Queen Mary 2 photo opportunity SF, Feb 4&5

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moribundman

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The QM2, one of the largest of all cruise ships is coming to SF this Sunday. She is scheduled to pass through the Golden Gate around 3:30 pm. She will stay in SF Bay until tidal conditions allow her to berth on Pier 27, which is located between the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf's Pier 39. There should be ample opportunity to take some decent pictures from the time the ship sails past Point Bonita and into the Bay. The QM 2 is scheduled to leave SF at 8:00 pm, Monday night. If you are in the Bay Area this Sunday or Monday, don't miss the chance of seeing that ship!

The 151,400 tonne vessel is 345 metres (1,132ft) long and 41 metres (135ft) high. 157,000 hp gas turbine/diesel elctric plants with two fixed and two azimuthing engine pods (21,5 MW each). The ship cost $ 800 million to build. She is one three Cunard Line transoceanic cruise ships. The QM 2 is the longest of all cruise ships. Only the 'Freedom of the Seas' and her sister ships are larger by tonnage (ca 160,000) and width (15 meters wider), but are a bit shorter than the QM 2. Compare the size of the QM 2 to a Nimitz Class carrier, which is about 150 feet shorter and a whopping 50,000 tons (that's a battleship right there) lighter!

Pier 27 location (map & satellite picture)

Queen Mary 2 website

wikipedia page about the QM 2

Must-see construction pictures from St Nazaire shipyard
 
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Naw, the largest vessel would be the Knock Nevis (formerly Jahre Viking, Seawise Giant and Happy Giant), a ULCC built in 1979. The ship has a weight of over 260,000 tons and can carry almost 560,000 tons crude oil. The beast is over 1,500 feet (ca 560 meters) long and 226 feet (68 meters) wide.

picture 1

picture 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Nevis
 
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It's the lagest ocean liner in the world. To qualify as an "ocean liner" it has to have a thicker hull for the treacherous North Atlantic. When the QM 2 was built in '04 it was the largest passenger ship ever built. Royal Caribbean surpassed that last year, but the QM2 is still the largest ocean liner.
 
I like the little squiggle in your satelite map at Lombard & Hyde.
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I like the little squiggle in your satelite map at Lombard & Hyde.
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By the way, you can easily spot all the really steep streets in aerial photos, because a concrete surface looks much lighter than standard blacktop.
 
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Thar she blows!

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There were about 30 feet space between the top of the stack and the deck of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Note four helicopters above the SF Bay.

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The Red Fleet ferry (red and white hull, near midships of QM2)is the only ship going towards the Golden Gate!

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Alcatraz to the right and ahead.

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Approaching Pier 27
See the two sailors right above the name of the ship? You can see them also in the next picture.

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Berthing

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Note the bulbous bow protruding a bit above the surface right in front of the raked stem.

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At the pier, she has only three feet of water under her keel. Navigating in SF Bay is difficult and requires high precision, because only a narrow canal has been trenched out sufficiently. The SF bar pilot who guided the ship to her berthing place has trained three years just for this particular event. The QM 2 is the largest ship to ever go into the SF Bay. She makes Nimitz class carriers seem small.

Watching the bow thrusters and azimuthing rear props (2 out of 4) push the ship out of its own power into position along the pier was awesome. A tug was near the bow, but seemed to mostly keep some lines taut.

The QM2 is scheduled to leave at 8 pm tonight.

Check the video: http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_033215453.html
 
Those are great pics, I took some pics too but not nearly as good as yours. Digital zoom doesn't work so well on my camera. I was on the other side of the bridge at Ocean Beach so wasn't that great of a view. I think one side of the bridge walkway (bicycle side) was closed for safety reasons, that would have been a very good viewing spot.

This ship makes those small boats tiny. That bulb on the front of the bow is to reduce the bow wave when the ship is moving. Wonder what kind of diesel does it take? Probably premium marine diesel only and lots of it.
 
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I wanted to stop by at Ocean Beach before going to Crissy Field, but there was a funeral procession and traffic was a nightmare. I didn't get to see the ship before she passed through the Golden Gate. If you have any pictures of the QM2 passing Ocean Beach and passing behind Cliff house, or any others images, I'd love to see them. I'm going back to Pier 27 a bit later today. Too bad the QM2 will go through the Golden Gate after sunset.

I hate my digital camera -- mostly because I hate digital. Unfortunately I'm too lazy to shoot and process film, unless it's personal stuff.
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Queen Mary 2 engines:

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The power plant of the QM2 is of the type CODEG (Combined Diesel Electric and Gas turbine electric plant). This type of plant is the latest sophistication of power station concept, so popular in modern cruise ships, and guarantees that she can cross the North Atlantic in six days. In spite of her size, the Queen Mary 2 has a service speed of 26,5 knots, with a sea margin of 25 %, while the maximum speed is 30 knots, with all the generator equipment on duty. This achievement was partly obtained from the narrow beam and lengthening the hull, and partly from the powerful propulsion plant.
The electric energy is generated at high voltage by four diesel engines Wartsila 16V46C, located in the double bottom, which develops 67.200 kW (57 % of the total) and by two turbines of General Electric LM 2500, which develops 50.000 kW (43 % of the total), located on the highest deck of the ship, just under the funnel, thank to the lower weight.
Due to this lay out, it is possible to supply the large air volume that these gas turbines require, without the need of big uptakes to carry this air to the engine room. With all these engines working, the power of the Queen Mary 2 is 117,000 kW, sufficient to supply Southampton.
The four diesel engines are of the green type which uses common rail technology injection to ensure lower emission rate. Propulsion is carried out by four 20 MW Mermaid podded propulsion units, two fixed (the forward outside ones) and two steerable through 360º, all with highly skewed blades for low noise and vibration.

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quoted from: http://www.cybercruises.com/queenmary2two.htm
 
The best view is where the Crissy Field and Fort Mason area is but I'm sure its packed down there. There was quite a lot of people around the Ocean Beach area too. I was viewing from the Land's End area of Sutro Heights just a little bit up from the Cliff House.

I uploaded the the photos to my webshots album as well.
http://community.webshots.com/user/lpcmidst128

Out in the ocean escorting the ship.
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Side view of the ship.
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Approaching the bridge.
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Right under the bridge.
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Cool, thanks! I can tell where you were. I live in that area (Alas near Ocean Beach and not in Sutro Heights )

It was a hazy day, so I feel mostly bad for the QM2's passengers who shelled out thousands of dollars and got to see a hazy SF skyline. Not to mention a one-day stay is kind of short...

Anyway, here are a few more pics overlooking Pier 27 from near Coit Tower. Again, it was hazy and late (around 17:00).

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I believe you can see 4 spare propeller blades next to the person. Two from the side, two head on. Can you find Waldo in the picture below? Look near the bottom of the bridge screen.

qm2_1963.jpg
 
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the power of the Queen Mary 2 is 117,000 kW, sufficient to supply Southampton.

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Pah...smallest of my babies is 4 times that...that's a LOT of power to move a couple of city blocks inter continentally.
 
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