Queen Elizabeth Encounter With A Drone

[RJChatsworth]

We recently sailed on QE from New York to Southampton.  We sailed down the Hudson and as we approached the Verrazano Bridge we spotted a drone.  We were sitting in the aft window of the Queen's Grill and saw the drone at eye level about 25 feet away and about 25 feet off the port side.  It hovered for sometime and then moved quite rapidly at the same height towards the front of the ship on the port side where we lost sight of it.  The waiters joined us to watch the drone.

 

We passed under the Verrazano Bridge and then the drone reappeared, approaching us rapidly from the rear, hovered in the same position as before and then raced up the port side of the ship.  We again lost sight of it and didn't see it again throughout the voyage.

 

We were too far from land so the only conclusion was that the drone was being flown from the ship, from a following boat (possibly pilot or coastguard) which we did not see or from the Verrazano bridge - perhaps more likely the latter.

 

Is this legal in the USA and is their a security risk?

[sagavista]

Your email is interesting as I was on a recent 14 day QM2 voyage from Southampton to NY via Reykjavik and there was a drone flying around the ship in Southampton, Liverpool and Reykjavik.  I agree with your assessment that it was being controlled from someone on the ship.

[si_boy]

We saw a drone overhead when we left Southampton on QE last year, was a reasonable distance so as not to cause concern.  

A quick look after and I found a YouTube channel where the user uploads drone footage of every cruise ship that arrives and departs Southampton.

As the cruise we were on departed from and returned to Southampton, I was able to watch footage of us leaving and arriving back to port.  On that occasion QM2 was docking just behind us, so a bonus.

[navybankerteacher]

22 hours ago, RJChatsworth said:

...

 

We were too far from land so the only conclusion was that the drone was being flown from the ship, from a following boat (possibly pilot or coastguard) which we did not see or from the Verrazano bridge - perhaps more likely the latter.

 

...

If you were approaching/passing under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, you were not too far from land for a drone to be controlled from either the Staten Island or Brooklyn side.