QE2: Shipwrecked in the sand

The closest Southampton Port's Brambles sandbank normally comes to catching anyone out is during the annual cricket match held on its surface by two rival sailing clubs. Yesterday, the sticky tidal mud patch in the middle of the Solent claimed an altogether bigger prize: the 70,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth 2.

The majestic vessel had planned to make a dramatic entrance to Southampton Water at dawn, to mark its final visit to its home port before it sails for Dubai and a new life as a luxury floating hotel. Unfortunately, the QE2's arrival was marked by drama of a slightly less regal kind when the ship ran aground on the sandbar and had to be towed free by a flotilla of tugs.

Passengers who had paid up to £28,000 for a berth aboard the venerable liner's last cruise described a violent jolt while breakfasting, as the ship partly beached itself on the Brambles at 5.26am. The QE2 was on its final approach to disgorge its 1,700-strong human cargo, ahead of a day of formal farewell ceremonies, including a Remembrance Day flypast to commemorate its role as a troop-ship during the Falklands War.

The vessel, which had been sailing in strong winds, was eventually freed by five tugs and a rising tide. It eventually arrived at berth 38/9, its normal quay at Southampton, just 15 minutes late. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it was considering whether to launch a preliminary inquiry into the incident amid confusion over whether a trained pilot was on board.

Two divers from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency examined the hull but Cunard, the QE2's owner, insisted that the less-than-glorious entry of its one-time flagship would not prevent its departure at 7.30pm last night, on its final one-way voyage to Dubai. After refurbishment, the liner will be berthed off the Palm Jumeirah, the largest man-made island in the world, as a hotel and museum.

A spokesman for Cunard, which sold the vessel for £50m, said: "We are not aware of any damage to the vessel. We don't know exactly what happened for the vessel to get stuck. She touched a sandbank but with the tide rising she was able to get away."

Under operating rules for Southampton Port, a vessel the size of the QE2 would have required a pilot with knowledge of the Solent to be on board as it made its approach, or a member of the ship's own crew who had been certified to carry out the tricky manoeuvre. Associated British Ports, which owns and runs the harbour, said it had launched an investigation with Cunard to establish who was in charge of the ship as it ran aground.

But amid the sailing fraternity who regularly ply the Solent there was a degree of sympathy with whoever had been controlling the vast vessel, which is nearly 300m long and 52m high. A Maritime and Coastguard Agency source said: "The wind was pretty strong and with a ship the size of the QE2 there is very little margin for error. There were strong gusts that could well have caused her to drift slightly off course and hit [the] Brambles."

The 800m-square sandbank sits in the middle of the entrance to South-ampton Water, presenting a significant potential obstacle to large ships. Every summer it is used for one of the more eccentric encounters in the British sporting calendar when it hosts a cricket match between the Island Sailing Club, from the Isle of Wight, and the Southampton-based Royal Southern Yacht Club. Members of the clubs sail to the bank at the lowest spring tide and play a short match on the muddy surface, which normally ends with the players knee-deep in water.

Chris Thomas, sailing secretary at the Island Sailing Club, said: "It's certainly a well-known spot but I think people will have a large degree of understanding for whoever was steering the QE2. It's very difficult to get around that corner with a ship that big. Even the best pilots say they just manage to get around and the wind has been exceptionally high in the past few days."

It is not the first time that the QE2, which was launched in 1967 on the Clyde by the Queen, has run into undignified trouble during its 40 years of service. In 1992, it ran aground off Massachusetts, sustaining £6m damage as it collided with a submerged rocky outcrop. It also hit a reef in the Caribbean after losing power in a boiler oil-leak; and broke loose from its moorings during a gale in the French port of Cherbourg, causing the ship to strike a pier.

Cunard pointed out that no one had been injured by yesterday's unscheduled stop. A spokesman said: "A lot of people will have been in bed when it happened and not have noticed."

Unfortunately, this did not apply to 81-year-old Geraldine Williams, from Brockham in Surrey, who after the QE2's final 15-day Mediterranean cruise, had ascended to the dining room with her husband when the ship hit the sandbank. "We were sitting having breakfast," said Mrs Williams, "and suddenly there was quite a violent shudder and it went aground. It must be symbolic; it doesn't want to go away."

We are not sailing: Maritime mishaps

HMS Nottingham

The 3,500 tonne Royal Navy ship came close to sinking in 2002 when it ran into rocks off Australia. A 100ft (30m) hole was ripped in the hull of the destroyer after a navigational pointer placed on a map obscured the rocky outcrop. The vessel was repaired at a cost of £38m and two senior officers were dismissed.

Aurora

The £200m pride and joy of P&O Cruises was due to embark on a 103-day round-the-world voyage in 2005 with 1,367 passengers on board but ended up spending 10 days sailing around the English Channel after developing a faulty motor. After laying on an emergency cabaret featuring Jimmy Tarbuck and Paul Daniels, the cruise was eventually abandoned at a cost of £23m to its owners.

HMS Trafalgar

The Royal Navy nuclear attack submarine ran aground during a exercise off Scotland after student officers plotted an incorrect course. Commanders failed to notice that tracing paper placed over a chart had obscured the errors which caused the collision. The vessel suffered £5m damage to its hull.

Royal Viking Sun

Cunard was presented with a £15m compensation claim by the Egyptian government after its liner ran aground in the Red Sea off a maritime nature reserve. The ship was briefly held in the port of Sharm-el-Sheikh until the dispute was resolved.

By numbers: Queen Elizabeth 2

1967 The year the QE2 was launched by the Queen.

2.5million Number of passengers carried.

25 circumnavigations.

800 crossings.

£50million Price paid by the Dubai World company to turn her into a floating hotel.