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RMS Queen Mary
Coordinates: 33°45′11″N 118°11′23″W
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other ships with the same name, see Queen Mary (ship).
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RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner
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that sailed primarily on the North Atlantic
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Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard
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Line (known as Cunard-White Star Line
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when the vessel entered service). Built by
RMS Queen Mary
John Brown & Company in Clydebank,
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Scotland, Queen Mary along with her
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running mate, RMS Queen Elizabeth, were
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built as part of Cunard's planned two-ship
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weekly express service between
Southampton, Cherbourg, and New York
RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California
City. The two ships were a British response
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History
to the superliners built by German and
French companies in the late 1920s and
Special pages
early 1930s. Queen Mary was the flagship of
Name:
Queen Mary
Permanent link
the Cunard Line from May 1936 until
Namesake:
Mary of Teck
Page information
October 1946 when she was replaced in that
Owner:
1936–49: Cunard White Star Line
Wikidata item
role by Queen Elizabeth.
1949–67: Cunard Line
1967-Present: City of Long Beach
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Queen Mary sailed on her maiden voyage on
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Port of registry:
Liverpool (1936–1967)
27 May 1936 and captured the Blue Riband
Long Beach (1967–present)
in August of that year; she lost the title to
Route:
Southampton, New York, via
Cherbourg (normal transatlantic
voyage East and West bound)
beaten by the new SS United States. With
Ordered:
3 April 1929
the outbreak of World War II, she was
Builder:
John Brown and Company
SS Normandie in 1937 and recaptured it in
1938, holding it until 1952 when she was
Clydebank, Scotland
converted into a troopship and ferried Allied
‫العربية‬
soldiers for the duration of the war.
Català
Čeština
Following the war Queen Mary was refitted
Dansk
for passenger service and along with Queen
Deutsch
Elizabeth commenced the two-ship
Español
transatlantic passenger service for which the
Français
Hrvatski
two ships were initially built. The two ships
Bahasa Indonesia
dominated the transatlantic passenger
Italiano
transportation market until the dawn of the
Magyar
jet age in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s,
Nederlands
Yard number:
534
Laid down:
1 December 1930
Launched:
26 September 1934
Sponsored by:
Queen Mary
Christened:
26 September 1934
Maiden voyage:
27 May 1936
Out of service:
9 December 1967 (retired)
Identification:
Radio Callsign GBTT
Status:
Hotel / restaurant / museum ship
General characteristics
Queen Mary was ageing and, though still
日本語
among the most popular transatlantic liners,
Type:
Ocean liner
Polski
was operating at a loss.
Tonnage:
81,237 GRT
Português
After several years of decreased profits for
Displacement:
81,961 tons
Length:
1,019.4 ft (310.7 m) LOA
Norsk bokmål
Română
Cunard Line, Queen Mary was officially
Русский
Simple English
965 ft (294.1 m) LBP
retired from service in 1967. She left
Southampton for the last time on 31 October
Slovenščina
Srpskohrvatski /
српскохрватски
Suomi
1967 and sailed to the port of Long Beach,
California, United States, where she remains
permanently moored. Much of the
Svenska
machinery, including one of the two engine
Türkçe
Edit links
rooms, three of the four propellers, and all of
Beam:
118 ft (36.0 m)
Height:
181 ft (55.2 m)
Draft:
39 ft (11.9 m)
Decks:
12
Installed power:
24 × Yarrow boilers
Propulsion:
4 × Parsons single-reduction
geared steam turbines
the boilers, were removed. The ship serves
4 shafts, 160,000 shp (120,000 kW)
as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a
Speed:
28.5 kn
museum, and a hotel. The ship is listed on
Capacity:
2,139 passengers: 776 first (cabin)
class, 784 tourist class, 579 third
class
Crew:
1101
the National Register of Historic Places. The
National Trust for Historic Preservation has
accepted the Queen Mary as part of the
Historic Hotels of America.[2]
RMS Queen Mary
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Contents
1 Construction and naming
2 History (1934–1939)
2.1 Interior
3 World War II
4 After World War II
5 In Long Beach
5.1 Conversion
5.2 As a tourist attraction
5.3 Meeting of the Queens
5.4 W6RO
5.5 Rumors of hauntings
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links
Coordinates
Construction and naming
33°45′11″N 118°11′23″W
NRHP Reference # 92001714
Added to NRHP
[ edit ]
[1]
15 April 1993
With Germany launching Bremen and Europa into service, Britain did not want to be left behind in
the shipbuilding race. White Star Line began construction on their 80,000-ton Oceanic in 1928,
while Cunard planned a 75,000-ton unnamed ship of their own.
Construction on the ship, then known only as "Hull Number
534",[3] began in December 1930 on the River Clyde by the John
Brown & Company shipyard at Clydebank in Scotland. Work was
halted in December 1931 due to the Great Depression and
Cunard applied to the British Government for a loan to complete
534. The loan was granted, with enough money to complete
Queen Mary and to build a running mate, Hull No. 552, which
became Queen Elizabeth.[4]
One condition of the loan was that Cunard would merge with the
White Star Line, which was Cunard's chief British rival at the time
and which had already been forced by the depression to cancel
construction of its Oceanic. Both lines agreed and the merger
was completed on 10 May 1934. Work on Queen Mary resumed
immediately and she was launched on 26 September 1934.
Completion ultimately took 31⁄2 years and cost 3.5 million pounds
Overhead view of Queen
Mary docked at Long Beach in
2008
sterling.[4] Much of the ship's interior was designed and
constructed by the Bromsgrove Guild.[5]
The ship was named after Queen Mary, consort of King George
V. Until her launch, the name she was to be given was kept a
closely guarded secret. Legend has it that Cunard intended to
name the ship Victoria, in keeping with company tradition of
giving its ships names ending in "ia", but when company
representatives asked the king's permission to name the ocean
liner after Britain's "greatest queen", he said his wife, Queen
Mary, would be delighted.[6] And so, the legend goes, the
delegation had of course no other choice but to report that No.
534 would be called Queen Mary.[6]
This story was denied by company officials, and traditionally the
names of sovereigns have only been used for capital ships of the
Royal Navy. Some support for the story was provided by
Washington Post editor Felix Morley, who sailed as a guest of the
Cunard Line on Queen Mary's 1936 maiden voyage. In his 1979
autobiography, For the Record, Morley wrote that he was placed
at table with Sir Percy Bates, chairman of the Cunard Line. Bates
told him the story of the naming of the ship "on condition you
won't print it during my lifetime." The name Queen Mary could
also have been decided upon as a compromise between Cunard
and the White Star Line, as both lines had traditions of using
names either ending in "ic" with White Star and "ia" with
Cunard.[6]
History (1934–1939)
[ edit ]
There was already a Clyde turbine steamer named TS Queen
Mary, so Cunard White Star reached an agreement with the
Overhead view of Queen
Mary docked at Long Beach in
2008
owners that the existing steamer would be renamed TS Queen
Mary II, and in 1934 the new liner was launched by Queen Mary
as RMS Queen Mary. On her way down the slipway, Queen Mary
was slowed by eighteen drag chains, which checked the liner's
progress into the Clyde, a portion of which had been widened to accommodate the launch.[7]
When she sailed on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England on 27 May 1936, she was
commanded by Sir Edgar T. Britten, who had been the master designate for Cunard White Star
whilst the ship was under construction at the John Brown shipyard. Queen Mary had a
80,774 gross tonnage (GT).[8] Her rival Normandie, which originally grossed 79,280 tonnes, had
been modified the preceding winter to increase her size to 83,243 GT (an enclosed tourist lounge
was built on the aft boat deck on the area where the game court was), and therefore kept the title
of the world's largest ocean liner.[9] Queen Mary sailed at high speeds for most of her maiden
voyage to New York, until heavy fog forced a reduction of speed on the final day of the crossing.
Queen Mary's design was criticised for
being too traditional, especially when
Normandie's hull was revolutionary with a
clipper-shaped, streamlined bow. Except for
her cruiser stern, she seemed to be an
enlarged version of her Cunard
predecessors from the pre–World War I era.
Her interior design, while mostly Art Deco,
seemed restrained and conservative when
A Queen Mary baggage tag
compared to the ultramodern French liner.
Queen Mary proved to be the more popular
vessel than her larger rival, in terms of passengers carried.[6][10]
In August 1936, Queen Mary captured the
Blue Riband from Normandie, with average
speeds of 30.14 knots (55.82 km/h;
34.68 mph) westbound and 30.63 knots
(56.73 km/h; 35.25 mph) eastbound.
Normandie was refitted with a new set of
propellers in 1937 and reclaimed the honour,
but in 1938 Queen Mary took back the Blue
Riband in both directions with average
speeds of 30.99 knots (57.39 km/h;
35.66 mph) westbound and 31.69 knots
"It's Men That Count", a late 1930s promotional
poster for the Cunard Line
(58.69 km/h; 36.47 mph) eastbound, records
which stood until lost to United States in
1952.
Interior
[ edit ]
Among facilities available on board Queen Mary, the liner featured two indoor swimming pools,
beauty salons, libraries, and children's nurseries for all three classes, a music studio and lecture
hall, telephone connectivity to anywhere in the world, outdoor paddle tennis courts, and dog
kennels. The largest room onboard was the cabin class (first class) main dining room (grand
salon), spanning three stories in height and anchored by wide columns. The cabin-class
swimming pool facility spanned over two decks in height. This was the first ocean liner to be
equipped with her own Jewish prayer room – part of a policy to show that British shipping lines
avoided the racism evident at that time in Nazi Germany.[11]
The cabin-class main dining room featured a large map of the transatlantic crossing, with twin
tracks symbolising the winter/spring route (further south to avoid icebergs) and the
summer/autumn route. During each crossing, a motorised model of Queen Mary would indicate
the vessel's progress en route.
As an alternative to the main dining room, the Queen Mary featured a separate cabin-class
Verandah Grill on the Sun Deck at the upper aft of the ship. The Verandah Grill was an exclusive
à la carte restaurant with a capacity of approximately eighty passengers, and was converted to
the Starlight Club at night. Also on board was the Observation Bar, an Art Deco-styled lounge with
wide ocean views.
Woods from different regions of the British Empire were used in her public rooms and staterooms.
Accommodation ranged from fully equipped, luxurious cabin (first) class staterooms to modest
and cramped third-class cabins. Artists commissioned by Cunard in 1933 for works of art in the
interior include Edward Wadsworth and A. Duncan Carse.[12]
Queen Mary Art Deco Interiors
Mural in the main dining
room, or "Grand Salon" on
which a crystal model
tracked the ship's
progress
World War II
First class dining room,
now known as the "Grand
Salon"
The Observation Bar
lounge. The windows were
once part of the enclosed
Promenade Deck
turnaround; the lounge
was extended forward
after 1967.
[ edit ]
In late August 1939, Queen Mary was on a
return run from Florida to Southampton. The
international situation led to her being
escorted by the battlecruiser HMS Hood.
She arrived safely, and set out again for
New York on 1 September. By the time she
arrived, the Second World War had started
and she was ordered to remain in port
alongside Normandie until further notice.
In March 1940 Queen Mary and Normandie
were joined in New York by Queen Mary's
Arriving in New York Harbor, 20 June 1945, with
thousands of US soldiers – note the prominent
degaussing coil running around the outer hull.
new running mate Queen Elizabeth, fresh
from her secret dash from Clydebank. The
three largest liners in the world sat idle for
some time until the Allied commanders decided that all three ships could be used as troopships.
Normandie was destroyed by fire during her troopship conversion. Queen Mary left New York for
Sydney, Australia, where she, along with several other liners was converted into a troopship to
carry Australian and New Zealand soldiers to the United Kingdom.
In the WWII conversion, the ship's hull,
superstructure and funnels were painted
navy grey. As a result of her new colour, and
in combination with her great speed, she
became known as the "Grey Ghost." To
protect against magnetic mines, a
degaussing coil was fitted around the
outside of the hull. Inside, stateroom
furniture and decoration were removed and
replaced with triple-tiered wooden bunks,
which were later replaced by standee bunks.
Queen Mary 's forward superstructure, shown here
in Long Beach. When she came to Long Beach, the
Sun Deck windows were enlarged and an anti-aircraft
gun was placed on display astride the foremast to
represent the World War II days of the great liner.
Six miles of carpet, 220 cases of china,
crystal and silver service, tapestries and
paintings were removed and stored in
warehouses for the duration of the war. The
woodwork in the staterooms, the cabin-class dining room and other public areas was covered with
leather. Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth were the largest and fastest troopships involved in the
war, often carrying as many as 15,000 men in a single voyage, and often traveling out of convoy
and without escort. Their high speed made it difficult for U boats to catch them.
On 2 October 1942, Queen Mary accidentally sank one of her escort ships, slicing through the
light cruiser HMS Curacoa off the Irish coast with a loss of 239 lives. Queen Mary was carrying
thousands of Americans of the 29th Infantry Division[13] to join the Allied forces in Europe.[14] Due
to the risk of U-boat attacks, Queen Mary was under orders not to stop under any circumstances
and steamed onward with a fractured stem. Some sources claim that hours later, the convoy's
lead escort [clarification needed] returned to rescue 99 survivors of Curacoa's crew of 338, including
her captain John W. Boutwood.[15][16][17] This claim is contradicted by the liner's then Staff
Captain (and later Cunard Commodore) Harry Grattidge, who records that Queen Mary's Captain
immediately ordered the accompanying destroyers to look for survivors within moments of the
Curacoa's sinking.[18]
In December 1942, Queen Mary carried 16,082 American soldiers from New York to Great
Britain,[19] a standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel.[20] During
this trip, while 700 miles (1,100 km) from Scotland during a gale, she was suddenly hit broadside
by a rogue wave that may have reached a height of 28 metres (92 ft). An account of this crossing
can be found in Walter Ford Carter's book, No Greater Sacrifice, No Greater Love.[19]
Carter's father, Dr. Norval Carter, part of the 110th Station Hospital on board at the time, wrote
that at one point Queen Mary "damned near capsized... One moment the top deck was at its
usual height and then, swoom! Down, over, and forward she would pitch." It was calculated later
that the ship rolled 52 degrees, and would have capsized had she rolled another 3 degrees.[19]
The incident inspired Paul Gallico to write his novel, The Poseidon Adventure (1969) and carry
the incident to a fictional extreme. This was adapted as a 1972 film by the same name, in which
the SS Poseidon is turned upside-down, and the trapped passengers try to escape.
During the war Queen Mary carried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic for
meetings with fellow Allied forces officials on several occasions. He was listed on the passenger
manifest as "Colonel Warden".[21] The ship was also used to return American troops from Europe
after the war.
After World War II
[ edit ]
From September 1946 to July 1947, Queen
Mary was refitted for passenger service,
adding air conditioning and upgrading her
berth configuration to 711 first class
(formerly called cabin class), 707 cabin
class (formerly tourist class) and 577 tourist
class (formerly third class) passengers.[22]
Following refit, Queen Mary and Queen
Elizabeth dominated the transatlantic
passenger trade as Cunard White Star's
Queen Mary on the North Sea, 1959
two-ship weekly express service through the
latter half of the 1940s and well into the
1950s. They proved highly profitable for
Cunard (as the company was renamed in
1947).
On 1 January 1949, Queen Mary ran
aground off Cherbourg, France. She was
refloated the next day[23] and returned to
service.
In 1958 the first transatlantic flight by a jet
began a completely new era of competition
Queen Mary at New York, c. 1961
for the Cunard Queens. On some voyages,
winters especially, Queen Mary sailed into
harbour with more crew than passengers, though both she and Queen Elizabeth still averaged
over 1000 passengers per crossing into the middle 1960s.[24] By 1965, the entire Cunard fleet
was operating at a loss.
Hoping to continue financing their still-under-construction Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard mortgaged
the majority of the fleet. Due to a combination of age, lack of public interest, inefficiency in a new
market, and the damaging after effects of the national seamen's strike, Cunard announced that
both Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth would be retired from service and sold off. Many offers
were submitted, and the bid of $3.45m/£1.2m from Long Beach, California beat the Japanese
scrap merchants.[25]
Queen Mary was retired from service in 1967. On 27 September she completed her 1,000th and
last crossing of the North Atlantic, having carried 2,112,000 passengers over 3,792,227 miles
(6,102,998 km). Under the command of Captain John Treasure Jones, who had been her captain
since 1965, she sailed from Southampton for the last time on 31 October with 1,093 passengers
and 806 crew. After an epic voyage around Cape Horn, she arrived in Long Beach on 9
December.[25] Queen Elizabeth was withdrawn in 1968 and Queen Elizabeth 2 took over the
transatlantic route in 1969.
In Long Beach
[ edit ]
Queen Mary is permanently moored as a
tourist attraction, hotel, museum, and event
facility in Long Beach. From 1983 to 1993,
Howard Hughes' plane Spruce Goose, was
located in a large dome nearby. The dome
was later repurposed as a soundstage for
film and television.[26] The structure is now
Queen Mary from the northern side of Long Beach
harbour
used by Carnival Cruise Lines as a ship
terminal, as a venue for the Long Beach
Derby Gals roller derby team[27] and as an
event venue.[28]
Since drilling had started for oil in Long Beach Harbor, some of the revenue had been set aside in
the "Tidelands Oil Fund." Some of this money was allocated in 1958 for the future purchase of a
maritime museum for Long Beach.[29]
Conversion
[ edit ]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve
this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced
material may be challenged and removed. (September 2015)
When Queen Mary was bought by Long
Beach, the new owners decided not to
preserve her as an ocean liner. It had been
decided to clear almost every area of the
ship below "C" deck (called "R" deck after
1950, to lessen passenger confusion, as the
restaurants were located on "R" deck) to
make way for Jacques Cousteau's new
Living Sea Museum. This increased
museum space to 400,000 square feet
(37,000
The Queen Mary from the stern
m2).
It required removal of all the boiler rooms,
the forward engine room, both turbo generator rooms, the ship stabilisers, and the water softening
plant. The ship's empty fuel tanks were filled with local mud to keep the ship's centre of gravity
and draft at the correct levels, as these critical factors had been affected by the removal of the
various components and structure. Only the aft engine room and "shaft alley", at the stern of the
ship, would be spared. Remaining space would be used for storage or office space.
One problem that arose during the conversion was a dispute between land-based and maritime
unions over conversion jobs. The United States Coast Guard had final say. Queen Mary was
deemed a building, since most of her propellers had been removed and her machinery gutted.
The ship was also repainted with its red water level paint at a slightly higher level than previously.
During the conversion the funnels were removed, as this area was needed to lift out the scrap
materials from the engine and boiler rooms. Workers found that the funnels were significantly
degraded and they were replaced with replicas.
With all of the lower decks nearly gutted
from R deck and down, Diners Club, the
initial lessee of the ship, converted the
remainder of the vessel into a hotel. Diners
Club Queen Mary dissolved and vacated the
ship in 1970 after their parent company,
Diners Club International, was sold, and a
change in corporate direction was mandated
during the conversion process. Specialty
Restaurants, a Los Angeles-based company
that focused on theme-based restaurants,
A passageway in First Class accommodation, now
part of the onboard hotel
took over as master lessee the following
year.
This second plan was based on converting
most of her first- and second-class cabins on A and B decks into hotel rooms, and converting the
main lounges and dining rooms into banquet spaces. On Promenade Deck, the starboard
promenade was enclosed to feature an upscale restaurant and café named Lord Nelson's and
Lady Hamilton's; it was themed in the fashion of early-19th-century sailing ships. The famed and
elegant Observation Bar was redecorated as a western-themed bar.
The smaller first-class public rooms, such as
the Drawing Room, Library, Lecture Room
and the Music studio, would be stripped of
most of their fittings and converted to
commercial use. This markedly expanded
retail space on the ship. Two more shopping
malls were built on the Sun Deck in separate
spaces previously used for first-class cabins
and engineers' quarters.
A post-war feature of the ship, the first-class
cinema, was removed for kitchen space for
Queen Mary 's bridge, now open to visitors
the new Promenade Deck dining venues.
The first-class lounge and smoking room
were reconfigured and converted into banquet space. The second-class smoking room was
subdivided into a wedding chapel and office space. On the Sun Deck, the elegant Verandah Grill
would be gutted and converted into a fast-food eatery, while a new upscale dining venue was
created directly above it on Sports Deck, in space once used for crew quarters.
The second-class lounges were expanded to the sides of the ship and used for banqueting. On R
deck, the first-class dining room was reconfigured and subdivided into two banquet venues, the
Royal Salon and the Windsor Room. The second-class dining room was subdivided into kitchen
storage and a crew mess hall, while the third-class dining room was initially used as storage and
crew space.
Also on R deck, the first-class Turkish bath complex, the 1930s equivalent to a spa, was removed.
The second-class pool was removed and its space initially used for office space, while the firstclass swimming pool was used for hotel guests. Combined with modern safety codes and the
structural soundness of the area directly below, the swimming pool is no longer in use. No crew
cabins remain intact aboard the ship today.
As a tourist attraction
[ edit ]
On 8 May 1971 Queen Mary opened her
doors to tourists. Initially, only portions of the
ship were open to the public as Specialty
Restaurants had yet to open its dining
venues and PSA had not completed work
converting the ship's original First Class
staterooms into the hotel. As a result, the
ship was open only on weekends. On 11
December 1971 Jacques Cousteau's
Museum of the Sea opened, with a quarter
The ship as a hotel, with permanent boarding
gangways
of the planned exhibits completed. Within
the decade, Cousteau's museum closed due
to low ticket sales and the deaths of many of
the fish that were housed in the museum. On 2 November 1972 PSA's hotel opened its initial 150
guest rooms. Two years later, with all 400 rooms finished, PSA brought in Hyatt Hotels to manage
the hotel. It operated the facility from 1974 to 1980 as the Queen Mary Hyatt Hotel.[30]
By 1980, it had become apparent that the existing system was not working.[31] The ship was
losing millions each year for the city because the hotel, restaurants and museum were run by
three separate concessionaires, while the city owned the vessel and operated guided tours. It was
decided that a single operator with more experience in attractions was needed.[32]
Jack Wrather, a local millionaire, had fallen in love with the ship because he and his wife, Bonita
Granville, had fond memories of sailing on it numerous times. Wrather signed a 66-year lease
with the city of Long Beach to operate the entire property. He oversaw the display of the Spruce
Goose, on long-term loan. The immense plane, which had been sitting in a hangar in Long Beach
for decades unseen by the public, was installed in a huge geodesic dome adjacent to the liner in
1983, attracting increased attendance.[32]
His Wrather Port Properties operated the entire attraction after his death in 1984 until 1988, when
his holdings were bought by the Walt Disney Company. Wrather had built the Disneyland Hotel in
1955, when Walt Disney had insufficient funds to construct the resort himself. Disney had been
trying to buy the hotel for 30 years. When they finally succeeded, they also acquired the Queen
Mary. This was never marketed as a Disney property.
Through the late 1980s and early 1990s the
Queen Mary struggled financially. Disney
pinned their hopes for turning the attraction
around on Port Disney,[33] a huge planned
resort on the adjacent docks. It was to
include a theme park known as DisneySea,
themed around the world's oceans. The
plans eventually fell through; in 1992 Disney
gave up the lease on the ship to focus on
building what would become Disney
California Adventure Park. The DisneySea
First Class accommodations on Queen Mary,
converted into a present-day hotel room with modern
curtains, bedding, fixtures, and amenities surrounded
by original wood panelling and portholes
concept was recycled a decade later in
Japan as Tokyo DisneySea, with a recreated
ocean liner resembling Queen Mary named
the SS Columbia as the centerpiece of the
American Waterfront area.
With Disney gone, the Hotel Queen Mary closed on 30 September 1992. The owners of the
Spruce Goose, the Aero Club of Southern California, sold the plane to the Evergreen Aviation &
Space Museum in Oregon. The plane departed on barges on 2 October 1992, leaving the huge
dome empty. The Queen Mary tourist attraction remained open for another two months, but on 31
December 1992, the Queen Mary completely closed her doors to tourists and visitors.
On 5 February 1993, RMS Foundation, Inc signed a five-year lease with the city of Long Beach to
act as the operators of the property. The foundation was run by President and C.E.O. Joseph F.
Prevratil, who had managed the attraction for Wrather. On 26 February 1993 the tourist attraction
reopened completely, while the hotel reopened partially on 5 March with 125 rooms and the
banquet facilities, with the remainder of the rooms coming on line on 30 April. In 1995, RMS
Foundation's lease was extended to twenty years, while the scope of the lease was reduced to
operation of the ship. A new company, Queen's Seaport Development, Inc. (QSDI), was
established in 1995 to control the real estate adjacent to the vessel. In 1998, the City of Long
Beach extended the QSDI lease to 66 years.
In 2005, QSDI sought Chapter 11 protection due to a
rent credit dispute with the City. In 2006, the
bankruptcy court requested bids from parties
interested in taking over the lease from QSDI. The
minimum required opening bid was $41M. The
operation of the ship, by RMS Foundation, remained
independent of the bankruptcy. In Summer 2007,
Queen Mary's lease was sold to a group named
"Save the Queen," managed by Hostmark
Hospitality Group.
They planned to develop the land adjacent to Queen
Mary, and upgrade, renovate, and restore the ship.
During their management, staterooms were updated
with iPod docking stations and flatscreen TVs, and
the ship's three funnels and waterline area were
repainted their original Cunard Red color. The
portside Promenade Deck's planking was restored
and refinished. Many lifeboats were repaired and
The starboard sun deck, 1972
patched, and the ship's kitchens were renovated
with new equipment.
In 2004, Queen Mary and Stargazer Productions added Tibbies Great American Cabaret to the
space previously occupied by the ship's bank and wireless telegraph room. Stargazer Productions
and Queen Mary transformed the space into a working dinner theatre complete with stage, lights,
sound, and scullery.[34]
In late September 2009, management of Queen Mary was taken over by Delaware North
Companies, who plan to continue restoration and renovation of the ship and its property. They
were determined to revitalise and enhance the ship as an attraction.[35] But in April 2011, The City
Of Long Beach was informed that Delaware North was no longer managing Queen Mary.
Garrison Investment Group said this decision was purely business.[36] Delaware North still
manages Scorpion, a Soviet submarine that has been a separate attraction next to Queen Mary
since 1998.[37]
Evolution Hospitality, LLC. assumed operational control of the Queen Mary on 23 September
2011, with Garrison Investments leasing Queen Mary.[38][39][40]
In 2016 Urban Commons, a real estate company, assumed the lease of the Queen Mary. They
revealed plans to extensively renovate the liner over the next year, and to redevelop the adjacent
45 acres of parking with a boutique hotel, restaurants, a marina, an amphitheater, jogging trails,
bike paths, and possibly a huge Ferris wheel, all at a cost of up to $250 million.[41]
Meeting of the Queens
[ edit ]
On 23 February 2006, RMS Queen Mary 2
saluted her predecessor as she made a port
of call in Los Angeles Harbor, while on a
cruise to Mexico. On March 2011, Queen
Mary was saluted by the MS Queen Victoria
while fireworks were going on, and on 12
March 2013, the MS Queen Elizabeth made
a salute while there were fireworks.[42]
The salute was carried out with Queen Mary
replying with her one working air horn in
Queen Mary and Queen Mary 2 meeting in Long
Beach, California
response to Queen Mary 2 sounding her
combination of two brand new horns and an
original 1934 Queen Mary horn (on loan from the City of Long Beach).[43] Queen Mary originally
had three whistles tuned to 55 Hz, a frequency chosen because it was low enough that the
extremely loud sound of it would not be painful to human ears.[44]
Modern IMO regulations specify ships' horn frequencies to be in the range 70–200 Hz for vessels
that are over 200 metres (660 ft) in length.[45] Traditionally, the lower the frequency, the larger the
ship. Queen Mary 2, being 345 metres (1,132 ft) long, was given the lowest possible frequency
(70 Hz) for her regulation whistles, in addition to the refurbished 55 Hz whistle on permanent loan.
Fifty-five Hz is the "A" note an octave above the lowest note of a standard piano keyboard. The
air-driven Tyfon whistle can be heard at least 10 miles (16 km) away.[46]
W6RO
[ edit ]
Queen Mary's original, professionally
manned wireless radio room was removed
when the ship was moored in Long Beach.
In its place, an amateur radio room was
created one deck above the original radio
reception room, with some of the discarded
original radio equipment used for display
purposes. The amateur radio station, with
the call sign W6RO ("Whiskey Six Romeo
Queen Mary 's wireless radio room
Oscar"), relies on volunteers from a local
amateur radio club. They staff the radio
room during most public hours. The radios can also be used by other licensed amateur radio
operators.[47][48][49]
In honour of his over forty years of dedication to W6RO and Queen Mary, in November 2007 the
Queen Mary Wireless Room was renamed as the Nate Brightman Radio Room. This was
announced on 28 October 2007, at Brightman's 90th birthday party by Joseph Prevratil, former
President and CEO of the Queen Mary.
Rumors of hauntings
[ edit ]
Following Queen Mary's permanent docking in California, the ship was rumored to be haunted.
Since the 1980s, this supposed haunting has been featured in the marketing and promotion of the
ship, with various attractions and tours presenting the theme for visitors.[50] The ship was ranked
as "one of the top 10 most haunted places in America" by Time Magazine in 2008.[51]
In particular, Cabin B340 (formerly Cabin B326, prior to the ship's refitting after World War II) is
alleged to be haunted by the spirit of a person who was murdered there. Individuals have reported
hearing sounds of children playing in the nursery.[52] Other reported ghosts include a young sailor
who was accidentally killed in the ship's engine room, crewmembers of the Curacoa who were
killed when Queen Mary collided with her, and an unidentified "lady in white".[53] At least one book
has been written on the subject.[54]
At least 49 crew and passengers are known to have died during the Queen Mary's service as a
luxury liner. Although many hauntings are reported as the ghosts of drowning victims, the ship's
logs do not record any instances of passengers drowning.[55] Approximately 75% of the deaths
were crew members, and about 25% were passengers. It is unknown how many servicemen or
POWs died aboard the Queen Mary during her stint as a troop transport ship in World War II.[56]
Paranormal researcher John Champion writes in Skeptical Inquirer Magazine that he understands
why people persist in believing that the Queen Mary is haunted when the only evidence given is
anecdotes, creepy feelings and shadows. Tourists who sign up for the haunted tour are given
access to normally off limit areas of the ship, while tours of the history of the ship are more limited.
Champion believes that the owners are doing a disservice to the real history, the people who
should be honored "by remembering who they really were and what they actually did". He
understands why people report strange occurrences, the ship still creaks and groans, and
people's imaginations can get away from them such that they start seeing and hearing all kinds of
things, attributing them to the paranormal which they have been primed for. "Ghost stories are
fine", concludes Champion "when presented as such. The confusion of science and history with
fiction ... gets us further away from the ability to relish in and truly explore our own recent
history."[57]
The ship has been the site of many paranormal television shows including Ghost Hunters, Ghost
Adventures, Fact or Faked and Most Haunted.
See also
[ edit ]
RMS Mauretania (1938)
United Kingdom
portal
MS Queen Elizabeth
MS Queen Victoria
Nautical portal
RMS St Helena, one of the last Royal Mail Ships
Greater Los Angeles
portal
Scotland portal
References
[ edit ]
1. ^ "NPS Focus" . National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved
2011-09-07.
2. ^ "The Queen Mary" . Historic Hotels of America. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
3. ^ "Four-Leaf Clover Propeller to Drive Giant Liner 534" . Popular Mechanics (Hearst Magazines):
528. October 1934. ISSN 0032-4558 . Retrieved 2012-09-10.
4. ^ a b O'Connor, Sheila (2006). "Royal Lady – The Queen Mary Reigns in Long Beach" . Go
World Travel Magazine. Archived from the original
on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
5. ^ "The Bromsgrove Guild – An Illustrated History" . Bromsgrove Society. Archived from the
original
on 14 May 2008.
6. ^ a b c d Maxtone-Graham, John (1972). The Only Way to Cross. New York: Collier Books.
pp. 288–289.
7. ^ "Chains brake liner at launching" . Popular Science (Bonnier Corporation): 20. December
1934. ISSN 0161-7370 . Retrieved 2009-11-02.
8. ^ Layton, J. Kent. "R.M.S. Queen Mary" . Atlantic Liners. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
9. ^ "SS Normandie" . Ocean-liners.com. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
10. ^ Fritz Weaver, Fritz Weaver (narrator) (1996). Floating Palaces (TV Documentary). A&E.
11. ^ Evans, Nicholas J. (2010). "A Strike for Racial Justice? Transatlantic Shipping and the Jewish
Diaspora, 1882–1939". In Jorden, James; Kushern, Tony; Pearce, Sarah. Jewish Journeys: From
Philo to Hip Hop. London: Vallentine Mitchell. pp. 25–47. ISBN 978-0-85303-962-4.
12. ^ Sprague, Abbie N. (23 April 2008). "Modern art takes to the waves" . Apollo: 8. Archived from
the original
on 28 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
13. ^ Balkoski, Joseph. Beyond the Beachhead. Stackpole Books. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0-8117-0221-9.
14. ^ Brighton CSV Media Clubhouse (11 June 2004). "HMS Curaçao Tragedy" . WW2 People's
War. BBC. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
15. ^ Melomet, Andrew (July 2008). "Forever England" . St. Mihiel Trip-Wire: July 2008.
WorldWar1.com. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
16. ^ Queen Mary / Curacoa Crash . Disasters of the Century (History Television). 2009. Archived
from the original
on 10 May 2011.
17. ^ "Allied Warships – Light cruiser HMS Curacoa of the Ceres class" . Uboat.net. Retrieved
2012-09-10.
18. ^ Grattidge and Collier, Captain of the Queens.
19. ^ a b c Levi, Ran. "The Wave That Changed Science" . The Future of Things. Retrieved
2013-06-11.
20. ^ "The Queen Mary During WWII"
. QueenMary.com. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
21. ^ Lavery, Brian (2007). Churchill Goes to War: Winston's Wartime Journeys. Naval Institute Press.
p. 213.
22. ^ "RMS Queen Mary" . Ocean-liners.com. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
23. ^ "The Queen Mary Back In Port" The Times (London). Monday, 3 January 1949. (51269), col E,
p. 4.
24. ^ Harvey, Clive (2008). R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth – The Ultimate Ship. Carmania Press. ISBN 9780-9543666-8-1.
25. ^ a b Tramp to Queen: The Autobiography of Captain John Treasure Jones. The History Press.
2008. ISBN 0752446258.
26. ^ Pinksy, Mark (10 Mar 1995). "Long Beach Dome Gets New Life in Film" . Los Angeles Times.
Retrieved 13 April 2015.
27. ^ "Long Beach Derby Gals" . 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
28. ^ "Queen Mary Dome" . 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-01.
29. ^ "A Report on the Queensway Bay Development Plan and the Long Beach Tide and Submerged
Lands"
(PDF). State Lands Commission. April 2001.
30. ^ Malcolm, Andrew H (12 January 1975). "Queen Mary now Hyatt House" . Sarasota HeraldTribune. New York Times News Service. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
31. ^ Jensen, Holger (11 April 1976). "Queen Mary Ocean Liner Becomes an Albatross" . Sarasota
Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
32. ^ a b "Queen Mary'S Timeline" . Queenmary.com. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
33. ^ "Port Disney" . The Neverland Files. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
34. ^ "History" . Tibbies Cabaret. Archived from the original
35. ^ "Delaware North on Board at Queen Mary"
on 7 September 2009.
(Press release). media.delawarenorth.com. 28
September 2009. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
36. ^ Ling, P. (23 February 2009). "Queen Mary Long Beach Lease Rights Auctioned for $25,000" .
travel-industry.uptake.com. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
37. ^ Saltzgaver, Harry (21 April 2011). "New Queen Mary Management" . Gazette Newspapers.
Retrieved 2012-09-10.
38. ^ Meeks, Karen Robes (26 September 2011). "Queen Mary gets a new operator" . PressTelegram. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
39. ^ "New Queen Mary operator takes over ocean liner" . San Jose Mercury News. Archived from
the original
on 16 March 2012.
40. ^ "Orange County's Evolution Hospitality to Manage the Queen Mary" . Long Beach Post. 26
September 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
41. ^ http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-queen-mary-20160421-story.html
42. ^ "Queen Mary 2 to meet original Queen Mary in Long Beach harbor" . USA Today. Associated
Press. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
43. ^ " 'Queen Mary's horn"
(mp3). PortCities Southampton. plimsoll.org. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
44. ^ "The Funnels and Whistles" . Sterling.rmplc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
45. ^ "IMO regulations" . kockumsonics.com. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
46. ^ "The voice of the Queen Mary can be heard ten miles away" . Retrieved 2012-09-10.
47. ^ "W6RO – Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach" . Aralb.org. 5 March 2012. Retrieved
2012-09-10.
48. ^ "Human Touch Draws Ham Radio Buffs" . Gazette Newspapers. Archived from the original
on 24 October 2005.
49. ^ "The wireless installation" . sterling.rmplc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
50. ^ "Haunted Encounters: The Queen of All Ghost Stories" . Queen Mary website. Retrieved
19 March 2013.
51. ^ "Top 10 Haunted Places: Queen Mary" . Time Magazine. October 30, 2008. Retrieved
19 March 2013.
52. ^ Westbook, Devlin (October 30, 2012). "The Queen Mary... Haunted?" . pp. The San Diego
Reader. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
53. ^ Scott, Peggy (July 11, 1991). "Stately Queen Mary still has sea-going spirit". Copley News
Service, cited at The Press-Courier.
54. ^ Wlodarski, Robert James; Wlodarski, Anne Powell (2000). The Haunted Queen Mary, Long
Beach, California . G-HOST Publishing. ISBN 978-0964908857.
55. ^ "Why is the RMS Queen Mary haunted?" . Queen Mary 2 cruises. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
56. ^ Queen Mary, onboard Ghosts & Legends Tour, 06.30.2014)
57. ^ Champion, John. "The Queen Mary Is Not Haunted (But I Understand Why You Think She
Is)"
. Skeptical Inquirer Magazine. Center for Inquiry. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form"
(PDF). National Park Service. 9
October 1992. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
"Accompanying Photos"
Further reading
(PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
[ edit ]
The Cunard White Star Quadruple-screw North Atlantic Liner, Queen Mary. Bonanza Books,
289 p., 1979. ISBN 0-517-27929-0. Largely a reprint of a special edition of The Shipbuilder
and Marine Engine-builder from 1936.
Duncan, William J., RMS Queen Mary: Queen of the Queens, Anderson, South Carolina:
Droke House, distr. Grosset & Dunlap, 1969, ISBN 978-0-8375-6746-4.
Cunard Line, Ltd., John Brown and Company archives.
Clydebank Central Library Clydebank, Scotland.
Roberts, Andrew, Masters and Commanders: How four titans won the war in the West, 1941–
1945, Harper Collins e-Books, London
Grattidge, Harry, Captain of the Queens, Dutton, New York
Tramp to Queen autobiography by Capt. John Treasure Jones, The History Press (2008)
ISBN 978 0 7524 4625 7
The Queens of the North Atlantic by Robert Lacey, Sidgwick & Jackson (1973)
RMS Queen Mary. 50 Years of Splendour by David E Hutchings, Kingfisher Productions
(1986)
Three Stacks and You’re Out by Velma Krauch, VanLee Enterprise (1971), an account of the
Last Great Voyage by a passenger
External links
[ edit ]
Website of current commercial operator
(Event
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Queen Mary
(ship, 1936).
listings as well as Facts & History section)
Time Magazine: The Queen; 11 August 1947
"Thirty Million Dollar Super Liner Is Built", January 1932, Popular Mechanics
detailed article
on the construction of the future RMS Queen Mary
The Great Ocean Liners: RMS Queen Mary
Restored colour archive film of RMS Queen Mary on the Clyde (1936) (archive films from the
National Library of Scotland)
Launch of the Queen Mary (1934)
(archive films from the National Library of Scotland)
Records
Holder of the Blue Riband
(Westbound)
Succeeded by
1936–1937
Normandie
Atlantic Eastbound Record
Preceded by
1936–1937
Normandie
Holder of the Blue Riband
(Westbound)
Succeeded by
1938–1952
United States
Atlantic Eastbound Record
1938–1952
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