Watch the NEXT episode in this series. Escaping the Nazis Aboard Queen Mary: ruclips.net/video/MJLH0vLWawY/видео.html Watch the PREVIOUS episode in this series. World's Fastest Liner: Queen Mary races NORMANDIE: ruclips.net/video/TByuBon89kg/видео.html
My father went to Europe in early 1944, landed in France just after D-Day. He told me the trip over on the Queen Mary was awful, the rolling made half of the passengers seasick.
MY dad was on Destroyers [ Fletcher class} and he said they where taking sea's so rough that everyone was sea sick. Also people sliding around and getting hurt, broken bones and puke everywhere. He said it was horrible. RIP Chief Bosun Mate Churchill. Saw a ton of combat. USS O'Bannon.....DD 450 and the USS Spence....Thankfully not on her when she was lost in a Typhoon in 45. She was lost with 2 other destroyers. The Spence, the Hull, and the Monaghan.....lost in 45
The record was 18,000 troops onboard between the QM and her sister ship Elizabeth 1.8 American service men & Women were landed at Greenock on the Clyde for service in the European theatre
You are so right! Today's "cruise ships" should be recategorized as "kitsch of the seas" due to their atrociously overblown design and bad taste throughout. Their monstrously top-heavy structure makes them unable to handle the rough seas that ocean liners were designed for. A lot of people in the business are worried about the possibility of a rogue wave or collision, and the loss of several thousand passengers. The say it is just a matter of time.
@@johntechwriter In pre-Covid days, cruise liners were seasonal callers to Wellington,,, like floating, horizontal office blocks and having none of the balance and proportion of old style liners.
Alex, thank you for the graphic of the 52 degree roll. That was terrifying. Sometimes cruise ships can’t avoid bad weather and roll around 20 degrees. That freaks cruisers out and they think they’re going to die!
I was on this ship from Southhampton to NYC. It was a nightmare in rough seas. As a 11 year I ventured out in a storm and was almost swept overboard but in that storm the ship "fell" in between waves. Everyone when flying. Really surprise my parents.
My Dad came back from WWII on this ship. They were blessed with great weather so no major tossing about. Dad wouldn't have survived if it had been rough. He was bed ridden and could not even sit up. He had friends take pictures of the ship for him since he couldn't get around. The most interesting photo was one he took himself from his bunk. It was the Statue of Liberty lit up at night! He said everyone was crying and cheering to be home.
My father went to war on the Queen Mary in 1942 on a journey from Sydney to San Francisco as a volunteer in the Empire Air Training Scheme. He shared a bunk with two others in eight hour shifts. He arrived in Canada by train, completed his pilot training there and eventually arrived in the UK. She was initially converted as a troopship in Australia in 1940 to transport Australian and NZ troops to the UK.
This is very interesting. I knew about the wave that inspired Gallico to write The Poseidon Adventure, but I'd never heard about this reputation for rolling or about this crew member's account, both were fascinating to learn. Nicely done job with the visuals (especially the piano).
Decades earlier, the RMS Lusitania was struck by a rogue wave that wiped out her bridge! That gives us some idea how high and mighty those monster waves can be! 😨
When I was a child growing up in Southern California, my family visited and toured the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach. I had no idea of the ship's rolling history. The RMSQA is a beautiful master piece. I remember walking through the corridors of the ship. A very popular tourist sight. That was fun. An excellent purchase Long Beach.
When the Spruce Goose was also in Long Beach, I visited them both (many years ago). The Queen Mary certainly has a nice style about it. Particularly enjoyed visiting the forward bar with all its art deco! Amazing stories - can't imagine how bad 52 degrees felt!
@bellevueace6 yes, the H4 Hercules used to be on display in Long Beach next to the Queen Mary. It was heavily marketed as "The Spruce Goose" though, so many people remember that name more.
Excellent as always. I spent a nite on the Mary Sept. 7, 2008. It was great. My son and I wandered the ship late at nite and gave ourselves a tour. No one else to be seen anywhere. Wonderful Ship/Lady. Thanks and Best Regards.
2:10 This particular double-ended Scotch boiler is at the Maritime Museum in Irvine, Ayrshire, Britain. I visited it just a few weeks ago and was astonished at it's enormity.
My dad only made occasional comments about his experience during the war. His troop ship was the EMPRESS OF CANADA travelling to Egypt 10 decks below the water line. If it was hit with anything, they had no chance of escape. I presume that the rolling Mary relied on speed to avoid any submarine action. Thanks for your service.
If additional ballast compensated for the difference in weight in the boilers, but still didn’t prevent the excessive rolling, it sounds more like a fundamental design flaw, if the rolling was appreciably worse than on competitor ships.
It wasn't appreciably worse than competitors though. It wasn't uncommon for an ocean liner to pitch and roll the way she did. It was neither normal nor abnormal. She was just among the liners that wasn't as steady in rough seas as was hoped. The ships ballast tank capacity was designed to accommodate the flux of passenger weight and cargo weight, but not to account for missing boiler weight on top of that. Thats why sometimes taking on extra ballast only helped a little, but not a lot.
@@AlextheHistorian I guess that pretty much answers the question I forgot to ask about why passengers who got tossed about aboard didn't usually switch to other, stabler ships.
@@Kaidhicksii It really depends, some folks didn't know she was such a roller until she actually hit a storm. Other folks may not have had too much choice in which liner they booked, especially if their travel agent got them a good deal.
Great points, I always attribute the rolling to the fact that much of her design was an enlargement of the Aquitania. The design of the Queen Elizabeth was more original and did address some of this rolling but certainly not all.
Great video about a wonderful ship that had its problems I didn't know about. I was a child when my father took us down to the beach in Laguna at night to watch the Queen Mary sailing slowly by on her last voyage...to Long Beach.
Alex, that image at 6:30 is amazing, image being up in the crow's nest. "8:07 Tea Set" The grand piano going left, right, left and on is priceless. Alex, your narration and music you chose is perfect...... Thanks for your time and hard work.
I was crew on the Mary for 23 trips Southampton -New York,the roughest trip was when she coped the arse end of Hurracine Donna two days outa New York.One other time was when a Galley crew member jumped over the side,couple miles to turn her round ,the galley was a mess and all along the working ally way.She was the best and happiest ship in the Cunard fleet.
@Patrick O'Maracou, my name is Alex I am the Director of Public Relations for QMI Restore the Queen, we are a non-profit dedicated to raising funds for the restoration of RMS Queen Mary. If you'd like to share your story as former crew aboard the ship, we'd be happy to document it for future generations to enjoy. If you'd like that, feel free to email me at either of these addresses: alex.younies@qmi.care Or alexthehistorian55@gmail.com
I've actually had dinner on the Queen Mary, there is certainly a presence...also boarded the neighboring Scorpion, which has sadly fallen into disrepair. Saying you have looked through the periscope of a Soviet submarine is a beautiful thing.
My dad was in the Canadian army and after VE Day took the Queen Mary back to N. America. The ship was packed with young men, all hungry for home, as well as for good food. As my dad related, the galleys were open 24 hours a day and the men could eat whatever they wanted. The quality of the food was equal to the finest restaurants of the time, but what impressed my dad most was how well organized and supplied the messes were. He could not recall shortages of anything. A final note: During WWII the Queen continued to ply the trans-Atlantic route. As for the u-boats and other German warships, the Queen could easily outrun them all.
Not mention. Doing over 30 knots+. She cut a British destroyer in half. Most of the destroyer sailors lost their lives. It was the other destroyers that had to rescue what sailors were left behind, The Queen Mary basically received just scratch.
Excellent update of an already great video. Paul Gallico crossed on her in 1936 and while at lunch the ship rolled heavily and hung on the roll. Afterwards his imagination wondered what would have happened had ship carried on over. The Poseidon Adventure was the result with the near miss recreated in the first chapter.
With this posting and your forthcoming QM2 voyage, you are moving in the right direction. Your recounting of Queen Mary's tendency to roll was well researched and adds to the value of preserving such an incredible vessel. To have survived a 52-degree roll in 90-foot seas is truly incredible particularly as you added the fact that 3 more degrees and she may not have been able to right herself!. These are the sort of facts and stories that will continue to build your channel. On that note, I wonder if Cunard is aware of your interest in the Queen Mary as a passenger on the QM2? The reason I ask is that it would be most interesting for you and your subscribers to visually compare the various design and engineering elements between the two vessels. As a passenger on the QM2, my experience is that with 2600 passengers and 1200 crew, most public areas are crowded, to say the least, making any sort of comparative video footage hard to shoot or narrate. Maybe with Cunard's assistance, you will be allowed access to various locations during the voyage so as to record specific comparative footage.
We would sail on a less busy voyage. For instance, if we can go this year, there is a voyage in October where the ship will be quite empty. Thats because the weather won't be very good. So it will make it easier to film. But even if the ship were busy, that won't stop me from filming, even if I have to get up early in the morning or stay up late at night when almost no one is walking about. Also yes, Cunard is aware of my channel and what I do. They used to assist in my research of the original ship. 🙂
Great video. Just hearing about the dining room brought back memories of thee best brunch I’ve ever had, served there in the Queen Mary. My wife and I celebrated an anniversary there on the ship. Ate dinner at Sir Winstons then spent the weekend. We still have the bottle of Queen Mary champagne.
Really nice, I did enjoy the re upload, it had more facts, great job with the re upload! Thanks for making way more nice pictures, it shows how she rolls….
I had no idea what happened to the Queen Mary in those rough seas was the inspiration for the Poseidon Adventure! I remember that movie, really gave me nightmares about ships!💕
My father served in Patton's 3rd Army in WW2. He got the "million dollar wound" (large gaping hole in his right shoulder) during the Battle of the Bulge 12-24-44. Since he never talked about the war, I don't know if he was on an ocean liner coming/going to Europe or just on a regular troopship. It's something I have always wondered.
Very well done video, and this is a good remaster of such a good video. In the original, I was sort of confused on why the QUEEN MARY Rolled but now it's much more clearer in this video. Great video as always!
Another superb video, Alex, particularly the beautiful drone footage. It really shows her off. Fascinating content - you give different and very well researched information. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in weather like that. I remember going to see ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ and it’s amazing to think that was what QM was going through! 😮
Great job on this video. 52 degrees would be considered a "knockdown". On any semi or full displacement hull design there is a noticable "tipping point". Even someone unfamiliar with boating can feel it, more often then not you can hear it, as normally stowed items shift about as well as people and things not secured. As you stated it can just be a matter of a few degrees. The size of a boat or ship does not matter its "stability". I've been on large modern cruise ships, top heavy by design, that during a course change and in a heavy sea, the wing stabilizers did not respond quickly enough and it heeled over to an uncomfortable level. Thats putting it lightly. :)
Great Video matching exactly what I was searching for : Queen Mary in heavy seas. Thank you I joind your channel. Signed : a fan of the liner NORMANDIE :)
This was an awesome introduction to your channel man! Subscribed! Looking forward to what you have in store for us, you’re incredibly talented and have a bright future here brother. God Bless!
The Poseidon Adventure was actually inspired by a QM crossing taken by Paul Gallico. there's a lunch scene in the novel which i'm sure is based on the author's own experience.
I'm glad you mentioned that. I've read that "The Poseidon Adventure" was inspired by a rough crossing in 1937, several years before the wartime incident. I've also read that Paul Gallico wound up against a window with nothing but glass between him and the ocean. In the book this happened to Manny Rosen. I've never been able to confirm it but I think a lot of "The Poseidon Adventure" is based on the Heraklion disaster of 1966: The fictional British liner Atlantis became the cargo liner Poseidon, the real life British liner Liecestershire became the passenger ship/car ferry Heraklion. (Both British liners were given Greek names.) The fictional and real ships were mismanaged and both capsized in severe conditions in the Mediterranean. The Poseidon was lost because of a wave, the Heraklion because of storm conditions and a hatchway that gave way. The Poseidon did stay afloat for quite a while but the Heraklion sank much sooner. Paul Gallico lived on the Riviera so wasn't far from the real events of 1966 and his book was published in 1969. The losses of the Poseidon and Heraklion are so similar that it can't be a coincidence.
It's back, and I finally got a bit of time to watch! I won't say anything I've said before; instead I'll note a few more things. One, I have no idea how her designers could've been as off on her metacentric height as they were. Perhaps Cunard ordered a few more things to be added to her upper decks, thus creating more weight? If they had gotten that one part right, then perhaps everything else - from her lighter Yarrow boilers to her apparent original lack of bilge keels (if I remember that part correctly) - could've been negated. Two, it is these stories which make me can't help but laugh at that one guy's story when you originally uploaded this, when his parents (or grandparents; forgot) said that in harsh seas, the Queen Mary could run down the United States. Sir, if you're back and you see this comment, just know that I'm not discrediting you or your relatives' story, as you're probably telling the truth. But I simply don't believe you. 🤣🤣 Three, I plan on building several models of different liners, but with a twist, in that I slightly modify their design not to depict them as they were, but as they could've been. So for example, Titanic with enough lifeboats, or France if her balconies as the Norway were flushed in with her design rather than just plunked a top of her superstructure. In the case of Mary, I will do my best to design her as she would've been if her metacentric height was correct. And finally to end off for anyone interested, the art with the Queen Mary in big seas were done by Chris Butler: you can find him on his website. And this story is a reminder that bigger isn't always better, for as I said before, the Olympic-class liners (so the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic) generally were more stable ships than the great Queen herself, as well as many other liners.
Wow 👌 another fantastic video, blown away by the footage, pictures, facts and history you have and all narrated beautiful. Absolute class... such a shame they didn't have proper foresight, when they ripped the Queens engines out, but she is still such a beautiful ship, so much class and history 🙌🙏👌
Subscribed! That was an excellent docu-video, very interesting and informative. Just goes to show what problems a customer can cause to a design/ manufacturer when they request last minute changes to something that is been designed and well into construction. I am.a design draughtsman and we get this all tte time.... changes that will mess up the whole concept of design.
Interestingly, a book I bought years ago described the cause as the complete opposite of what this video says. It said that, due to the VERY heavy machinery low down, the CoG was too low and had to be raised by adding a water-tank in the dummy funnel during the first overhaul. The weight further from the roll-centre slowed the roll and also had the effect of raising the CoG and REDUCING the metacentric height. Note that the metacentric height isn't the roll-centre. It's the distance from the CoG to the metacentre, which is a point on the centre-line above the centre of buoyancy. If the MH is larger, the ship doesn't need to roll as much for the metacentre to be above the centre-of-buoyancy. The higher the MH, the more stable the ship. Also, as an aside, the builders proposed just a bigger version of the Empress of Britain so that might have been where the original idea for old-fashioned scotch boilers came from. The QM was mostly designed in the late 1920s, which is why the Bremen, Europa, Rex and Normandie were all so much more advanced, despite being older.
@@AlextheHistorian The 3rd funnel only exhausted from a few boilers. The "back half" of it was partly used for the forward engine-room ventilation and partly unused. The two forward funnels exhausted 2 boiler-rooms each. The book was written by one of the engineering crew when it first sailed. I'll try to dig it out later.
I see what you mean, yes only half of the funnel exhausted boiler gasses, I thought you were implying it wasn't used at all. Well to be honest until I see what that book says, it would leave me puzzled as during the first overhaul they had to install 20 miles of handrails inside the ship due to the severity of the rolling, a ship with a lower metacentric height wouldn't roll as badly, and it would be "snappier". Queen Mary's rolling was often described as being slow and lazy. While there was a drinking water tank installed near the aft funnel, my understanding of that was it was there from the beginning.
Thanks for your research and posting this documentary! I visited the Queen back in August of 2011, unfortunately the corrosive sea water has taken her toll and now her future is unknown?
She is being repaired and restored right now, I am a board member of QMI Restore the Queen, a non-profit working with the City of Long Beach to fund future restoration projects. Queen Mary will reopen this fall, likely October 1st.
In January this year I went on a ferry trip from Santander, Spain to Portsmouth, UK. The waters in the Bay of Biscay were rough which made a lot of people seasick, including myself I can't imagine how bad the seasickness must've been on the Queen Mary
I visited her when I was in Long Beach on a business trip. She was magnificent, of course, but it was eerie to enter some of the palatial rooms, completely empty.
I am again reminded that no matter how sophisticated and safe, we mere humans might think our various constructions are, Mother Nature or on occasion, circumstance, can prove how fragile and ineffectual our efforts really are..!!
I remember watching The Poseidon Adventure on Bill Kennedy at the Movies on WKBD and during one break he related the story (in his inimitable style) of how that particular voyage of the Queen Mary was the inspiration for the movie.
Are they still going to install a Yarrow boilers for College Training....It be neat to find some old ones to install...That beautiful old riveting jobs in the 40s was just spectacular 👌😀..love Your Channel. Showcasing the MARY.HOPE SHE GET SPONSORS ETC.. it be interesting to dry dock her and repaint her.We stayed on her about 7 years ago and was alarmed on seeing thick rust forming down below the interior frames and bottom plates...(It be interesting if Corrosion protection COMPANY uses "THE MARY" TO TEST CORROSION PROTECTIVE ADDITIVES (Which is a wealth of inspiration for future generations of engineers).......(2)......It be interesting if they put corrosion protection on inside of hull around the bottom frames etc.. SPRAYED ON WITH WEED SPRAYERS ETC...(We use CIC OILS ON INTERIOR OF BOEING AIRCRAFT TO PROTECT AGAINST MOISTURE BUILD UP...) NOW DAYS or perhaps old diesal fuel or vegetable oil etc....
Excellent story - seems like late design change - new efficient (Fuel) but larger boilers led to the ship being a bit more unstable ( centre of gravity knocked off ) than what was designed but the ship was well designed that it with stood numerous disasters in its life - glad it didn't roll over in that rogue wave in the bad atlantic storm of 1942.
I think something interesting to do when mentioning the rogue wave is show just how little the difference between 52 and 55 degrees is. Would really put into perspective just how close they were to losing her.
My parents and 3 brothers made the 1949 January passage to USA. I saw the docking receipt and it listed a 28.65 knots per hour average speed. I remember my dad saying the Captain told him he had her throtted back due to rough weather on her 5 day passage
I was at this very dry dock 3 weeks ago sailing on the SS Shieldhall. It's looking tired now but it was cool to be in the place where so many ships had been. There is a crane remaining and the pump house is still there also.
HI CPT. ALEX,, GREAT VIDEO!! I JUST GOT OUT OF WORK AND I AM TIRED ,,.. BUT WATCHING THIS VIDEO MY G D , I CANT BELIEVE HOW MUCH BAD LUCK SHE HAD IN THE HIGH SEAS.. I NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIS INFO. AND ITS SO SAD TO KNOW ABOUT IT .. I KNOW THE Q.M. HAD SOME TOUGH TIMES BUT WOW PEOPLE BEING THROWN AROUND AND PEOPLE DIEING AND A KILLER PIANO ATTACKING PEOPLE AND MAKING A MESS OF THE DINNING AREA,..WE CANT BLAME THE Q. M. ITS THE BUILDERS ,, HEY GUYS FIX HER AND GET IT RIGHT???? THANK YOU !!! CANT WAIT FOR SAT. VIDEO,,I HOPE ITS NOT AS CRAZY AS THE LAST ONE ,,, NOT YOUR FAULT ,, ITS THE NEW OWNERS TEARING HER TO PEICE,,, THANK YOU CPT. ALEX... VETERAN..
Very interesting! One thing: "The ship was still new, and she had yet been tested in such weather." I'm pretty sure you mean "had not yet been tested in such weather"
I learn something every time I watch one of your videos Alex. The piano action was great. Did Cunard try to hide deaths on their ships like today’s airlines’ painting over logos and registration numbers immediately after accidents before wreckage is even removed? Did newspapers keep track of accidents?
Cunard took those kinds of events very seriously, they kept an impeccable record of every accident and death aboard their ships. The only discrepancy is wartime service, the country in charge of their ship at the time (it could be the British Admiralty or the U.S. Defense) would hold the wartime records and often not disclose them. That's why we still don't know how many people were injured or killed aboard Queen Mary during her wartime service.
The stabilizers can be used in mild seas to moderate seas, but in extreme conditions where the seas rise and fall quickly, the stabilizer fins couldn't move fast enough to counteract the motion. In essence, the machinery suffered from reaction time. This is actually still the case today with modern ships. They have a faster reaction time than Queen Mary's stabilizers, but in extreme weather they can't react fast enough. That's sometimes why you can see videos of cruise ships moving violently in storms, because the motion of the water outpaces the capacity of the stabilizers. Also extreme seas could rip the stabilizers right out of Queen Mary's hull
@@AlextheHistorian Thank you Alex for the explanation. Also why did they remove the stabilizers from QM when they converted to a hotel, what harm would they of caused??
My step dad came back from the war on the QE. He said she rolled so freaking high, you could see the sky a few seconds and the deck, just looking straight ahead lol. But he praised the Queen Elizabeth size and strength.
Yes, but as I said in the video "all ships roll with the seas... ...but the concern lay in the fact that she adopted a more extreme angle than was expected for the weather she was in." When most ships might roll about 8 degrees in high swells, the Mary would, for example, roll 12 degrees. And the recovery from her roll would be a bit sluggish for her design.
Watch the NEXT episode in this series. Escaping the Nazis Aboard Queen Mary:
ruclips.net/video/MJLH0vLWawY/видео.html
Watch the PREVIOUS episode in this series. World's Fastest Liner: Queen Mary races NORMANDIE:
ruclips.net/video/TByuBon89kg/видео.html
Thx for your interesting
My father went to Europe in early 1944, landed in France just after D-Day. He told me the trip over on the Queen Mary was awful, the rolling made half of the passengers seasick.
MY dad was on Destroyers [ Fletcher class} and he said they where taking sea's so rough that everyone was sea sick. Also people sliding around and getting hurt, broken bones and puke everywhere. He said it was horrible. RIP Chief Bosun Mate Churchill. Saw a ton of combat. USS O'Bannon.....DD 450 and the USS Spence....Thankfully not on her when she was lost in a Typhoon in 45. She was lost with 2 other destroyers. The Spence, the Hull, and the Monaghan.....lost in 45
HOW OLD IS UR DAD?!?!
The record was 18,000 troops onboard between the QM and her sister ship Elizabeth 1.8 American service men & Women were landed at Greenock on the Clyde for service in the European theatre
The record was for Queen Mary, with 16,683 people on board
@@lagomite_is_stupid Well, if he were 18 in '44, then he would be about 96 now. Maybe he didn't respond because his dad has already passed.
This ship looks so much nicer than these new monstrosities.
You are so right! Today's "cruise ships" should be recategorized as "kitsch of the seas" due to their atrociously overblown design and bad taste throughout. Their monstrously top-heavy structure makes them unable to handle the rough seas that ocean liners were designed for. A lot of people in the business are worried about the possibility of a rogue wave or collision, and the loss of several thousand passengers. The say it is just a matter of time.
@@johntechwriter In pre-Covid days, cruise liners were seasonal callers to Wellington,,, like floating, horizontal office blocks and having none of the balance and proportion of old style liners.
Agreed!
Yes! I hate the look of new ships. I lovvve the look of older ships
I mean those smoke stacks are pretty hideous
Alex, thank you for the graphic of the 52 degree roll. That was terrifying. Sometimes cruise ships can’t avoid bad weather and roll around 20 degrees. That freaks cruisers out and they think they’re going to die!
even a degree roll has them singing My Heart Will Go On!
The Queen Mary was not a cruise ship she was an Ocean Liner!
@Boston, Alan and kiwi weren't calling Queen Mary a cruise ship, they were only saying that cruise ships can roll quite fiercely.
@@bostonblackie9503 yes, I was having a sideways dig at the cruise market.
@@KiwiSentinel as was I lol
I was on this ship from Southhampton to NYC. It was a nightmare in rough seas. As a 11 year I ventured out in a storm and was almost swept overboard but in that storm the ship "fell" in between waves. Everyone when flying. Really surprise my parents.
My Dad came back from WWII on this ship. They were blessed with great weather so no major tossing about. Dad wouldn't have survived if it had been rough. He was bed ridden and could not even sit up. He had friends take pictures of the ship for him since he couldn't get around. The most interesting photo was one he took himself from his bunk. It was the Statue of Liberty lit up at night! He said everyone was crying and cheering to be home.
I bet it was such a welcome sight!
My grandmother and her three kids crossed the ocean in the Queen Mary. She was one of the few who didn't get sick in the storm.
Your grandma was a true sea dog!
My father went to war on the Queen Mary in 1942 on a journey from Sydney to San Francisco as a volunteer in the Empire Air Training Scheme. He shared a bunk with two others in eight hour shifts. He arrived in Canada by train, completed his pilot training there and eventually arrived in the UK.
She was initially converted as a troopship in Australia in 1940 to transport Australian and NZ troops to the UK.
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Don't forget the Canadians! The Queen transported them as well.
Don’t Forget The Rouge Wave
Nice to read of another father in the Empire Air Training Scheme (mine from NZ). Respect.
Very informative. I enjoyed this updated, new video of "Rolling Mary".
This is very interesting. I knew about the wave that inspired Gallico to write The Poseidon Adventure, but I'd never heard about this reputation for rolling or about this crew member's account, both were fascinating to learn. Nicely done job with the visuals (especially the piano).
Thanks!
Decades earlier, the RMS Lusitania was struck by a rogue wave that wiped out her bridge! That gives us some idea how high and mighty those monster waves can be! 😨
When I was a child growing up in Southern California, my family visited and toured the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach. I had no idea of the ship's rolling history. The RMSQA is a beautiful master piece. I remember walking through the corridors of the ship. A very popular tourist sight. That was fun. An excellent purchase Long Beach.
This is one of the best liner videos I have ever seen. Absolutely incredible job. Perfectly composed and very enlightening!
Thank you!
When the Spruce Goose was also in Long Beach, I visited them both (many years ago). The Queen Mary certainly has a nice style about it. Particularly enjoyed visiting the forward bar with all its art deco! Amazing stories - can't imagine how bad 52 degrees felt!
The Hercules…?
@bellevueace6 yes, the H4 Hercules used to be on display in Long Beach next to the Queen Mary. It was heavily marketed as "The Spruce Goose" though, so many people remember that name more.
Excellent as always. I spent a nite on the Mary Sept. 7, 2008. It was great. My son and I wandered the ship late at nite and gave ourselves a tour. No one else to be seen anywhere. Wonderful Ship/Lady. Thanks and Best Regards.
2:10 This particular double-ended Scotch boiler is at the Maritime Museum in Irvine, Ayrshire, Britain. I visited it just a few weeks ago and was astonished at it's enormity.
Double-ended Scotch Boiler sounds like a fancy whiskey drink.
My dad only made occasional comments about his experience during the war. His troop ship was the EMPRESS OF CANADA travelling to Egypt 10 decks below the water line. If it was hit with anything, they had no chance of escape. I presume that the rolling Mary relied on speed to avoid any submarine action. Thanks for your service.
Thanks Alex.. a brilliant mini doco. I had no idea the Mary went through such ordeals with rolling, not to mention a roving piano!
Glad you liked the video Matt!
It reminds me of the movie “1900”. If you love ships you’ll love this movie.
If additional ballast compensated for the difference in weight in the boilers, but still didn’t prevent the excessive rolling, it sounds more like a fundamental design flaw, if the rolling was appreciably worse than on competitor ships.
It wasn't appreciably worse than competitors though. It wasn't uncommon for an ocean liner to pitch and roll the way she did. It was neither normal nor abnormal. She was just among the liners that wasn't as steady in rough seas as was hoped. The ships ballast tank capacity was designed to accommodate the flux of passenger weight and cargo weight, but not to account for missing boiler weight on top of that. Thats why sometimes taking on extra ballast only helped a little, but not a lot.
@@AlextheHistorian I guess that pretty much answers the question I forgot to ask about why passengers who got tossed about aboard didn't usually switch to other, stabler ships.
@@Kaidhicksii It really depends, some folks didn't know she was such a roller until she actually hit a storm. Other folks may not have had too much choice in which liner they booked, especially if their travel agent got them a good deal.
Great points, I always attribute the rolling to the fact that much of her design was an enlargement of the Aquitania. The design of the Queen Elizabeth was more original and did address some of this rolling but certainly not all.
Great video about a wonderful ship that had its problems I didn't know about. I was a child when my father took us down to the beach in Laguna at night to watch the Queen Mary sailing slowly by on her last voyage...to Long Beach.
Must have been a heartbreaking departure for everybody.
Alex, that image at 6:30 is amazing, image being up in the crow's nest. "8:07 Tea Set" The grand piano going left, right, left and on is priceless. Alex, your narration and music you chose is perfect...... Thanks for your time and hard work.
Excellent update! I can't even imagine what that 52 degree roll would have been like. Scared me just to watch the graphic!
I was crew on the Mary for 23 trips Southampton -New York,the roughest trip was when she coped the arse end of Hurracine Donna two days outa New York.One other time was when a Galley crew member jumped over the side,couple miles to turn her round ,the galley was a mess and all along the working ally way.She was the best and happiest ship in the Cunard fleet.
@Patrick O'Maracou, my name is Alex I am the Director of Public Relations for QMI Restore the Queen, we are a non-profit dedicated to raising funds for the restoration of RMS Queen Mary. If you'd like to share your story as former crew aboard the ship, we'd be happy to document it for future generations to enjoy. If you'd like that, feel free to email me at either of these addresses:
alex.younies@qmi.care
Or
alexthehistorian55@gmail.com
WONDERFUL VIDEO ! THANK YOU VERY MUCH -ILOVE IT
😃
I've actually had dinner on the Queen Mary, there is certainly a presence...also boarded the neighboring Scorpion, which has sadly fallen into disrepair. Saying you have looked through the periscope of a Soviet submarine is a beautiful thing.
My dad was in the Canadian army and after VE Day took the Queen Mary back to N. America. The ship was packed with young men, all hungry for home, as well as for good food. As my dad related, the galleys were open 24 hours a day and the men could eat whatever they wanted. The quality of the food was equal to the finest restaurants of the time, but what impressed my dad most was how well organized and supplied the messes were. He could not recall shortages of anything. A final note: During WWII the Queen continued to ply the trans-Atlantic route. As for the u-boats and other German warships, the Queen could easily outrun them all.
Not mention. Doing over 30 knots+. She cut a British destroyer in half. Most of the destroyer sailors lost their lives. It was the other destroyers that had to rescue what sailors were left behind, The Queen Mary basically received just scratch.
@@scorpion19142001Those large liners could slice other vessels like a knife. Olympic sliced a light boat in half and sunk a u-boat by running into it
@@Tempusverum What else did Mary when through? Does a rogue wave ring a bell?
What an outstanding ship. So glad things are looking up for the future of the QM. Looking forward to travelling from the UK to visit her one day.
Agree.
Excellent update of an already great video. Paul Gallico crossed on her in 1936 and while at lunch the ship rolled heavily and hung on the roll. Afterwards his imagination wondered what would have happened had ship carried on over. The Poseidon Adventure was the result with the near miss recreated in the first chapter.
Gallico to Steward: "I didn't care for that very much"
Steward to Gallico [after checking for superiors] Neither did I!!
Terrific video, I like your style and am glad I ran across you.
Thanks!
With this posting and your forthcoming QM2 voyage, you are moving in the right direction. Your recounting of Queen Mary's tendency to roll was well researched and adds to the value of preserving such an incredible vessel. To have survived a 52-degree roll in 90-foot seas is truly incredible particularly as you added the fact that 3 more degrees and she may not have been able to right herself!. These are the sort of facts and stories that will continue to build your channel. On that note, I wonder if Cunard is aware of your interest in the Queen Mary as a passenger on the QM2? The reason I ask is that it would be most interesting for you and your subscribers to visually compare the various design and engineering elements between the two vessels. As a passenger on the QM2, my experience is that with 2600 passengers and 1200 crew, most public areas are crowded, to say the least, making any sort of comparative video footage hard to shoot or narrate. Maybe with Cunard's assistance, you will be allowed access to various locations during the voyage so as to record specific comparative footage.
We would sail on a less busy voyage. For instance, if we can go this year, there is a voyage in October where the ship will be quite empty. Thats because the weather won't be very good. So it will make it easier to film. But even if the ship were busy, that won't stop me from filming, even if I have to get up early in the morning or stay up late at night when almost no one is walking about. Also yes, Cunard is aware of my channel and what I do. They used to assist in my research of the original ship. 🙂
Amazing documentary as always
Great video. Just hearing about the dining room brought back memories of thee best brunch I’ve ever had, served there in the Queen Mary. My wife and I celebrated an anniversary there on the ship. Ate dinner at Sir Winstons then spent the weekend. We still have the bottle of Queen Mary champagne.
I drove past this once while touring the California Coastline. Awesome to learn the epic history behind the ship. That rogue wave sounds horrific!
Thank you for your great digital storytelling and respect for the Queen Mary.
Thanks!
I hope to one day visit the Queen Mary and experience a great piece of history. Thank you for the great video.
Excellent video. Thanks
As always, fascinating new facts about the Queen Mary Alex. Keep up the great work!
Really nice, I did enjoy the re upload, it had more facts, great job with the re upload! Thanks for making way more nice pictures, it shows how she rolls….
I had no idea what happened to the Queen Mary in those rough seas was the inspiration for the Poseidon Adventure! I remember that movie, really gave me nightmares about ships!💕
My father served in Patton's 3rd Army in WW2. He got the "million dollar wound" (large gaping hole in his right shoulder) during the Battle of the Bulge 12-24-44. Since he never talked about the war, I don't know if he was on an ocean liner coming/going to Europe or just on a regular troopship. It's something I have always wondered.
I thought the "million dollar wound" was getting shot in the ass?
@@krisfrederick5001 The million dollar wound was the one that got you sent home to the states-across the ocean from the war and the horrible stuff.
@@krisfrederick5001 Million dollar wound is basically getting shot and the bullet misses all the vital organs by millimetres.
Very well done video, and this is a good remaster of such a good video. In the original, I was sort of confused on why the QUEEN MARY Rolled but now it's much more clearer in this video. Great video as always!
Great video Thanks for sharing!
I love your channel keep up the great stuff!!!!
Another superb video, Alex, particularly the beautiful drone footage. It really shows her off. Fascinating content - you give different and very well researched information. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in weather like that. I remember going to see ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ and it’s amazing to think that was what QM was going through! 😮
Hey I spotted your tea set! And nice touch with the rolling piano
Wow very graphic. !Thanks for the video ...
Awesome feature cheers.
So this is where The Poseidon Adventure’s Inspiration came from.
Great job on this video.
52 degrees would be considered a "knockdown".
On any semi or full displacement hull design there is a noticable "tipping point".
Even someone unfamiliar with boating can feel it, more often then not you can hear it, as normally stowed items shift about as well as people and things not secured. As you stated it can just be a matter of a few degrees.
The size of a boat or ship does not matter its "stability". I've been on large modern cruise ships, top heavy by design, that during a course change and in a heavy sea, the wing stabilizers did not respond quickly enough and it heeled over to an uncomfortable level. Thats putting it lightly. :)
Great Video matching exactly what I was searching for : Queen Mary in heavy seas. Thank you I joind your channel. Signed : a fan of the liner NORMANDIE :)
Thanks! Welcome to the channel!
Excellent job and very professional
Thank you!
This is excellent Alex, thoroughly enjoyable and informative. I very much enjoyed your narrative, a joy to listen to, thankyou!
Thanks glad you liked it!
This was an awesome introduction to your channel man! Subscribed! Looking forward to what you have in store for us, you’re incredibly talented and have a bright future here brother. God Bless!
Awesome! Thank you! And welcome aboard
Very quality video keep up the good work!
Thank you!
Unfortunately I'm not much of a movie or TV show writer
The Poseidon Adventure was actually inspired by a QM crossing taken by Paul Gallico. there's a lunch scene in the novel which i'm sure is based on the author's own experience.
I'm glad you mentioned that. I've read that "The Poseidon Adventure" was inspired by a rough crossing in 1937, several years before the wartime incident. I've also read that Paul Gallico wound up against a window with nothing but glass between him and the ocean. In the book this happened to Manny Rosen. I've never been able to confirm it but I think a lot of "The Poseidon Adventure" is based on the Heraklion disaster of 1966: The fictional British liner Atlantis became the cargo liner Poseidon, the real life British liner Liecestershire became the passenger ship/car ferry Heraklion. (Both British liners were given Greek names.) The fictional and real ships were mismanaged and both capsized in severe conditions in the Mediterranean. The Poseidon was lost because of a wave, the Heraklion because of storm conditions and a hatchway that gave way. The Poseidon did stay afloat for quite a while but the Heraklion sank much sooner. Paul Gallico lived on the Riviera so wasn't far from the real events of 1966 and his book was published in 1969. The losses of the Poseidon and Heraklion are so similar that it can't be a coincidence.
Wow! This is even better than the original! The extra content was wow! Great Job, Alex!
Thanks Tyler!
@@AlextheHistorian Yeah you did do a better job on this BTW; a good chunk more information in here than before. :) 👍
Thank you, Alex.
My pleasure!
Good work!
Thank you
My grandfather was transported on the Queen Mary during the war
It's back, and I finally got a bit of time to watch! I won't say anything I've said before; instead I'll note a few more things.
One, I have no idea how her designers could've been as off on her metacentric height as they were. Perhaps Cunard ordered a few more things to be added to her upper decks, thus creating more weight? If they had gotten that one part right, then perhaps everything else - from her lighter Yarrow boilers to her apparent original lack of bilge keels (if I remember that part correctly) - could've been negated.
Two, it is these stories which make me can't help but laugh at that one guy's story when you originally uploaded this, when his parents (or grandparents; forgot) said that in harsh seas, the Queen Mary could run down the United States. Sir, if you're back and you see this comment, just know that I'm not discrediting you or your relatives' story, as you're probably telling the truth. But I simply don't believe you. 🤣🤣
Three, I plan on building several models of different liners, but with a twist, in that I slightly modify their design not to depict them as they were, but as they could've been. So for example, Titanic with enough lifeboats, or France if her balconies as the Norway were flushed in with her design rather than just plunked a top of her superstructure. In the case of Mary, I will do my best to design her as she would've been if her metacentric height was correct.
And finally to end off for anyone interested, the art with the Queen Mary in big seas were done by Chris Butler: you can find him on his website. And this story is a reminder that bigger isn't always better, for as I said before, the Olympic-class liners (so the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic) generally were more stable ships than the great Queen herself, as well as many other liners.
Thank you a great video
Wow 👌 another fantastic video, blown away by the footage, pictures, facts and history you have and all narrated beautiful. Absolute class... such a shame they didn't have proper foresight, when they ripped the Queens engines out, but she is still such a beautiful ship, so much class and history 🙌🙏👌
Subscribed! That was an excellent docu-video, very interesting and informative. Just goes to show what problems a customer can cause to a design/ manufacturer when they request last minute changes to something that is been designed and well into construction. I am.a design draughtsman and we get this all tte time.... changes that will mess up the whole concept of design.
Dang, I know you said you were going to tweak this vid a little bit, but you turned an outstanding vid into an even more outstanding vid, nice work!
Thank you Ken!
I saw her come into Long Beach in 1967.............beautiful
Interestingly, a book I bought years ago described the cause as the complete opposite of what this video says. It said that, due to the VERY heavy machinery low down, the CoG was too low and had to be raised by adding a water-tank in the dummy funnel during the first overhaul. The weight further from the roll-centre slowed the roll and also had the effect of raising the CoG and REDUCING the metacentric height. Note that the metacentric height isn't the roll-centre. It's the distance from the CoG to the metacentre, which is a point on the centre-line above the centre of buoyancy. If the MH is larger, the ship doesn't need to roll as much for the metacentre to be above the centre-of-buoyancy. The higher the MH, the more stable the ship.
Also, as an aside, the builders proposed just a bigger version of the Empress of Britain so that might have been where the original idea for old-fashioned scotch boilers came from. The QM was mostly designed in the late 1920s, which is why the Bremen, Europa, Rex and Normandie were all so much more advanced, despite being older.
I'm inclined to believe the book you read was not about Queen Mary because she didn't have a dummy funnel, all three exhausted boiler gasses.
@@AlextheHistorian The 3rd funnel only exhausted from a few boilers. The "back half" of it was partly used for the forward engine-room ventilation and partly unused. The two forward funnels exhausted 2 boiler-rooms each.
The book was written by one of the engineering crew when it first sailed. I'll try to dig it out later.
I see what you mean, yes only half of the funnel exhausted boiler gasses, I thought you were implying it wasn't used at all. Well to be honest until I see what that book says, it would leave me puzzled as during the first overhaul they had to install 20 miles of handrails inside the ship due to the severity of the rolling, a ship with a lower metacentric height wouldn't roll as badly, and it would be "snappier". Queen Mary's rolling was often described as being slow and lazy. While there was a drinking water tank installed near the aft funnel, my understanding of that was it was there from the beginning.
Thanks for your research and posting this documentary! I visited the Queen back in August of 2011, unfortunately the corrosive sea water has taken her toll and now her future is unknown?
She is being repaired and restored right now, I am a board member of QMI Restore the Queen, a non-profit working with the City of Long Beach to fund future restoration projects. Queen Mary will reopen this fall, likely October 1st.
She's open again, I visited her a couple of days ago
Great video, had dinner on the ship in 2016. Bonus shot of the now scrapped Carnival Imagination at the end
I think people forget it doesn't matter how big a ship is the sea is still vastly more big
Wow Alex- awesome video!! I felt like I was there with that waiter when you discribed his story! Thanks so much! 😀
No problem, glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Same honestly. 😅
Thank you for a very interesting video.
My pleasure!
In January this year I went on a ferry trip from Santander, Spain to Portsmouth, UK. The waters in the Bay of Biscay were rough which made a lot of people seasick, including myself
I can't imagine how bad the seasickness must've been on the Queen Mary
Great video! I love you’re videos!
Thanks!
Its still a miracle to me that the queen survived that rogue wave, rolled more than half way over, and kept going.
Great video.
Very awesome video 😎👍!!
Great job, learned a lot!
Wow Alex! This is a great video.
Thank you!
I visited her when I was in Long Beach on a business trip. She was magnificent, of course, but it was eerie to enter some of the palatial rooms, completely empty.
Great job ❤
Thank you!
I am again reminded that no matter how sophisticated and safe, we mere humans might think our various constructions are, Mother Nature or on occasion, circumstance, can prove how fragile and ineffectual our efforts really are..!!
Well said!
👍👍👍
I remember watching The Poseidon Adventure on Bill Kennedy at the Movies on WKBD and during one break he related the story (in his inimitable style) of how that particular voyage of the Queen Mary was the inspiration for the movie.
Used to watch Bill back in the 60s and into the 70s. Flint,Mi
fantastic vid!
My sister was on the QM in the early 60's, she said they went through heavy seas and she loved it, the others, not so much.
Are they still going to install a Yarrow boilers for College Training....It be neat to find some old ones to install...That beautiful old riveting jobs in the 40s was just spectacular 👌😀..love Your Channel. Showcasing the MARY.HOPE SHE GET SPONSORS ETC.. it be interesting to dry dock her and repaint her.We stayed on her about 7 years ago and was alarmed on seeing thick rust forming down below the interior frames and bottom plates...(It be interesting if Corrosion protection COMPANY uses "THE MARY" TO TEST CORROSION PROTECTIVE ADDITIVES (Which is a wealth of inspiration for future generations of engineers).......(2)......It be interesting if they put corrosion protection on inside of hull around the bottom frames etc.. SPRAYED ON WITH WEED SPRAYERS ETC...(We use CIC OILS ON INTERIOR OF BOEING AIRCRAFT TO PROTECT AGAINST MOISTURE BUILD UP...) NOW DAYS or perhaps old diesal fuel or vegetable oil etc....
Excellent story - seems like late design change - new efficient (Fuel) but larger boilers led to the ship being a bit more unstable ( centre of gravity knocked off ) than what was designed but the ship was well designed that it with stood numerous disasters in its life - glad it didn't roll over in that rogue wave in the bad atlantic storm of 1942.
I think something interesting to do when mentioning the rogue wave is show just how little the difference between 52 and 55 degrees is. Would really put into perspective just how close they were to losing her.
Well the video is already published, I can't change it
Very informative speech enjoy it thank you.
My parents and 3 brothers made the 1949 January passage to USA. I saw the docking receipt and it listed a 28.65 knots per hour average speed. I remember my dad saying the Captain told him he had her throtted back due to rough weather on her 5 day passage
Tony finds this video interesting. He understands how the Bakelites were installed and how The Poseidon Adventure was made
My Mother returning to the States from Europe as USARMY WAC was on the Queen Mary during a major North Atlantic storm immediately after World War 2.
I was at this very dry dock 3 weeks ago sailing on the SS Shieldhall. It's looking tired now but it was cool to be in the place where so many ships had been. There is a crane remaining and the pump house is still there also.
Nicely done,only just discovered you thanks ! FNQ AU
Welcome to the channel!
HI CPT. ALEX,, GREAT VIDEO!! I JUST GOT OUT OF WORK AND I AM TIRED ,,.. BUT WATCHING THIS VIDEO MY G D , I CANT BELIEVE HOW MUCH BAD LUCK SHE HAD IN THE HIGH SEAS.. I NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIS INFO. AND ITS SO SAD TO KNOW ABOUT IT .. I KNOW THE Q.M. HAD SOME TOUGH TIMES BUT WOW PEOPLE BEING THROWN AROUND AND PEOPLE DIEING AND A KILLER PIANO ATTACKING PEOPLE AND MAKING A MESS OF THE DINNING AREA,..WE CANT BLAME THE Q. M. ITS THE BUILDERS ,, HEY GUYS FIX HER AND GET IT RIGHT???? THANK YOU !!! CANT WAIT FOR SAT. VIDEO,,I HOPE ITS NOT AS CRAZY AS THE LAST ONE ,,, NOT YOUR FAULT ,, ITS THE NEW OWNERS TEARING HER TO PEICE,,, THANK YOU CPT. ALEX... VETERAN..
You're welcome!
Very interesting!
One thing:
"The ship was still new, and she had yet been tested in such weather."
I'm pretty sure you mean "had not yet been tested in such weather"
I meant to say "she had yet to be tested in such weather". I have a spelling and grammar check AI run through the script, but it missed many things.
Awww that soothing voice 🙂
I learn something every time I watch one of your videos Alex. The piano action was great. Did Cunard try to hide deaths on their ships like today’s airlines’ painting over logos and registration numbers immediately after accidents before wreckage is even removed? Did newspapers keep track of accidents?
Cunard took those kinds of events very seriously, they kept an impeccable record of every accident and death aboard their ships. The only discrepancy is wartime service, the country in charge of their ship at the time (it could be the British Admiralty or the U.S. Defense) would hold the wartime records and often not disclose them. That's why we still don't know how many people were injured or killed aboard Queen Mary during her wartime service.
I bet it was playing "The old piano roll blues" Yeeaaah!
@@tomroberts8111 The piano was playing musical chairs with all the furniture. It's incredible how fast they cleaned that mess up.
Excellent video Alex, I enjoy your passion for the QM! Why can't the stabilizers be used in rough seas, isn't that the point?
The stabilizers can be used in mild seas to moderate seas, but in extreme conditions where the seas rise and fall quickly, the stabilizer fins couldn't move fast enough to counteract the motion. In essence, the machinery suffered from reaction time. This is actually still the case today with modern ships. They have a faster reaction time than Queen Mary's stabilizers, but in extreme weather they can't react fast enough. That's sometimes why you can see videos of cruise ships moving violently in storms, because the motion of the water outpaces the capacity of the stabilizers. Also extreme seas could rip the stabilizers right out of Queen Mary's hull
@@AlextheHistorian Thank you Alex for the explanation. Also why did they remove the stabilizers from QM when they converted to a hotel, what harm would they of caused??
I lived on the Queen Mary for 6 months, in 2010. Crazy Place, Crazy Experience.
My step dad came back from the war on the QE. He said she rolled so freaking high, you could see the sky a few seconds and the deck, just looking straight ahead lol. But he praised the Queen Elizabeth size and strength.
Another great video as always! Also, did you get a new microphone? Your voice sounds deeper than normal, which sounds better. Just wonder.
For my documentaries I use my voice acting skills to deepen my voice. But it is my real voice speaking, no audio alteration
@@AlextheHistorian Ok. The deeper voice sounds much better and more professional for narrating ship documentaries.
All ships roll in rough seas - it's part of the experience of the voyage. Seasoned sailors and passengers adapt to this with ease.
Yes, but as I said in the video "all ships roll with the seas... ...but the concern lay in the fact that she adopted a more extreme angle than was expected for the weather she was in." When most ships might roll about 8 degrees in high swells, the Mary would, for example, roll 12 degrees. And the recovery from her roll would be a bit sluggish for her design.
We were a boating family and faced some heavy weather. My Dad went on the Marry and got sea sick three days running