Grounding of the Queen Elizabeth 2 (response) - 26/06/2009

The Rest of the Story

Nick Perugini

Last month we brought you the story of the famous Cunard cruise liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), which grounded on 7 August 1992 off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and the state of Rhode Island. Captain Lusk stated that the US judicial system arrived at the wrong decision regarding who was at fault for the QE2 grounding and suggested that the US agency for this survey, the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, predecessor to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), should have investigated and determined the shoal depth. On this page we give NOAA the opportunity to respond to this.


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Last month we brought you the story of the famous Cunard cruise liner Queen Elizabeth 2(QE2), which grounded on 7 August 1992 off the coast of Martha's Vineyard and the state of Rhode Island. Captain Lusk stated that the US judicial system arrived at the wrong decision regarding who was at fault for the QE2 grounding and suggested that the US agency for this survey, the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, predecessor to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), should have investigated and determined the shoal depth. On the next few pages we give NOAA the opportunity to respond to this.

Grounding incidentsinvolving nautical charts are ex-tremely rare. However, when they do occur, the legal issue usually boils down to whether the hydrographic office was negligent by not con-ducting surveys or applying information to the chart in con-formance with their stated standards. The counter argument involves whether the mariner's actions were the principal cause of the grounding. In the case of the QE2 grounding, there are arguments to be made on both sides. In my opinion, captain Lusk offers a one-dimensional narrative of the QE2 grounding that is grossly incomplete. Mariners and hydrographers need to understand 'the rest of the story' before arriving at their own conclusion about the grounding of the QE2.

What Happened?

It was the final evening of a five-day pleasure cruise for the 1,824 pas-sengers aboard the UK passenger vessel QE2. Suddenly, the 963-foot ocean liner shook with unexpected vibration. Officers and crew on the bridge recalled two separate periods of shaking and rumblings. The mas-ter recollected that the bridge equipment rattled and shook as if it were in heavy seas. Many of the pas-sengers felt a change in the ship's motion – some thought that a severe impact had occurred. Unfortunately, there was significant damage to the bottom of the QE2. Four of the 36 double-bottom tanks that had been empty were now filled with water and open to the sea. The US Coast Guard was notified and the ship was ordered to anchor in Rhode Island Sound, some 20 miles southeast of Newport, Rhode Island.


Anchorage to Grounding

At 21:24, after weighing anchor and manoeuvring to the west and then to the south rounding the northern shore of Martha's Vineyard, the QE2 increased speed to approximately 25 knots. Figure 1 shows the approximate outbound track of the QE2. The ship was generally following its inbound reciprocal course, heading approximately west-south-west (235° True). At 21:44, about two-thirds of the way out of Vineyard Sound, the QE2 passed the 'NA' buoy to star-board. With the buoy abeam, the pilot altered course to the right about 15° and was now steering a course of 250°. The pilot later testified that he intended to maintain that course until he was approximately 2 miles south of the south-western end of Cuttyhunk Island, and then steer 270° to where he would disembark. The pilot had not told the master or the watch officer of his course change, nor of his intent to alter course to 270° when the south-western point of Cuttyhunk Island was bearing north. Figure 2 illustrates the misunderstanding between the pilot and the captain regarding the outbound course.

The QE2's second officer plotted the new course on the ship's nautical chart and saw that the new track-line did not coincide with the original course as laid out by the ship's navigator. The second officer noted that the projected ship's track-line crossed over a 34-foot rocky shoal area approximately 7.5 miles down range in Rhode Island Sound north of the shoal called Brown's Ledge. At a speed of nearly 25 knots, the QE2 would pass over the shoal area in about 18 minutes. Not knowing that the pilot intended to alter coursebefore reaching the shoal, the second officer immediately notified the first officer, who in turn informed the master. After being made aware of