Make Way for Cunard Cruise Line's Queen Mary II
January 18, 2006
After having some problems with its motor, Cunard Cruise Line's Queen Mary II, the world's largest cruise ship, returned to port shortly after leaving Port Everglades, Florida yesterday. No injuries were reported among the 2,543 passengers or the 1,269 crew aboard, said Cunard Line President Carol Marlow, who hopes the ship can return to sea by Wednesday.
The ship will undergo further inspection to determine the cause of the problem, which seems to have occurred in one of the ship's four motors. Marlow said it is possible the ship "hit a submerged object," but that the inspection in port will have to examine the vessel more closely to establish the exact reason for the slight damage.
The ship returned to port Tuesday night with the aid of a tug. Marlow said the ship will undergo an underwater inspection in port and be repaired. "We will carry out that investigation and see what needs to be done with that motor," she said Tuesday. "We fully hope that we will be leaving port again sometime tomorrow."
The cruise was and is to eventually go around the southern tip of South America, moving into the Pacific Ocean and up to Long Beach, California, where the original Cunard Queen Mary is docked.
The motor problem was reported shortly after the cruise ship left Port Everglades at 1 p.m., when the ship was about four miles out to sea on its first few days of a 38-day cruise that began in New York on Sunday. This particular itinerary is having Queen Mary II taking a route through the frigid waters of the Cape Horn of South America and up into the Pacific Ocean. Then, she will reach Long Beach, California---the city where the original Queen Mary is docked.
But before Queen Mary II could continue on its circuitous route, her crew determined the ship should return to port. The cruise ship probably could have kept going, as it can still travel with three motors if necessary, Marlow said, but that could slow its long voyage and affect its itinerary.
The itinerary upon which it is currently engaged is only one of many Queen Mary II cruises available through Cruise Network. And, if you've never sailed on what is currently the biggest passenger vessel in the world (until this June, when the 158,000-ton Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas will be released), stretching 1,132 feet in length and weighing 153,000 tons, you don't know what you're missing.
The ship is laden with extraordinary features, such as a planetarium, 22 elevators and the world's largest library at sea. Its whistle can be heard up to 10 miles away, and its distinctive, classic design is recognizable all over the world. While this regal cruise ship may be temporarily immobile, it is because of the highly skilled crew and port workers that she'll be queen of the seas again before too long.
