The excavating Shipwrecks Lecture Series on the Maiden Voyage of The Queen Mary 2

Round Trip Fort Lauderdale, Florida 31st January to 11th February 2004

ADMAT 's Excavating Shipwreck Series of Lectures Sails Into History — ADMAT 's *Excavating Shipwreck* Series of Lectures Sails Into History

It was with great excitement that ADMAT's President was invited as the guest lecturer on board this special ship for the maiden Caribbean voyage. The ship with an overall length of 1,132 ft and 150,000 gross tons was sailing down the Caribbean. The QM2 has a total passenger capacity of 3,112 and is crewed by 1,288 officers and crew.

During this maiden Caribbean voyage the ship would be visiting: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Fort de France, Martinique; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; Roseau, Dominica; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The lectures run by Simon Spooner and Christine Nielsen were staged in the special ConneXions rooms. In all four lectures were given to packed audiences. On this cruise, there was the special opportunity to visit the St. Christopher Heritage Society on St. Kitts. Therefore the order of the lectures was changed to allow the lecture on the White House Bay Wreck to be given the day before we were due to arrive on St. Kitts.

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The Queen Mary 2 promenade

A painting of Samuel Cunard's first ship the Britannia on her maiden voyage in 1840 and the Queen Mary 2 on her maiden voyage in 2004

RMS Mauretania

One of the many bars on board, this one having a scale madel of the ship

Looking down on one of the swimming pools.

One of the ballrooms

The lecture series starts with the White House Bay, as the ship was arriving in St Kitts the next day

A view from the back

The lectures were televised and shown throughout the ship and recorded for later playing in the cabins

Simon explains ship's armament and in particular bar and chain shot

The QM2 at anchor in St Kitts

The St. Kitts welcome reception. A great welcome was given to all the passengers arriving on St. Kitts.

Simon on the observation deck

The tenders taking passengers from the shore to St Kitts

The QM2 seen in the distance from Port Zante in Basseterre Harbour.

Simon hard at work recording the artefacts which have finished conservation

Simon and Christine dressing for dinner

The Queens Grill

Simon and Christine hoasting a dinner table

In Barbados

When Simon arrived at SCHS he took some of the interested guests from the ship with him so that they could assist with the artefact handling from the artefacts recovered by ADMAT from the White House Bay Wreck. Simon and Christine were assisted by Jacqueline Armony the Executive Director of SCHS, Dr. Ron Jorgenson, Dierdre Stubbs and Lindon Williams.

The passengers greatly enjoyed the visit to SCHS to see the artefacts and hear about the archaeological project. In fact some of them even gave a hand recording the artefacts which was great fun and much appreciated.

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