RMS Queen Mary - Long Beach, California

History

Built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland for the Cunard Line in 1936, the RMS Queen Mary was one of the fastest and largest ships of her time.  The Queen Mary’s intended purpose was to shuttle passengers across the North Atlantic, which she did from her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936 until she was commandeered in 1940 to act as a troopship in World War II.

The Queen Mary and her running-mate, the Queen Elizabeth, were transported to Sydney, Australia to be stripped and renovated to accommodate the thousands of soldiers that they would be transporting across the Atlantic.  Both the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth were the fastest troopships of their time and were chosen for their ability to outrun German U-boats.  The Queen Mary herself had won the Blue Riband several times already as a passenger ocean liner – an award presented to the fastest moving ocean liner.  During renovations, the Queen Mary was painted gray, earning her the nickname “Grey Ghost”.

On October 2, 1942, while transporting American infantry soldiers to Europe, the Queen Mary accidentally sliced through the hull of one of her escort ships, the HMS Curacoa.  The Queen Mary was running in an evasive zigzag pattern for the duration of her course, which the HMS Curacoa was struggling to maintain due to its aged, deteriorating engines.  The HMS Curacoa decided to forgo the weaving course in order to maintain its position and ended up directly in the path of the Queen Mary.  Due to strict orders to maintain course and speed at all costs, the Queen Mary pressed on, leaving behind the wreckage and the crew in the cold waters off of the Irish Coast.  Hours later, the HMS Bramham, the Queen Mary’s lead escort, stopped to rescue 99 survivors out of the Curacoa’s crew of 338 men.

In December that same year, during another transport mission from New York to Great Britain, the Queen Mary was hit broadside with an almost 100-foot wave during a storm off the coast of Scotland.  This caused the great ship to roll 52-degrees on her side, 3-degrees less than it would have taken for her to capsize.  A written account of this incident inspired the book, and later a movie, titled the The Poseidon Adventure.

Between the years 1946 and 1947, the Queen Mary retired from military service and was once again refitted as a passenger ocean liner.  She continued her Trans-Atlantic transports from Southampton to Cherbourg to New York City until her final, and 1000th, voyage in September 1967.  Following her final voyage, she was transported to Long Beach, California, where she remains permanently docked to this day.  After settling into her new home in Long Beach, the Queen Mary underwent extensive renovations and now serves as a hotel, museum and tourist attraction.

Claims

Paranormal claims all over the ship include floating lights, disembodied voices and sightings of shadow people.  One apparition seen in various locations is said to be Senior Second Officer William Stark.  He was poisoned by accident when he drank tetrachloride that the Staff Captain kept in an old gin bottle.

Kitchen – Rapping, screams and moving objects are blamed on the ghost of a cook that was murdered here in WWII.  It is said that the troops hated his cooking so much, that they began a riot.  The cook was shoved into one of his own ovens and burned to death.

First-class swimming pool – Although no evidence has been found in the ship’s log to support the rumors, it is believed that two women have drowned in this pool; one in the 1960’s and one during the 1930’s.  Both have been seen in the form of full-bodied apparitions wearing attire respective to their era.  The visage of a sad little boy has been seen in the passageway near the pool.  Reports indicate that his name is Daniel and that he fell overboard around the age of 5 or 6.

First-class lounge – An apparition of a lady in a long flowing white gown has been reported in this area.

First-class suites – Not only has the apparition of a man with black hair and 1930’s attire been seen in this area, but there are also reports of floating balls of light.

Forward Storage/Ship’s Archives – People have heard the sounds of children playing and laughing in this area.

Bosun’s locker – This is the area of the forward hull that destroyed the HMS Curacoa.  The sounds of screams and pounding on the outer hull of the ship have been heard here.  Some visitors have even claimed to hear the loud sound of tearing metal.

B-340 – This cabin can no longer be rented out due to the sheer amount of activity reported in this room.  Objects fly across the room and the bed sheets never stay neatly made.  It is believed that the ghost of a murdered staff member, Walter J. Adamson is to blame.  The room was originally numbered B-226, but was later relabeled to B-340.

Ship Morgue – It is impossible to identify the spirits that wreak havoc on this area of the ship.  It could be any of the 16 crew members, 2 GI’s or 31 passengers whose deaths have been recorded by the ship’s log.

Shaft Alley, Door No. 13 – The ghost of John Pedder is said to haunt this area of the ship.  He was crushed to death by this automatic door during a fire drill on July 10, 1966.  There are two theories behind his death: one is that he was playing a form of chicken with other crew members, in which they tested how many times they could jump through the door before it shut.  Another theory is that he was simply late arriving to the opening and was unable to make it through the opening.  John’s spirit is described as a young man with a beard in blue overalls.

Links

National Register of Historic Places: http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natregsearchresult.do?fullresult=true&recordid=14

National Trust for History Preservation: http://www.preservationnation.org/

Time Magazine – Top 10 Haunted Places: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1855221_1855285_1855252,00.html

Investigation Findings

Investigated By | Findings  | Date/Time | Attached media