Mary and Lizzie

[Frank Mattocks]

When I worked on Carmania (1971) there were some crew on board who had worked on Mary and Lizzie. I seem to remember that one of the two ships was much more popular than the other, does anyone remember if they had that impression too and if so which one was the more popular?
I've got the feeling it was Lizzie, what a heartbreking end she had.

[John Gill]

I did trips on both Queens as pantryman and most regarded the Mary as the dowager Queen whereas the Lizzie being not as stately, more of a dashing Prince. I remain proud and privileged to have sailed on both those Ladies.

[Captain Kong]

I have stayed on the Mary several times in Long Beach and was a member of the QM Foundation
I have some souvenirs presented to me for the research I have done for them
I believe she is getting a little Terminal now, Sad ,My suite on the QM, in the Bar and the wheelhouse

[Trevor Bodiam]

I lasted 2 trips on the Queen Mary, and started off in boiler room but was selected for the job of forced fan greaser. This entailed much walking through passenger accommodation to get to some of the spaces i had to check. Was always parties going on in cabins and always seemed to get invited in. Very hard to refuse when you're 19 or so and good looking women inviting.
After 2 trip and on arriving at Southampton was told i was not coming back.
Good while it lasted but there were always other ships and better times coming.

[Frank Mattocks]

You were a very naughty boy! Fraternising with passengers indeed, I'm not surprised you got kicked off.

[Frank Thorp]

When I left the "Fireman's Training School" at Newcastle ((9/10/64 - 27/11/64) we were told that we would most likely to be sent to one of the "Queens". We were also told that most first trippers from the school went to them as they were ships that one trip was enough.

As it was very near Christmas I was sent to the "Gothic" (which I enjoyed very much). At the time I thought that I was lucky to not be sent to one of the Queens. A lot of time has passed since those days, and now I look back at the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth, and regret that I cannot say I did do at least one trip on one of them.

Frank.

[Denis O'Shea]

The last time I saw the Lizzie she was lying on her side a burned out wreck at the back end of Green island Singapore in the 70s. Den

[Frank Mattocks]

The last time I saw the Lizzie she was lying on her side a burned out wreck at the back end of Green island Singapore in the 70s. Den

It must have been a sad heartbreaking sight. The only time I ever met her was in Soton when we tied up behind her. My one memory is her beam was enoromous, twice the beam of Carmania.

[Captain Kong]

Hi Dennis
not Singapore##1972: The wreck of Seawise University, the former Queen Elizabeth, in Hong Kong Victoria Harbour. Photo Credit

It was the largest passenger shipwreck and remained like that until the Costa Concordia disaster on 13 January 2012. Two years later, the wreck of what was once the RMS Queen Elizabeth featured as the MI6 Headquarters in the James Bond film, “The Man with the Golden Gun”.

Read another story from us: Shipwreck hunters seek their “Holy Grails” off America’s Northwestern Pacific coast

It remained in Hong Kong Harbor for a number of years before it finally received a proper burial in the late 1990s.

[happy daze john in oz]

Sailed with so many Queens I have lost count, but then again with UCL there was little choice.