~ QUEEN MARY 2 ~

CONSTRUCTION OF THE LARGEST LINER IN THE WORLD

PART ONE
JULY 4, 2002 ~ MARCH 16, 2003



Chantiers l'Atlantique shipyard at St.Nazaire


QM2 order signed
November 6, 2000 .

Although Southampton, England will be the port of registry of the new Cunard Line flagship QUEEN MARY 2, the Port of New York will surely be an important feature in the new liners future. We now begin a countdown toward April 22, 2004, the date that QM2 is scheduled to sail into
New York for the first time. QUEEN MARY 2 will be commanded by Captain Ronald W. Warwick, currently Master of QUEEN ELIZABETH 2. Meanwhile we can follow the progress of one of the greatest engineering projects of the 21st Century via this photo essay.

ALSTOM Marine won the order to build Cunard Line's QUEEN MARY 2, the largest ocean liner so far conceived and the order was signed on November 6, 2000. The shipyard, Chantiers l'Atlantique at St. Nazaire, France built the NORMANDIE as well as the FRANCE. Approximately 3,000 craftsman will spend about 8 million working hours on this project and overall some 20,000 persons will be either directly or indirectly involved with the construction of this great ship. Over 300,000 pieces of steel comprising 94 steel blocks, some over 600 tons each, will be joined together to create a liner that will measure over 150,000 gross tons. She will be 1,132 feet long and 135 feet wide, the largest ocean liner ever. Passenger capacity will be 2,620 with a crew of 1,200. The first quadruple screw liner to be built since FRANCE in 1962, she will be powered by four
Rolls-Royce "MerMaid" podded propulsion systems, the largest and most powerful ever built, and is expected to attain a speed of 30 knots.
Delivery of QM2 is scheduled for December 2003 and the maiden voyage for January 12, 2004.
Her keel was laid on July 4, 2002 the 162nd anniversary of the sailing of Cunard's first ship BRITANNIA.
The new liner's naming ceremony will take place on Thursday, January 8, 2004 in Southampton, England
when HM Queen Elizabeth II will name the new Cunard flagship.


Photographs have been obtained from various sources for which we express our thanks:
ALSTOM Marine, BBC, W. Hall Coons, Cunard Line, Maurizio Eliseo, Peter Hewitt, Ouest-France, Pam Massey, the Theodore W. Scull Collection and Captain Ronald and Kim Warwick. Thanks also to marine artists Captain Stephen Card and Donald Stoltenberg for allowing us to display their paintings of QUEEN MARY 2.



~ July 4, 2002 ~
Three views of the QUEEN MARY 2 keel laying ceremony.
Photograph of Captain Ronald W. Warwick Master of the new liner.
(Compliments Samuel Warwick)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

A series of photographs from the Collection of Ted Scull.
~ December 2002 ~



The visitors walking along the bottom of the drydock.


Lifeboat davits are in place. Below the boat deck
is a center section for three decks of balcony
cabins to be recessed into the hull. There will
also be five additional open balcony cabin decks above the boat deck.


Construction of the bow area.
The bridge can be seen sitting on the concrete
to the left of the bow section.


The bulbous bow of QM2.


Cunard name on the liners side.


G32 is the shipyard designation for QM2.


The funnel of QM2 in a nearby shed.


A view of the funnel from the aft section.


Visitors to the shipyard in December 2002
l.to.r. Suellyn Scull, Ted Scull, Jane Lyons and Ben Lyons.

~ SOME RECENT PHOTOGRAPHS ~
FROM OTHER SOURCES






Shipyard engineers view one of the four pods
that will drive the liner.


Photograph taken February 5, 2003.


Photograph taken February 8, 2003.


Photograph taken February 13, 2003.


Photograph taken February 16, 2003.

THE FOLLOWING FIVE IMAGES
WERE PHOTOGRAPHED BY PAM MASSEY


Photograph taken February 19, 2003.


Photograph taken February 19, 2003.


Photograph taken February 19, 2003.
The liner's mast can be seen sitting on the floor of the shipyard.


Photograph taken February 19, 2003.
Starboard side forward, one can see the name QUEEN MARY 2.


Photograph taken February 19, 2003.
Overall view of the starboard side of the liner.


Photograph taken March 12, 2003.
The lower section of the funnel being hoisted onto the liner.
(Maurizio Eliseo)


Photograph taken March 12, 2003.
Overall view of the port side of the liner with the lower section of the funnel in place.
(Maurizio Eliseo)


Another view of the busy shipyard area near the liner's construction berth.
(Maurizio Eliseo)


Photograph taken March 12, 2003.
QUEEN MARY 2 nearing completion of the hull and exterior.


Photograph of the stern of QUEEN MARY 2
showing the name of her port of registry.


Photograph taken March 16, 2003.
A London double-decker bus in the drydock next to the massive hull.


Photograph taken March 16, 2003.
A view of the liner's stern area with buses.

Link to QM2 Part Two

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