| CUNARD |
| QUEEN VICTORIA |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
SIR SAMUEL AND THE
NEW QUEEN VICTORIA
RICHARD H. WAGNER
(Originally published in The Porthole, The World Ship
Society, Port of New York Branch, January 2007)
NEW QUEEN VICTORIA
RICHARD H. WAGNER
(Originally published in The Porthole, The World Ship
Society, Port of New York Branch, January 2007)
Coinciding with QUEEN MARY 2’s call at Halifax on 7
October 2006, a ceremony was held to unveil a statue of
Sir Samuel Cunard, the founder of Cunard Line and a
native of Halifax. The larger-than-life bronze statue by artist
Peter Bustin stands on the waterfront not far from the cruise
ship terminal and depicts Cunard with his hand on a
steamship’s telegraph looking out across the harbor.
Among those on the dais for the ceremony were Carol
Marlow, President and Managing Director of Cunard, and
maritime historian Commodore Ronald Warwick who
recently retired from Cunard. In the audience of
approximately 150 were a large contingent of QM2’s
officers and passengers including PONY members Ed
Squire and Richard Wagner.
Although there had been talk of creating a Samuel Cunard
memorial in Halifax for some time, the project achieved
momentum in 2005 when Commodore Warwick wrote to a
local newspaper following QM2’s inaugural call in Halifax
urging that such a memorial be created. The project was
then taken-up by The Halifax Foundation in co-operation
with the Halifax Port Authority. Cunard Line made the
initial contribution to start the fundraising efforts. The
Canadian National Railway, Secunda Marine Limited, The
Bank of Nova Scotia, and The Waterfront Development
Corporation were among those who also provided
support. Commodore Warwick was the Honorary
Chairman of the project.
The Hon. Mayann Francis, Lieutenant Governor of Nova
Scotia, dedicated the monument. “Samuel Cunard was
born in Halifax, Nova Scotia November 21, 1787. Eldest
son of Abraham and Margaret Cunard, United Empire
Loyalists who emigrated from Philadelphia/Germantown to
Nova Scotia in 1783, his marriage to Susan Duffus
produced nine children, all boys, in Halifax. For more than
half a century, the Samuel Cunard and Company wharves
on the Halifax waterfront were the center of a vast shipping
empire engaged in the West Indies trade. Samuel Cunard
became the foremost entrepanuer and one of the largest
owners of sailing vessels in the Maritime Provinces.”
“Samuel Cunard was a visionary. He foresaw steam power
replacing sail on the North Atlantic. He became the pioneer
of ocean steam navigation when the paddle steamer
Britannia, first flagship of the British North America Royal
Mail Steam Packet Company, later known as the Cunard
Line, arrived in Halifax from Liverpool, England July 17,
1840. The advent of steam on the North Atlantic forever
altered commerce and communications between the old and
the new world. Samuel Cunard, esteemed Nova Scotian
and founder of the Cunard Line, was knighted by Queen
Victoria in 1859. He died in London, England, April 28th
1865. It is my great honor to dedicate this memorial on the
7th day of October 2006 to Samuel Cunard.” Cunard’s
great, great, great, great grandsons Benjamin and Samuel
Paton then released the curtain that covered the statue.
Following the ceremony, Carol Marlow commented to this
writer on the meaning of the ceremony to her company.
“At Cunard our history is really where our future lies. We
take our history with us. If you look at QUEEN MARY 2
you see all sorts of memorabilia of our history. Our new
ship, QUEEN VICTORIA, is being built very much in the
footprint of the Cunard of the past. Really, our heritage is
our watchword. So this sort of ceremony where we can
honor our heritage and our founder is extremely significant.”
With QUEEN VICTORIA scheduled to enter service next
year, the discussion naturally turned to the new ship. “She
has almost the same dimensions as the QUEEN
ELIZABETH 2 in terms of her length [964.5 feet] and
breadth [106 feet] and her height [179 feet]. She is
designed as a classic ocean liner. The interior space has
many grand two or three deck high areas, very much
designed on the Cunard liners of the past. So, [she will be]
very, very different than a cruise ship.”
Indeed, Cunard’s effort to reproduce the atmosphere of its
earlier ships is manifest. Included in QUEEN VICTORIA’s
12 passenger decks will be a number of public rooms
bearing names familiar to travelers on QM2 and QE2
including: a Golden Lion Pub, a Queens Room ballroom; a
multi-story, pillared Britannia restaurant; a Todd English
alternative restaurant; a Chart Room bar; a Commodore
Club observation bar; and a Cunard Connections computer
facility. In addition, the 2,014 passengers will be able to
utilize a two-story, 6,000-volume library and explore an
onboard Cunard ocean liner museum. No neon, water
slides or boxing rings.
Still, the new ship will be no ocean greyhound. Her
maximum speed will be about 23.7 knots in contrast to
QE2’s 33 knots and QM2’s 30 knots. Furthermore, she is
being constructed at Italy’s Fincantieri yard where the Vista-
class cruise ships of Holland America, P&O, and other lines
were built. In fact, isn’t QUEEN VICTORIA based on the
same design as the Vista-class ships? “Originally, yes. But
now QUEEN VICTORIA has been lengthened, her bow
strengthened, and her superstructure has been strengthened.
Those [exterior] lifts that go up and down are gone. The
layout and of the interior is just totally different. We
describe the QUEEN VICTORIA as the ‘next classic
Cunarder’ because that is what she is going to look like.”
As Ms. Marlow indicated, QUEEN VICTORIA will not be
just a Vista painted black and white with a red funnel on
top. Indeed, a Vista was originally ordered from Fincantieri
to be the third ship in the Cunard fleet but that ship was
given over to sister-company P&O (as the ARCADIA)
because inter alia Cunard wanted to make certain
modifications to the design. As a result, QUEEN
VICTORIA will be approximately 8,000 tons larger and 30
feet longer than NOORDAM, the most recent of the HAL
Vistas. The hull design was analyzed to ensure it can
withstand the rigors of the North Atlantic. Based upon
these calculations, critical areas, decking, and bulkheads
were strengthened to meet the predicted stress levels.
Similarly, steel was added to the bow structure to meet the
dynamics and pounding that the fore end of a ship can
expect to experience in extreme seas.
Like QM2, QUEEN VICTORIA will be driven by pods.
However, unlike QM2, there will be no fixed pods, just two
rotating Azipods. Providing power to the pods and the
three bow thrusters will be six diesel engines capable of
generating 63.4 MW. In contrast, QM2’s four diesel
engines and two gas turbine engines can generate 118
MW. This means that while she will not have the speed of
QM2, QUEEN VICTORIA should have the same
excellent maneuverability.
Another way Cunard is seeking to ensure that its heritage is
carried forward is by the appointing Captain Paul Wright to
bring out the new ship. Wright has been with Cunard for
26 years and has commanded QM2, QE2, as well as
CUNARD COUNTESS, CUNARD PRINCESS, and
CUNARD DYNASTY. He will be one of just a handful of
captains to have commanded three Cunard Queens and, of
course, the first to command all three of the more recent
Queens. Past travelers on Cunard will remember that his
affable charm made him popular with his crews and with
passengers. Marlow indicated that she was “delighted” by
the reaction to the 4 October announcement of Wright’s
appointment.
Work on QUEEN VICTORIA began in April 2005 and
her keel laying took place thirteen months later. She will be
floated out in January 2007 and is scheduled to enter
service in December 2007 with two inaugural cruises - -
one to northern Europe and the other to the Canary
Islands. After that, she will make a tandem transatlantic
crossing with QE2, which will end with a meeting with
QM2 in New York on 13 January 2008. How will she be
used after that? “She is off on a world cruise to start with
and we are just finalizing her 2008 deployment at the
moment. She is one of the Cunard fleet so she can do any
of the itineraries, really. We haven’t quite decided.”
October 2006, a ceremony was held to unveil a statue of
Sir Samuel Cunard, the founder of Cunard Line and a
native of Halifax. The larger-than-life bronze statue by artist
Peter Bustin stands on the waterfront not far from the cruise
ship terminal and depicts Cunard with his hand on a
steamship’s telegraph looking out across the harbor.
Among those on the dais for the ceremony were Carol
Marlow, President and Managing Director of Cunard, and
maritime historian Commodore Ronald Warwick who
recently retired from Cunard. In the audience of
approximately 150 were a large contingent of QM2’s
officers and passengers including PONY members Ed
Squire and Richard Wagner.
Although there had been talk of creating a Samuel Cunard
memorial in Halifax for some time, the project achieved
momentum in 2005 when Commodore Warwick wrote to a
local newspaper following QM2’s inaugural call in Halifax
urging that such a memorial be created. The project was
then taken-up by The Halifax Foundation in co-operation
with the Halifax Port Authority. Cunard Line made the
initial contribution to start the fundraising efforts. The
Canadian National Railway, Secunda Marine Limited, The
Bank of Nova Scotia, and The Waterfront Development
Corporation were among those who also provided
support. Commodore Warwick was the Honorary
Chairman of the project.
The Hon. Mayann Francis, Lieutenant Governor of Nova
Scotia, dedicated the monument. “Samuel Cunard was
born in Halifax, Nova Scotia November 21, 1787. Eldest
son of Abraham and Margaret Cunard, United Empire
Loyalists who emigrated from Philadelphia/Germantown to
Nova Scotia in 1783, his marriage to Susan Duffus
produced nine children, all boys, in Halifax. For more than
half a century, the Samuel Cunard and Company wharves
on the Halifax waterfront were the center of a vast shipping
empire engaged in the West Indies trade. Samuel Cunard
became the foremost entrepanuer and one of the largest
owners of sailing vessels in the Maritime Provinces.”
“Samuel Cunard was a visionary. He foresaw steam power
replacing sail on the North Atlantic. He became the pioneer
of ocean steam navigation when the paddle steamer
Britannia, first flagship of the British North America Royal
Mail Steam Packet Company, later known as the Cunard
Line, arrived in Halifax from Liverpool, England July 17,
1840. The advent of steam on the North Atlantic forever
altered commerce and communications between the old and
the new world. Samuel Cunard, esteemed Nova Scotian
and founder of the Cunard Line, was knighted by Queen
Victoria in 1859. He died in London, England, April 28th
1865. It is my great honor to dedicate this memorial on the
7th day of October 2006 to Samuel Cunard.” Cunard’s
great, great, great, great grandsons Benjamin and Samuel
Paton then released the curtain that covered the statue.
Following the ceremony, Carol Marlow commented to this
writer on the meaning of the ceremony to her company.
“At Cunard our history is really where our future lies. We
take our history with us. If you look at QUEEN MARY 2
you see all sorts of memorabilia of our history. Our new
ship, QUEEN VICTORIA, is being built very much in the
footprint of the Cunard of the past. Really, our heritage is
our watchword. So this sort of ceremony where we can
honor our heritage and our founder is extremely significant.”
With QUEEN VICTORIA scheduled to enter service next
year, the discussion naturally turned to the new ship. “She
has almost the same dimensions as the QUEEN
ELIZABETH 2 in terms of her length [964.5 feet] and
breadth [106 feet] and her height [179 feet]. She is
designed as a classic ocean liner. The interior space has
many grand two or three deck high areas, very much
designed on the Cunard liners of the past. So, [she will be]
very, very different than a cruise ship.”
Indeed, Cunard’s effort to reproduce the atmosphere of its
earlier ships is manifest. Included in QUEEN VICTORIA’s
12 passenger decks will be a number of public rooms
bearing names familiar to travelers on QM2 and QE2
including: a Golden Lion Pub, a Queens Room ballroom; a
multi-story, pillared Britannia restaurant; a Todd English
alternative restaurant; a Chart Room bar; a Commodore
Club observation bar; and a Cunard Connections computer
facility. In addition, the 2,014 passengers will be able to
utilize a two-story, 6,000-volume library and explore an
onboard Cunard ocean liner museum. No neon, water
slides or boxing rings.
Still, the new ship will be no ocean greyhound. Her
maximum speed will be about 23.7 knots in contrast to
QE2’s 33 knots and QM2’s 30 knots. Furthermore, she is
being constructed at Italy’s Fincantieri yard where the Vista-
class cruise ships of Holland America, P&O, and other lines
were built. In fact, isn’t QUEEN VICTORIA based on the
same design as the Vista-class ships? “Originally, yes. But
now QUEEN VICTORIA has been lengthened, her bow
strengthened, and her superstructure has been strengthened.
Those [exterior] lifts that go up and down are gone. The
layout and of the interior is just totally different. We
describe the QUEEN VICTORIA as the ‘next classic
Cunarder’ because that is what she is going to look like.”
As Ms. Marlow indicated, QUEEN VICTORIA will not be
just a Vista painted black and white with a red funnel on
top. Indeed, a Vista was originally ordered from Fincantieri
to be the third ship in the Cunard fleet but that ship was
given over to sister-company P&O (as the ARCADIA)
because inter alia Cunard wanted to make certain
modifications to the design. As a result, QUEEN
VICTORIA will be approximately 8,000 tons larger and 30
feet longer than NOORDAM, the most recent of the HAL
Vistas. The hull design was analyzed to ensure it can
withstand the rigors of the North Atlantic. Based upon
these calculations, critical areas, decking, and bulkheads
were strengthened to meet the predicted stress levels.
Similarly, steel was added to the bow structure to meet the
dynamics and pounding that the fore end of a ship can
expect to experience in extreme seas.
Like QM2, QUEEN VICTORIA will be driven by pods.
However, unlike QM2, there will be no fixed pods, just two
rotating Azipods. Providing power to the pods and the
three bow thrusters will be six diesel engines capable of
generating 63.4 MW. In contrast, QM2’s four diesel
engines and two gas turbine engines can generate 118
MW. This means that while she will not have the speed of
QM2, QUEEN VICTORIA should have the same
excellent maneuverability.
Another way Cunard is seeking to ensure that its heritage is
carried forward is by the appointing Captain Paul Wright to
bring out the new ship. Wright has been with Cunard for
26 years and has commanded QM2, QE2, as well as
CUNARD COUNTESS, CUNARD PRINCESS, and
CUNARD DYNASTY. He will be one of just a handful of
captains to have commanded three Cunard Queens and, of
course, the first to command all three of the more recent
Queens. Past travelers on Cunard will remember that his
affable charm made him popular with his crews and with
passengers. Marlow indicated that she was “delighted” by
the reaction to the 4 October announcement of Wright’s
appointment.
Work on QUEEN VICTORIA began in April 2005 and
her keel laying took place thirteen months later. She will be
floated out in January 2007 and is scheduled to enter
service in December 2007 with two inaugural cruises - -
one to northern Europe and the other to the Canary
Islands. After that, she will make a tandem transatlantic
crossing with QE2, which will end with a meeting with
QM2 in New York on 13 January 2008. How will she be
used after that? “She is off on a world cruise to start with
and we are just finalizing her 2008 deployment at the
moment. She is one of the Cunard fleet so she can do any
of the itineraries, really. We haven’t quite decided.”
The Hon. Mayann Francis, Lieutenant Governor of
Nova Scotia speaking at the dedication while Carol
Marlow, President of Cunard (center) looks on.
Nova Scotia speaking at the dedication while Carol
Marlow, President of Cunard (center) looks on.
Following the ceremony, Carol Marlow and
Commodore Ronald Warwick pose with Benjamin
and Samuel Paton, descendants of Samuel
Cunard, and members of the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police.
Commodore Ronald Warwick pose with Benjamin
and Samuel Paton, descendants of Samuel
Cunard, and members of the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police.
Retired Commodore Ronald Warwick chats with
Commodore Bernard Warner of Cunard Line prior
to the dedication of the statue.
Commodore Bernard Warner of Cunard Line prior
to the dedication of the statue.
The statue of Samuel Cunard is located near the
terminals used by passenger ships arriving in
Halifax.
terminals used by passenger ships arriving in
Halifax.
FOR LARGER VIEWS CLICK ON THE PHOTOS