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From its beautiful Art Deco salons to the depths of its darkest corridors, the Queen Mary has been a constant source for stories, articles and documentaries about supernatural sightings and other unexplained activity aboard the historic ship. Even as this piece is being written, testimonials from passengers and crew members continue to be reported and documented, all of them wanting answers to what they have experienced. Do ghosts really exist aboard the Queen Mary 2?
Ghosts of the Queen Mary
Peter James has been conducting ongoing research at the Queen Mary since 1991, and he claims it is one of the world's most haunted locations. One of America's most respected psychic investigators and a regular contributor to TV's popular
Sightings show, Peter has dedicated his life to conducting ghost research. Of the 600 plus ghosts he says that still roam the Queen Mary, he's made personal contact with about 150.
The ghosts are as diverse as the ship's history, and some are more vocal and outgoing than others. Some of the spirits that tend be less shy include Jackie -- a small child who died in what was then the 2nd class passengers pool, Captain Jones, one of the Queen's past commanders and John Henry, a worker who regularly roams the ship's engine room.
History of the Queen Mary
The Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North
Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line (known as Cunard-White
Star when the vessel entered service). Built by John Brown & Company in
Clydebank, Scotland, Queen Mary along with her running mate, the RMS Queen
Elizabeth, were built as part of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express
service between Southampton, Cherbourg, and New York City. The two ships
were a British response to the superliners built by German and French
companies in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Queen Mary was the flagship of
the Cunard Line from May 1936 until October 1946 when she was replaced by
Queen Elizabeth. The vessel also held the Blue Riband from 1936 to 1937 and
then from 1938 to 1952 when she was beaten by the new SS United States.
Queen Mary sailed on her maiden voyage on 27 May 1936 and captured the Blue
Riband in August of that year; she lost the title to SS Normandie in 1937
and recaptured it in 1938. With the outbreak of World War II, she was
converted into a troopship and ferried Allied soldiers for the duration of
the war. Following the war, Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service
and along with Queen Elizabeth commenced the two-ship transatlantic
passenger service for which the two ships were initially built. The two
ships dominated the transatlantic passenger transportation market until the
dawn of the jet age in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s Queen Mary was
ageing and though still among the most popular transatlantic liners, was
operating at a loss.
After several years of decreased profits for Cunard Line, Queen Mary was
officially retired from service in 1967. She left Southampton for the last
time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the port of Long Beach, California,
United States, where she remains permanently moored. Much of the machinery
including two of the four engines, three of the four propellers, and all of
the boilers were removed, and the ship now serves as a tourist attraction
featuring restaurants, a museum, and hotel. The ship is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The Queen Mary
1126 Queen's Highway
Long Beach, Ca. 90802
Phone:(562) 435-3511
Email:
reservations@queenmary.com
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