Thanks to the foresight of city leaders in Long Beach, California the RMS Queen Mary is resting peacefully in their harbor and welcomes daily visitors aboard. A day trip can be enjoyed admiring the size and history of this great ship, and dining in one of many styles of restaurants with choices ranging from a basic hamburger to filet mignon. There are hotel rooms for overnight stays and special features such as a ghost tour to the bowels of the ship.
Here are the facts behind the original Queen Mary: John Brown & Company, LTD., of Clydebank, Scotland, was selected as builder of the new liner, called Job #534. On September 26, 1934 Job #534 was launched, and officially named "Queen Mary" by Her Majesty Queen Mary, accompanied by His Majesty King George V. At nine stories high and 1,019 feet long, she was built with a passenger capacity of 1,957 and over 2,000 portholes. She boasted five dining areas and lounges, two cocktail bars and swimming pools, a grand ballroom, a squash court and a small (but well equipped) hospital. At 81,237 gross tons, she was almost twice as heavy as the Titanic.
Her maiden voyage began May 27, 1936 and on June 1, 1936 the Queen Mary arrived at Pier 90 in New York City. Crossing time was 5 days, 5 hours and 13 minutes. Her cruising speed was 28.5 knots, and she was powered by a 160,000-horsepower steam engine.
The Grey Ghost Era
At the onset of World War II, the Queen was re-purposed. She headed to Sydney, Australia, to be fitted as a troopship on March 21, 1940. Her accommodations were increased to hold 5,500 passengers. All carpeting, artwork, crystal, china and silverware were removed from the ship; she was painted camouflage grey. More than 2,000 stateroom doors were removed in order to install tiers of wooden bunks and rows of canvas hammocks.
In less than two months, she was back in use as a war service ship through September 1946. During that time, the Queen carried a total of 765,429 military personnel and sailed a total of 569,429 miles. She carried up to 15,000 troops at one time, brought wounded soldiers as well as German prisoners of war to the United States, and transported Winston Churchill "across the pond" three times to attend conferences.
On her transatlantic trip made July 25 - 30, 1943, the Queen carried the greatest number of people ever on a floating vessel, with 15,740 troops and 943 crew for a total of 16,683 passengers. Due to her record of service, Adolf Hitler offered $250,000 and the Iron Cross to any U-boat captain that would sink her.
Collision With the Curacoa
The Queen Mary required anti-aircraft escorts and amongst these was the cruiser HMS Curacoa. On October 2, 1942 the Queen Mary "was steaming at 28 knots in a zig-zag pattern whilst the Curacoa, whose best speed was 26 knots, kept as close as possible. The Queen Mary overtook its escort and then the zig-zag pattern of the two ships converged and she collided with the Curacoa close to its stern and sliced straight through the ship," according to the Cunard archives.
Out of 430 crew members on the cruiser only 101 survived. Although there was damage beneath the waterline the Queen Mary was able to continue. With over 11,000 troops on board the Queen Mary could not stop to assist. A long legal battle between the Admiralty and Cunard eventually laid the blame equally on both vessels.
When the war ended, the Queen transported 12,886 G.I. brides and children (her “Bride and Baby” voyages) to the U.S. and Canada. After another overhaul and paint job, the Queen Mary resumed regular passenger service July 31, 1947 and continued to cross the Atlantic for two more decades. In 1961 she carried the largest number of transatlantic passengers at 750,000, while the same year 2,000,000 people flew across the Atlantic. Flying was taking over as a much quicker means of transportation.
Retired From Duty
The Cunard Cruise Line put the Queen Mary up for sale, and she was sold to Long Beach for $3.45 million. She was retired from passenger service September 19, 1967 after completing 1,001 crossings of the Atlantic. Her journey to California was turned into a cruise to recoup some of the costs of the voyage. It left England October 31 and called at Lisbon, Las Palmas, Rio de Janiero, Valparaiso, Callao, Balboa, Acapulco and then to her final resting spot at Long Beach Harbor in Southern California.
Now a popular tourist attraction, she had her largest day's attendance on February 20, 1972, with 19,600 boarding that day. The Queen Mary is on the National Register of Historic Places and is permanently docked, yet still afloat, at Long Beach. Her operation, maintenance, and preservation are entrusted to the RMS Foundation, Inc., a non-profit corporation.
The Queen Mary has been host to many film productions, such as, The Aviator, Godfather Part 3, The Poseidon Adventure and Pirates of the Caribbean. A myriad of festivals and special events are scheduled year-round and 17 Art Deco salons are available for social or corporate events and meetings.
Queen Mary II
For those who want to experience a legendary voyage, transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York can still be made on the Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2. Billed as "the grandest liner ever built", QM2, as she is affectionately called, was launched in January 2004 and carries 2,620 guests.
Historical sources:
"RMS Queen Mary", from (website) Monsters of the Sea: The Great Ocean Liners of Time
Queen Mary Association website
“The Little Book of Facts About the Big Ship”, © 2003-2005 Scott F. Gray.
Sherry Williams - Sherry (Russell) Williams of Bay City, Texas grew up on a 200 acre farm in Vermont, where her brother still has horses, does haying, and ...
