82

<< . >>

NAME

QUEEN MARY 2

CLASS

CRUISE LINER

ENT/SERVICE

2003

BUILT

CHANTIERS DE L ATLANTIQUE / SAINT NAZAIR / FRANCE

WEIGHT

151,000 TONS

LENGTH

1,131 FEET

WIDTH

135 FEET

SPEED

30 KNOTS MAX

PROPELLERS

4 - AZIPODS / 2 FIXED / 2 ROTATIONAL 360 DEGREES

ENGINES

2 - GAS TURBINES / 4 - DIESEL ELECTRIC - 100,300 HP

With the three previous queens having been built at Clydebank/Scotland, Cunard were disappointed the John Brown shipyard was unable to compete for the contract to build the fourth queen as they no longer built large ships. The companies that put in tenders for the contract to build this ship were, the French Chantiers De L Atlantique, Germanys S.H.D.W, Finland's Kvaerner Masa, Italy's Fincantieri and Irelands Harland & Wolff. This cruise liner is operated alongside Cunard’s other large liner QE2 to provide a service between Trans Atlantic crossings and cruises throughout the world.

Websites, US: www.cunard.com UK: www.cunard.co.uk.

QM2

From keel to funnel, QM2 measures 237 feet compared to the original Queen Mary being 181 feet. QM2 sits 200 feet above the waterline; her design was restricted to that height so she can pass under New York's Staten Island - Brooklyn Bridge. Her propulsion system uses azipods; these are like large outboard motors driven by the ships electrical supply. The two outside azipods can rotate 360 degrees, giving greater maneuverability. With QM2 being fitted with two stabilizers and having a modern hull design, rolling in heavy seas is expected to be half that of the QE2.

Queen Mary 2

Cunard is one of the worlds most recognized shipping companies with a classic British heritage. This line and their two remaining ships, the 65,863-ton QE2 and the 24,492-ton Caronia, were taken over by the Carnival Cruise Line in 1998. They are now operated by the Miami based Cunard Line Limited along with the Seabourn Cruise Line. Caronia joined the Saga cruise line in 2005 as their Saga Ruby.

QM2 set out on her maiden voyage from Southampton - Fort Lauderdale January 12th 2004. On that six-day crossing, she called at Madeira, Tenerife, Las Palmas/Canary Islands, Barbados and St Thomas. QM2 then began a series of cruises from Fort Lauderdale and New York - Caribbean and the Rio de Janeiro carnival in Brazil. She is now operated on regular transatlantic voyages between England and America allowing the other Cunard liner QE2 to be used more for world cruises. Other regular routes are from Southampton - Mediterranean and Fort Lauderdale - Caribbean. Occasional routes are to South America, Los Angeles & Hawaii.
QM2
<< . >>