Luxury Liner QE2 Runs Aground, Leaks Fuel Off Massachusetts Coast
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CUTTYHUNK, Mass. — The luxury liner Queen Elizabeth 2 briefly ran aground off the Massachusetts coast Friday night and was leaking fuel, an official said.
The ship refloated itself and was anchored, said Coast Guard Lt. Michael Sabellico. He said 2,800 people were aboard but there were no plans to evacuate them. Coast Guard cutters and aircraft were at the scene.
Sabellico said damage to the QE2 appeared to be limited to its fuel compartments and that the ship was expected to sail away under its own power once the leak was stopped.
The ship reported running aground on a rock shortly before 11 p.m. EDT about three miles from Cuttyhunk Island, Sabellico said. Cuttyhunk Island is at the entrance to Buzzards Bay off southeastern Massachusetts.
The 963-foot-long Cunard flagship was due in New York today, where it was to begin a transatlantic crossing to Southampton, Britain. During the day it had been anchored off nearby Martha’s Vineyard while passengers visited the island, said a Coast Guard spokesman in Woods Hole, Mass.
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