Cruise Talk: Funnel-Less Queen Mary

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»	Cruise Talk » Ocean Liners and Classic Cruise Ships » Funnel-Less Queen Mary

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Topic: Funnel-Less Queen Mary

Guest
First Class Passenger
Member # 1157

posted 05-06-2004 01:11 PM

Does anyone have a photo of QM when she was having her original funnels replaced with the aluminium ones? She must have looked rather odd.

Cheers,

Chris.

Posts: 1888 | From: Earth | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

Onno
First Class Passenger
Member # 3071

posted 05-06-2004 02:08 PM

Hi Chris,

I found these, a two funnelled Mauretania version and a one funnelled Caronia version but not a non funnelled version. I guess with a little bit of imagination…

Onno

Posts: 3583 | From: the Netherlands (Berenbotje ging uit varen...) | Registered: May 2002 | IP: Logged

PamM
First Class Passenger
Member # 2127

posted 05-06-2004 02:57 PM

Yes they are the only ones I've seen too. From this site, where there are also some images of the crumpled funnels once removed. Someone linked to the pages when we were talking about whistles

daren't bring that up again... except to say she sure sounded strangled the other week, and only the starboard [real] gave out the steam

so I have pics of each, but not both together.
Pam

Posts: 12176 | From: Cambridge, UK | Registered: Jun 2001 | IP: Logged

Onno
First Class Passenger
Member # 3071

posted 05-06-2004 03:48 PM

Thanks for the link Pam, lost it when I recently cleaned up my computer. I always wondered why the steam pipes going to the whistles where never returned on the replica funnels. I always miss the pipes when seeing pictures of the Hotel. It shouldn’t be to big of a problem to attach some pipes just for looks.

Posts: 3583 | From: the Netherlands (Berenbotje ging uit varen...) | Registered: May 2002 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 05-06-2004 04:47 PM

I remember seeing QM1 come into Long Beach in late 1967-at four years old! Also being right next to Queen Mary in 1968-69 with my parents on a tour of a naval ship that was docked at the Long Beach Naval Yard. I was approx. 6 years old and remember asking my dad about what was going on to QM1. My parents and grandparents were regular Cunard/French Line travelers and he gave me the entire QM1 story which I still remember. The next year we were on QE2 for one of her 1st cruises and my love of ships was set.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

Barryboat
First Class Passenger
Member # 33

posted 05-06-2004 05:26 PM

Sorry double posted...see the photos below on the following post.

[ 05-06-2004: Message edited by: Barryboat ]

Posts: 1851 | From: Bloomington, Minnesota (Home to the Mall of America) | Registered: Mar 99 | IP: Logged

Barryboat
First Class Passenger
Member # 33

posted 05-06-2004 05:29 PM

Here's a couple photos of a topless Queen Mary:

Posts: 1851 | From: Bloomington, Minnesota (Home to the Mall of America) | Registered: Mar 99 | IP: Logged

Johan
First Class Passenger
Member # 4458

posted 05-06-2004 05:33 PM

This is a very strange sight.
And with that grey hull colour, it is almost war.
Was she painted grey, during the refurbishment, or was she faded away, or was the paint "made" away to her real war grey paint ?

Funnels are definitely a major aspect of a liner !

MVG

Johan

Posts: 1895 | From: Antwerpen, Belgium | Registered: Feb 2004 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 05-06-2004 06:12 PM

She was completely sand blasted and her hull/superstructure brought down to the bare steel. The grey paint is the primer applied before the final painting was applied. Her Funnels were originally going to be re-used after their intended removal and cleaning, but they just collapsed when they were lowered onto the dock. The funnels were held together with over 100 layers of 'Cunard red' paint. Aluminium copies were built and installed in place of the original steel stacks. I also read that during the refit, several promenade deck windows were broken. Replacement glass was ordered, in all the same size. When it came time to install the new glass, it was discovered that almost all the windows were of a different size and the pre-ordered glass would not fit. When the final bill came in for the refit, it cost the city of Long Beach more than $70 million dollars-more than the cost of the brand new QE2!

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

steeplechase
First Class Passenger
Member # 4056

posted 05-07-2004 07:21 AM

With those kind of refurb numbers you wonder why people ask "why doen't so and so buy the ship to be a static hotel?" I would have to think that Long Beach has never recovered their investment. I wonder what the hotel numbers look like since Carnival moved in.

Posts: 663 | From: elkton maryland | Registered: Aug 2003 | IP: Logged

Willem
First Class Passenger
Member # 3005

posted 05-07-2004 11:13 AM

From "Press Telegram."

http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21474~2125648,00.html

The current operator of the QM is $28 million in the hole. The cause of the problem started with the conversion and a search for "fools gold" - i.e., trying to run the Queen Mary as a mass attraction charging premium prices.

Regards,

Willem van der Leek

Posts: 1469 | From: In the namesake city of Cape Hoorn. | Registered: Apr 2002 | IP: Logged

Ðraikar
First Class Passenger
Member # 1153

posted 05-07-2004 12:05 PM

Maybe the people of California should have let Qeen Mary get that refit in Japan a few years ago ?

Posts: 1710 | From: USA, New York | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 05-07-2004 02:19 PM

And those were 1970 $70 million dollars!! Long Beach should have sent QM1 to Japan for that temporary charter in the 1990s. The Japanese were to have refitted her and completely refurbish her. The big concern for Long Beach was the tow to Japan. The QM1 is no longer a sea going ship and would have needed pontoons or increased balast to avoid a possible sinking. The city council thought it was better to have her stay in Long Beach in the end.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

desirod7
First Class Passenger
Member # 1626

posted 05-07-2004 04:06 PM

That idea was GROSS

It was as bad as turning Rembrandterdam into a big red boat

One of the misguided attempts to turn the Queen Mary into something she is not was gutting her lower decks to make way for an undersea museum that never materialized. Her bulkeads and structure are severly weakened.

To have her meet SOLAS of a few years ago all of her wood panelling would have to be ripped out, eliminating her charm. To make her suitable for the 21 Century cruise passenger she would become a gross caricature of what she was.

The grotesque changes from Le France to Norway are minor in comparison. She went from Bridget Bardot to Phyllis Diller.

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

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 05-07-2004 04:15 PM

Phyllis Diller??!!-hehe.. I thought that the Japanese wanted her to remain the internally the same and the deal was for them to do needed structural/HVAC etc. work Long Beach did'nt want to pay for. In turn, she would have been 'loaned' to Japan for 5-10 years as a shoreside attraction and then returned to Long Beach completely refurbished-not remodeled. Of course, she could have sunk had she hit a storm enroute and that is what Long Beach was afraid of. Now if they could have insured her for $100 million and then send her off to Japan, I'm sure they would not have been to saddened if she just happened to roll over en route.

Posts: 7654 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

Barryboat
First Class Passenger
Member # 33

posted 05-07-2004 05:12 PM

Japan did indeed want to buy Queen Mary and tow her across the Pacific, but it fell through because of the logistics and costs. Long Beach countered with a proposal to reposition QM closer to downdown and create a boardwalk and shopping mall around the ship.

By the way, Desirod, your statement is incorrect:

quote:
One of the misguided attempts to turn the Queen Mary into something she is not was gutting her lower decks to make way for an undersea museum that never materialized.

Queen Mary did indeed have an undersea museum created by Jacques Cousteau, called the Living Sea, where guests could touch an iceberg, and walk through a number of displays. There was even an opportunity for guests to talk with a robotic man called Homo-Aquaticus.

Not sure why the museum was shut down and taken out....probably wasn't profitable.

Posts: 1851 | From: Bloomington, Minnesota (Home to the Mall of America) | Registered: Mar 99 | IP: Logged

Ðraikar
First Class Passenger
Member # 1153

posted 05-07-2004 05:35 PM

Living Sea museum on Queen Mary had that Dr Dranuc, Cunard spelled backwards. I think the "Living Sea" was opened in 1971.

Posts: 1710 | From: USA, New York | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

Guest
First Class Passenger
Member # 1157

posted 05-07-2004 11:26 PM

Thanks for the pics!!!

Posts: 1888 | From: Earth | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

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