Too much free time...

[jfb]

I read the 1/27/07 posting about QE2 getting 1/2 foot per gallon.

Due to a lack of anything better to do, I tried to put that fact into perspective: 6" per mile equals 10,560 gallons per mile. Assuming it is 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, it would take 31,680,000 gallons to make a one way crossing.
At 42 gallons per barrel that is 750,000 barrels.

750,000 barrels would be half a load for the old Exxon Valdez. Did I misplace a decimal point??

[jfb]

I read the 1/27/07 posting about QE2 getting 1/2 foot per gallon.

Due to a lack of anything better to do, I tried to put that fact into perspective: 6" per mile equals 10,560 gallons per mile. Assuming it is 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, it would take 31,680,000 gallons to make a one way crossing.
At 42 gallons per barrel that is 750,000 barrels.

750,000 barrels would be half a load for the old Exxon Valdez. Did I misplace a decimal point??

[Frank P. Martin]

I think this link will verify your math calculations.

QE2 M.P.G

[Llana]

Hey, Frank, I usually believe what I find on Snopes, but I was searching for, and found, the following information on the official web site for the QE2 at http://www.qe2.org.uk/:

The QE2 chief engineer explains: "In 1986/87, in an operation costing £100m, nine medium speed MAN L58/64 nine cylinder turbo charged diesel engines were fitted, in place of the aging and fuel thirsty steam plant. The diesel engines drive C.E.C. generators, and each develop 10.5 MW of electrical power at 10,000 volts. Each engine weighs approximately 120 tons."

Under FAQS:
"What is the fuel consumption? At the service speed of 28.5 knots, consumption is 380 tons per day: this equates to 50 ft/gall. Each (of the nine) engine(s), including the sump-pan, is about the size of a double-decker bus. Each (engine) has nine cylinders of 580mm bore and 640mm stroke, operating on the 4-stroke cycle.

"What is the range when all fuel tanks are full? At service speed, QE2 carries enough fuel for 12 days continuous sailing, but at the slower, more economical speed of 20 knots, she could sail for 30 days or two-thirds of a circumnavigation of the world. "

From another web site on yahoo at http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...=1006051318807
"What kind of gas mileage does the luxury cruise liner QE2 get (in MPG)? About 50 feet per gallon, or about 121.5 gallons per nautical mile, or 105.6 gallons per statute mile at the normal cruising speed of 28.5 kts."

I don't pretend to know anything significant about diesel engines, including that Cummins in our pickup. I'm just the messenger here, because, obviously, I have too much time on MY hands, too, huh?

[Llana]

OOPS. That site, http://www.qe2.org.uk, is the hobby, I guess, of a son/grandson of a "first master"/"master" of the ship. It's not really a web site for the Cunard Line which was the intent of my original search. Oh well. I don't have a clue if the information is accurate or not. Might be that Snopes at that link, QE2 M.P.G, really is correct about capacity, cruising range, etc. and not this guy. Kinda interesting to read, though.