Queen Mary
Once the fastest ocean liner in its class, RMS Queen Mary may still be haunted by spectral seafarers
Paranormal Claims on
the RMS Queen Mary
- Cabin B340 is said to be haunted by a passenger who was murdered there
- Phantom children are reportedly seen and heard in the children's nursery area
- An apparition in 1930s clothing is seen throughout the vessel
- Cold spots are encountered in the lower deck halls
- Visitors report being touched and grabbed while walking down certain hallways
- Sounds of footsteps and the appearance of watery footprints have been reported in certain areas
History of the RMS Queen Mary
In the period between World War I and World War II, the transatlantic passage served as the Autobahn of the sea; the waters of the North Atlantic ran thick with fuel oil and the bad blood of competition.
Every shipbuilder on the ocean wanted the distinction of running the fastest, largest, and most luxurious liner of them all. And, much like in the swashbuckling days of centuries prior, the business was cutthroat. Enter RMS Queen Mary.
Timeline of Queen Mary's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Queen Mary through the years
1929
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the British were determined to squash Germany’s maritime attempts to dust. Germany, despite insurmountable war debts and growing political turmoil, had managed to turn maritime transportation on its head with the launching of two superliners, SS Bremen and SS Europa.
But, the British were not about to relinquish merchant marine supremacy to a nation they had just helped flatten a few years prior.
1934
RMS Queen Mary was launched on September 26, 1934, christened by her namesake and managed by the Cunard-White Star Line. Built to compete with Bremen and Europa, Queen Mary quickly snatched back the Blue Riband transatlantic speed record award after the German superliners had ended a 20-year British dynasty on it.
Though she lost the Blue Riband the following year to France’s SS Normandie, Queen Mary grabbed it back again and held the record for 14 more years. But, speed was just the beginning of RMS Queen Mary’s history-making successes.
1939
In August 1939, Queen Mary was voyaging from Britain to New York when the flames of World War II ignited. She was held in New York Harbor alongside French rival Normandie to keep them safe from Germany. But soon, the US took control of both vessels and refitted them as troopships.
Queen Mary was the only one to survive refitting though, as a fire sunk Normandie in harbor. Faster than any U-Boat, RMS Queen Mary quickly became a huge asset for the Allies. In 1943, she set a standing record for most people carried in a single voyage: 16,683.
1958
After World War II ended, RMS Queen Mary returned to Britain in her fastest ever transatlantic crossing. With Normandie a smoldering ruin and Axis ships all either sunk or in Allied hands, RMS Queen Mary became the unofficial flagship of British transatlantic domination.
But, by 1958, Queen Mary’s ocean voyages were joined by something new: the howl of jet engines from above. In a matter of years, the jet age took hold and all Cunard-White Star voyages operated at a loss. By 1967, RMS Queen Mary’s functional life was over.
1971
While many a superliner before her had fallen to scrapyards or the bombs of war, Queen Mary was saved from obliteration by the city of Long Beach, California, who brought her to their shores to convert her to a seaside hotel. After substantial renovations, Queen Mary opened as a hotel on May 8, 1971. She has operated in this function ever since.
And not long after she opened to the public, hotel guests began to experience unexplainable phenomena.
Is the RMS Queen Mary Haunted?
Ghostly sightings and hauntings are so common onboard the Queen Mary that the spirits are something of a staple of the vessel’s lodging experience. One popular story is that cabin B340 is haunted by the soul of a passenger murdered in that room many years ago. Now, B340 is one of the most popular cabins on the ship, booked by thrill seekers looking for a ghostly encounter.
But the hauntings of RMS Queen Mary are not kept to just one room. The halls of the lower decks are well-known for their mysteriously chilling cold spots, sometimes cold enough to cause passers-by to suddenly see their breath. There are also regular reports of apparitions in 1930s-era clothes being spotted on the ship’s lower decks.
Seafaring Spirits Aboard RMS Queen Mary
Another frequently spotted apparition is that of a former fireman who was killed during a routine fire drill when he was crushed under one of the watertight bulkhead doors. Visitors also claim spirits will come up and tap them on the shoulder or grab them as they wander the thin interior corridors.
Some employees and hotel guests have also reported the unexplainable appearance of wet footprints walking away from the first-class swimming area, even though the first-class pool has been closed for years and the pool emptied of water. Perhaps the spirits of the Queen Mary still enjoy a good swim?
Dark Harbors Around RMS Queen Mary
Over the years, the ghost stories from the decks of Queen Mary have made it one of the most in-demanded haunted destinations in the United States. Time Magazine added the ship to its 2008 list of “Top 10 Haunted Places,” and the ship has been the subject of numerous episodes of paranormal TV shows.
The ship itself has also hosted countless paranormal events and tours, most famously the yearly “Dark Harbor” Halloween event and haunted attraction.
Hunting Ghosts on RMS Queen Mary
The proprietors of the ship have welcomed paranormal investigators and enthusiasts with open arms, even offering special stay packages for those who book the infamous B340 stateroom that include Ouija boards, séances, and ghost hunting equipment.
Hotel guests could also enjoy year-round haunted tours and ghost stories from the ship’s employees.
RMS Queen Mary’s Uncertain Future
Despite the liner’s popularity amongst ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts, problems have been mounting for the aged vessel. Closed in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, she remains closed to the public to this day, with her future uncertain as the costs of maintaining the aging ship have exploded.
But, as the price tag of removing and scrapping the liner are estimated at over $100,000,000, Queen Mary and her resident spirits will likely remain a fixture of Long Beach for a while longer.
