This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

The QE2 Takes a Squat*

*A squat is a nautical term about a complex hydrodynamic phenomenon— OMG, I just fell asleep writing that—the point is the QE2 stubbed a sandbar or something and nearly sank in our waters.

It was yet another supremely odd and messy— although not fatal—catastrophe that once again put Martha’s Vineyard on the map.

In early August of 1992, the flagship of the Cunard line, the Queen Elizabeth II, was taking a break from her full-steam-ahead Southampton to New York transit to try a dilly-dally five-day sail from New York to Halifax and back again, with a brief anchorage off East Chop. Remember that? Holy cow!

Experienced mariners realize that a big ship in the straits just northwest of us, known colloquially as Quick’s Hole, is going to get smooshed unless care is taken. That care was taken, in the form of hiring a navigator from these parts, a man who knew his elbow from a shoal in the ground. But somehow he and the captain failed to communicate in a way that makes for a long and lasting relationship (no worries: there are therapists for that).

Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Somehow, some way, the vessel was ordered two-thirds of a mile off course too late to distance herself from the treacherous shoals off the little island of Cuttyhunk. Later, during a Coast Guard investigation, the captain provided the answer for why the liner had abandoned a more southerly course that would have guided it into deeper waters. He said the local pilot had advised him to veer northward. This route took them to—you’ve got to love this!—the Sow & Pigs Reef, a boxy rock formation near the southwestern edge of Cuttyhunk.

Let’s not obsess over course changes and how many martinis anyone drank at dinner (none, as far as we know). It’s not as if we’re going to assign blame or write new citations. Just the facts, ma’am: In this Sow & Pigs fun spot, the QE2 steamed along at 24 knots—that’s 28 miles to us landlubbers—85 percent of maximum speed, a little, um, slick for a rocky, shoal-y part of Vineyard Sound where there are, at any given time, some 27 sunken ships right under you, just as a reminder of how dangerous it is around those parts.

Find out what's happening in Martha's Vineyardwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Suddenly, bam! Long rumbling, screeking shocks of impact as the 67,000-ton ship struck some “unknown obstacle.” It was 10 p.m. on the night of August 7. The captain later described himself as “confused,” then “astounded.” Well, yeah.

A 74-foot gash was later discovered along 300 feet of the keel. All 1,815 of the passengers and most of the 1,000-member crew were evacuated to Newport. Towboats hauled the ship to dry dock for weeks of repair.

The travelers were reimbursed for the cruise and given vouchers for future trips. It might have gone a long way to also bestow upon them rare coins and gems from the real Queen Elizabeth II’s Crown Jewels collection. Plus, she could have whipped out her trusty sword and knighted all 1,815 of them, but, as far as we know, none of these little courtesies were extended.

So back to the unknown obstacle. We have to ask: Could this have been a new rock tossed by the Wampanoag god, Moshup who long ago and in a hissy fit, lobbed all those boulders into the ocean? We tend to think Moshup’s no longer with us, but could it be he stealths back now and then and, while he’s at it, heaves another rock over the cliffs?

The point was, the QE2 had a 35-foot draft that should have passed over this 37-foot deep “obstacle,” but here’s where the squat effect comes in. As Wikipedia delineates it, holding up the QE2 accident as the best example of the phenomenon: “A vessel moving quickly through shallow water creates an area of lowered pressure with its bottom and causes the ship to ‘squat’ lower in the water than would normally be expected. The rock upon which [the QE2] grounded should have given her room to spare if not for the squat effect.”

My buddy “Joey”—the same handy fellow who guided me to Lady Gaga’s new house a few weeks ago—is also a sea captain, and he explained the squat effect better: He raised his hand in a flat position to represent the ship. Then he described water filling the space under the palm, causing the wrist to fall, boink!, cupping his hand the way the Queen Mum used to wave hello and bye-bye.

Bye-bye indeed for everyone expecting to dock back in Manhattan before dawn.

I spoke with a local harbormaster, plus the Coast Guard officer at the Menemsha station who patched me through to his commander. None of them knew of any federal law to keep big-ol’ liners out of these waters, but they all believed Cunard execs had restricted further trips down south of down east. After all, has anyone seen the QE2’s successor, the Queen Mary II, hanging around?

If she does appear and her prow is facing west, we must all rush to the northern shores and shout, “NOOOO!!!!"

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Martha's Vineyard