Review: Lurssen's "Queen M"

Lurssen's 238' "Queen M"​

Royalty Arrives...​

by Capt. Chuck Gnaegy

Royalty, when it arrives, eclipses every star presentation that has
gone before; And this certainly holds true with Lurssen’s
latest unveiling of its superlative 238’ superyacht.

The Queen is in attendance!​

In recent years past, megayachts, as almost every other facet of our world – manufacturing, production, consumption – have grown in size. Some by substantial measurement, such as homes, and automobiles, highways, cities, even human beings.

Megayachts, too, have grown past what was once noted as opulence, and continued up to what might have been at one time ostentatious. But now, the adjective which must be attached to yachting’s latest royalty, is undoubtedly more laudatory. It is Radiant. In another word, it is Queen M.

Take a look at her sovereign dimensions, certainly – (238’) – but also see how her exterior design (by Espen Oeino) is a simple study in modesty. Not flaunting the number of decks (6) like the traditional wedding cake tiers, she demurely houses crew quarters (for 20) plus certain functions (gym, mess, laundry) below the evidential waterline.

Her 12’ draft allows quite a bit of shuffling yet is still substantial enough to allow comfortable world ocean crossings. Made of regal steel, she boasts a 5,000 mile range, at 12 knots.

Lurssen Yachts, a German firm, was originally founded by Friedrich Lurssen in 1875. Several generations later, Lurrsen is managed by two cousins, Friedrich and Peter Lurssen, who have successfully crossed-platformed Lurssen’s military shipbuilding expertise into one of the premiere luxury yacht manufacturers in the world. A family owned business for many generations, they are involved in every step of the construction with a goal of customer satisfaction through the entire manufacturing process.

What Friedrich Lurssen originally envisioned over 130 years ago, along with Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, continues today in the production of Lurssen yachts. Lurssen is headquartered in Bremen-Vegesack, Germany and uses a combination of shipyards and worldwide connections to achieve their end results. Lurssen has the distinction of building the world’s first motorboat, the first diesel engine boat and the first remote-controlled boat.

Lurssen’s shipyards is an expansive facility with a total area of 350,000 sq. meters, of which 150,000 sq. meters is covered. With 70,000 sq. meters of air-conditioned facilities, linked by an inter-connecting 2500 ton travel lift… over 1500 meters of structural assembly can be completed at any one time. Lurssen’s in-water capability offers over 700 meters of deep quays.

A variety of manufacturing technologies govern Lurrsen yacht building, and Lurssen achieved ISO 9001 certification by 1994. That same quality has been the premise behind more than more than 13,000 vessels since 1875.

Lurssen has built some of the most magnificent yachts in recent history including, the 319’ Carinthia VII, the 315’ Limitless, the 377’ Pelorus, and the 414’ Octopus. Lurssen has won many awards, with the most recent being the 2004 International Superyacht Design Award for “Pelorus”, in the best power 43m plus category.

Queen M's ship's bell is displayed prominently on the bow pulpit with the year of her launch engraved: 2004.

The bow pulpit and anchorage equipment is located within sight of the captain's call.

The upper walkway leading aft to the bridge...

Other individual design touches are sure to garner praise, such as the finely detailed, sweeping stainless staircase, which is supported by a central spinal column. Each step is independantly illuminated for sure-footed passages.

The backside of the Queen's Arch disguises heat dissipating exhaust funnels, which reduces noise on the decks below and helps maintain a clean waterline.

The arch is so large, that standard superyacht-size airhorns are dwarfed by the structure.

Cradled securely in it's own tender garage with ample lighting for 24 hour deployment, this 7.5m Nimbus Max II stands ready for quick jaunts into waters shallow and docks short.

Launched via an intriguing process, the tender inside the yacht’s side garage is picked up by a trolley system from above. Then the garage door – hinged at the top – swings up to open, holding the smaller boat underneath the trolley. It is then trundled out and splashed down into the water at the side of the yacht. A unique and interesting operation.

As seen in this picture, the port-side tender garage houses an 8.5 meter Serenella Venetian-type taxi. The mahogany tender is a stark contrast from the otherwise contemporary lines of this modern-day yacht, but is ultimately... fitting for a Queen.

Queen M's helm is essentially located in a crow's nest position, with only the radar arch being a higher point. Here you can see the effective application of todays control technology... a very clean flybridge helm. Wheels have gone the way of analogue in the digital age and we've finally reached a pinnacle... less is more.