Written By Mauricio Segura // Image Created By: The Golden Bay Times Graphics Dept.
There is something wonderfully unsettling about walking aboard a ship that hasn't sailed in nearly six decades, especially one where the footsteps behind you might belong to someone who died long before you were born. Welcome aboard the Queen Mary, where Hollywood glamour, wartime tragedy, and nearly a century's worth of history share the same narrow hallways. Depending on whom you ask, some of that history might still be walking around.
Permanently docked in Long Beach, California, the RMS Queen Mary is a 1,019-foot reminder of an age when crossing the Atlantic meant dressing for dinner, dancing beneath chandeliers, and spending days at sea. These days, visitors can enjoy a meal, explore its historic decks, or spend the night in a former passenger cabin. But beneath all that polished wood and Art Deco elegance lies a reputation that no amount of housekeeping can quite dust away.
The Queen Mary began her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936, sailing from Southampton, England, toward New York. She was an engineering marvel, capable of crossing the Atlantic in less than four days. Her passenger lists included Hollywood royalty such as Clark Gable, Elizabeth Taylor, and Bing Crosby. Winston Churchill also traveled aboard her. For wealthy passengers, the Queen Mary offered floating luxury, complete with grand dining rooms, swimming pools, and enough sophistication to make an ordinary ocean crossing feel like a royal occasion.
Then World War II changed everything. The luxury liner traded her glamorous appearance for gray camouflage and became a massive troopship nicknamed the "Grey Ghost." Instead of carrying celebrities and vacationers, she transported thousands of Allied soldiers across dangerous waters. Her extraordinary speed helped her avoid enemy submarines, and by war's end, she had carried hundreds of thousands of servicemen. Unfortunately, her wartime service also included a tragedy that would become inseparable from her story.
On October 2, 1942, the Queen Mary collided with the British cruiser HMS Curacoa off the coast of Ireland. The enormous liner sliced through the smaller warship, sending it to the bottom and killing more than 300 sailors. The Queen Mary continued onward under wartime orders, leaving behind a disaster that remains one of the darkest chapters of her history. The ship survived the war and returned to civilian service, but airplanes eventually stole her passengers. In 1967, Long Beach purchased the aging liner for $3.45 million, and she arrived that December, ending her ocean-going career.
And that's when the ghost stories began gathering steam. One of the ship's most famous legends centers on watertight door number 13 in the engine room. On July 10, 1966, an 18-year-old crewman named John Pedder was crushed to death by the heavy mechanical door during an emergency drill. His death is documented, but what supposedly happened afterward is another matter. Visitors and employees have reported seeing a young man near the machinery, sometimes dressed in work clothes, while others describe unexplained footsteps and the unsettling feeling that someone is standing nearby.
Then there is Jackie, perhaps the Queen Mary's most famous ghostly resident. According to onboard folklore, Jackie is a little girl whose laughter and playful voice can supposedly be heard around the ship's former first-class swimming pool. Some visitors claim to hear splashing even though the pool no longer holds water. Stories describe a child who drowned there, although reliable historical records have not established that such a drowning occurred. The distinction matters because a good ghost story can survive without proof, but history deserves something stronger than a spooky rumor.
Elsewhere, reports describe a mysterious woman in white, unexplained knocking, and voices coming from empty rooms. The ship's ghostly reputation was already attracting paranormal investigators by the 1980s. In 1991, the Queen Mary introduced an official ghost-themed tour, giving curious visitors an organized opportunity to explore its darker legends. Today, guests can choose historical tours, haunted walks, and paranormal experiences, while the ship's hotel allows overnight visitors to sleep in surroundings once enjoyed by famous actors, political leaders, and generations of Atlantic travelers.
Of course, none of these reported encounters proves that ghosts exist. Old ships are filled with creaking metal, unusual acoustics, and mechanical mysteries. Add a little imagination, an unfamiliar hallway, and decades of storytelling, and even a perfectly ordinary sound can become something extraordinary. Still, few places allow visitors to walk through so many layers of history without ever leaving the building. Here, Hollywood glamour exists only a few decks above machinery that once helped carry soldiers through a world at war.
The Queen Mary will never cross the Atlantic again, but she continues to transport visitors somewhere unexpected, into the past. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, spending a night aboard this legendary ocean liner offers something most hotels cannot. Just remember, if you hear footsteps outside your cabin after midnight, there's probably a perfectly reasonable explanation. And if someone knocks on your door, perhaps it's best to check the peephole before inviting them in.
The Queen Mary is permanently docked at 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802, and welcomes visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission is $45 for adults and $40 for children, including access to more than 23 exhibits and a brief introductory tour, subject to availability. For those seeking a supernatural experience, the Haunted Encounters guided tour is available with the $55 Legacy Tour package, while the evening Paranormal Ship Walk costs $75 per person. Off-hours admission is available for $15, and daytime self-parking costs up to $25. Overnight hotel accommodations are also available, with rates varying by date. For reservations and additional information, call (562) 435-3511 or (888) 217-1153, or visit www.queenmary.com. Prices and availability are subject to change.
