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?