MS Queen Victoria

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MS Queen Victoria in Copenhagen, December 15, 2007
Career
Name:	MS Queen Victoria
Owner:	Cunard Line[1]
Operator:	Cunard Line
Port of Registry:	Southampton,  United Kingdom
Route:	Transatlantic, Europe, Asia, or world cruises
Ordered:	3 December 2004
Builder:	Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, Italy
Cost:	UK£270 million (approx.)[2]
Laid down:	12 May 2006
Launched:	15 January 2007
Christened:	10 December 2007 by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall[3]
Completed:	Final Quarter of 2007
Acquired:	Final Quarter of 2007
Maiden voyage:	11 December 2007
In service:	Final Quarter of 2007
Identification:	Callsign GBQV IMO Number 9320556
Status:	In service
General characteristics
Tonnage:	90,000 gross tons
Length:	964.5 ft (294 m)
Beam:	106 ft (32.3 m) waterline, 120 ft (36.6 m) extreme (bridge wings)
Height:	205 ft (62.5 m) keel to funnel
Draft:	26.2 ft (8.0 m)
Decks:	16 total, 12 passenger
Installed power:	63.4 MW Sulzer ZA40 diesel plant
Propulsion:	Two 16.7 MW Azipods
Speed:	23.7 kn (43.9 km/h/27.3 mph) maximum, service at 18 kn (33.3 km/h/20.7 mph)[2]
Capacity:	2,014 passengers
Crew:	900 officers and crew

MS Queen Victoria (QV) is a cruise ship in the Cunard Line fleet, named after Queen Victoria.

The Queen Victoria is of the same basic design as other Vista class passenger vessels, though slightly longer and more in keeping with Cunard's interior style. At 90,000 tons, she is the second largest Cunard ship ever built, after the RMS Queen Mary 2. The QV's facilities include seven restaurants, thirteen bars, three swimming pools, a ballroom, and a theatre.^[4]

[edit] Characteristics

The Queen Victoria is to be a running mate to the RMS Queen Mary 2, RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, briefly, and, in future, MS Queen Elizabeth; however, unlike most other Cunard Queens, she is not an ocean liner, but rather a cruise ship. Nor will she carry mail and thus will not receive Royal Mail Ship (RMS) status.^{[citation needed]}

Some ship aficionados have criticised Cunard for naming this ship as a Cunard Queen; the designation having previously been reserved for the line's flagships (RMS Queen Mary, RMS Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth 2, and Queen Mary 2), which were all ocean liners. In comparison, the Queen Victoria is neither ocean liner nor flagship, and has an essentially mass-produced hull and superstructure form. It has been opined that the Queen Victoria should have borne the name of one of Cunard's previous smaller ships, such as MS Mauretania, or MS Aquitania, as was done with the last SS Caronia, which served Cunard between 1999 and 2004.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] History

[edit] Concept and construction

Originally destined to be an addition to the Holland America Line fleet, the order for a Vista class vessel put into Fincantieri was soon transferred by Carnival Corporation (parent company to Holland America, Cunard, and P&O) to Cunard with the intent that the vessel would become the MS Queen Victoria. The keel was laid down at the Fincantieri ship yard in 2003. However, due to restructuring within Carnival Corp., as well as a later decision by Cunard that modifications should be made to the design to bring in certain aspects which had proven successful on the Queen Mary 2, such as decor, junior suites, dining alternatives, promenades, etc., the hull was then designated to become the P&O ship MS Arcadia.^{[citation needed]} A new Queen Victoria was subsequently ordered with Fincantieri in 2004, which was 11 metres longer, 5,000 tons larger, and with an increased passenger capacity of 2,000.^[5]

Her keel was laid on 12 May 2006. 80 prefabricated steel "blocks", each complete with interior structure, cabling, and ducts, and each weighing 325 tons, were then added. The completed hull and superstructure was floated out on 15 January 2007, after having a bottle of Prosecco smashed against her side by Maureen Ryan, a Cunard employee who has served on all four Cunard Queens.^[6] The ceremony also saw the traditional placing of coins on the mast - in this case a Euro and a gold Queen Victoria sovereign were welded beneath the radar mast.^[7]

The QV left the Port of Venice on 24 August 2007 to commence her sea trials,^[8] and, after handover to Cunard, arrived in Southampton to much fanfare and media attention on 7 December; much of the coverage focused on the ship's superlatives, the QV being touted as "Cunard's most luxurious ship."^[9] The same day, the ship was officially named by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, continuing the tradition of Cunard Queens being named by members of the Royal Family.^[10] However, the bottle of champagne did not break upon impact with the QV's hull, though a backup bottle was immediately successful.^[11]

Queen Victoria in her Home Port with QM2 passing her. QE2 can be seen in the dock Behind her.

[edit] Service history

Captain Paul Wright was appointed master of the Queen Victoria in October, 2006.^[12]

The QV undertook her maiden voyage, a 10 day cruise to northern Europe, on 11 December 2007. Following this, and after a cruise to the Canary Islands, the QV embarked on her first world cruise, circumnavigating the globe in 107 days (the first ship to do so was also called Victoria; in 1,153 days from 1519 to 1522). The first leg of this voyage was a tandem crossing of the Atlantic with the Queen Elizabeth 2, to New York City, where the two ships met the Queen Mary 2 near the Statue of Liberty on 13 January 2008, with a celebratory fireworks display; this marked the first time three Cunard Queens have been present in the same location. Cunard purported this to also be the only time these three particular ships would ever meet,^[13] due to the QE2's impending retirement from service in late 2008,^[14] though the ships did met again in Southampton on 22 April 2008, due to a change in the QE2's schedule.^[15]

In May, 2008, the QV hit a pier in Malta after her thrusters failed to work. She wasn't damaged severely, but repairs meant she would have to miss a port of call in La Goulette.^[16]

[edit] Design

[edit] Exterior

Queen Victoria at Southampton's City Cruise Terminal

The Queen Victoria's exterior design closely resembles Vista class ships built for Holland America Line and P&O Cruises, like the MS Oosterdam, with a wrap-around promenade deck, private balconies, and a retractable glass magrodome over the mid-ship pool.

The ship was not designed primarily for speed, not having a long prow, deep draft, or whaleback on her bow; though, the hull has been built to meet the demands of the Atlantic Ocean, with extra steel added to strengthen key decks and bulkheads, and reinforced, thicker bow plating.^[2]. Still, the ship has inferior abilities to the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 to sail through rough waters, as evidenced on her maiden trans-Atlantic crossing.

[edit] Interior

As with most newbuild passenger ships, the Queen Victoria's public rooms are mostly arranged along the lowest public decks of the ship, mainly on 2 Deck and 3 Deck. Unlike the Queen Mary 2, however, there is no central circulation access, the main corridors being to the starboard side, with the public rooms mostly along the port.^{[citation needed]}

1 Deck, the lowest passenger deck, holds the lowest level of a three story lobby, as well as of the Royal Court theatre. On 2 Deck can be found the mid-level of the Royal Court theatre, casino, Golden Lion Pub, Queen's Room, Todd English à la carte restaurant, Chart Room bar, and lower level of both the library and Britannia restaurant. The top most level of the theatre, Royal Arcade, Midships Lounge, and upper level of the library and dining room are all on 3 Deck, along with a wrap-around exterior promenade. The decks above these contain mostly passenger cabins until 9 Deck on which is the Cunard health club and spa, Winter Garden lounge, Lido Restaurant, and two outdoor pools. On 10 Deck is the Commodore Club, and Hemispheres night club, and the Queen's Grill and Princess Grill, along with their attached lounge, as well as an open courtyard between, are on 11 Deck.^{[citation needed]}

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Though QV is theoretically a classless ship, it has been argued that the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2, both of which follow the same practice of separating passengers into different restaurants based on the price of the cabin they booked (the Britannia as standard for regular cabins, the Princess Grill as middle for those in junior suites, and the Queen's Grill as superior for deluxe suite occupants), are actually ships divided into three classes, despite the fact that all other public rooms are used by all passengers equally. Though this situation is similar on the QE2 and QM2, it is further enhanced on the QV by the fact that Grill Passengers (those dining in the Princess Grill or Queen's Grill) also have a private outdoor deck on 11 Deck with the specific name "Grills Terrace."^{[citation needed]}

Of note is that the QV's theatre is the first at sea to have private boxes. As well, she has a Winter Garden lounge with a retractable glass roof and water fountain, and a two storey library with a connecting spiral staircase.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Technical

[edit] Power plant and propulsion system

The Queen Victoria can carry 3,000 tons of heavy fuel and 150 tons of marine gas oil, consuming 12 tons per hour for maximum output.^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

MS Queen Victoria

• Cunard Line: Queen Victoria - official site
• The Queen Victoria Virtual Experience