The entire Cunard cruise ship fleet is to be
taken off the UK shipping register and fly
the Bermudan flag
Posted on 10/20/2011 2:44:45 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
Luxury cruise company Cunard has announced its ships will stop sailing under the British flag.
The company said it was being done to allow weddings to be held on board as ships registered in the UK cannot conduct marriages.
The company's three ships Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth will instead fly the flag of Bermuda.
The port of Hamilton will also replace the name of Southampton on the stern from next spring.
'No difference'
Weddings performed by captains at sea under current English law are not legal because the law states that marriages must be held in a publicly accessible place.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
The entire Cunard cruise ship fleet is to be
taken off the UK shipping register and fly
the Bermudan flag
Isn’t the Bermuda flag a pair of shorts?
This is series and hugh.
I’m the King of the World!!!!
Sure, it’s big. Has multiple restaurants, bars, movie theatres, four pools, gym, etc. But, in terms of bass fishing... really kind of sucks.
I remember that from an old episode of “Perry Mason”. Someone thought they were married and Perry corrected them. If I remember right he just said not all captains of ships can conduct marriages.
That seems like kind of a dumb law, as long as the couple getting married are of age or have proof of their families’ permission.
I sailed over on the QE2 to England for a year’s stay in 1974 with my wife, five children, a baby sitter, a dozen trunks, and a VW bus stored in the hold. The cost was pretty reasonable back then, and it was a pleasant, relaxing trip.
Which looks a lot like people's memory of old British naval or colonial flags.
The Cunard Building is the one on the right.
The famous Liverpool Liver birds are on the top of the left hand building.
John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar (near Spain, per the song lyric) because British captains were not allowed to perform marriages aboard ship, and that was 1969. The “current” law has been in effect for at least 40 years. I wonder why change flags now?
He probably said, "Some captains cannot conduct marriages."
The real reason is why much of the commercial shipping in the US is flagged by other nations.
No unions. Cheap and abundant labor. Relaxed labor laws. The company and the ships’ Captain are in charge, not bureaucrats.
For a while the bureaucrats try to force compliance by prohibiting ships from docking unless they obey them, but the shipping companies just advise the dock that unless the bureaucrats back off, there are lots of other docks they can visit.
And the Liver Birds used to be the logo of Liverpool FC. Now there is just a single Liver bird plus a lot of advertising. I still am a big Leeds United fan, but there’s always room in my heart for Liverpool. Spent a couple of afternoons on the Spion Kop.
Do Leeds fans still sharpen 10p pieces and fling them into the crowd ?
Screw Liverpool, Everton all the way!
I guess the cost would be pretty reasonable if you had your wife, kids and babysitter in the hold with the VW...
Wow yarddog. You must be an old dog if you can remember that! :-)
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