turbine Casing.
 

[Lynda Bradford]

and here is the second photo for this month's instalment and the extract from Brian's notes:

The steam loses some pressure after it has passed through the HP Turbine, but still contains valuable energy which can be used in a turbine with much larger blades....The Low Pressure Turbine.

The Low Pressure Turbine has two separate sets of blades for AHEAD and ASTERN. This turbine will rotate at 3300 rpm.
 
The turbines were designed and built by PARMATRADA of Wallsend. The port side engine and starboard side engine each comprised a High Pressure Turbine and a Low Pressure Turbine contained in their own casings and connected to a port and starboard double reduction gears.
 

[Mauretania1907]

Ive been sorting my books and now reading Potter and Frost's book QE2, which has a lot about the design and building of the ship and the fact that Cunard was in dire financial troubles at the time (not to mention John Brown shipyard) They do not mention the 'teething troubles' she had.

[June Ingram]

These are amazing photos to see and thanks very much for the technical details !   

[Lynda Bradford]

Thanks to Brian Price for continuing to let us see the QE2 slides he had rescued.  This month he continues with photos and comments on the images.  These photos would have been taken in John Brown Engineering workshop in Clydebank.

Brian Price

The Double Reduction Gear Housing.....
 
The high pressure turbine runs at 5000 rpm, and the low pressure turbine runs at 3300 rpm. These have to be reduced to approximately 132 rpm which is required for the shaft rotation speed.
 
This process is achieved in the Double Reduction Gear Housing.

Photo 1:

"Pictured here, standing on end is the double reduction gear housing. Front at the top, rear at the bottom.  Inside this housing will run the gears that  will reduce the turbine speeds to that which is required at the propeller shaft. Turbines go in at one end and the propeller shaft out at the opposite end."



"The process being completed here is tooth cutting on the main ‘Bull’ gear. You can’t miss the Yard Number ‘736’ casually chalked on the side of the gear. This gear turns at the same speed as the propeller."



I know nothing about engineering but I appreciate the skills at the John Brown's Engineering Works in Clydebank, which would be a topic on it's own. 

Looking forward to hearing your comments and I know that Brian Price appreciates getting information from forum members who have first hand knowledge of QE2 engines and turbines. 

More photos will be posted over the weekend. 

[Lynda Bradford]

More photos....

"Here the ‘Bull’ gear is lying on it’s side while the double helical (herringbone) gears are cut and checked. In this next picture we see the secondary pinion wheels being checked again."





"Then finally, The Meshing Test: all the gears are coated in black and assembled in the Double Reduction Gear Housing. The gears are then run and any incorrect measurements in the manufacture process can be detected by the black coating rubbing off.
 
The next instalment.....you’ll see the entire Port Side Engine assembled, but still in the workshop."
 
Please post to let Brian know that you are enjoying these unique pictures.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

These are fascinating pictures, and what a miracle it is that they have been preserved for us to marvel at!

Great thanks to Brian for making them available and adding the information which helps us to understand them. Thanks also to Lynda for posting them and keeping the topic flowing.

While I am ignorant of the machinery, I am hugely enjoying the pictures and stories around them.

[Lynda Bradford]

It is amazing to see the men working on the gears and the detail is amazing.   I wonder if anyone recognises the workers!

[Lynda Bradford]

...and here is another fantastic photo that Brian sent this afternoon.

He wrote:

"Here’s the next instalment....
 
Having seen the construction of the boilers turbines and double reduction gears in the last few pictures....... here’s a unique photograph of the port side engine of QE2. It is pictured here in John Brown’s workshop, and all of the components of the engine have been assembled so that it can be ‘bench tested’ prior to it’s placement into the ship.
 
The size of this engine becomes even more apparent if you make a comparison with the four men pictured around the engine."



"At the top of the picture with its curved casing is the low pressure turbine (3,300 rpm), to its right on the inboard side of the engine is the silver casing of the high pressure turbine (5,000 rpm), and in the centre of the picture, the sloping sides of the double reduction gearbox which in its turn,  produced a shaft speed of 132 rpm). This engine produced 55,000 shaft horsepower. Together, both engines produced 110,000 shaft horsepower. I think that’s about the equivalent of about 140 Ferraris 812 Superfasts running at 8,500 rpm!!"
 
Big question....... what happened to them after they were taken out of the ship in Germany and replaced with diesel electric engines?
 
Does anyone know the answer?

Hope, that like me, you are looking forward to seeing more of Brian's collection of QE2 slides. 

 

[Rod]

Fascinating! Just fascinating

[Thomas Hypher]

Big question....... what happened to them after they were taken out of the ship in Germany and replaced with diesel electric engines?
 
Does anyone know the answer?

I gather all of the steam turbine plant's machinery was disposed of as scrap metal. One pair of propellers went to Kiel for display and another pair were melted down into limited edition golf clubs or at least this is what I've read.

[Michael Gallagher]

Cunard was hoping that a museum in the UK would be interested in taking some of the redundant machinery but none showed any interest when approached.

Some of the turbine blades were cut into pieces and mounted on individual clear plastic mounts and were given away as souvenirs by Cunard.

QE2’s first set of propellers remained with the ship throughout her time as a steamship but her 1986 / 1987 re-engining would see them replaced by a new set of controllable pitch five-bladed propellers from the Dutch firm of LIPS.

It was reported that the years of service and rotating through the water had reduced the diameter of the propellers by 1.5 inches.

One propeller was originally to be retained as a dockland exhibit in England but that plan never materialised while the other propeller is suspected to have been melted down by LIPS with the metal being recast into other propellers.

Kiel

In 1987 one of the propellers was saved by German entrepreneur Berni Schweda who gave it to the City of Kiel where, since 1990, it now resides on the east river bank. There are no signposts or plaques about it and it appeared in a sorry state in 2018.

It WASN'T these propellers which became the golf materials - it was actually the spare set which had been produced in the 1960s and had lain in Southampton ready for use as and when.


See topic When visiting Kiel Germany - QE2 Propellers

[June Ingram]

Many thanks for the amazing photos and commentary !   

[Clydebuilt1971]

Great photos and commentary.

These tell not only the story of the building of QE2 but also of the skill and capability of Clydeside at that time.

Keep em comin!!

Gav

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

In Lynda's absence, here is the next series of Brian Price's wonderful photos. Thank you so much, Brian, for the  photos and the description following hereunder.


The Michell Thrust Bearing



The Michell Thrust bearing is one of the most important parts of the propulsion system. There’s a thrust bearing at the top end of each propeller shaft, just behind the double reduction gearbox.
QE2’s main thrust bearings were manufactured by a South Shields Company.....Michell Bearings.
 
During one of my presentations I was asked a question about the main engine bearings – and I was not too sure if I had given the correct answer. When I got home I Googled ‘Michell Bearings’ and called the company to see how close I had been to giving out the right answer to the question. I was ‘put through’ to the CEO who was delighted to hear that I had slides of his bearings and had been giving talks about the QE2 engines. He not only confirmed that I had been giving out the correct information, but also provided me with drawings of the bearings.
 
DEFINITION AS PROVIDED
Michell Hydrodynamic bearings.
Neither plate or roller type bearings.
Incompressible oil between one rotating and one static plates.
Frictionless, but with gradual power loss caused by shearing of the oil film.
 
Inside the bearing is a circular plate/collar which is attached to, and rotates with the propeller shaft. In front of that is another circular collar around the propeller shaft which is static (not rotating). In between the two there is a incompressible film of oil. It is at this point that the enormous energy created by the rotating blades of the propellers (and delivered back up the propeller shaft) is diverted down to the hull of the ship.
 
If it were not for these bearings, that energy would go back into the engine.



Further aft, between storage tanks, one of the two propeller shafts is clearly seen in the background. As mentioned before, the shaft was constructed in sections for ease of removal / replacement if necessary, and rotated at a speed of approximately 132 RPM (on a good day).
 
Coming Up......The Main Control Room and Argus 400 computer.

[June Ingram]

Many thanks, Brian, for sharing with us your awesome photos and the commentary for the photos.  It is an extraordinary opportunity to see these photos of QE2 !  Many thanks to Isabelle for posting them here for us to see !   

[Lynda Bradford]

A big thank-you to Brian Price for this latest instalment of photos.  These may bring back memories for our Engineers who were on QE2 during her early years.  If you recognised any of the faces please post so that we can put names to faces. 

1:  The MCR or to give it’s full tile The Main Control Room where all technical functions (including the contents of the storerooms) of the ship were controlled and monitored......a few familiar faces here!



2: The Main Electrical Power Station.
Electricity is produced by 3 turbo alternators using steam from the 3 Foster Wheeler boilers at an initial voltage of 3,300 each. Electricity is then delivered at 440v and then reduced to 220v and 110v for domestic use around the ship. In it’s early days it was said that the 5.5 megawatts that could be produced by QE2 was enough to light the city of Southampton.
 


3: Checking the printout of the Argus 400 computer which is housed in the room at the rear of this picture.
The Argus 400 system was made by Ferranti and named in line with their policy of naming computers after Greek gods. It was designed in the 1960’s with potential use mostly in the military field. Please note: Rob has posted an item with all the intricate details of the Argus 400 computer.



You can read more about the computer on QE2's computer Ferranti Argus 400 topic

Brian mentioned that the next instalment will be "The TCR" no idea what what is but sure looking forward to finding out. 

[Rod]

Very early photos! The gentleman with 2 stripes and a lack of hair is Brian Gregory, later on he became Staff Chief, maybe Chief.
TCR is Turbine Control Room.

[Clydebuilt1971]

I wonder if it was a company local to the builder who made those control panels and switchgear for the control rooms?

Back in the day there were hundreds of suppliers who could do just that and more.

[June Ingram]

These are just wonderful photos ! Thanks very much to Brian Price for providing them and to Lynda for posting them ! 

[Lynda Bradford]

A big thank-you to Brian Price for continuing to let us see his slide collection.

The latest slides take us behind the scenes to the Turbine Control Room with Brian providing his commentary.  If you recognise any of the officers on duty please let us know.

"Here two of the three officers on duty. I remember the engineer sitting down, but cannot remember his name I think it’s Ray.

In the Turbine Control Room, no prizes for guessing what they do here.
But nevertheless a brief explanation......they control the turbines.

That is they direct the steam coming out of the boilers and going into the turbines and make the turbines go faster, slower or astern, thus controlling the speed and whether the ship goes forwards or astern.
The OOW (Officer of the Watch) on the bridge will manoeuvre the bridge telegraph to indicate the vessels requirements from Full Ahead to Full Astern."



Bridge to Engine telegraph



"The above console is located on the bridge. On the left of centre, a row of switches for the port engine  and on the right of centre a row of switches for the starboard engine, Both engines in this picture are on half ahead ie half speed ahead.

You’ll notice that the switches are oil stained.....the reason is that this picture was taken during a refit when they were being operated by engineers and not well manicured navigators!

The two outside rows of illuminated lights are a secondary confirmation of the engine speed situation."

Meanwhile in the TCR...



To the left of the lever is a row of lights which is a repeater of the bridge requirements for this engine. Just off the picture is the same repeater indicator and lever for the other engine.
 
The officer has received an instruction from the bridge (half ahead) via the telegraph, and he will confirm that with the corresponding switch and he will then manoeuvre the lever he is holding in his right hand the increase / decrease the steam going into the turbines until the required shaft speed is reached. Unlike modern ships, QE2 had a human link from bridge commands through to engine control. In front of him, the large dial provides him with a readout of revolutions either forward or astern....
 
(In the Geiranger Fjord, QE2 lost it’s steering capability at a fairly reasonable speed in the early hours of the morning, and it was only through an immediate understanding of the situation shared between the helm (most likely the Captain)  and the officer in the TCR that a disaster was averted. This resulted in an unscheduled visit to Alesund and a stopover there while parts were flown out.
 

[Lynda Bradford]

I have added all the photos that Brian has made available to us to a forum gallery album

[June Ingram]

These are marvelous photos along with a great commentary !  Many thanks to Brian for sharing them and to Lynda for posting them !   

[Rod]

Officer sitting down is Ray Divett. Later  became 1st Engineer.

[Thomas Hypher]

Wonderful! Both the technical and the anecdotal aspects!

[Clydebuilt1971]

Love these!

Again wondering where all these panels and control systems were made back in the day.

Gav

[Stuart Bradley]

I thought that the steam inlet valves were the big chrome wheels under the hand rail?

[Rod]

I thought that the steam inlet valves were the big chrome wheels under the hand rail?

For use in emergencies.

[Lynda Bradford]

Thanks to Brian Price for sending the latest QE2 pictures from his slide collection:

Starting an amazing photo of the Safety Control Room – taken from a balcony around the control room. Looking forward to hearing from crew who would know a bit more about this room.



Brian has given the following commentary:

"Located on 2 Deck just forward of the Purser’s Office and within the area of passenger spaces is the Safety Control Room which was manned 24 hours a day.

It is here that we find a control centre for several major functions regarding safety and stability of the ship. The officer on duty could monitor the status of all water-tight and fire-doors from the panels in front of him. The panel to the right shows all the decks of QE2 split into red and yellow sections indicating fireproof sections. Lights ON = door closed. All doors can be operated from the bridge and the Safety Control Room, and in the manoeuvring status of the ship or else in fog, water-tight doors would be closed as normal practice.
The other panels indicate tank systems where liquids, water, fuel or sea water are stored and can be moved from one tank to another in order to adjust and control the trim of the ship. This important function would be on demand from the bridge. Failure to have the ship in the correct trim could result in hull damage, perhaps a contributory factor at the Martha’s Vineyard partial grounding.

Although QE2 had desalination, she would also take on fresh water in some ports as it was cheaper to buy water than to desalinate. Perhaps Beardy Rich could add  a bit more clarification to this slide."

[Thomas Hypher]

From what I've heard out of Dubai, although I am unable to confirm for sure, the safety control room is still used as such these days albeit not for all the same functions and likely working with new systems installed in the conversion/rebuild. If this is 100% the case, it could still be manned as we speak...

Regardless though, great information and photo once again!

[June Ingram]

Many thanks to Brian and to Lynda ! That is a great photo ! Thanks, Thomas, for the info. That is great if the Safety Control Room is still being used ! 

[Lynda Bradford]

Another photo and information from Brian Price

The Navigation Bridge


"On the left, the console contains controls for bow-thrusters, a small helm joystick, 2 x radar, bridge to TCR/engine room controls (far end on the starboard side).

In the centre of the picture is the main helm control, above the helm is a compass repeater. Also in the centre is the chart table and satnav console. On the right: exterior lighting, watertight door controls, and in the top right corner two switches to crash stop all air conditioning forward or aft in the event of fire."

Thanks again to Brian Price for making his collection of slides available to the QE2 Story

[Thomas Hypher]

Above the helm is the periscope for viewing the magnetic compass binnacle on the bridge roof, as isolated from interference as possible whilst still being useful.

[Thomas Hypher]

Great photo of the bridge as it was originally. The group of panels at the rear of the bridge stayed mostly the same all her service life and are also still in place today, including the Denny Brown stabiliser control panel.

[June Ingram]

Many thanks to Brian, Lynda, and Thomas ! 

[Clydebuilt1971]

"including the Denny Brown stabiliser control panel."

Tthe ship I am involved in restoring (The Second Snark) was used as a development test bed for this system during the nid 60s. She had stabiliser fins at one point but sadly no (known) pics exist of this - only the plated over slots hint at this use.

Great pics again from Brian once again - I have two presentations lined up with this collection (and hopefully some of the forum slide collection too) in 2021!

Gav

[Rod]

I thought modern day pics showed a different steering wheel than the original!

[Thomas Hypher]

I thought modern day pics showed a different steering wheel than the original!

Yes, the mini, spoked, "ships wheel" was replaced in the early 2000s (as far as I can deduce) with the current, plastic "toy car" steering wheel which has the rudder degrees marked on the unit where the wheel connects to the helm. Interestingly the mock up of the bridge in the lobby/old cruise terminal in Dubai uses a wheel very similar to the original - I'm not sure if it is actually the original steering wheel? Please see my attached video for reference.

[Thomas Hypher]

Tthe ship I am involved in restoring (The Second Snark) was used as a development test bed for this system during the nid 60s. She had stabiliser fins at one point but sadly no (known) pics exist of this - only the plated over slots hint at this use.

Gav

It would be interesting albeit overkill if she were refitted with the stabilisers!

[Clydebuilt1971]

It would be interesting albeit overkill if she were refitted with the stabilisers!

Agreed however there would be no room left in her lower forward saloon!!

[Lynda Bradford]

Today's photos and commentary from Brian Price:



"The radar on the left was a sophisticated system for its time. It could plot the course of several other targets in crowded seaways and warn of any potential close encounters. Very handy when sailing in fog from Southampton to Cherbourg across the channel north to south when everyone else is going from east to west or vice versa."

Radar screen:



"The long dotted line is the course of QE2 from the centre of the screen sailing NNE.

The small round circle on the left is another ship and the line projecting from it in a SSE direction is it’s potential course.

The small white dots around the centre of the screen is ‘clutter’ which is a signal picked up by the radar from wave crests."
 

[June Ingram]

Wonderful photos and commentary ! Many thanks to Brian and Lynda ! 

[Lynda Bradford]

The Clydebank Post still intends to run an article about the Brian Price and QE2 collection pictures where there are faces of the workmen, so as to ask readers if they know the names of the people in the photos at John Brown's shipyard. 

I was tidying my QE2 memorabilia and noticed the newspaper pull out reporting on the conference had an interview with Ronnie Keir.  One of Brian Price's photos is shown with a name Richard Walker, so it looks like we have one of the names. 

[skilly56]

For those who may be wondering how things have changed, the large wheel with '736' chalked on it is the turbine wheel, set up in a very large lathe for machining.

The two newspaper captions on the right hand photos were reversed, as the lower photo shows him standing under the propeller.

Skilly

[Lynda Bradford]

Thanks Skilly

So that would mean that Richard Walker is the person in the lower picture and we haven't found the name of the person in the picture with 736. 

[Lynda Bradford]

Brian Price has sent the last four pictures from his collection for forum members and guests to enjoy.

The first two with Brian's commentary are below:

The Bridge Wing controls



"During the process of docking and sailing, the Captain, Officer of the Watch and others including of course the local pilot could move out to the wing of the bridge which gave them access to repeat controls of bow thrusters and also various communications into the bridge and elsewhere, such as the bow and stern."


The Magnavox Satellite Navigator



"This navigation system was originally for the Royal Navy’s warships, and QE2 was one of the first commercial ships to be supplied with the system. It was extremely accurate at its time, but only provided a very basic quantity of information including latitude and longitude (of the receiver), time, speed and drift and set, but in the 60’s it was ‘state of the art’. As well as a readout on the Bridge, every senior officer had access to the information on the tv in his / her cabin, and I remember being on my way to bed on the night of 11 Sept 1995 (I think), and I happened to glance at the satnav screen in my dayroom as the ship rose onto the top of a 95 foot wave and crashed over the top of it into a second rogue wave following right behind. The ship was already on much reduced speed, which was instantly knocked down to almost zero by the force of the sea. Capt. Ron Warwick was in command (and I believe on the bridge at the time) and was allegedly the last person to hit the carpet as the sea water hit the bridge windows."
 

Enjoy these photos and look forward to the last two pictures that will be posted tomorrow. 


 

[Lynda Bradford]

The last two photos and information from Brian Price's collection:

The Chart Room

"Located just aft of the bridge, the Chart Room was not only a place where charts for most of the globe were kept, but it was also a complete weather station reporting to both sides of the Atlantic as she crossed.
The Chart Room was also the place where ‘logging matches’ took place. If and when a crew member misbehaved, he would be brought before the Staff Captain in this room where the case for and against would be heard just as in a magistrates court, along with witnesses and representatives. On the odd occasion these would number quite a few and the logging match would be moved into The Barn (the deck storage area aft of the Chart Room)."



And last but by no means least.....on sea trial, which in itself is an entire saga especially regarding the turbine failures which caused a delay in the date of acceptance and of course the Maiden Voyage, all of which have been well chronicled elsewhere on this fantastic site.



Thanks to Brian we have had the opportunity to view his slides on the forum and they are saved in the Gallery for us all to enjoy.

Brian sent this message to the forum:

I hope you have enjoyed these slides. I joined the ship late in 1969 as Deputy Cruise Director, but it wasn’t until I returned to the ship as Cruise Director that these slides came into my possession (dropped on my desk by Terry Conroy) with the exception of some which I took myself. The information regarding each slide was researched with QE2’s engineers and navigators.
 
My first ship was Queen Elizabeth, followed by Queen Mary, All in all I served for 22 years on QE2, and retired from QM2 in 2006.
 
There is no copyright on the slides....so if you wish to use them....be my guest. I must have presented them in talks onboard QE2 and ashore over a thousand times.
 
Best regards to all.......
 
Brian R Price
Cruise Director (retired), Cunard Adventurer, Cunard Countess, QE2, QM2. (and many other ships with Holland America and Princess)

[June Ingram]

Thank you so much, Brian, for sharing your slides and providing the accompanying commentary ! Thank you, Lynda, for posting them for us all to see !