Archive for the ‘Cruise Ships’ Category
She is known as the flagship of the Cunard Cruise Line, the Queen Mary 2 built to complement as the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard’s flagship from 1969 through 2004. As a gesture to grand history of Cunard’s line Royal Mail granted the Queen Mary 2 the title of RMS or (Royal Mail Ship) when she entered service. Her first cruise was the Southampton to New York route in 2004.
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The Queen Mary 2 is powered by four diesel engines and two additional gas turbines when extra power is needed. All this power is used to generate electricity to drive the four electric propulsion pods along with her hotel services. The Queen Mary 2 was built for the Atlantic crossing but she is used for ten to thirteen day cruises from New York during the winter months.
The four diesel engines are sixteen cylinder Wartsila EnviroEngine marine diesel engines that produce a combined 90,100 hp. The two General Electric gas turbines add another 67,000 hp. This combined power arrangement is referred to as Combined Diesel and Gas Turbine or (CODAG) is said to provide cost effective cruising at low speeds. And this method creates an ability to cruise at much higher speeds for naval vessels.
The four electric propulsion pods are Rolls-Royce Mermaid podded propulsion units that provide the thrust. Each pod features one forward facing low vibration Kamewa propeller with separately bolted blades. The pods on the forward pair are fixed, but the aft pair can rotate through 360°, removing the need for a rudder.
The Queen Mary’s cruising speed is around 26 knots but she can easily reach speeds of 30 knots or 35 mph in the open ocean. She is faster than most cruise ships such as Oasis of the Seas that cruise at an average speed of 22 knots or about 26 mph.
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The Queen Mary 2 has an outstanding environmental performance record. When she was being designed the major plan was for to have a very low impact on the environment with better fuel efficiency and a much better waste management system. The idea was to increase the service life of the ship because at the time it was predicted environmental regulation would increase in the next few years.
Due to costs many of the reduced energy measures were not implemented. In spite of this her environmental standards, far exceed many of the older ships and exceeds the international standards set for handling waste.
It is said that passenger ships produce more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than long haul flights. The Queen Mary 2 was refit in 2008 in Hamburg and one of the changes included a special hull paint designed to reduce drag and improve fuel economy.
This ship is indeed a beauty and has speed and a class that is unique to cruise ship. Many have been built and some even bigger but none come close in matching her appointments. She is sure to make a fine addition to any collection or an incredible addition to any classy hotel lobby or business entrance.
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US $1,300.00
