Queen Elizabeth - Leaving Portsmouth

[bulleidboy]

The Queen Elizabeth left Portsmouth at 1.15pm - should pass these cameras at about 1.45pm (ish!) - https://isleofwightwebcams.co.uk/solent-webcam/

Portsmouth Harbour Entrance webcam - http://www.camsecure.co.uk/portsmouth_h ... ebcam.html

[Walkingthedog]

Thanks Barry

[bulleidboy]

Thanks Barry

I'm not awake yet!!! It's the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth leaving Portsmouth at 1.15p. This is the Portsmouth Harbour entrance webcam

http://www.camsecure.co.uk/portsmouth_h ... ebcam.html

[Walkingthedog]

Just for a minute I thought both QE's wow.

[bulleidboy]

Just for a minute I thought both QE's wow.

Now that would have been something. We have friends who live in a flat in Gunwharf Quay in Portsmouth - from their balcony they can almost touch the Isle of Wight ferry as it passes - they sent me a text this morning about the QE leaving, and for some reason I just assumed it was the Cunard QE.
I'm surprised in this day and age, that a ship, even of that size, needs tugs fore and aft. When you see the cruise ships, and some of those are "big" come into Miami, they come down the dock, do a 360degree turn, all without tugs. I assume the QE has bow and stern thrusters?

[Walkingthedog]

Probably due to the very narrow entrance and the fact it is probably in the RN rule book that hasn’t been changed for centuries.

When the Admiralty looked at the Blackburn Buccaneer the aged admirals insisted it had grab handle to manoeuvre it on the deck.

[Mr Bones]

It's due to the fact that RN ships are not fitted with all the bow and stern thrusters that cruise ships and many cargo ships have. Their propulsion is mainly governed by available space which on a warship as you can imagine it's quite limited. Most RN warships will use tugs to berth or at least have them on standby. Ships such as the carriers are especially susceptible to the forces of wind & tide.

If you imagine that the ships can only really go forward or astern and not sideways (if they don't have thrusters) then navigating through a narrow gap is not easy, hence the tugs.

[Walkingthedog]

Thank you Mr B.

[bulleidboy]

Now we know - thank you.