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Weekend Farewell: Ocean Liner Queen Elizabeth 2 on Final Voyage to New York

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 04:16 AM CDT

On October 16, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) left New York harbor on her 710th and final voyage as an ocean liner. The QE2 is expected to be delivered to Dubai World in November, where she will be refurbished and adapted for her new role as a floating hotel at the Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made island.

Here are some interesting features of Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2): queen_elizabeth2

Launched by Cunard in 1967 from Glasgow, Scotland.
With a top speed of 32.5 knots, she is the fastest passenger ship in the world.
Also she can go faster backwards than most cruise ships can go forwards!
Sailed 5.9 million nautical miles, a highest record for any ship and the distance equals to traveling to the moon and back 13 times.
Carried almost 2.5 million guests.
Completed 25 full world cruises.
In 1982, during the Falkland War, she transported 3,000 troops to the South Atlantic.
An estimated one million people turned out to greet her when she called at Liverpool for the first time in 1990.

Here is the Fact File of Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2).

Here is an interesting slide show of Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) from Time.

Here is an interesting video clip ‘Queen Elizabeth 2 Final NY Departure’

Queen Elizabeth 2 photograph is from Cunard and read more about QE2 from Cunard here and here.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

Cargo Ships Collide in Thessaloniki Port, Greece

Indo US Naval Exercise: Malabar 08 in Arabian Sea

Posted: 17 Oct 2008 11:58 AM CDT

indian_navy Indo-US joint naval exercise Malabar-08, the twelfth of the series is presently going on in the Arabian Sea. The annual Malabar series of exercises were started in 1992 and are held regularly from 2002. Unlike last year, Malabar-08 is strictly a bilateral exercise.

Some of the interesting features of Malabar-08 are:

Being conducted as per the last India – USA Framework for Maritime Security Cooperation signed in 2006.
The scope of Malabar exercise includes diverse activities such as gun-firing, fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers, combating the scourge of terror through Maritime Interdiction Operations exercises.
The US Navy is being represented by the Ronald Reagan Strike Group (RRSG) of the US Navy 7th Fleet which is based at Yokosuka, Japan. The RRSG comprises of
- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), nuclear powered aircraft carrier
- USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), guided-missile cruiser
- USS Gridley (DDG-101), guided-missile destroyer
- USS Decatur (DDG-73), guided-missile destroyer
- USS Thach (FFG-43), guided-missile frigate
- USS Bridge (AOE 10), fast combat support ship (tanker).
- In addition, one Los Angeles-class submarine USS Springfield (SSN 761) and one P3C Orion aircraft are also part of the exercise.
The Indian Navy is being represented by
- INS Mumbai, an indigenous Delhi Class guided missile destroyer
- INS Rana, a Rajput Class guided missile destroyer
- four guided missile frigates: INS Talwar, Godavari, Brahmaputra and Betwa
- In addition, INS Aditya an underway replenishment tanker, one Shishumar class submarine, Sea Harrier fighters, fixed and rotary wing aircraft are also part of the joint exercise.
The thrust of the exercise this year would be on Surface/Air Operations, Advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Surface Firings, VBSS (Visit Board Search and Seizure) and Submarine Operations.

A joint IN – USN Press conference is being scheduled on October 18 at Goa.

Last year Malabar exercise was conducted in April and September 2007. Here is last year Malabar 07-2 conducted at Bay of Bengal, news report from US Navy. Also here is a report on Post Malabar 2007 appraisal for India by Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Read more about Malabar-08 from Press Information Bureau.

Post in MarineBuzz on this day a year before:

52nd ISSA Convention and Trade Exhibition 2007

Mauritius Maritime Training Academy Inaugurated

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