ocean liner, queen mary

RMS Queen Mary "In Imminent Danger of Collapse"

The legendary former Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary, berthed in Long Beach, California since the 1960s, is so compromised by neglect that she could literally begin to collapse within ten years if nothing is done.

The Long Beach Press-Telegram cited an exhaustive, 300-page study that described rotting expansion joints and structural columns, unchecked sewage leaks, and corroding metal as some of the perils facing the historic ship. Were any flooding to occur, there would be no means to contain it as the ship's watertight doors are inoperable.

The ship is under the care of a new leaseholder who is charged with maintenance, and the city funded some $20M in emergency repairs, but the report cites nearly $300M and five years to bring the ship back to stability.

More at http://www.presstelegram.com/gener…
Ukraine

QE2's fate again in doubt as scrap story circulates

An article in the UK's Daily Mail suggests that the QE2's owners Isthimar, a division of Dubai Ports World, may have sold the ship to Chinese scrappers for 20 million GBP. The story was picked up by the London Telegraph and Southampton Daily Echo, but Cunard refuted it, saying they are "in regular contact" with Dubai and would have been notified. The agreement between the two firms stipulates that DPW cannot resell the ship for ten years.
  • benicek

SS Belgenland

S.S. Belgenland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgenland_%281914%29

Interesting set on Flickr of over 250 photos taken during a world cruise by the Belgenland in the mid 1920s: http://www.flickr.com/photos/striderv/sets/72157605504350937/with/2560984115/