Queen Mary 2

 Durng cruise season (generally May to the end of October) the arrival and departure of the Queen Mary 2 attracts scores of people to the waterfront.

 File photo 2015-07-10

Last night (December 9) the ship arrived unannounced, and largely unnoticed, and sailed within an hour. It was an amazing sight to see the great ship, ablaze with lights and doing avery bit of 14 knots as it made its way in from the pilot staiton. It did not tie up at a pier, but stopped north of George's Island, very close to the Halifax shore, in order to disembark a medical case.

It is not unusual for cruise ships to have medical emergencies that on board staff cannot handle. If they are close to shore they can divert to a port that has hospital facilities. The ship can then transfer the patient to land with one of their own tenders or with a local launch. Helicopter evacuations are uncommon as the risks to the patient usually outweigh the gravity of the medical condition. On this trip the Queen Mary 2 sailed from New York December 8 and is due in Southampton on December 15. Fortunately for the ailing passenger, the ship's course took it no more than 100 miles off Halifax.

The Queen Mary 2 is the last ocean liner. It makes regular transatlantic crossings - unlike cruise ships that seek quieter venues and are built to lighter standards. It is currently the only ocean liner in existance, and the largest one ever built.

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