joevan added these comments in the current discussion du jour ...

Family vacations until I went over to the Dark Side and switched to
home video when my daughter was young. I know I have an entire
slide tray of the original Queen Elizabeth when she was berthed at
Port Everglades, Florida prior to being bought the the Japanese
and sunk at sea being towed home. And, I think I have pics from
places like Patriot's Point and other ship museums. But, summer is
coming, my long
I crossed the Atlantic on the QE I think it was 65. What a ship.
Lots of beautiful wood in her corridors and salons. Then I made
the return trip on the SS United States. Another great ship, still
here in Philadelphia awaiting what we hope is a restoration. She
was know to have almost no wood in her. One of the officers
proudly said that the only wood on her was the butcher block and
the pianos. I was fortunate to tour the engine rooms of both
ships. Quite an adventure on the QE. I will never forget the
little entry ways where the pressure had to be equalized before
full entry and the huge prop shafts so shiny and long.

Yes, it was a grand lady. I forget when she went into service but I
do recall that she never entered commercial trans-Atlantic service
because of the start of WWII and was immediately refitted as a troop
carrier. IIRC, all of the luxurious wood paneling, the stateroom
furniture, the art, etc. was carefully taken off and stored for the
duration of the war. One thing was thought interesting about both
Queens was their ability to run through the Battle of Atlantic
without an escort, relying on their ultra-high speed to avoid U-Boat
attacks.

You say you rode on the QE in 1965. I visited her in January, 1970.
While I certainly agree with your love of the ship, by the time I
viewed her, the art deco decor and dark paint and wood made it look
quite out-of-style. One of the pictures I have was taken down a
corridor the full length of that deck. As I recall, she was 1083 feet
long and 80,000+ tons, both small by today's huge cruise ship
standards.

And, you also had the pleasure of making the return trip on the
United States? I'm not an expert on these things, but again IIRC, the
U.S. for a brief time took the transatlantic speed record away from
the QE. I didn't know she was in Philly. If I ever get there again,
I'd sure love to see her.

The QE tour in Florida included the bridge, 1st and 2nd class
staterooms, dining areas, and also the engine room. When I was in
California in 1993, my family and I toured the Queen Mary in Long
Beach. Another grand lady from a bygone age. Interestingly, the QM
isn't floating, as most musuem ships are not. They have the stern of
the ship cut away near the port propeller so tourists can look down
on it through the water.

Thanks for the story, Joevan, and for allowing me to reminisce on
these great ships.

--
HP, aka Jerry

"And, that's all I'm going to say about that" - Forrest Gump