The Queens leave home

Memories of the Queens

RMS Queen Mary

RMS Queen Elizabeth

My memory is almost infallible, this story will demonstrate this matter.

 October 31, 1967 - a young schoolboy had the experience of a lifetime. I was privileged to be in Southampton at the last sailing from the UK of two of the worlds first super liners; Queen Mary & Queen Elizabeth. This glorious sight stayed with me for my life, never had I seen such glorious ships. 


 Both ships had a glorious war record as troop carriers/ hospital ships, as they could out run any German surface vessel.


 During this time, there was another image which has been imprinted on my mind, this is of a large glass ball approximately four feet in diameter bounded by brass rings, standing in front of an office block. I wanted to know if it is still there, alas, as I can no longer travel; this is something I will never know. I have contacted the tourist information, but being such a long time ago, I doubt if there is any information or record of the ball.Several years ago, I was able to clear the glass ba;; mystery up. There was no glass ball, it is a reies of brass rings depicting the animals of the qorld designed for the Queen Victoria docks, I can only assume that I thought it was a ball because I could see nothing behind the rings.
Sadly, the Queen Mary met a sad, and lonely end for such a graceful lady. She now rests a rotting hulk in Hong Kong docks. Her original destination had neen Florida, but the Atlantic weather treated her badly, in contrast to her sister who is in California. Queeen Mary was the subject of an insurance scam in 1969, she was bought by a man working for a firm in China for $3,6 million dollars, and insured for $8 million. Within weeks, she was on fire, several fires had been set simultanously. So, the scam failed, not only did they not get the money for her, but the water needed to put the fires out caused her to sink in the harbour.