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Rodney's right, the QE2 grounding was not a GPS error or trusting to
(incorrect) instruments.  Also, it's the "Rude" (actually the [Given
name something] Rude, pronounced "Roody" as I found when I spoke her
last summer off Block Island).  I think the ship's named after a
geographer or oceanographer but I wouldn't care to bet on that.

Rick
S/V One With The Wind, Baba 35

Smith_Peter@EMC.COM writes:
 > Rodney Myrvaagnes [mailto:rodneym@ATTGLOBAL.NET] said:
 > > Please, Rick. You larger point is well taken, but you are confusing
 > > the QE2 with other vessels that did what you said. The QE2 was
 > > another problem entirely.
 > >
 > > The one that grounded off Nantucket was doing automatic ded reckoning
 > > almost all the way from Bermuda, because nobody looked at the computer.
 > > I feel pretty sure it started blinking as soon as the GPS > became
 > disconnected.
 >
 > Actually, I think Rodney is thinking of the _Royal Majesty_ which went
 > aground on the Nantucket Shoals in June 1995 due to an unnoticed GPS
 > failure.
 >
 > The _QE2_ nicked the ground in August 1992 near Sow and Pigs Reef at
 > the entrance of Vineyard Sound (west of Martha's Vineyard which is west
 > of Nantucket). What made it worse was that they knew exactly where
 > they were and overruled the local pilot. The pilot suggested a course
 > that kept them in deep water, but the captain was trying to make up
 > time and chose to cut the corner, believing the charted depth (39 feet
 > from the 1939 survey) to be sufficient (_QE2_ draws 32 feet).
 >
 > After the incident, the US Coast Guard dispatched the survey vessel
 > _RULE_ to re-survey the area. In keeping with current practice, the
 > rock they found (with the QE2's bottom paint on it) was provisionally
 > named "Rule's Ledge", but locals are lobbying to get it named "The
 > Queen's Bottom".
 >
 >  -- Peter

   

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