Last week, when Queen Mary 2 reached Sydney, Australia on her current World Voyage, Captain Paul Wright turned over command of the ship to Commodore Bernard Warner. Such changes in command happen periodically. However, what was significant about this one was that it marked the end of Captain Wright’s last contract with Cunard. He is retiring after more than 30 years with the company.
During his time with Cunard, Captain Wright’s commands have included the Queen Elizabeth 2, the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria. In fact, he was the first person in Cunard’s long history to have commanded three Cunard Queens. Moreover, he oversaw the construction of Queen Mary 2 and was Queen Victoria’s first master. These are only some of his accomplishments.
Captain Wright, however, seldom talks about his accomplishments. He describes himself with a smile as “just a simple sailor.”
His name came up one time when I was speaking to an officer on one of the Princess Cruises ships. Shortly after Princess came into the Carnival Corporation family, there had been an exchange of some of the senior officers between Cunard and Princess. The idea was that the officers from Cunard could learn from Princess and vice versa. Captain Wright was one of the officers who participated in this exchange. The Princess officer that I was speaking to said that he knew Captain Wright and thought highly of him. However, he said that he had no idea that Wright had been with Cunard or that he had commanded QE2 and QM2. As I said, Wright does not like to talk about his accomplishments.
Although he is very much a private person, he is also outgoing and friendly. He enjoys hearing what others have to say, especially if they have a sense of humor.
His personable and relaxed style also extends to the bridge. “I can’t stand shouting on the bridge.” However, with an incredible breadth of experience to draw upon, Wright is firmly in control of the situation.
As a result, Captain Wright has earned the respect and admiration of both the guests and his co-workers. My interview with him is at http://beyondships.com/QM2-art-Wright.html
Captain Wright also provided me with copies of a bar list and a daily programme from the first passenger ship that he served on - - Canadian Pacific’s Empress of Canada. This ship was later to achieve fame as the Mardi Gras, the first ship of Carnival Cruise Lines. The bar list and the daily program are of historical interest because they show just how much cruising has changed since the late-1960s/early 1970s. These items are posted at http://beyondships.com/Cruise-historic-EmpressCanada.html
Finally, I have also updated and expanded Beyondships’ profile and photo tour of Queen Mary 2. There are new menus, daily programs and perhaps a hundred new photos of the ship, which required adding two new pages to what was already an eight page tour. The profile page is at http://beyondships.com/QM2.html and the photo tour begins at http://beyondships.com/QM2tour1.html
During his time with Cunard, Captain Wright’s commands have included the Queen Elizabeth 2, the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria. In fact, he was the first person in Cunard’s long history to have commanded three Cunard Queens. Moreover, he oversaw the construction of Queen Mary 2 and was Queen Victoria’s first master. These are only some of his accomplishments.
Captain Wright, however, seldom talks about his accomplishments. He describes himself with a smile as “just a simple sailor.”
His name came up one time when I was speaking to an officer on one of the Princess Cruises ships. Shortly after Princess came into the Carnival Corporation family, there had been an exchange of some of the senior officers between Cunard and Princess. The idea was that the officers from Cunard could learn from Princess and vice versa. Captain Wright was one of the officers who participated in this exchange. The Princess officer that I was speaking to said that he knew Captain Wright and thought highly of him. However, he said that he had no idea that Wright had been with Cunard or that he had commanded QE2 and QM2. As I said, Wright does not like to talk about his accomplishments.
Although he is very much a private person, he is also outgoing and friendly. He enjoys hearing what others have to say, especially if they have a sense of humor.
His personable and relaxed style also extends to the bridge. “I can’t stand shouting on the bridge.” However, with an incredible breadth of experience to draw upon, Wright is firmly in control of the situation.
As a result, Captain Wright has earned the respect and admiration of both the guests and his co-workers. My interview with him is at http://beyondships.com/QM2-art-Wright.html
Captain Wright also provided me with copies of a bar list and a daily programme from the first passenger ship that he served on - - Canadian Pacific’s Empress of Canada. This ship was later to achieve fame as the Mardi Gras, the first ship of Carnival Cruise Lines. The bar list and the daily program are of historical interest because they show just how much cruising has changed since the late-1960s/early 1970s. These items are posted at http://beyondships.com/Cruise-historic-EmpressCanada.html
Finally, I have also updated and expanded Beyondships’ profile and photo tour of Queen Mary 2. There are new menus, daily programs and perhaps a hundred new photos of the ship, which required adding two new pages to what was already an eight page tour. The profile page is at http://beyondships.com/QM2.html and the photo tour begins at http://beyondships.com/QM2tour1.html
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