For those passengers on the Queen Elizabeth 2, news of the Friday accident involving the Costa Concordia off the coast of Tuscany sounded familiar, with one exception: In the 1992 accident, no passengers were seriously injured.
Welch, now 57, said the QE2 accident two decades ago was his first thought upon hearing of the latest cruise disaster.
“When I first heard about the ship in Italy, I thought back immediately to the QE2, because it was a really interesting footnote to our family history,’’ Welch said.
The Queen Elizabeth 2, built in 1967, was retired from active service in 2008.
Thirteen stories high, 963 feet long, and 67,000 tons, it was once the largest ocean liner in the world. In 1992, it featured luxury amenities once considered extravagant by cruise-goers: swimming pools, a jogging track, a computer center, sauna, gym, and high-end stores such as Gucci, Christian Dior, and Harrod’s department store.
After the 1992 accident, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the ship had hit uncharted rocks and blamed the ship’s officers and harbor pilot for failing to plan a safe course through Vineyard Sound.
Among the passengers during that voyage were novelist Tom Clancy and Academy Award-winning actor George Kennedy.
As passengers waited to evacuate, the ship’s crew hastily planned special piano concerts, Broadway shows, and a financial-planning seminar to keep the crowds entertained. Free alcoholic beverages were also provided to all passengers.
Welch’s wife, Debra, recalled that once the passengers realized they would need to evacuate the ship, they decided to make the best of their situation.
“Everyone kind of relaxed, and it took a festive, partylike atmosphere,’’ she said, recalling that some passengers used video cameras to conduct joking interviews with other passengers.
After the accident, the ship was towed to South Boston for patch-up repairs, before returning to Europe. Some in Boston said they were grateful for the nautical mishap, because boat repairs brought 200 much-needed, albeit temporary, jobs.
