PHOTOS: Once in a lifetime event...

[trinacriabob]

$22.95 rented Monte Carlo? Check.

$39.95 Travelodge at San Francisco's airport motel strip? (Not a mistake, either). Check.

Super Bowl that day? Meh. It can be taped and I don't care about Chicago or Indianapolis.

Wouldn't have missed this for the world. It was worth the schlep down to SF and back to see this. This is truly the grand dame of the sea.

1.

People waiting on the ocean side of the Golden Gate

2.

You could catch her outline in the distance prior to this but, at last, she comes into view. Look at all the boats and helicopters circling her.

3.

Made a run to the bay side of the Golden Gate to watch her pass underneath. She's big.

4.

Wow! About 26 feet to spare and they had to watch the tides to accomplish this. Very majestic.

5.

Fireboat salute and all.

6.

Wall to wall people at the waterfront. One hour to drive out of the Presidio.

7.

Alcatraz Island to the left. Her funnel/mast must line up with the prison up on "The Rock."

Some of you will find this funny...one of the SF papers had a blog site as to how she would be the biggest of the Cunard Line "Queens" ever to come into SF's harbor.

One guy wrote:

San Francisco doesn't need any more queens!

I about bust a gut.

On a more reasonable note, one guy from the East Bay suburbs told the paper he brought his family because:

"We are here to see this beautiful lady."

He wasn't kidding.

What an incredible experience!

Here's a slideshow you can link to for professional grade photographs of this incomparable procession, complete with aerials taken from helicopters:

YOU MIGHT HAVE TO HIT "Queen Mary 2 Sets" and THEN HIT view slide show in "new window"

Slide show of QM2 entry into SF harbor by professional photographers

ENJOY!

Edited March 30, 2007 by trinacriabob

[Oracle of Delphi]

Ahhh, another Carnival crusie ship!

[z28luvr01]

I remember going on a tour of the original Queen Mary when it was in Long Beach, CA with the Spruce Goose- what an extravagant ship that was.

That must have been an awesome sight to see. Great pics.

So are you going to go see the maiden voyage of the first 787?

[ocnblu]

Um... you took pictures of a Lincoln Town Car? Strange...

Nah, seriously, sweet boat.

Edited March 30, 2007 by ocnblu

[Sixty8panther]

Cool, I've see bigger but it's still an awsome sight.

[trinacriabob]

Cool, I've see bigger but it's still an awsome sight.

Not possible at this time since she is the world's largest passenger liner. I think she calls on Boston every once in a while. You should check it out.

[Camino LS6]

The SS United States is rusting away at anchor in Philly, such a shame.

One of the coolest looking liners ever, there are attempts every now and then to raise enough cash to restore her. I hope it happens before nothing is left.

Maybe I'll do a search for pics if no one beats me to it.

[Camino LS6]

Cool read about the United States with links to pics:

http://www.ssunitedstates.org/theship.htm

[Northstar]

I thought the Freedom of the Seas was the largest cruise ship in the world. It was right next to the cruise ship I went on last summer when we were docking... it dwarfed the one I was on, which is one of the biggest Carnivals.

It's 1112' long, 184' wide, 208' tall and 160000 tons, and holds 3600 passengers. The QM2 is actually a little longer and taller, but it isn't as wide and is 150000 tons. It also has a capacity of 2620 passengers.

I'm sure they'd both be amazing...

[Cory Wolfe]

No idea what you took pics of... All I know is that it's been 10 minutes and your huge pics still show nothing. They also put my 1440x900 screen to shame. (hint: resize them, please! Pics that big are ridiculous... )

Edited March 30, 2007 by blackviper8891

[bowtie_dude]

That kicks ass!

[trinacriabob]

I thought the Freedom of the Seas was the largest cruise ship in the world. It was right next to the cruise ship I went on last summer when we were docking... it dwarfed the one I was on, which is one of the biggest Carnivals.

It's 1112' long, 184' wide, 208' tall and 160000 tons, and holds 3600 passengers. The QM2 is actually a little longer and taller, but it isn't as wide and is 150000 tons. It also has a capacity of 2620 passengers.

I'm sure they'd both be amazing...

I think you are right. This new one you refer to has either been built or is under construction.

I don't think they CARE much about getting through the Panama Canal much any more.

QM2's "little sister" QE2, which I thought was the coolest thing since sliced bread throughout my entire childhood is 963 feet long and was made that length specifically to squeeze into the Panama Canal. I believe she is the largest vessel that can since, when they shut the lock gates, there is only 5 to 10 feet to spare.

[trinacriabob]

So are you going to go see the maiden voyage of the first 787?

Given that it's a replacement for the similarly sized '67, probably not. I applaud the strides the '87 has made in technology and comfort. I am still a '47 freak through and through as no other aircraft is so photogenic. (Another 747 ride over the pond on Air France coming up this summer, BTW)

Seriously, few things match the pomp and circumstance of the "maiden call" of a great liner into a major harbor. It stressed me at work and school the following week, but I will never forget this!

[GMTruckGuy74]

The SS United States is rusting away at anchor in Philly, such a shame.

One of the coolest looking liners ever, there are attempts every now and then to raise enough cash to restore her. I hope it happens before nothing is left.

Maybe I'll do a search for pics if no one beats me to it.

Is this the ship that's docked across from the Philly IKEA parking lot, closest to the Walt Whitman Bridge? If it is, I didn't realize that it had a storied history. I'll admit that I wondered why someone left a ship there to rust away rather than scrapping it.

[Camino LS6]

Norwegian Cruise Lines is the current owner, and may possibly restore it and put it in service - but that has been said before by other owners in the past. And yes, It's the one you see from the bridge.

[trinacriabob]

Norwegian Cruise Lines is the current owner, and may possibly restore it and put it in service - but that has been said before by other owners in the past. And yes, It's the one you see from the bridge.

When I hear SS United States, I think "fast." Like the list you showed, I think she was the only major liner to make it from the 2 checkpoints (Bishop Rock, UK and Ambrose Light, USA) in a few hours under FOUR days! The typical NY-Southampton crossing is right at FIVE days (such as on the QE2), at somewhere in the mid-20 knot range.

The SS United States will appear in one of the five pics I am about to post immediately below.

[trinacriabob]

I am probably more of a ship freak than anything because, as a little kid, I got to go on the one pictured below. The Michelangelo, the pride of Italian Line, had an even shorter service life (1965-1977). When we went to see relatives in Europe, we would take Amtrak from LA to NY for 3 days and then board the ship in NY for another 7 days...in EACH direction...because my mother was afraid to fly!

After being a war torn country, in about 7 years, the Italians produced the Andrea Doria. By today's standards, she was small but known for her clean proportions, appointments and art work. On July 25, 1956, she collided with the Stockholm in a fog off of Nantucket, Mass. The Stockholm survived but the Doria ended up at the bottom of the sea. The Doria was built in a set of twins, with her sister being the Cristoforo Colombo who served for more than 20 years.

The Doria's replacement was the even sleeker Leonardo DaVinci. She was launched in 1960 and, sadly, in 1980 became a charbroiled carcass in the harbor at LaSpezia, Italy where she had been pulled out of service.

The pinnacle for Italian Line was the 1965 launch of the Michelangelo and her sister the Raffaello. At 902 feet in length, they are only 61 feet shorter than the QE2. They were much larger the Doria, the Colombo or the DaVinci, but were not heavy in tonnage like the QE2 because they lacked the vertical height of today's liners who seek to maximize rentable space. Their production and launch was very heart-warming in that dinky little Italy, some 20 years after WWII, launched these stunning emissaries to the "New World."

A childhood trip on the Michelangelo in the early 70s was the beginning of a love affair. While she does not have the history of the Cunard Queens or the United States, in the minds of most people who enjoy ship design, she is regarded as the most beautiful.

1.

Decked out for maiden voyage departure from Genoa, Italy.

2.

Leaving Genoa for the U.S. for the very first time...I am sure that this was a very moving experience for the citizens of Genoa, Italy's primary port and a shipbuilding center.

3.

Arriving in the U.S. for the very first time with Statue of Liberty standing guard and fireboat escort.

4.

The twins together (foreground - white hulls) with the SS United States (to the left) and the first Queen Mary turning in to her designated pier on NY's Hudson River.

5.

A beautiful B-W shot of the twins in the port of Genoa showing their fine lines and shapely bows.

If you want to see the whole gallery, including the construction, interiors and more exterior views, you cank link up to this really cool site some obvious fan put together. I visit it often.

Project Michelangelo - photo gallery

Check it out and rummage around.

Edited March 30, 2007 by trinacriabob

[trinacriabob]

I thought the Freedom of the Seas was the largest cruise ship in the world. It was right next to the cruise ship I went on last summer when we were docking... it dwarfed the one I was on, which is one of the biggest Carnivals.

I just looked up the "Freedom of the Seas" in both Wikipedia and on their own web site.

Northie, it is supremely ugly. I initially thought the new QM2 was pudgy compared to her sleeker stablemate, the older QE2. However, when compared to the new QM2, it's like the Freedom of the Seas is a Chevy Malibu Maxx and the QM2 is a Grand Prix. The "Freedom of the Seas" is NOT a pretty ship.