It's a very busy weekend at the Southampton (UK) docks this weekend. Yesterday 5 large cruise ships departed, and today there will be 4 more leaving. Weather forecasts far preferred Saturday, so I chose that day. I picked a spot different from those I've used before, down by Calshot Castle on the very end of the spit of land at the end of the estuary. I thought if they came out close enough together, from there I'd have a long perspective back up the river, to hopefully get more than one in the shot.
First, not one of the cruise ships, but a heritage ship, "Shieldhall", the largest steam-powered vessel in the UK, which offers short cruises out of Southampton. This time it was actually doing a tour around the large vessels leaving that day. I think it's a very attractive shape, unlike some of the very large ones below.
2. First of the cruisers to leave was "Oceana", seen here heading out to sea.
3. The next two were the real biggies, "Queen Mary 2" and "Independence of the Seas", 150,000 tons and 160,000 tons respectively. This was the only combination close enough together for my perspective plan to work.
4. QM2
5. IotS
6. Whoever said these new ones are just like floating blocks of flats would see evidence in this shot.
7. Smallest of the five, "Black Watch" - a very attractive ship I think.
8. And the last to leave, "Grand Princess", with a very peculiar construction at the rear, which I heard was a disco bar.
All five left in the space of 30-40 minutes and I was among a couple of hundred other spectators who chose the same vantage point as me. I even saw at least another three 100-400s in addition to mine.
