QE2; Doesn't want to go

[Kelvin Davies]

News reports this morning indicate that QE2 ran aground this morning as she was approaching Southampton for the last time.
According to Cunard, she ran aground at the Brambles Turn.
This happened on a rising tide so she was soon afloat and on her way again.
I was wondering why there was 5 tugs in attendance, approximately 10 miles before she would normally take her tugs.
At this time (06:30) she is approaching Black Jack buoy.

[Guest]

Hi Kelvin

That must be embarrassment all round then  :lol:

This is what AP is reporting:

QE2 runs aground

6 hours ago

The QE2 cruise ship ran aground as she came into her home port to make her final call, owner Cunard said.

A spokesman for the firm was unable to say exactly where the grounding happened, but the BBC said the vessel touched the bottom at the Brambles sandbank near Calshot, Southampton, with three tugs attached to her stern.

Thousands of people are flocking to Southampton on Tuesday to bid a fond farewell to the famous vessel before it leaves on its final voyage.

A spokesman for Solent Coastguard said they were alerted to the 70,000-tonne ship being aground at the entrance of Southampton Water at 5.26am on Tuesday.

Five tugs were sent out to assist her getting off the sandbank, he added, and she was pulled off just before 6.10am.

The spokesman said: "She has been refloated and is under way under her own power and heading back to her berth in Southampton."

He added: "She had only partially gone aground, and the tugs pulled her off."

The Duke of Edinburgh is visiting the ship during her final day in port on Tuesday, with aerial flypasts and a Remembrance Day ceremony involving the dropping of one million poppies also organised.

The ship was heading back to Southampton from a 15-night Mediterranean cruise, with a full complement of 1,700 passengers and 1,000 crew.

A Cunard spokesman said no-one had been injured during the grounding, and she was making her way back to Southampton after being pulled off.

Regards

[Mike]

I am not surprised the QE2  does not want to go to Dubai, I listened in horrer to the news that the first thing they are going to do when she gets out in Dubai is they are going to 'cut her funnel off '!

And to make matter worse and in the greatest of 'untaste' they are going to replace it with a glass observation dome!

Mike :-?

[Simon Palmer]

I was on watch at MRCC Portland this morning when the QE2 grounded. She was being escorted by only one tug plus a Southampton Harbour patrol vessel when she grounded. The other 4 were despatched by VTS and got to her incredibly quickly. It was about 3 hours before HW and she was off the putty again within 30 mins. Good work by all concerned!

[Guest]

LATITUDE wrote:
I was on watch at MRCC Portland this morning when the QE2 grounded. She was being escorted by only one tug plus a Southampton Harbour patrol vessel when she grounded. The other 4 were despatched by VTS and got to her incredibly quickly. It was about 3 hours before HW and she was off the putty again within 30 mins. Good work by all concerned!

Hi Simon

Did she have a Pilot on board?

Regards

[spanner]

Further to most of the tv reports I was watching the QE2 on AIS this morning and it seemed to go agound on west of the Thorn Channel between Channel and Calshott not on Bramble Bank. I quess pilot will have to answer to few questions.

[Guest]

spanner wrote:
Further to most of the tv reports I was watching the QE2 on AIS this morning and it seemed to go agound on west of the Thorn Channel between Channel and Calshott not on Bramble Bank. I quess pilot will have to answer to few questions.

Hi Spanner

The BBC have just interviewed one of the 'off duty' Pilots on board the outbound QE2 and his comment was "well these things happen"  :-o

Quite a flotilla there to see her off. Quite interesting watching her on AIS!

Regards

[Mike]

Why watch on AIS I hope you all knew her departure for over an hour has been on BBC world news live!
Mike 8-)

[Guest]

Tynesider wrote:
Why watch on AIS I hope you all knew her departure for over an hour has been on BBC world news live!
Mike

Hi Mike

I'm totally high tech - watching it on BBC, AIS and typing this all at the same time  :lol:

Regards

[DanSTN]

BBC, AIS and listening to Southampton VTS Channel 12  :-D

Not the same as being there  :-( , but a decent substitute.

[Kelvin Davies]

I too am watching on AIS and I See she is just starting the turn at the bottom of the Thorn Channel. This is the tricky bit, especially if there is a good westerly blowing!

[Andrew McAlpine]

She has called at Southampton 725 times in her life so think this was her way of saying i dont want to go!  :lol:

[Allan RO]

I too watched the excellent BBC coverage, and AIS etc.  Not quite as atmospheric as being there, but certain benefits, i.e. multiple view points including heli., no grockles, warm, glass of wine in hand and no traffic jams to contend with afterwards...............

Allan

[Andy Fitzsimmons]

I was out there that morning, having sailed out expecting to meet her around Fawley when news came over the radio that there was a problem. We carried on until being stopped by Port Control and asked to stand off Calshot, where we watched as efforts were made to free her. Heard one of the navigation buoys had been damaged, having been struck by one of the tow lines and losing its top in the process! Once freed, she made her way up Southampton Water with 3 tugs in attendance, arriving at her berth around 45 mins later than scheduled.  The up side of the delay though was that it was light by the time she finally arrived alongside!  Pictures of her arrival can be found here: www.flickr.com/photos/andyfitzsimmons/sets/72157608992872704/