Long Live the Q

Britain's ancient pride in its merchant marine has been battered recently by some mighty waves. First the stately Queen Mary, too stuffy for enjoyable Caribbean cruising and too expensive to maintain on the declining transatlantic run, was sold to the city of Long Beach, Calif. After its 1,001st Atlantic crossing and a nostalgic final voyage around South America, the 31-year-old three-stacker will be converted into a floating museum and entertainment center. Last week, lured by the publicity value of such a venture, Honolulu bid to get the larger Queen Elizabeth next year when she is taken out of service for similar reasons. The world's largest passenger ship, in an unlikely ending, would be set atop a coral reef overlooking Waikiki Beach.

This week, however, British mariners can take hope. At the same Clydebank shipyard of John Brown & Co., Ltd. where the Queens were launched, Queen Elizabeth II will smash a champagne bottle to send the Cunard Line's new est flagship down the ways. The vessel, known up to launch time as "Q4" or "Hull No. 763," is slightly smaller than the Queens and, owing to modern materials, vastly lighter (58,000 tons v. Elizabeth's 82,997). And, to the relief of a British government that is underwriting much of its cost, it will also be more economical to run.

From a technical point of view, the Queens' successor will be a more sophisticated lady. The ship' is 13 ft. narrower and draws 7 ft. less water, which means that, unlike them, it can transit the Panama and Suez canals and call at ports they had difficulty entering.

Bow thrusters, or auxiliary propellers, will make maneuvering easier in small harbors and help with docking. A computer will solve navigational problems and monitor machinery, even keep tabs on the passengers' bar bills. From a traveler's point of view, the new vessel will be equally modern. Except for a few special rooms at premium rates for status seekers, most of the 2,025 passengers will travel single-class. Their restaurants and lounges will all be topside, instead of in the bowels, and 75% of the cabin space will be on the sunlit outside of the ship.

Following the trend in liner operation--to make up for transatlantic trade lost to jets by offering leisure voyages --the ship will cross the North Atlantic in warm weather, switch to southern waters for winter cruising. From keel up, it is designed to do either in such a way as to return a profit. Which, for all their traditions, is something the Queens did not always do.

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