QUEEN MARY 2
July 16, 2004 | Northern Europe Cruise – Day 6: Ålesund, Norway
On Day 6 of our July 2004 Northern Europe cruise, Queen Mary 2 (Cunard Line) visited Ålesund, Norway, on July 16 during the ocean liner's inaugural year. Arriving after the previous day's visits to Hellesylt and Geiranger, the call continued Queen Mary 2's first voyage through Norway and placed Cunard's new flagship against Ålesund's distinctive island and mountain setting.
Queen Mary 2 visited Ålesund, Norway, on July 16, 2004, marking Day 6 of our Northern Europe cruise aboard Cunard's new flagship. The call followed the previous day's visits to Hellesylt and Geiranger, where the liner made her first visit to Norway. Only six months after entering passenger service, Queen Mary 2 was still being introduced to ports throughout Europe, and her Norwegian calls formed an important part of her inaugural season. Ålesund provided another dramatic setting for the new ocean liner, surrounded by islands, mountains and the distinctive architecture of one of Norway's best-known coastal cities.
Information List
Name: Queen Mary 2
Operator: Cunard Line
Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France
Yard Number: G32
Keel Laid: July 4, 2002
Launched: March 21, 2003
Delivered: December 26, 2003
Named: January 8, 2004
Godmother: Queen Elizabeth II
Maiden Voyage: January 12, 2004
Ship Type: Ocean liner
Length: Approximately 1,132 feet / 345 meters
Beam: Approximately 131 feet / 40 meters at the waterline
Draft: Approximately 34 feet / 10.3 meters
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 148,500 GT when delivered
Passenger Capacity: Approximately 2,620 passengers at double occupancy
Crew: Approximately 1,250
Service Speed: Approximately 28 knots
Maximum Speed: Approximately 30 knots
Original Registry: Southampton, United Kingdom
IMO: 9241061
Voyage: July 2004 Northern Europe Cruise
Cruise Day: Day 6
Visit Shown: July 16, 2004
Location: Ålesund, Norway
Voyage Context: First voyage through Norway
Personal Voyage: Traveled aboard Queen Mary 2
History and Features
Queen Mary 2 in Her Inaugural Year:
Queen Mary 2 entered Cunard service in January 2004, making the July visit to Ålesund part of her inaugural season.
Designed by naval architect Stephen Payne and built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, she was created specifically to continue Cunard's scheduled transatlantic ocean-liner service.
At completion, Queen Mary 2 was the largest passenger ship ever built and the largest ocean liner in history.
Her inaugural-year cruises introduced the new flagship to ports throughout Europe while complementing her primary role on the North Atlantic.
The Norwegian portion of the July voyage represented the ship's first visit to the country.
Our 2004 Northern Europe Cruise:
We embarked aboard Queen Mary 2 at Southampton on July 11, 2004, beginning our 11-day Northern Europe cruise.
Day 2 was spent at sea while the liner sailed north from Southampton.
Day 3 brought Queen Mary 2 to South Queensferry and Edinburgh, Scotland.
After continuing north toward Norway, Day 5 included Hellesylt and Geiranger and marked Queen Mary 2's first visit to Norway.
On Day 6, July 16, the liner visited Ålesund.
Bergen followed on Day 7 as the Norwegian portion of the voyage continued.
Later calls took the ship to Germany and the Netherlands before the cruise returned to Southampton.
Day 6 – Ålesund:
Queen Mary 2 reached Ålesund on July 16 after departing the Geirangerfjord region the previous evening.
The call was part of the liner's first voyage through Norway.
The ship's inaugural-year status and unprecedented size generated considerable interest during her early Norwegian visits.
Ålesund provided a very different setting from the steep, narrow fjords experienced the previous day.
The city's harbor and surrounding islands offered broad views of the new Cunard flagship against Norway's western coastline.
Ålesund:
Ålesund is located on Norway's western coast and occupies several islands extending into the Norwegian Sea.
Its location has long connected the city with fishing, maritime trade and coastal transportation.
Much of central Ålesund was destroyed by fire in January 1904.
Reconstruction following the fire transformed the city and produced the distinctive concentration of Art Nouveau architecture for which Ålesund is known today.
The rebuilt city provides a recognizable architectural backdrop for visiting passenger ships.
The 1904 Ålesund Fire:
A major fire swept through Ålesund during the night of January 23, 1904.
Strong winds allowed the fire to spread rapidly through the predominantly wooden town.
Hundreds of buildings were destroyed and thousands of residents were left without homes.
Reconstruction took place during a period when Art Nouveau architecture was prominent in Europe.
Architects and craftsmen rebuilt much of the city using masonry construction and contemporary Jugendstil design.
The resulting architecture became one of Ålesund's defining characteristics.
A Maritime City:
Ålesund's location among islands and waterways has made maritime activity central to the city's development.
Fishing became particularly important to the local economy.
The harbor remains active with commercial, fishing and passenger vessels.
Cruise ships visiting Ålesund can approach relatively close to the city center, providing passengers convenient access to its historic architecture and waterfront.
The surrounding mountains and islands also provide elevated viewpoints over the harbor and Norwegian Sea.
Mount Aksla:
Mount Aksla rises above central Ålesund and provides panoramic views across the city, surrounding islands and harbor.
The viewpoint is one of the city's best-known landmarks.
From higher elevations, the relationship between Ålesund's island geography and its maritime setting becomes particularly clear.
Visiting passenger ships can be seen within the broader coastal landscape from these viewpoints.
The size of Queen Mary 2 made her especially prominent within the harbor during her inaugural-year visit.
From Geiranger to Ålesund:
Day 5 of our cruise took Queen Mary 2 to Hellesylt and Geiranger during her first day in Norwegian waters.
After departing Geiranger, the liner continued toward Ålesund.
The transition from Geirangerfjord to Ålesund demonstrated two very different Norwegian maritime landscapes on consecutive cruise days.
Geiranger surrounded the ship with steep mountains and narrow fjord waters, while Ålesund provided a more open coastal and island setting.
Together, the two days became an important part of our photographic record of Queen Mary 2 during her inaugural season.
Designed for Ocean Service:
Queen Mary 2 was designed primarily for regular transatlantic service rather than conventional cruising.
Her high freeboard, long bow, deep draft and reinforced structure were developed for demanding North Atlantic conditions.
Lifeboats were positioned unusually high above the water for additional protection in heavy seas.
Integrated electric propulsion powered four podded propulsors and provided the speed necessary for scheduled liner crossings.
Her ocean-liner proportions remained readily apparent even while operating within the protected coastal waters of Norway.
Continuing to Bergen:
After Ålesund, Queen Mary 2 continued south along the Norwegian coast toward Bergen.
The Bergen call followed on July 17, Day 7 of our Northern Europe cruise.
Bergen would become another major inaugural-year Norwegian visit for the new Cunard flagship.
The approach to Bergen also required Queen Mary 2 to pass beneath the Askøy Bridge, where her height provided relatively limited clearance.
The Bergen photographs form the next Norwegian chapter of our July 2004 voyage.
Ocean Liner Photography Voyage Series:
This gallery forms part of the Ocean Liner Photography record of our July 2004 Northern Europe cruise aboard Queen Mary 2.
The master voyage page documents the cruise as a whole.
South Queensferry and Edinburgh document Day 3.
Hellesylt and Geiranger document Day 5 and Queen Mary 2's first visit to Norway.
Ålesund continues the series with Day 6.
Bergen follows as Day 7.
Together, these individual galleries provide a day-by-day photographic record of traveling aboard Queen Mary 2 during her inaugural season.
Legacy:
The July 16, 2004 visit to Ålesund formed part of Queen Mary 2's first voyage through Norway.
Coming immediately after Hellesylt and Geiranger, Ålesund provided a contrasting coastal setting for Cunard's new flagship.
The call occurred only six months after Queen Mary 2 entered passenger service, when her arrival remained a major event for many destinations.
For Ocean Liner Photography, Day 6 continues the firsthand record of our Northern Europe voyage during the ship's inaugural year.
Together with the surrounding Norwegian galleries, the photographs preserve an early chapter in the career of Cunard's twenty-first-century ocean liner.
OLP Social: Day 6 of our Northern Europe cruise brought the new Cunard flagship to an island-lined coastal setting, continuing her inaugural-year Norwegian visits after Hellesylt and Geiranger and before Bergen.
