The RMS Queen Mary made her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936, and led a colorful life as a transatlantic ocean vessel as well as a troop ship during World War II. During the ship’s years of service, she completed 1,001 Atlantic crossings before being permanently docked in Long Beach, California, on December 11, 1967. She’s seen her share of both good times and tragedies.
During World War II, the ship was painted military gray and given the ominous name “The Gray Ghost.” Prisoners committed suicide on the ship during her military service. Allied soldiers died from heat exhaustion during a heat spell in the Indian Ocean, when 16,000 troops were aboard a ship designed to comfortably accommodate only 3,000. And while running a submarine-evading zig-zag pattern in 1942, the Queen Mary accidentally cut through the much smaller Curaçao, sinking the escort vessel in a matter of minutes. Ghostly legends abound aboard the floating hotel today.
According to psychic Peter James, there are more than 600 active ghosts on the ship today. Some of the more prominent spirit personalities include: Jackie, a young girl who was believed to have drowned in the second-class swimming pool; a man in black who has been spotted in some of the administrative offices and has been known to open and close doors, appear, then disappear, and move objects around the office; and an engineer in the boiler room who was crushed by one of the water-tight doorways on the lower decks.
Additionally, visitors have reported hearing phantom scrapes and screams from when the Queen Mary sliced through the Curaçao, and many have smelled cigar smoke, though no smoking is allowed on board. People have seen the specters of people dressed in vintage clothing, as well as other semi-materialized body parts floating around the ship.
Written by —Jeff Belanger Founder, Ghostvillage.com
RMS QUEEN MARY
1126 QUEENS HIGHWAY
LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA 90802
TEL: 1 (562) 435-3511
WEBSITE: www.queenMary.com
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Haunted Places -Ghostly Locales from around the World – Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger – Copyright 2005 by Jeff Belanger