The Queen Mary, The Most Haunted Ship That Ever Sailed The Oceans

By Pamela E. Apkarian-Russell

  Every Year 1.5 million tourists go to visit the Queen Mary. Docked in Long Beach, California, she now lures many different types of people for a myriad of reasons. There are those who like to lodge in the many rooms that are now part of the hotel, and of course, take advantage of the shopping and the restaurants. Those who love ships or are history buffs enjoy wandering around and losing themselves in the many passages and frankly, checking out to see if the old gray ship is as elegant as she used to be. Then there are those who go for the ghosts.

 Launched in Clydebank, Scotland, in 1934 by John Brown & Co. Ltd., her tonnage was 80,774. Her dimensions 975’ x 118’ keel to masthead, 234’ foremost funnel, 70 feet high dock level, from keel to top of funnel ,180 feet high in total. She had two masts and three funnels.

They began building her in August of 1930, but the depression was on and work was suspended in December of 1931.It was not resumed again until April of 1934. On Sept. 26th, 1936 she was finally launched. And on May 27th 1934 began her maiden voyage to New York from Southampton, UK. Before WWII she was supposed to have weighed 77,482 tons. One can go on and on about the dimensions and beauty of this ship - it was built of rare wood gathered from around the world and decorated with art that made it a museum in itself. However, this is easy to look up in the many books that were written about her. Truly a queen, she was much photographed. Posters, postcards, and all types of souvenirs are available, even a boxed plastic model that one had to put together. The tins and menus are fairly easy to find at antique shows and shops. Many people still have fond memories of traveling across the Atlantic on this very Deco ship.

The Queen Mary’s life story is very interesting, beginning with her naming. When permission was asked of King George to name the ship after one of the greatest Queens of England, he thought they were referring to his wife Queen Mary and that is why she is named thus and not Victoria! All Cunard ship names ended in "ia" until the Queen Mary. On the day she was launched Lady Mabel Fortescue-Harrison, a prominent astrologer of that era, made a statement which, though it seemed strange at the time, has proven to be very true.

"Most of this generation will be gone, including myself, when this event occurs. However, the Queen Mary, launched today, will know its greatest fame and popularity when she will never sail another mile and never carry another passenger." Using ocean liners for hotels was a concept that no one had ever contemplated at that time, let alone during the 60 years she crossed and recrossed the ocean.

 There are 49 reported deaths on the Queen Mary. The first one happened when she was being built. In the shipyard a young crewman, during a routine watertight door drill, was crushed to death in doorway #13 in the depths of the engine room. He was bearded, wearing blue coveralls, and is often seen walking the length of Shaft Alley. He is one of the more active and often seen ghosts. There are different types of ghosts. Some are referred to as non-ghosts - they are residual memory, which is when something is reenacted over and over as if a movie was being played. These are not as interesting as the young sailor who wanders about and seems quite curious about what is happening aboard ship. During World War II the Queen Mary was requisitioned and turned into a troop ship until Aug of 1947. She then resumed being an ocean liner.

Because she was the fastest ship on the seas, and because Hitler had a bounty of $250,000 and an iron cross awarded to the U-boat captain that achieved the dubious honor of sinking her, she followed a zigzag pattern to keep from being torpedoed. Those were the days when she was known as the Grey Ghost, and battleships were painted a lovely shade of gray to make it harder for them to be seen. The elegant darling of the Jet Set became the means of transporting thousands of men to the front.

The H.M.S. Curacao, that was escorting the Queen Mary, went off course across the Queen Mary’s bow and was sliced in two. Only 101 men of a crew of 439 survived the disaster. There was no way the collision could be avoided. This was wartime and orders were orders, which meant the Queen Mary could not stop for any reason. Besides, she had also sustained damage and needed to get to port.

 Forty years later an audio recorder was left running during the night after the crew of a television documentary had left. This was the exact spot the two ships had collided. The tape was played back the next day and distinct sounds of pounding could be heard. This spot has had many reports of voices, blood curdling screams and banging. Were these the last moments of the crew pounding and screaming to get out of the Curacao as she sank to her watery grave? Why this one spot? Why just these particular noises? During the war years many men died aboard the Grey Ghost, but no one knows for sure just how many of the troubled souls there are that have not completely left the decks, corridors, and work areas of the ship.

Today there is a small shop specializing in Queen Mary items in the main hall and shopping area. One can begin a collection of Queen Mary books right there in the shop. Many of the areas where ghostly sightings occur have been closed off to the public. In order to see the steam room and the swimming pool areas you must go on a ghastly little tour, which is like a third-class haunted house with the audio level so high one thinks one’s ear drums will split. The noise alone is enough to make any ghost go running for cover. The captains tour however, which unfortunately doesn’t take you to places like the pool, fills you in on the art and architecture of the ship and some interesting tidbits of history.

For example, Liberace traveled on the Queen Mary quite frequently, and though he was in first class he would go down to the third class lounge and play the piano for them. No first class passengers were allowed to attend his concerts there. He was a gracious and glitzy gentleman and a great entertainer who cared enough to make the passage for the third class passengers a trifle less tedious. When we entered the cabin tea and dance room I was immediately drawn to the far right corner of the room, as there was an almost magnetic pull from this area. Is this where the beautiful young girl would sway to the music of the orchestra as she half hid amongst the shadows? Who was she and why is she there? Is she waiting for someone? Perhaps it is the music that keeps her there.

There are many ghosts on this ship and so many sightings by multiples of people.But then, just because so many people swear it is the truth, judge for yourself. There is something about the Queen Mary that draws the veil between worlds so thin that even skeptics in full light of day have seen people in period clothing moving about, past them, through them, touching them, and disappearing where there was no area to conceal themselves. Why is the Lady in White seen so often and why have certain rooms been closed off because of constant apparitions? I certainly would like to book into B308. Wouldn’t you?

Nicole is one of the guides on the Queen Mary. She loves her job, but is very frightened of ghosts. She has had two encounters, which she was kind enough to share with me, and the three folk artists that I was with.

"She had long brown hair and she was very tall. I was walking down the corridor and saw the Lady in White in front of a door as if she were about to enter it. I prayed she wouldn’t turn and look at me. I knew she was a ghost as her feet were well above the ground. I fled down the corridor shaking with fear.

" The other time was 6:00 AM in the Promenade Café when I was hostess there. The pantry on the right had a Hispanic man there with a mustache and he was washing dishes. He just disappeared when I opened the saloon door and saw him. I don’t like to tell people as I’m afraid they won’t believe me and it makes me scared all over again."

 Richard Daniels is a security man on the Queen Mary. Linda and I had gotten lost and separated from Mathew and Madeline. We asked him for directions and then I asked him if he had been working on the Queen Mary for long.

 "Since 1980" he told me. I then asked him if he could spare me a few moments of his time to tell of any incidents that had occurred to him. He told us as he walked his rounds.

"The print-out said the room was unoccupied but when the maids went to open the door the chain was on from the inside and they could hear someone taking a shower. One maid stayed at the door while the other came to fetch me. I knocked on the door again and could hear the shower going and then it being switched off. I then got out my key and unlocked the door. The room was steamy and the bed was wet like someone had recently sat upon it. There was no one in the room and no one could have gotten past the two maids who were standing in the door way of B 308."

 Another time he was called to room A167 where a Professor from Leeds University had just seen the Lady in White pass through. There isn’t a connecting door to that room. In Room A027 a lady was staying with her baby. The stroller was moved and she saw a figure moving. She cried out "Don’ t hurt my baby" grabbed her baby and ran out of the room. I was called in. She was really rather upset."

Those are just a few of the many sightings, and if you don’t want to collect ghost stories you can just collect the ephemera of a ship with the validity of the accuracy of a prophesy which continues to grow. I want to thank both Richard Daniels and Nicole for being so kind and helpful in the true tradition of the Queen Mary, when she catered to every whim of her passengers.