Three Queen Tandem Sailing?

[RAL72]

I'm still curious to see some actual figures - have Cunard or the shipyard published anything? They weren't intending QE2 to travel at 23 knots though... in 1987 she was spending about 70% of her time travelling faster than that.

 

[Kindlychap]

Sounds like Ismay telling Smith to go faster :eek:

 

Don't be daft. Which of us owns the ship?

 

Matthew

[guernseyguy]

We don't have 'apples to apples' comparisons between the three ships based on Cunard published data.

 

What we do know:

 

QE2: 18.05 tonnes/hour - speed unspecified

QM2: 3 tonnes/hour per diesel - 6 tonnes/hour gas turbine - so 'flat out' = 24 tonnes/hour. But on a crossing with 4 diesels/1 turbine = 18 tonnes/hour.

QV: 10 tonnes/hour at maximum power.

 

Maximum Power:

QE2: 94 mw

QM2: 117.2 mw

QV: 63.4 mw

 

No real surprises.

 

Peter

[guernseyguy]

in 1987 she was spending about 70% of her time travelling faster than that.

 

In 1987 she was making 5 night crossings - the average speed required for a 6 nighter is under 24 knots.....

 

Peter

[KenC]

Don't be daft. Which of us owns the ship?

 

Matthew

 

Sometimes I think you do ;)

[songanddance]

I will - of course. Although the idea has already come to him. Last year he was making jokes about us having a day of shopping in New York before coming out to meet Victoria!

 

I'm SURE he will want to show the new ship what a real ship can do.....

 

Matthew

 

We could also get an extra day in Ft Lauderdale as the schedule calls for two days at sea between NYC and Ft L. Usually it is a one sea day run. So it looks like we will have to wait until we leave Vicky behind in Ft Lauderdale before she will be able to strut. Possibly when we take her out across the wide Pacific she will get up to 30 knots.

[Captain Rhone]

The Vista Class travel 17.6 feet per gallon (thanks to the gas turbine) versus 49.5 feet on the QE2 today (36 feet/gallon pre 1987)so the QE2 is better on fuel.

[dougnewmanatsea]

All this talk about "outdated technology" on QE2 is rather interesting. According to engineers I have spoken to, the type of MAN B&W diesels she has is actually still in production in slightly updated form (mostly to lower emissions) and being fitted to a lot of brand new ships e.g. all the new NCL ships built recently.

 

From our point of view QE2's machinery may look very conventional, aside from the fact that it's more powerful than that of other similar-sized ship, but it was very radical in 1987. All the new ships out there are basically copies of QE2, propulsion-wise. She was the very first large diesel-electric passenger ship ever. And that is certainly still the technology of choice today.

 

It may not be the absolute latest technology right now, but the type of machinery that QE2 has is already very efficient - for one thing, the great advantage is that in a diesel-electric setup, power is varied not by varying the speed of the engines but rather by how many engines are running at any given time. This is a huge leap forward from older technologies since it means that all the engines can be running near optimum efficiency, all the time. (Of course, the same goes for QUEEN VICTORIA and QM2 as well.)

 

I don't have any numbers but I really doubt there is a drastic difference between the three ships. Certainly, the difference between QE2 pre- and post-re-engining would be far greater than between QE2 and a new ship. QE2 was a giant step forward in technology the likes of which we won't see again until someone develops a replacement for diesel-electric cruise ship (and that is not in the offing any time soon). She is probably not quite as efficient as a ship built now would be, but it would greatly surprise me if it is by a large margin.

 

Captain Rhone - I don't believe QUEEN VICTORIA has a gas turbine. I know ARCADIA hasn't got one, and as I recall, neither does she. For that matter, I don't think any of the ships being built right now have them. Rising fuel prices seem to have pretty much put an end to the experimentation with gas turbines for cruise ships.

[cajim]

In January we ran at 29.5K out of NY. We left late and the Captain opened her up. She can stilll move.

 

Jim

[guernseyguy]

I don't believe QUEEN VICTORIA has a gas turbine. I know ARCADIA hasn't got one, and as I recall, neither does she. For that matter, I don't think any of the ships being built right now have them. Rising fuel prices seem to have pretty much put an end to the experimentation with gas turbines for cruise ships.

 

She doesn't and they don't - they have dropped gas turbines from the later vista class ships for the reasons you give.

[RAL72]

Doug - absolutely. You expressed what I was struggling to say. I'm certain you're right.

 

According to qe2.org.uk, QE2 uses 380 tons/day, at 28.5 knots - thats only 16 gallons/hour.

 

And when i add in the following quote - "At service speed, QE2 carries enough fuel for 12 days continuous sailing, but at the slower, more economical speed of 20 knots, she could sail for 30 days or two-thirds of a circumnavigation of the world." Then it looks like she's more than double that efficiency at 20 knots (QV speed) - that would only be about 6 tons/hour.

 

The chart I posted was QE2's time at certain speeds up until 1986, and what they were designing her new powerplant to continue to provide for 'a minimum of 20 years'.

[Kindlychap]

In January we ran at 29.5K out of NY. We left late and the Captain opened her up. She can stilll move.

 

Jim

 

Very much so. We had some stonking runs in October. She's still the racehorse of the seas.....

 

Matthew

[Highlander0108]

Sounds like Ismay telling Smith to go faster :eek:

 

Let's not compare our Ian to Captain Smith. :eek:

[Kindlychap]

Let's not compare our Ian to Captain Smith. :eek:

 

Of course not. That was not my intention.

 

Matthew

[EMSOMICH]

I have sailed on QE2 at 31 knots - with you know who as Captain. We had to make up time. Even on the cruise in October, she often travelled at 29 knots. On the QV, I could not find anything to tell me the speed but, then, I could not get much on the TV at the best of times.

 

Maureen

[*Mach*]

She doesn't and they don't - they have dropped gas turbines from the later vista class ships for the reasons you give.

 

Very true... the Queen Victoria is driven by two Azipods. Power is supplied by six diesel engines, four 16 cylinder engines and two 12 cylinder engines manufactured by Wartsila.

[jgsmuzzy]

QM2 does have a turbine though, up near the funnel if I remember correctly. Apparently, when it was built, the turbine was the most efficient engine on the ship (it was put so high to make sure it had enough air to "gulp".

 

As for the three queens sailing together, I cannot see it. QM2 will be out front I think, as she has a bit further to go than the other 2. It would be quite funny if QE2 and QM2 put their feet down, and ran away from QV giggling hysterically like a couple of playground friends!

[Kindlychap]

QM2 does have a turbine though, up near the funnel if I remember correctly. Apparently, when it was built, the turbine was the most efficient engine on the ship (it was put so high to make sure it had enough air to "gulp".

 

As for the three queens sailing together, I cannot see it. QM2 will be out front I think, as she has a bit further to go than the other 2. It would be quite funny if QE2 and QM2 put their feet down, and ran away from QV giggling hysterically like a couple of playground friends!

 

With the oldest out in front, showing a clean pair of heels to the younger siblings!

 

Matthew

[dougnewmanatsea]

With all the talk about 'you know who' and his heavy foot, it is a pity that my only crossing with (at least on QE2) is to be a seven-night one!

[RAL72]

Is the QE2 as comfortable to ride in going slow in the Atlantic/heavy seas, as she is going at her service speed? She wasn't designed to dawdle.

[Kindlychap]

Is the QE2 as comfortable to ride in going slow in the Atlantic/heavy seas, as she is going at her service speed? She wasn't designed to dawdle.

 

I'll let you know in three weeks!

 

Matthew

[Highlander0108]

Of course not. That was not my intention.

 

Matthew

 

Nor was my comment a serious one either. Should have followed it with a :rolleyes: I do admit to pilfering that movie with the "stretch her legs" comment, though. I am looking forward to meeting our captain. I dearly hope we get some time on the crossing over 22 knots.

 

Ken

[WhirledKruzer]

On the 2007 QE2 World Cruise, between Durban and Cape Town, Captain Perkins decided to arrive at Cape Town six hours early. During part of that segment, the QE2 was running at 31.5 knots. At least, that was what the TV was showing. She rides just as well at 31.5 knots as at any other speed. :D

[guernseyguy]

She rides just as well at 31.5 knots as at any other speed. :D

 

Thats the trouble - isn't it - if you don't look at the TV there is really no way of knowing how fast you are going - she's as smooth at high speed (29.something is the fastest I've seen) as she is dawdling - IIRC its only at 14 - 16 knots that the vibration is greater for some technical reason.....

[K.sailaway]

On the 2007 QE2 World Cruise, between Durban and Cape Town, Captain Perkins decided to arrive at Cape Town six hours early. During part of that segment, the QE2 was running at 31.5 knots. At least, that was what the TV was showing. She rides just as well at 31.5 knots as at any other speed. :D

 

Yes, that was certainly a memorable day. It wasn't the first time on that voyage that we saw 31 knots either. As I recall, Captain Perkins said we had to get to Cape Town early to take a bunkering berth before moving over to the passenger terminal during the night.

 

Welcome to the boards!

 

K.