Photo of QE2 w/Grey Hull

[Crouton]

Does anyone know during what years QE2 was painted this way and/or any related stories?

 

I hadn't seen this before.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Crouton

[Host Caroline]

Just a guess but I'm pretty sure they painted hull when they "refitted" for troop ship for Falklands?? This picture from after that before they refitted for pax?

[JudyJB]

Host Caroline is correct about this photo. A quick Google search resulted in this article, among others: QE2 COMMEMORATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROLE IN FALKLANDS CAMPAIGN

 

If I remember correctly, she was never in any serious danger, but she was converted to a troop ship and did carry troops, in the tradition of all of the previous Queens.

 

Her potential role as a troop carrier was one of the reasons she was built to travel so fast. In WWII, her predecessor Queens outran any submarines or battle ships easily. This is also why the United States was built and why her hull design was top secret for so long.

[Crouton]

I found a photo of QE2 as a troop ship on a Falkland's War website, but she still has her black hull:

 

 

But then there's the following quotes on a QE2 "history" page:

 

Go to original

 

May/June 1982

QE2 requisitioned for Falklands War as a troop transport. On 12 May 1982 she set sail for St Georgia with 3000 troops aboard, QE2 arrived safely back in Southampton on 11 June 1982,

 

August 1982

QE2 returned to service following trooping duty in the Falkland Islands with a grey hull.

 

2 Dec 1982

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother unveils the special Falklands Plaque on board the QE2*

 

July 1983

QE2, her black hull was restored.

 

 

I betcha she trooped down to the Falkands with a black hull because time was of the essence, then put in for the paint job, and then...the war had already ended. I was around then -- that war happened very fast and was over very fast.

 

Overall, I think we can say it was a short-lived paint job related to the Falklands War during the early 80's. That's good enough for me.

 

Thank you for your help, Caroline and JudyJB.

 

Crouton

 

[This message was edited by Crouton on 04-06-04 at 02:10 AM.]

[Vic The Parrot]

Hi Tony

 

I believe they reverted back to the dark grey color because the lite-grey color was a pain

to maintain. Even with the rubber 'bumpers'

on the tugs, there were always black smudges

left on the hull.

 

So it was done for cosmetic reasons.

Hope all is well ..... catch ya soon.

 

 

vic

 

16 - HAL

9 - Cunard

4 - Home Lines

2 - NCL

2 - Royal Viking Line

 

 

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines"

 

 

[Oslo Dutch]

They added they grey colour at the refit after she came back from the Falklands. And PR wise she was being marketed as the New QE2 :-)

 

I saw her for the very first time in October 1982 in these colours. It didn't work out and within half a year she was back in black again.

 

Reint

[Colin_Cameron]

QE2 may have been kept out of danger but one of her fleetmates was not so lucky. It's not widely appreciated, but Cunard had five ships requisitioned for the conflict: QE2, Saxonia (IV), Cunard Countess, Luminetta and Atlantic Conveyor. The last of these being hit by an exocet missile and destroyed. Following the conflict the government aquired the DFDS ferry England and this was managed by Cunard to service the Islands until a larger airport could be built.

 

It may have been difficult to maintain the pebble grey colour on QE2, but Sagafjord and Vistafjord kept this same colour until 1996 and 1999.

[Crouton]

Thank you to all for filling in the gaps in the story.

 

It all seems to fit together to me.

 

Crouton

[dougnewmanatsea]

Yes, the light gray was used after the Falklands Campaign to emphasise that the ship was "new" (refitted). It was also at that time that they decided to paint the funnel Cunard Red - which to me did not look "right" on the original funnel; it looks fine on the present widened version though.

 

Also, from 1994-1999 she had a dark blue hull.

 

From 1969-1982, 1983-1994 and 1999-present she has had the traditional black (actually Federal Gray).

[JudyJB]

Does anyone remember where the Falklands plaque that was dedicated by the Queen is currently located on QE2?

 

I thought I had investigated every nook and cranny, but apparently missed this one.

[friedchickN]

JudyJB,

 

I believe it may be in the Officers' Ward room.

I remember looking at a number of plaques in the Ward room and I remember discussing QE2's role in the Falklands but cannot remember distinctly seeing the plaque. But there was much to look at and we were drinking champagne, so the memory is a little foggy. Perhaps someone else has a clearer memory.

[Crouton]

This plaque?

 

 

 

According to this website it's on two deck, but this plaque was dedicated by Queen Margaret and/or someone named First Sea Lord, Sir John Fieldhouse. Maybe there's another...

 

[This message was edited by Crouton on 04-06-04 at 09:00 PM.]

[JudyJB]

Thanks. That web site has the best photos I've ever seen of the historical things on the QE2. It's a reminder of how historic this ship really is.

[Jeanne S]

There is a great photo of the ship in Newport RI, loking quite majestic with grey hull.

[redrover]

Alan Whicker's BBCTV documentary series was fimed during QE2s World Cruise when the hull was grey. There are numerous shots in the series of the ship with rusty colours showing clearly - and this is even referred to in the commentary. One of the episodes shows the ships hull receiving a "wash & brush-up" whilst tied up in Hong Kong (or it might be Singapore!) with very precarious non- health & safety approved bamboo scaffolding all over the place.

 

Havent seen the series for a while, though it has been shown fairly recently in UK on Sky Travel.

[cunardqueen]

Dont suppose anybody managed to or thought to tape Alans world cruise on QE2, lv tried for years to find a copy of this and never had any sucess!!!It was down to this series of programmes that got my very expensive love affair started with the Queen.

If anybody did have a copy that could be copied or wants to sell a copy l would be forever indebted !!!!

Or even if its due for a re run on Sky??? l would do anything to get a copy!!!

thanks all

Myles

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

> Dont suppose anybody managed to or thought to tape Alans world cruise on QE2, lv tried for years to find a copy of this and never had any sucess!!

 

me too

 

> !It was down to this series of programmes that got my very expensive love affair started with the Queen.

 

me too

 

> If anybody did have a copy that could be copied or wants to sell a copy l would be forever indebted !!!!

 

me too

 

> Or even if its due for a re run on Sky??? l would do anything to get a copy!!!

 

me too

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

Allegedly the light colour was at the whim of the chairman of the parent company. Trafalgar House I think in those days.

 

If it was so difficult to maintain why are most cruise ships white and always look immaculate? I suppose most cruise ships are in port every other day and somebody can hang over the side with a pot and brush. Not something I would fancy doing mid Atlantic.

 

I also read the originally the black bands on the funnel were black tape (the type builders use) and were flying like pennants after the first crossing.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

[dougnewmanatsea]

If it was so difficult to maintain why are most cruise ships white and always look immaculate?

QE2 rarely looked immaculate in the pre-Carnival era... Whatever the hull color. I remember seeing her at Port Everglades in 1996 (at the time, with the dark blue hull) with particularly rusty and sloppy paintwork. I have seen ships in lay-up that looked better.

 

(These days, she looks ever so much better. In fact, the last time I saw her, she did look immaculate.)

 

From what I understand, the problem with the light grey was that it was very difficult to match the color - so say she got scraped, and they "touched up" the area, it would be a slightly different shade of grey. This left the hull looking like a patchwork quilt.

 

As I recall, HAL switched from light grey to dark blue in the early '70s for the same reason. (The light grey was instituted on HAL after WWII because the previous black absorbed heat - it was felt that the light grey would keep the ships cooler).

 

SAGAFJORD and VISTAFJORD stayed in light grey right up until the former was sold in 1996 and the latter was renamed CARONIA in 2000. However, the old Den Norske Amerikalinje (NAL), later retained by NAC and NAC-Cunard, involved a more brownish grey. (A Danish friend of mine insists that this color is the same that was formerly used by a Danish firm, D/S paa Bornholm af 1866, now called BornholmsTraffikken, and I am in no position to argue with him.) NAC-Cunard initially kept the old NAL colors, but when the ships were repainted with Cunard funnel colors, they got hull coloring very much like (if not identical to) QE2's short-lived light grey.

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

> From what I understand, the problem with the light grey was that it was very difficult to match the color - so say she got scraped, and they "touched up" the area, it would be a slightly different shade of grey. This left the hull looking like a patchwork quilt.

 

Thanks, that explains it.

 

Stephen

[PRINSENDAM]

[quote name=Host Doug

NAC-Cunard initially kept the old NAL colors' date=' but when the ships were repainted with Cunard funnel colors, they got hull coloring very much like (if not identical to) QE2's short-lived light grey.[/quote]

 

 

Doug, Actually the grey used on the VISTA and SAGA was very different from the pebble grey which was used on QE2. It was a couple of shades darker on the small ships.

 

It wasn't so much the problem matching up the grey paint on QE2 as the fact that she was sailing on the North Atlantic at 28 knots and she just suffered more wear an tear on her paintwork. She did not enjoy the days in port that most cruise ships enjoy.

 

Stephen

[transat_jon]

Stephen

 

Tells us more about the tape you are looking for.

Do you know the full Title and names for producer / commentator?

Was it produced as a cassette or was it only ever shown on TV?

The more info the better.

 

I suspect you will have tried ebay. The US is often a good source of these type of tapes but first you need to make sure your VCR and TV will play back NTSC tapes.

 

 

Jon

[stephen@stoneyard.co.uk]

Alan Wicker did the World Cruise with a film crew in 1980s. The documentary series was called Wickers World. It was probably for the BBC. There were several instalments on the QE2 word cruise. He did others in Africa refugee camps and interviewing famous people. I have tried ebay and amazon for the QE2 episodes.

 

Alan Wicker was very popular for a time. Do you know of him? In the last few years he has advertised credit cards and an online travel agent. He has a very recognisable voice. He was at the QM2 naming I think and has probably been a guest lecturer. There is almost nothing about him on the web. The last thing I saw on television was a documentary he did about his war experiences in Italy. It was fascinating.

 

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

PS If I booked a world cruise, I would not want to be followed round by a television crew.

[transat_jon]

All right I don't have that one, but you've given me another for the list!

 

Have a glance at : http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/whickeralan/whickeralan.htm

Alan Whicker did "A Fast Boat to China" in 1984.

 

I'll keep a look out.

[redrover]

Having been on a visit to my Mum's - I have retrieved her VHS copy of all 4 episodes of Alan Whicker's BBC series "A Fast Boat to China". The quality is not top (the tape was made from the original TV broadcast at the time in 1984) - but it is watchable and I can do a copy for anyone who wishes. I'm actually off on QE2 on the 18th, so might not be able to get them done until after I return.

Send me an e-mail if you would like a copy - it will be PAL and I can only send to UK I'm afraid.

 

David

redrovrtvl@aol.com