Ships

[Carruthers]

When it comes to being impressed by engineering, I have to confess that ships have always been pretty well down the list.

However Dad, being ex-Royal Navy, has always made a point of watching the Mighty Ships series on Quest TV (Discovery Lite) and I now realise how much more there is to ships than meets the eye.

Consequently, the arrival of the cruise ship 'Harmony of the Seas' at Southampton this week, attracted my attention.

The Daily Mail has its shortcomings but, credit where credit is due, they excel at photo features.

World’s biggest cruise ship Harmony of the Seas rules the waves as it docks in Southampton ahead of maiden voyage.

Harmony Of The Seas is a 1,188 foot and 227,000-ton cruise ship - the newest and biggest the world has ever seen

Worth £800m, it boasts the Ultimate Abyss - the tallest slide at sea - as well as seven separate ‘neighbourhoods’

Stood on its stern the ship would soar above the Shard, the Eiffel Tower and the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai

It is 330ft longer than the Titanic, and can carry a human cargo of 8,880 including 2,100 crew from 77 countries

The largest cruise ship in the world – measuring more than four football pitches in length with a maximum capacity for 6,780 passengers – has docked in Southampton for final preparations before its maiden voyage.

A small crowd of well-wishers, including some dressed in their pyjamas, welcomed the £800million Harmony of the Seas as it arrived just after dawn today, but tens of thousands of people are expected to visit the coastal city this week to catch a glimpse of the gigantic vessel before it carries paying customers for the first time.

After sailing from a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and spending the day yesterday cruising the English Channel, Harmony of the Seas sailed up Southampton Water and arrived at Southampton shortly after 6:15am.

It will depart on a short cruise on Sunday – a four-day taster voyage to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands – and on 29 May will make its maiden voyage to Barcelona, where it will be based for 34 seven-night tours of the western Mediterranean this summer. It will sail between Florida and the Caribbean this winter.

Royal Caribbean International’s 18-deck ship has set new records for length (1,1188ft), gross tonnage (227,000), width (215.5ft), passenger capacity (5,479 at double occupancy or a maximum of 6,780) and staterooms (2,747).

With a crew of 2,100 from 77 countries, the floating city boasts seven 'neighbourhoods', a 10-storey slide that is the tallest at sea, 23 swimming pools, 20 dining venues, 52 trees, surf simulators, robot bartenders, a casino and climbing walls.

There are more impressive photos at the Daily Mail.