Cruise Talk: What Really Caused the QE1 to Burn

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»	Cruise Talk » Technically Speaking » What Really Caused the QE1 to Burn

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Topic: What Really Caused the QE1 to Burn

desirod7
First Class Passenger
Member # 1626

posted 04-02-2013 08:20 PM

At a holiday party I met and engineer who worked on the Long Beach conversion of the Queen Mary 1.

He said the entire electrical system had to be redone from scratch. The ship was 220v DC, and paper insulated wiring. There were many fires onboard that were not publicized.

The Queen Elizabeth 1, was likely to have the same electrical system. In Port Everglades she was shut down as a fire hazard. The legends I hear in books and online help sell books. It could be that QE1, neglected for a while after the Cunard sale could have ignited itself from frayed paper insulated wiring.

Ships electrics are not grounded/earthed like a land building. The pre WW1 German ships had single strand wiring in mothballs, were passed over during WWII for troop conversion due to the dated and dangerous electrics, and I am sure a whole lot of other reasons.

Perhaps Ernst, and Magic Pipe could elucidate.

Posts: 5727 | From: Philadelphia, Pa [home of the SS United States] | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

Aussie1
First Class Passenger
Member # 25

posted 04-03-2013 02:31 AM

The number of fires igniting all at the same time throughout the ship suggests something more sinister than a fire caused by the wiring.

Posts: 493 | From: Sydney,NSW, Australia | Registered: Sep 99 | IP: Logged

Linerrich
First Class Passenger
Member # 4864

posted 04-03-2013 07:36 AM

I have a copy of the Report of the Marine Court on the Loss of SS SEAWISE UNIVERSITY, dated 29 June 1972. Their general summation and conclusion was that, while at least 9 individual fires were spotted and fought, it was believed that no less than 3 separate fires started the event, and that the most likely cause was "a series of deliberate acts by a person or persons unknown."

Rich

Posts: 4210 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Jul 2004 | IP: Logged

desirod7
First Class Passenger
Member # 1626

posted 04-03-2013 11:54 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Linerrich:
I have a copy of the Report
Rich

Thanks Rich, did the QE1 have the same electrical system of Queen Mary 1?

I do recall the pre WW1 ships and many pre WW2 French ships had dangerous; by today's standards electrical systems. Berengaria: an electrical panel went up in flames in NY harbor, coast guard took its certification, and went to the scrappers immediately after.

Posts: 5727 | From: Philadelphia, Pa [home of the SS United States] | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

Linerrich
First Class Passenger
Member # 4864

posted 04-03-2013 02:25 PM

I'm not sure about the electrical systems between QM and QE, although one would think they were quite similar.

Some 30 small fires had broken out during the SEAWISE refit before the Jan. 9th fire, mostly due to welding and hot spot incidents. This may seem incredible, but it continues to this date aboard all ships; in fact nearly every newbuild even today has numerous small fires, sometimes getting out of hand and delaying delivery.

The Marine Court's report, paragraph 172, states "There has been no evidence that any of the outbreaks observed on the SEAWISE can have been due to faulty electrical wiring and we think that this is a possibility which requires no further discussion."

SEAWISE's demise seems clearly to be a case of sabotage, since numerous fires all started around the ship within minutes of each other. It's tempting to wonder about other possible causes, but in this case, the evidence does not support any type of "accident."

Rich

Posts: 4210 | From: Miami, FL | Registered: Jul 2004 | IP: Logged

Indarra
First Class Passenger
Member # 6005

posted 04-11-2013 09:15 AM

The insurers paid up and I think their reasoning is probably the closest we will ever get to the truth of this matter. The following quote from Robert Crawford, CBE, Chairman of the Lloyd's Protection & Indenity Club may be found on p.368 of Cheng & King "The World of C.Y. Tung", Chinese University Press, Hong Kong (2004):
"I had formed the view that the persons who had started these several fires did not intend to destroy the vessel but wished to create enough damage that would detain the vessel into the Chinese New Year so as to provide further employment to the large workforce whose services would otherwise no longer be required. It is the practice for Chinese to endeavour to clear their personal debts before their New Year begins, and I believe that some of this large workforce sought to extend this, probably irreplaceable, source of work and income to tide them over the New Year."

Posts: 274 | From: Tokyo | Registered: Oct 2005 | IP: Logged

joe at travelpage
Administrator
Member # 622

posted 04-11-2013 01:14 PM

For those of you new to the site we have a first hand account of the fire and numerous photos' on this page.

Joe at TravelPage.com

[ 04-11-2013: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

Posts: 29976 | From: Great Falls, Virginia | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Globaliser
First Class Passenger
Member # 4153

posted 04-12-2013 06:36 AM

I can still remember seeing her on fire in the harbour, I think the day that the fires started. Plus, of course, seeing the sad wreck many more times after that.

However, I saw something for the first time a couple of weeks ago. In February 1968, I sailed on her from Southampton to New York. That voyage provided a couple of my very earliest (and extremely hazy) memories, but my parents still have some photos.

An official ship's photo which I've just seen for the first time has a footer caption on it: it turns out that we were on one of her "farewell voyages" as Queen Elizabeth.

Very nostalgic, all of this.

Posts: 1869 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2003 | IP: Logged

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