QUEEN ELIZABETH REFLOATED

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25161, 17 April 1947, Page 7

QUEEN ELIZABETH REFLOATED

Tugs Succeed At Third Attempt

THOUSANDS WATCH FROM SHORE (N Z. Press Association— Copyright)

(Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, April 15. The Queen Elizabeth, under the pooled strength of 12 tilgs and her own screws, slid backwards off the Bramble sandbank about 6.30 p.m. to-day, 26 hours after she ran aground. The tugs clustered round the liner s stern and at a signal from the liner’s sirens made a concerted pull. Smoke billowed from the Queen Elizabeth’s funnels as her engines made an allout effort. Once she was clear, the Queen Elizabeth disappeared from the sight of the thousands of jshore watchers into thick fog. Later she anchored at Cowes. She will dock at breakfast time to-morrow. The decision not to dock to-night was made because of a sea mist. The liner actually got clear on a comparatively low tide. All the Admiralty tugs based on Portsmouth helped to get her refloated.

It is expected that after a diver has inspected the liner’s bows she will sail on the return voyage to New York this week.

Calshot residents yesterday told the Press Association that the Queen Elizabeth grounded in clear weather. “The Times” also said that the weather was clear. The “Daily Telegraph” said that visibility was four miles. The “Daily Express” and some other newspapers, including the “Evening Standard,” said that the grounding occurred in a fog. The Cunard Line refused to make a statement on the weather, but the preponderance of evidence seems to be that there was a fog earlier in the day, but that the weather was clear when the liner grounded.