Keel laid for Quantum of the Seas

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This was published 10 years ago

Keel laid for Quantum of the Seas

By SALLY MACMILLAN
Quantum of the Seas'  maiden cruise will be a transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York.

Quantum of the Seas' maiden cruise will be a transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York.

Royal Caribbean International announced recently that it had held a keel-laying ceremony for Quantum of the Seas - and that at the same time, the first piece of steel had been cut for Quantum's sister ship, Anthem of the Seas.

Luckily, the cruise line explained what the stages meant, and it's fascinating to discover how maritime traditions play a part in the construction of these massive, technologically advanced vessels.

Steel cutting is when the ship's first piece of steel is cut, marking the first step of its construction. Anthem of the Seas will be identical to Quantum, and is due to set sail in the northern spring of 2015. Quantum's maiden cruise will be an eight-night transatlantic crossing from Southampton to its new home in New York, departing on November 2, 2014.

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But back to Quantum's keel-laying. During the ceremony, a 430-tonne block measuring 18 metres by 23 metres was lifted into the building dock by an 800-tonne crane. Newly minted coins were placed under the keel, which stay in place until the ship is built and are then retrieved and presented to the captain and crew to be placed on the ship. The coins are said to bring luck to the ship during its construction and then to its captain and crew when it is at sea.

Another maritime tradition I learnt about at the christening of Princess Cruises' Royal Princess is giving a ship a "madrina", or godmother, when it is "floated out" in the dock where it has been built. This may be a tradition particular to the Italian shipyard Fincantieri, which built Royal Princess, but it celebrates some charming historical links between madrina Victoria Nash and the new ship.

Victoria is the daughter of long-time Princess master Captain Nick Nash and she was christened in 1996 on-board the first Royal Princess. As is tradition, the ship's bell was used as her christening bowl and Victoria's name was engraved inside the bell. This same bell is now on-board the Royal Princess.

Next year we can expect to see several traditional christening ceremonies as Regal Princess, Norwegian Getaway, Costa Diadema and Quantum of the Seas are officially named by their godmothers. One will have an Aussie godmother - TV personality Deborah Hutton will christen Avalon Illumination next June.

SHIPSHAPE

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How do you choose a river cruise? There are so many on the market and new itineraries are announced constantly. Once you’ve decided where you want to cruise — Europe is the most popular destination but river cruising in China, south-east Asia, India, the US and South America (the Peruvian Amazon) is also growing rapidly — then it’s when and with which cruise line. Talk to a industry-accredited travel agent to find out what will suit you best.

sally.macmillan@fairfaxmedia.com.au

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