Handling Emergencies on Queen Mary 2

When I was on Queen Mary 2 last month I started a new series of interviews with the officers and staff. These interviews are designed to give a behind-the-scenes look at specific aspects of life and operations on the great liner. My intention is to post them over the next couple of months.

In the first of these interviews I talk with Staff Captain Robert Camby about handling emergencies on QM2. Robert has had a meteoric rise through the ranks of Cunard and P&O Cruises and reached the level of second in command while still in his early thirties. This speaks volumes about his abilities as a sailor.

Just as impressive is his non-maritime background. A talented musician, who received scholarships to study the piano and violin, Robert is a familiar figure in the world of West End and Broadway theater. Moreover, he has been made a Freeman of London and is a Chevalier of the Grand Order of Champagne.

This interview focuses on what happens when a passenger must be evacuated by helicopter from an ocean liner. As you can imagine, it does not just involve placing a call to the Coast Guard and saying “Come pick-up one of my passengers.” Instead, it involves planning, co-ordination and communication. Furthermore, it is an expensive operation that is not without risk.

My interview with Captain Camby appears at http://beyondships.com/QM2-Camby-1.html

When they introduce the senior officers at the captain’s reception on a cruise ship, most people have a good idea of what the hotel manager or the chief engineer does. However, the role of the staff captain onboard is not as immediately clear. The closest analogy would seem to be to the executive officer on a warship but that is not an exact fit. Since it is the number two position on the ship, I thought an article about what being a staff captain entails would be in order.


To find out what the position entails, I say down with Trevor Lane, Staff Captain on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. Trevor has had a remarkable career. In addition to being the navigator on the legendary Canberra during the Falklands War, he has served on a wide variety of ships ranging from the Orsova to the Caribbean Princess. Moreover, given the prestige and size of Queen Mary 2, I felt that a description of the duties of the staff captain on that ship would encompass pretty much all that the position entails on other ships.

Trevor did not disappoint. Bright and articulate, he gave a concise but through description of his various responsibilities. In addition, he spoke from a personal view point so there is the human element as well. The resulting article can be found at http://beyondships.com/QM2-lane.html

In addition, I have posted a retrospective article about QE2 that was recently published in the Navy League Log. In it, I wrote about the ship’s career and gave some anecdotes that I came across during my 70-odd voyages on that ship. http://beyondships.com/QE2-farewell.html

Finally, for those interested in military ships, I have posted an article about the amphibious assault ships USS Nassau and USS Bataan. http://beyondships.com/USN-Nassau.html