Maiden Voyage

The Queen Mary 2, the world's biggest ocean liner, set sail on its maiden voyage yesterday with all 2,520 berths filled, a reflection of the increase in demand executives say has been spurred by stronger economic growth. "Our business is very strong," said Micky Arison, Carnival Corp.'s chief executive, who was aboard the 150,000-ton vessel as it departed Southampton, England, on a six-day voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "We have been booking at levels higher than our capacity increases since the summer.

Sixty years ago this week, the world's attention was riveted on one man's dream as the liner United States, designed by William Francis Gibbs, steamed eastward across the Atlantic on its maiden voyage. Known as "The Big U," the liner sailed from New York's Ambrose Light to Bishop's Rock, off the English coast, the official Blue Riband course, in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, establishing a record that remains unbroken for a trans-Atlantic crossing. Gibbs, who was known during his lifetime as America's greatest naval designer, was consumed with the design and building of the United States, the fastest, most powerful and luxurious superliner ever built, which became his enduring legacy.

JERUSALEM -- For three decades, a missing submarine has haunted Israel. Accustomed to bloody battle and gruesome terrorism, the country was lastingly unsettled by the quiet tragedy of an unresolved mystery.One January night in 1968, the Dakar, a British submarine newly refurbished for the Israeli navy, disappeared on its maiden voyage, from England to Haifa. A 69-man crew vanished with it, lost without a trace in a maritime enigma that became a legendary part of Israeli history.On Friday, the wreck of the Dakar was found 9,500 feet beneath the Mediterranean Sea, between Crete and Cyprus.

There's a new ship in the harbor - at least for another day.  Rainbow Warrior III, the signature vessel of Greenpeace, cruised into Baltimore Monday on its maiden voyage to the United States.  It's the third ship to bear that name - the first was allegedly bombed by the French Navy in 1985, and its successor was retired last August.  This 190-foot baby was designed and built to the environmental group's specs, and they say it's the...

Kate N. Boone, a businesswoman and avid sailor, died Aug. 16 of breast cancer at Women & Infants Hospice in Providence, R.I. The former Riderwood and Annapolis resident was 47. Kate Nash was born in Baltimore and raised in Riderwood. She was a 1982 graduate of Garrison Forest School and made her debut that year at the Bachelors Cotillon. She later attended New England College in Henniker, N.H. Mrs. Boone was a crew member aboard the original Pride of Baltimore's maiden voyage in 1979 to Bermuda, New York and Nova Scotia.

Sixty years ago this week, the world's attention was riveted on one man's dream as the liner United States, designed by William Francis Gibbs, steamed eastward across the Atlantic on its maiden voyage. Known as "The Big U," the liner sailed from New York's Ambrose Light to Bishop's Rock, off the English coast, the official Blue Riband course, in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, establishing a record that remains unbroken for a trans-Atlantic crossing. Gibbs, who was known during his lifetime as America's greatest naval designer, was consumed with the design and building of the United States, the fastest, most powerful and luxurious superliner ever built, which became his enduring legacy.

Marjorie Robb, 103, the oldest remaining survivor of the April 1912 sinking of the ocean liner Titanic, died Thursday at retirement home in Fall River, Mass. Mrs. Robb was returning from Egypt with her father and sister when the "unsinkable" ship smashed into an iceberg on its maiden voyage.

There's a new ship in the harbor - at least for another day.  Rainbow Warrior III, the signature vessel of Greenpeace, cruised into Baltimore Monday on its maiden voyage to the United States.  It's the third ship to bear that name - the first was allegedly bombed by the French Navy in 1985, and its successor was retired last August.  This 190-foot baby was designed and built to the environmental group's specs, and they say it's the...

With great interest I read Frederick N. Rasnmussen's piece on "Chills at sight of United States' return" (March 12) I'd like to add a personal comment. Not only were I and my young wife privileged to be on that maiden voyage from New York to LeHavre, France -- it was our honeymoon trip -- but a substantial number of young German students shared that privilege. Just a few years after the conclusion of World War II, the U.S. Congress passed a law according to which young Germans and Japanese, members of the major defeated nations in World War II, were invited to spend a year at U.S. colleges and universities, essentially to learn about the American way of life, about American democracy, all of this at the expense of the American tax payer.

The maiden voyage this week of the ocean liner Queen Mary 2 calls to mind the original Queen Mary, launched almost 70 years ago. The first Queen Mary, built by John Brown & Co. Ltd. in Clydebank, Scotland, would define for the next three decades the meaning of stylish, grand luxe trans-Atlantic service. As thousands cheered, the new ship, designated "Job 534" by the Brown company, was christened Queen Mary and launched on Sept. 26, 1934, by Her Majesty Queen Mary of Great Britain, while her husband, King George V, looked on. The 81,000-ton ship slid gracefully down the ways into the cool waters of the Clyde River and was then towed to a fitting-out basin where its boilers, machinery, interiors, funnels and masts were installed.

Melissa Schehlein, a Towson native, walked the streets and byways of the Baltimore County seat in search of what was while documenting with her camera what is. The result of her search was the recently published book, "Towson: Then and Now," a 96-page photo essay that takes readers on a tour of contemporary Towson, which she contrasts photographically with images of earlier years. In her introduction, Schehlein writes that Towson is the "commercial, political and cultural heart of Baltimore County," and her mission and "primary emphasis is York Road, our defining corridor.

Kate N. Boone, a businesswoman and avid sailor, died Aug. 16 of breast cancer at Women & Infants Hospice in Providence, R.I. The former Riderwood and Annapolis resident was 47. Kate Nash was born in Baltimore and raised in Riderwood. She was a 1982 graduate of Garrison Forest School and made her debut that year at the Bachelors Cotillon. She later attended New England College in Henniker, N.H. Mrs. Boone was a crew member aboard the original Pride of Baltimore's maiden voyage in 1979 to Bermuda, New York and Nova Scotia.

With great interest I read Frederick N. Rasnmussen's piece on "Chills at sight of United States' return" (March 12) I'd like to add a personal comment. Not only were I and my young wife privileged to be on that maiden voyage from New York to LeHavre, France -- it was our honeymoon trip -- but a substantial number of young German students shared that privilege. Just a few years after the conclusion of World War II, the U.S. Congress passed a law according to which young Germans and Japanese, members of the major defeated nations in World War II, were invited to spend a year at U.S. colleges and universities, essentially to learn about the American way of life, about American democracy, all of this at the expense of the American tax payer.

The best parenting comes not when a mother or father yells at a child when he or she has made a mistake or spilled grape juice on the carpet, but when the parent takes a moment to gather himself or herself emotionally before addressing the situation. Likewise, St. Frances girls lacrosse coach Artie Spruill is displaying an important feature of a good leader, namely the one that balances the limitations of an athlete in her charge against the player's ability to grow and improve. "I constantly take a step back before I open my mouth," Spruill said.

An unfamiliar car pulls up to a house at night. There's a knock at the door. Innocent events in most circumstances, but in Death and the Maiden they can be hair-raising. DEATH AND THE MAIDEN / / Through Nov. 26 at Center Stage, 700 N. Calvert St. -- $10-$60 -- 410-332-0033 or centerstage.org

The maiden voyage this week of the ocean liner Queen Mary 2 calls to mind the original Queen Mary, launched almost 70 years ago. The first Queen Mary, built by John Brown & Co. Ltd. in Clydebank, Scotland, would define for the next three decades the meaning of stylish, grand luxe trans-Atlantic service. As thousands cheered, the new ship, designated "Job 534" by the Brown company, was christened Queen Mary and launched on Sept. 26, 1934, by Her Majesty Queen Mary of Great Britain, while her husband, King George V, looked on. The 81,000-ton ship slid gracefully down the ways into the cool waters of the Clyde River and was then towed to a fitting-out basin where its boilers, machinery, interiors, funnels and masts were installed.

Melissa Schehlein, a Towson native, walked the streets and byways of the Baltimore County seat in search of what was while documenting with her camera what is. The result of her search was the recently published book, "Towson: Then and Now," a 96-page photo essay that takes readers on a tour of contemporary Towson, which she contrasts photographically with images of earlier years. In her introduction, Schehlein writes that Towson is the "commercial, political and cultural heart of Baltimore County," and her mission and "primary emphasis is York Road, our defining corridor.

The Queen Mary 2, the world's biggest ocean liner, set sail on its maiden voyage yesterday with all 2,520 berths filled, a reflection of the increase in demand executives say has been spurred by stronger economic growth. "Our business is very strong," said Micky Arison, Carnival Corp.'s chief executive, who was aboard the 150,000-ton vessel as it departed Southampton, England, on a six-day voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "We have been booking at levels higher than our capacity increases since the summer.