View source for RMS Queen Mary

{{Short description|British ocean liner}}
{{Other ships|Queen Mary (ship){{!}}''Queen Mary'' (ship)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2025}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
| infobox caption = yes
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = Queen Mary ship, Long Beach, California LCCN2011630073 (crop).tif
| Ship caption = ''Queen Mary'' at [[Long Beach]], [[California]] 
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Ship flag = [[File:Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|60px]] [[File:Flag_of_Long_Beach,_California.png|60px|right]]
| Ship name = ''Queen Mary''
| Ship namesake = [[Mary of Teck|Mary, Queen of the United Kingdom]]
| Ship owner = * 1936–49: [[Cunard-White Star Line]]
* 1949–67: [[Cunard Line]]
* 1967–present: [[Long Beach, California|City of Long Beach]]
| Ship route = [[Southampton]] to [[New York City|New York]] via [[Cherbourg Harbour|Cherbourg]] (eastbound and westbound)
[[Southampton]] to [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] via [[Port of Halifax|Halifax]]  (eastbound and westbound)
| Ship ordered = 3 April 1929
| Ship builder = * [[John Brown & Company]]
* [[Clydebank]], Scotland
| Ship yard number = 534
| Ship laid down = 1 December 1930
| Ship launched = 26 September 1934
| Ship sponsor = [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]]
| Ship christened = 26 September 1934
| Ship maiden voyage = 27 May 1936
| Ship identification = * {{IMO Number|5287938}}
* Radio Callsign: GBTT
| Ship in service = 1936–1967
| Ship out of service = 9 December 1967
| Ship registry = [[Port of Liverpool|Liverpool]]
| Ship status = Laid up as a floating hotel and museum ship, [[Long Beach]].
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Ship type = [[Ocean liner]]
| Ship tonnage = * {{GRT|80,774}} (1936) 
* {{GRT|81,237}} (1947)
| Ship displacement = 77,400 [[long ton]]s (78,642 [[metric ton]]s)
| Ship length = * {{convert|1019.4|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|LOA]]
* {{convert|1004|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} [[Waterline length|LWL]]
* {{convert|965|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|LBP]]
| Ship beam = {{convert|118|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
| Ship height = {{convert|181|ft|m|1|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|38|ft|9|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
| Ship decks = 12
| Ship power = 24 × [[Water-tube boiler#Yarrow|Yarrow]] boilers
| Ship propulsion = * 4 × [[C. A. Parsons and Company|Parsons]] single-reduction geared steam turbines
* 4 shafts, {{Convert|200,000|shp|abbr=on}}<ref>Watton, p.10.</ref>
| Ship speed = * {{cvt|28.5|kn}} (service)
* {{cvt|32.84|kn}} (sea trials)
| Ship capacity = 2,140 passengers: 776 first (cabin) class, 785 cabin (tourist) class, 579 tourist (third) class
| Ship crew = 1,100
}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = RMS ''Queen Mary''
| coordinates = {{coord|33|45|11|N|118|11|23|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = California
| map_width = 300
| added = 15 April 1993
| refnum = 92001714<ref name="focus">{{cite web
 | url                = http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/
 | title              = NPS Focus
 | website            = National Register of Historic Places
 | publisher          = [[National Park Service]]
 | access-date        = 7 September 2011
| archive-date       = 25 July 2008
| archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20080725123211/http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/
}}</ref>
}}
|}
'''RMS ''Queen Mary'''''<ref>{{citation| url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859461| title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form| date=17 November 1992| publisher=National Archives| access-date=1 October 2023}}</ref> is a retired British [[ocean liner]] that operated primarily on the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]] from 1936 to 1967 for the [[Cunard Line]]. It is currently a hotel, museum, and convention space in [[Long Beach, California]], [[United States]]. It is on the US [[National Register of Historic Places]] and member of [[Historic Hotels of America]], the official program of the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historic Hotels of America |url=https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/the-queen-mary/?from=rezconsole |access-date=6 February 2025 |website=Historic Hotels Worldwide |language=en}}</ref> Built by [[John Brown & Company]] in [[Clydebank]], Scotland, she was subsequently joined by {{RMS|Queen Elizabeth}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishpathe.com/video/sister-ship-to-the-queen-mary/query/Queen |title=1938 newsreel of shipyard construction |publisher=British Pathé}}</ref> in Cunard's two-ship weekly express service between [[Southampton]], [[Cherbourg Harbour|Cherbourg]] and [[New York City|New York]]. These "Queens" were the British response to the express [[Ocean liner|superliners]] built by German, Italian, and French companies in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

''Queen Mary'' sailed on her maiden voyage on 27 May 1936 and won the [[Blue Riband]] that August;<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/fascinating-facts-about-queen-mary-cruise-ship/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/fascinating-facts-about-queen-mary-cruise-ship/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Remarkable things you didn't know about the Queen Mary ocean liner |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |access-date=14 August 2017 |language=en-GB}}{{cbignore}}</ref> she lost the title to {{SS|Normandie}} in 1937 and recaptured it in 1938, holding it until 1952, when the new {{SS|United States}} claimed it. With the outbreak of [[World War II]], she was converted into a [[troopship]] and ferried [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] soldiers during the conflict.  On one voyage in 1943, she carried over 16,600 people, still the record for the most people on one vessel at the same time.

Following the war, ''Queen Mary'' returned to passenger service and, along with ''Queen Elizabeth,'' commenced the two-ship [[Transatlantic crossing|transatlantic]] passenger service for which the two ships were initially built. The pair 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 operating at a loss.

After several years of decreased profits, Cunard officially retired the ''Queen Mary'' from service in 1967. Bought by the [[Long Beach, California|City of Long Beach]] to function as a restaurant, museum, and hotel, she left Southampton for the last time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the [[Port of Long Beach]] where she was [[Hulk (ship type)|permanently moored]]. After undergoing extensive refurbishment and modifications, ''Queen Mary'' opened to the public in 1971 and has remained operational since.

==Construction and naming==
[[File:RMS Queen Mary (1936) (51022313917).jpg|thumb|left|Scale models of ''Queen Mary'' (foreground) and ''Queen Elizabeth'' (background) created by John Brown & Company, on display at the Glasgow Museum of Transport.]]
With [[Weimar Germany]] launching {{SS|Bremen|1928|2}} and {{SS|Europa|1930|2}} into service, the [[United Kingdom]] and its shipping companies did not want to be left behind in the shipbuilding race. [[White Star Line]], Cunard's chief British rival, began construction on the 80,000-ton ''[[Oceanic (unfinished ship)|Oceanic]]'' in 1928, while Cunard planned a 75,000-ton unnamed ship. Cunard's Chief Naval Architect, George Mcleod Paterson, was the principal designer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=George Mcleod Paterson – Graces Guide |url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/George_Mcleod_Paterson |access-date=26 April 2024 |website=www.gracesguide.co.uk}}</ref>
[[File:Queen Mary Construction.jpg|thumb|left|''Queen Mary'' under construction at Clydebank, c. 1934]]
Construction on the ship, then known only as "Hull Number 534",<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Four-Leaf Clover Propeller to Drive Giant Liner 534|magazine=[[Popular Mechanics]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xd8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA528|date=October 1934|page=528|issn=0032-4558|access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> began in December 1930 on the [[River Clyde]] by the [[John Brown & Company]] [[shipyard]] at [[Clydebank]] in Scotland. John Brown assisted in the design and construction of the vessel, which was his first major project in the shipyard.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomson |first=Ian |date=2023-10-11 |title=Sir John Brown Naval Architect |url=https://32ancestors.co.uk/sir-john-brown-naval-architect/ |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=32 Ancestors |language=en-GB}}</ref> Work halted in December 1931 due to the [[Great Depression]] and Cunard applied to the British Government for a loan to complete 534. The Government granted the loan, providing enough money to complete the unfinished ship, and also to build a running mate to provide a two ship weekly service to New York.<ref name="OConnor">
{{cite web |author=O'Connor, Sheila |year=2006 |title=Royal Lady – The Queen Mary Reigns in Long Beach |url=http://www.goworldtravel.com/ex/aspx/articleGuid.%7B7AD7D421-D5F8-473E-A0AF-1E3B6BD56A9B%7D/xe/article.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907214519/http://www.goworldtravel.com/ex/aspx/articleGuid.%7B7AD7D421-D5F8-473E-A0AF-1E3B6BD56A9B%7D/xe/article.htm |archive-date=7 September 2008 |access-date=11 June 2013 |website=Go World Travel Magazine}}</ref>

One condition of the loan was that Cunard merge its operations with the White Star Line,<ref name="qm-depression">{{cite web|url=https://chrisframe.com.au/post/621332322015412224/rms-queen-mary-great-depression|title=Queen Mary – The Ship That Saved Cunard (and the UK) during the Great Depression.|author=Chris Frame|website=Chris Frame (Maritime Historian)|year=2019|access-date=19 June 2020}}</ref> which was also struggling due to the depression and had cancelled construction of its ''Oceanic''. Both lines agreed to the merger, and, on 10 May 1934, the companies created a third company, [[Cunard-White Star Line]], to manage their newly combined fleet. Work on 534 resumed immediately with a launch scheduled for 1934. Prior to the ship's launch, the [[River Clyde]] had to be specifically deepened and widened to cope with her size, undertaken by the engineer [[D. Alan Stevenson]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst955.html|title=D. Alan Stevenson from The Gazetteer for Scotland|website=www.scottish-places.info}}</ref>

On 26 September 1934, Her Majesty [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]] launched Hull 534 as [[Royal Mail Ship|RMS]] ''Queen Mary''. Eighteen drag chains slowed the ship down the [[slipway]], which checked the liner's progress into the River Clyde.<ref>
{{cite magazine |date=December 1934 |title=Chains brake liner at launching |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uigDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20 |access-date=2 November 2009 |magazine=[[Popular Science]] |page=20 |issn=0161-7370}}</ref> The ship was named after [[Mary of Teck]]. Until her launch, the name was a closely guarded secret. Cunard intended to name the ship ''[[Queen Victoria (ship)|Victoria]]'', in keeping with company tradition of giving its ships names ending in "ia", but when company representatives asked King [[George V]]'s permission to name the ocean liner after Britain's "greatest queen", he said his wife, Mary, would be delighted.<ref name="cross288-289">{{cite book |last=Maxtone-Graham |first=John |title=The Only Way to Cross |publisher=Collier Books |year=1972 |location=New York |pages=360–361}}</ref> Accordingly, the delegation had no other choice but to report that 534 would be called ''Queen Mary''.<ref name="cross288-289" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Othfors |first=Daniel |date=May 2018 |title=Queen Mary – TGOL |url=http://thegreatoceanliners.com/articles/queen-mary/ |access-date=10 June 2022 |website=Thegreatoceanliners.com}}</ref><ref name="Note01" group="Note" /> The name had already been given to the [[Clyde steamer|Clyde turbine steamer]] {{ship|TS|Queen Mary}}, so Cunard made an arrangement with its owners and this older ship was renamed ''Queen Mary II''.<ref name="Baldwin2010">{{cite book |author=David Baldwin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7DZlsPleCSsC&pg=PA20 |title=Royal Prayer: A Surprising History |publisher=[[A&C Black]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-8264-2303-0 |page=20}}</ref>

Following her launch, workers began fitting out the ''Queen Mary.'' She received 24 Yarrow boilers in four boiler rooms and four Parsons turbines in two engine rooms. The boilers delivered 400 pounds per square inch (28 bar) steam at 700&nbsp;°F (371&nbsp;°C), which provided a maximum of {{convert|212,000|shp|abbr=on}} to four propellers, each turning at 200 RPM.<ref>Watton, pp. 10–13.</ref>

Workers completed most of ''Queen Mary's'' work by March 1936 and she left Clydebank for her sea trials.<ref>'RMS ''Queen Mary'' Transatlantic masterpiece', Janette  McCutcheon, 2000, Temple Publishing Limited, {{ISBN|0-7524-1716-9}}, pp. 41–44.</ref> During those trials, she achieved a speed of 32.84 knots.<ref>McCutcheon, p.45</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.alamy.com/stock-image-1936-illustrated-london-news-rms-queen-mary-on-speed-trials-off-the-166998544.html |title=1936 Illustrated London News RMS Queen Mary on Speed Trials off the Isle of Aaron Stock Photo – Alamy |website=www.alamy.com}}</ref> She then prepared for her maiden voyage. The {{convert|1019.4|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|LOA]] ''Queen Mary'' measured {{GRT|80,774|disp=long}}, making her the world's largest passenger ship.<ref>
{{cite web |last=Layton |first=J. Kent |title=R.M.S. Queen Mary |url=http://www.atlanticliners.com/rms_queen_mary_home.htm |access-date=10 September 2012 |publisher=Atlantic Liners}}</ref> Her rival {{SS|Normandie||2}}, was {{convert|1029|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} LOA, but only measured 79,280 GRT. However, [[Compagnie Générale Transatlantique|CGT]] later modified the ''Normandie'' to  increase her size to 83,243 GRT, reclaiming the title of world's largest passenger ship.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ardman |first=Harvey |title=Normandie: her life and times |date=1985 |publisher=F. Watts |isbn=978-0-531-09784-7 |location=New York |pages=166–170}}</ref> Completion of ''Queen Mary'' ultimately took {{frac|3|1|2}} years and cost 3.5 million [[pound sterling|pounds sterling]],<ref name="OConnor" /> then equal to [[US dollars|$17.5 million]] (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|17500000|1934|r=-7}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).

==Pre-World War II==
[[File:Cunard White Star RMS Queen Mary.jpg|alt=A post card of the rms queen mary|left|thumb]]
Commanded by Sir [[Edgar Britten]], ''Queen Mary'' sailed on her maiden voyage from [[Southampton]] on 27 May 1936. She sailed at high speed for most of her maiden voyage to New York until heavy fog forced a reduction of speed on the final day of the crossing, arriving in New York Harbor on 1 June 1936.

[[File:RMS QUEEN MARY Cunard White Star 1949 Baggage Tag.jpg|left|thumb|A ''Queen Mary'' baggage tag]]
''Queen Mary{{'s}}'' design received criticism for being too traditional, especially when ''Normandie''{{'s}} [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] was revolutionary with a clipper-shaped, streamlined [[bow (watercraft)|bow]]. Except for her [[cruiser stern]], she seemed to be an enlarged version of her Cunard predecessors from the pre-[[First World War]] era. Her interior design, while mostly [[Art Deco]], seemed restrained and conservative when compared to the ultramodern French liner. Nonetheless ''Queen Mary'' proved to be the more popular vessel than her rival, in terms of passengers carried.<ref name="cross288-289" /><ref name="palaces">
{{cite video
|title=Floating Palaces
|year=1996
|publisher=A&E
|medium=TV Documentary
|last=Fritz Weaver
|first=Fritz Weaver (narrator)
}}</ref>
[[File:Cunard-MenThatCount.jpg|thumb|left|"It's Men That Count", a late 1930s promotional poster for the [[Cunard Line]]]]

In August 1936, ''Queen Mary'' captured the [[Blue Riband]] from ''Normandie'', with average speeds of {{convert|30.14|kn}} westbound and {{convert|30.63|kn}} eastbound. In 1937, ''Normandie'' received a new set of propellers and reclaimed the Blue Riband. However, in 1938, under the command of [[Robert Irving (naval officer)|Robert B. Irving]], ''Queen Mary'' took back the Blue Riband in both directions,<ref name=NYT>"Sir Robert B. Irving Dead at 77: Ex-Commodore of Cunard Line" in ''[[The New York Times]]'', 30 December 1954</ref> with average speeds of {{convert|30.99|kn}} westbound and {{convert|31.69|kn}} eastbound, records which stood until lost to {{SS|United States||2}} in 1952.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

===Interior===
[[Arthur Joseph Davis]] of Messrs, Mewes and Davis, and [[Benjamin Wistar Morris (architect)|Benjamin Wistar Morris]] designed the ''Queen Mary's'' interior spaces.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cwiklo |first=W. |title=Benjamin Wistar Morris – The American Architect of the Queen Mary |url=https://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/visions/benmorris.html |access-date=9 April 2024 |website=www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk}}</ref> The [[Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts|Bromsgrove Guild]] constructed much of the ship's interior, while [[H. H. Martyn & Co.|H.H. Martyn & Co.]] built the staircases, foyers, and entrances[[H.H. Martyn & Co.|.]]<ref>{{cite book |author=John Whitaker|year=1985|title=The Best|page=238}}</ref> Among the facilities available on board ''Queen Mary'', the liner featured two indoor swimming pools, beauty salons, libraries and children's nurseries for all three classes, a music studio, a lecture hall, telephone connectivity to anywhere in the world, outdoor paddle tennis courts, and dog kennels. The largest room on board was the [[first class travel|cabin class]] main dining room (grand salon), spanning three stories in height and anchored by wide columns. The ship had many air-conditioned public rooms on board. The cabin-class swimming pool facility spanned over two decks in height. This was the first ocean liner to be equipped with her own Jewish prayer room{{spaced ndash}}part of a policy to show that British shipping lines avoided the antisemitism evident in [[Nazi Germany]].<ref>
{{cite encyclopedia
|last=Evans
|first=Nicholas J.
|chapter=A Strike for Racial Justice? Transatlantic Shipping and the Jewish Diaspora, 1882–1939
|editor1-last=Jorden
|editor1-first=James
|editor2-last=Kushern
|editor2-first=Tony
|editor3-last=Pearce
|editor3-first=Sarah
|title=Jewish Journeys: From Philo to Hip Hop
|publisher=[[Vallentine Mitchell]]
|location=London
|year=2010
|pages=25–47
|isbn=978-0-85303-962-4
}}</ref>

The cabin class main dining room featured a large map of the transatlantic crossing, with twin tracks symbolising the winter/spring route (further south to avoid icebergs) and the summer/autumn route. During each crossing, a small motorised model of ''Queen Mary'' would travel along the mural to indicate the vessel's progress en route.

As an alternative to the main dining room, ''Queen Mary'' featured a separate cabin class Verandah Grill on the Sun Deck at the upper aft of the ship. The Verandah Grill was an exclusive ''[[à la carte]]'' restaurant with a capacity of approximately eighty passengers and converted to the Starlight Club at night. It was designed and painted by [[Doris Zinkeisen]] and [[Cecil Beaton]] described it as "By far the prettiest room on any ship".<ref name="daao">{{Cite web |date=14 November 2007 |title=Doris Clare Zinkeisen |url=http://www.daao.org.au/main/read/6804 |accessdate=23 April 2010 |publisher=Dictionary of Australian Artists Online}}</ref><ref name="Massey">{{cite book |last=Massey |first=Anne |url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodbeyonds00mass |title=Hollywood Beyond the Screen: Design and Material Culture |publisher=Berg Publishers |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-85973-321-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/hollywoodbeyonds00mass/page/n108 96] |url-access=limited}}</ref> Also on board was the Observation Bar, an Art Deco-styled lounge with wide ocean views.

Woods from different regions of the [[British Empire]] were used in her public rooms and staterooms. Accommodation ranged from fully equipped, luxurious cabin (first) class staterooms to modest and cramped third-class cabins. Artists commissioned by Cunard in 1933 for works of art in the interior include [[Edward Wadsworth]] and [[A. Duncan Carse]],<ref>{{cite magazine
|url=http://www.apollo-magazine.com/features/630236/part_8/modern-art-takes-to-the-waves.thtml
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106072638/http://www.apollo-magazine.com/features/630236/part_8/modern-art-takes-to-the-waves.thtml
|archive-date=6 January 2009 |title=Modern art takes to the waves
|last=Sprague
|first=Abbie N.
|date=23 April 2008
|magazine=[[Apollo (magazine)|Apollo]]
|access-date=10 September 2012
|page=8
}}</ref>
as well as [[Algernon Newton]] RA whose painting ''Evening on the Avon'' hung opposite Bertram Nicholls' ''Sussex'' in the Long Gallery.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}
{{gallery 
|mode=packed
|title=''Queen Mary'' Art Deco Interiors
|width=160
|height=170
|align=center
|image:QMfirstclassdining.jpg|alt1=|First class dining room, now known as the "Grand Salon". Note the mural above, which had a moving crystal model that tracked the route progress of the ''Queen Mary'' and later, when in service, {{RMS|Queen Elizabeth}}.
|image:RMS Queen Mary Dining Room Map edit1.jpg|alt2=|Mural in the main dining room, or "Grand Salon" on which a crystal model tracked the ship's progress
|image:RMS Queen Mary Grand Salon edit.jpg|alt3=|First class dining room, now known as the "Grand Salon"
|image:QMobservation.jpg|alt4=|Observation Bar. Note the lower band of windows that look into the enclosed Promenade Deck. They were removed in 1967 after the lounge was extended.
|image:Queen Mary the Opulent Art Deco Observation Bar.jpg|alt5=|Observation Bar lounge. The windows were once part of the enclosed Promenade Deck turnaround; the lounge was extended forward after 1967.
}}
{{Clear}}

==World War II==
[[File:RMS Queen Mary 20Jun1945 NewYork.jpeg|thumb|Arriving in New York Harbor, 20 June 1945, with thousands of US soldiers]]
In late August 1939, ''Queen Mary'' was on a return run from New York to Southampton. The international situation led to her being escorted by the battlecruiser {{HMS|Hood|51|6}}. She arrived safely and set out again for New York on 1 September. By the time she arrived, [[Second World War|war]] had been declared and she was ordered to remain in port alongside ''[[SS Normandie|Normandie]]'' until further notice.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

[[File:The three largest ships in the world, New York, 1940 - photographic postcard (3796186285).jpg|thumb|left|''Normandie'', ''Queen Mary'' and ''Queen Elizabeth'' in New York in 1940, docked due to the war|300px]]
In March 1940, ''Queen Mary'' and ''Normandie'' were joined in New York by ''Queen Mary''{{'s}} new running mate {{RMS|Queen Elizabeth||2}}, fresh from her secret voyage from Clydebank. The three largest liners in the world sat idle for approximately two weeks when  ''Queen Mary'' left for [[Sydney]], Australia.<ref name="cross288-289" /> Once there, along with several other liners, was converted into a troopship to carry Australian and New Zealand soldiers to the United Kingdom.<ref name="LegendsofAmerica">
{{cite web
|url=https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-queenmary/
|website=Legends of America
|title=Ghosts of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California
|first=Kathy
|last=Weiser
|publisher=LegendsofAmerica.com
|date=June 2018
|access-date=5 February 2019
}}</ref>

[[File:Queen Mary forecastle1.jpg|thumb|''Queen Mary''<nowiki/>'s forward superstructure, shown here in Long Beach. When she came to Long Beach, the Sun Deck windows were enlarged and an anti-aircraft gun was placed on display astride the foremast to represent the Second World War days of the liner]]
In the conversion, the ship's hull, superstructure, and funnels were painted navy grey. As a result of her new colour, and in combination with her great speed, she became known as the "Grey Ghost". To protect against [[naval mine|magnetic mines]], a [[degaussing|degaussing coil]] was fitted around the outside of the hull. Inside, stateroom furniture and decoration were removed and replaced with triple-tiered (fixed) wooden bunks, which were later replaced by "standee" (fold-up) bunks.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/94/a3019394.shtml | title=BBC – WW2 People's War – VJ Day – All at Sea}}</ref>

A total of {{convert|6|mi|0}} of carpet, 220 cases of china, crystal and silver services, tapestries, and paintings were removed and stored in warehouses for the duration of the war. The woodwork in the staterooms, the cabin-class dining room, and other public areas were covered with leather.

''Queen Mary'' and ''Queen Elizabeth'' were the largest and fastest troopships involved in the war, often carrying as many as 15,000 men in a single voyage, and often travelling out of convoy and without escort. The Queens' high speed and zigzag courses made it virtually impossible for [[U-boat]]s to catch them, although one attempted to attack the ship. On 25 May 1944, [[German submarine U-853|U-853]] spotted ''Queen Mary'' and submerged to attack, but the ship outran the U-boat before it could do so.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Underwood |first=Lamar |title=The Greatest Submarine Stories Ever Told. |date=2005 |publisher=Globe Pequot |isbn=1-59228-733-6 |pages=184–185}}</ref> Because of their importance to the war effort, Adolf Hitler offered a bounty of 1 million [[Reichsmark]]s and [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross|Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross]], Germany's highest military honour, to any U-boat captain that sank either ship.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |title=The British Liner Queen Mary |url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-british-liner-queen-mary/ |access-date=13 February 2024 |website=Warfare History Network |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 2 October 1942, ''Queen Mary'' accidentally sank one of her escort ships, slicing through the light cruiser {{HMS|Curacoa|D41|6}} off the Irish coast with a loss of 338 lives. ''Queen Mary'' was carrying thousands of Americans of the [[29th Infantry Division (United States)|29th Infantry Division]]<ref>{{Cite book |title=Beyond the Beachhead |first=Joseph |last=Balkoski |publisher=Stackpole Books |isbn=978-0-8117-0221-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/beyondbeachhead200balk/page/37 37–38] |year=1989 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/beyondbeachhead200balk/page/37 }}</ref> to join the Allied forces in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/13/a2733013.shtml |archive-url = https://archive.today/20120719161618/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/13/a2733013.shtml |archive-date = 19 July 2012|website       = WW2 People's War |title = HMS Curaçao Tragedy |publisher = [[BBC]] |date = 11 June 2004|author = Brighton CSV Media Clubhouse |access-date = 10 August 2009}}</ref> Due to the risk of U-boat attacks, ''Queen Mary'' was under orders not to stop under any circumstances and steamed onward with a fractured [[Stem (ship)|stem]]. Some sources claim that hours later, the convoy's lead escort, consisting of {{HMS|Bramham|L51|2}} and one other ship,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Edgar Edward|title=Wilson, Edgar Edward (IWM Interview)|url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80015884|website=Imperial War Museums|publisher=Imperial War Museum|access-date=27 March 2016}}</ref> returned to rescue 99 survivors of ''Curacoa''{{'s}} crew of 437, including her captain John W. Boutwood.<ref name="WWI">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwar1.com/tripwire/smtw0708.htm|website=St. Mihiel Trip-Wire: July 2008|title=Forever England|first=Andrew|last=Melomet|publisher=WorldWar1.com|date=July 2008|access-date=10 August 2009}}</ref><ref name="HIST">{{cite video|url=http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=89667 |title=Queen Mary / Curacoa Crash |work=[[Disasters of the Century]] |publisher=[[History Television]] |year=2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510032506/http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=89667 |archive-date=10 May 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1199.html|title=Allied Warships – Light cruiser HMS Curacoa of the Ceres class|publisher=Uboat.net|access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> This claim is contradicted by the liner's then Staff Captain Harry Grattidge, who recorded that ''Queen Mary''{{'s}} Captain, Gordon Illingsworth, immediately ordered the accompanying destroyers to look for survivors within moments of ''Curacoa''{{'s}} sinking.<ref>Grattidge and Collier, ''Captain of the Queens.''</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://spiritedqueenmary.com/about-rms-queen-mary/her-captains/ | title=Her Captains • Spirited RMS Queen Mary | access-date=18 August 2019 | archive-date=2 July 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702053112/https://spiritedqueenmary.com/about-rms-queen-mary/her-captains/ }}</ref>

Later that year, from 8–14 December 1942, ''Queen Mary'' carried 10,389 soldiers and 950 crew (total 11,339).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Queen Mary – Specific Crossing Information – 1942|url=http://ww2troopships.com/ships/q/queenmary/crossings1942.htm|access-date=3 April 2021|website=ww2troopships.com}}</ref> During this trip, on 11 December, while {{convert|700|mi|km}} from [[Scotland]] during a gale, she was suddenly broadsided on her starboard side by a [[rogue wave]] that might have reached a height of {{convert|28|m}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 August 2021 |title=RMS Queen Mary Pt 2 |url=https://opposite-lock.com/topic/22523/rms-queen-mary-pt-2 |access-date=16 February 2024 |website=Oppositelock |language=en-US}}</ref> An account of this crossing can be found in Carter's book.<ref name="LeviR"/><ref>''No Greater Sacrifice, No Greater Love'', William Ford Carter, Smithsonian Books, Washington, 2004, p. 55</ref> As quoted in the book, Carter's father, Dr. Norval Carter, part of the 110th Station Hospital on board at the time, wrote in a letter that at one point ''Queen Mary'' "damned near capsized... One moment the top deck was at its usual height and then, swoom! Down, over, and forward she would pitch." It was calculated later that the ship rolled 52 degrees, and would have capsized had she rolled another three degrees.<ref name="LeviR">{{cite web |url=http://thefutureofthings.com/column/1005/the-wave-that-changed-science.html |title=The Wave That Changed Science |website=[[The Future of Things]] |access-date=11 June 2013 |last=Levi |first=Ran |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823234657/http://thefutureofthings.com/column/1005/the-wave-that-changed-science.html |archive-date=23 August 2013 |date=3 March 2008}}</ref>

From 25 to 30 July 1943, ''Queen Mary'' carried 15,740 soldiers and 943 crew (total 16,683),<ref>{{cite web|title=How Two Ships Helped End WW2|url=https://chrisframe.com.au/post/626585620528168960/how-two-ships-helped-end-world-war-ii|access-date=16 August 2020|website=chrisframe.com.au}}</ref> a standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel.<ref>{{cite web|title='Queen Mary: Timeline|url=http://www.queenmary.com/history/timeline/|access-date=15 November 2017|website=QueenMary.com|archive-date=12 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612052039/http://www.queenmary.com/history/timeline/}}</ref> This was only possible in summer as passengers had to sleep on deck.<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 January 2017|title=RMS Queen Mary's War Service: Voyages to Victory|url=https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2017/01/16/rms-queen-marys-war-service-voyages-to-victory/|access-date=29 April 2021|website=Warfare History Network|language=en-US}}</ref>

During the war, ''Queen Mary'' carried British Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] across the Atlantic three times for meetings with fellow Allied forces officials. He was listed on the passenger manifests as "Colonel Warden".<ref name="Churchill">{{cite book|last=Lavery|first=Brian|title=Churchill Goes to War: Winston's Wartime Journeys|publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]]|year=2007|page=213}}</ref> On one crossing in 1943, Churchill and his staff planned the [[Operation Overlord|Normandy Invasion]] and he signed the D-Day Declaration aboard.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celebrities and Political Dignitaries |url=https://queenmary.com/history/stats-fun-facts/celebrities/ |access-date=13 February 2024 |website=queenmary.com}}</ref> Churchill later stated that the Queens, "challenged the fury of Hitlerism in the battle of the Atlantic. Without their aid, the day of final victory must unquestionably have been postponed.”<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celebrities and Political Dignitaries |url=https://queenmary.com/history/stats-fun-facts/celebrities/ |access-date=3 April 2024 |website=queenmary.com}}</ref> By the war's end, ''Queen Mary'' had carried over 800,000 troops and travelled over 600,000 miles across the world's oceans.<ref name="auto2"/>
[[File:Queen Mary 1965 (332754147) (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|221x221px|''Queen Mary'' in 1965]]

==After World War II==
[[File:QueenMary1956.jpg|thumb|''Queen Mary'' at [[Southampton]], 1960]]
[[File:RMS Queen Mary 1 westward bound on the North Sea - 1959.png|thumb|''Queen Mary'' on the [[North Sea]], 1959]]
[[File:Queen Mary New York.jpg|thumb|''Queen Mary'' at [[New York City|New York]],  1961]]
After delivering war brides to Canada, ''Queen Mary'' made her fastest ever crossing, returning in early 1946 to Southampton in only three days, 22 hours and 42 minutes at an average speed of 31.9 knots.<ref>Maddocks, p. 155.</ref> From September 1946 to July 1947, ''Queen Mary'' was refitted for passenger service, adding air conditioning and upgrading her berth configuration to 711 first class (formerly called cabin class), 707 cabin class (formerly tourist class) and 577 tourist class (formerly third class) passengers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ocean-liners.com/ships/qm.asp |title=RMS Queen Mary |publisher=Ocean-liners.com |access-date=10 September 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901202639/http://www.ocean-liners.com/ships/qm.asp |archive-date=1 September 2012 }}</ref> Doris Zinkeisen retouched the mural in the Verandah Grill, which had been damaged by gunnery officers tacking charts to the poster board that covered it.<ref name="spt">{{Cite news |date=18 January 2009 |title=The 'Queen Mary' is now a luxurious, historic hotel |url=http://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/article967265.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606161830/http://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/article967265.ece |archive-date=6 June 2011 |accessdate=26 April 2010 |publisher=St. Petersburg Times}}</ref> She reportedly painted a mouse so there would always be a mouse on the ''Queen Mary'', a joke reference to [[Cunard Line|Cunard]]'s claim to proudly have no rodents on their ships.<ref name="spt" />

Following their refit, ''Queen Mary'' and ''Queen Elizabeth'' dominated the transatlantic passenger trade as Cunard White Star's two-ship weekly express service through the latter half of the 1940s and well into the 1950s. They proved highly profitable for Cunard (as the company was renamed on 31 December 1949).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Casey |date=1 February 2012 |title=History of the White Star Line |url=https://mollybrown.org/history-of-the-white-star-line/ |access-date=6 December 2023 |website=Molly Brown House Museum |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 1 January 1949, ''Queen Mary'' ran aground off [[Cherbourg Harbour|Cherbourg]], France. She was refloated the next day<ref name=Times030149>{{Cite news|newspaper=[[The Times]] |title=The Queen Mary Back In Port |date=3 January 1949 |page=4 |issue=51269 }}</ref> and returned to service.

In 1952, ''Queen Mary'' lost the [[Blue Riband]] she held for 14 years to the ''[[SS United States]]'' during her maiden voyage.

On 29 January 1955, she took aboard two injured crew members from the Panamanian [[Liberty ship]] {{SS|Liberator|1943|2}}.<ref name=Times310155>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Injured Men Taken On Board Liner |date=31 January 1955 |page=3 |issue=53153 |column=C }}</ref> In 1958, the [[Transatlantic flight#Maturation|first commercial transatlantic flights]] by [[Jet aircraft|jet]] began a completely new era of competition for passenger liners. With a London–New York travel time reduced to just 7–8 hours, demand for multi-day ocean crossing dropped precipitously. On some voyages, winters especially, ''Queen Mary'' sailed into harbour with more crew than passengers, though both she and ''Queen Elizabeth'' still averaged over 1,000 passengers per crossing into the middle 1960s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harvey |first=Clive |title=R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth – The Ultimate Ship |publisher=[[Carmania Press]] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-9543666-8-1}}</ref> By 1965, the entire Cunard fleet was operating at a loss.

Hoping to continue financing ''[[Queen Elizabeth 2]]'', which was under construction at [[John Brown & Company|Brown's shipyard]], Cunard mortgaged the majority of the fleet. Due to a combination of age, lack of public interest, inefficiency in a new market, and the damaging after-effects of the national seamen's strike, Cunard announced that both Queens would be retired from service and sold off. Many offers for ''Queen Mary'' were submitted, and the bid of $3.45m/£1.2m from [[Long Beach, California]] surpassed the Japanese scrap merchants.<ref name="The History Press">{{cite book|title=Tramp to Queen: The Autobiography of Captain John Treasure Jones|publisher=[[The History Press]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7524-4625-7}}</ref> ''Queen Mary'' was featured in the film ''[[Assault on a Queen]]'' (1966) starring [[Frank Sinatra]]. That August, ''Queen Mary'' made her fastest eastbound passage since August 1938, crossing in 4 days, 10 hours and 6 minutes at an average speed of 29.46 knots (54.56&nbsp;km/h).

''Queen Mary'' was retired from service in 1967.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2UwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26 |title=Out to Sea and into History |date=6 October 1967 |magazine=Life |volume=63 |issue=14 |pages=26–31 |access-date=3 July 2017}}</ref> On 27 September 1967, ''Queen Mary'' completed her 1,001st<ref>''RMS Queen Mary Transatlantic Masterpiece'', Janette  McCutcheon,  2000, Temple Publishing Limited, {{ISBN|0-7524-1716-9}}, p. 91</ref> and last crossing of the North Atlantic, having carried 2,112,000 passengers over {{convert|3792227|mi}}. Under the command of Captain [[Capt. John Treasure Jones|John Treasure Jones]], who had been her captain since 1965, she sailed from Southampton for the last time on 31 October with 1,093 passengers and 806 crew. After a voyage around [[Cape Horn]], she arrived in Long Beach on 9 December.<ref name="The History Press"/> 
''Queen Elizabeth'' was withdrawn in 1968 and ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' took over the transatlantic route in 1969.

==Post-retirement==
[[File:Rms queen mary 2008.jpg|thumb|''Queen Mary'' from the northern side of Long Beach harbour in 2008]]
''Queen Mary'' is permanently moored in Long Beach as a [[tourist attraction]], hotel, [[museum ship|museum]] and event facility.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Queen Mary™ – One-Of-A-Kind Long Beach Hotel Experience|url=https://queenmary.com/|access-date=27 January 2022|website=queenmary.com}}</ref>

===Conversion===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2021}}
[[File:RMS Queen Mary 20100215.jpg|thumb|left|''Queen Mary'' from the stern in 2010]]
''Queen Mary'', bought by Long Beach in 1967, was converted from a seafaring vessel to a floating hotel.<ref name="PT 2017-03-13">{{Cite news|date=13 March 2017|title=A history of the Queen Mary in Southern California|url=https://www.presstelegram.com/general-news/20170313/a-history-of-the-queen-mary-in-southern-california|access-date=22 May 2021|newspaper=[[Press Telegram]]|language=en-US}}</ref> The plan included clearing almost every area of the ship below "C" deck (called "R" deck after 1950, to lessen passenger confusion, as the restaurants were located on "R" deck) to make way for [[Jacques Cousteau]]'s new Living Sea Museum. This increased museum space to {{convert|400000|sqft|m2}}.

It required the removal of all the boiler rooms, the forward engine room, both turbo generator rooms, the ship stabilisers and the water softening plant. The ship's empty fuel tanks were filled with local mud to keep the ship's centre of gravity and draft at the correct levels, as these critical factors had been affected by the removal of the various components and structure. Only the aft engine room and "shaft alley", at the stern of the ship, was spared. The remaining space was used for storage or office space.

One problem that arose during the conversion was a dispute between land-based and maritime unions over conversion jobs. The [[United States Coast Guard]] had the final say. ''Queen Mary'' was deemed a building, since most of her propellers had been removed and her machinery gutted. The ship was also repainted with its red water level paint at a slightly higher level than during her service years.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} During the conversion, the funnels were removed, as this area was needed to lift out the scrap materials from the engine and boiler rooms. Workers found that the funnels were significantly degraded, and they were replaced with replicas.

[[File:Queen Mary Hallway -- January 2024.jpg|thumb|Passageway in first-class accommodation, now part of the onboard hotel, as of January 2024.]]
With all of the lower decks nearly gutted from R deck and down, [[Diners Club]], the initial lessee of the ship, converted the remainder of the vessel into a hotel. In 1969, it was reported that the hotel would be operated by Sky Chefs, the catering and hospitality division of [[American Airlines]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-pilot/106507618/|title=Article clipped from News-Pilot|newspaper=News-Pilot |date=17 December 1969|pages=7|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Diners Club Queen Mary dissolved and vacated the ship in 1970 after their parent company, Diners Club International, was sold, and a change in corporate direction was mandated during the conversion process. Specialty Restaurants, a Los Angeles-based company that focused on theme-based restaurants, took over as master lessee the following year.

This second plan was based on converting most of her first- and second-class cabins on A and B decks into hotel rooms, and converting the main lounges and dining rooms into banquet spaces. On Promenade Deck, the starboard promenade was enclosed to feature an upscale restaurant and café named [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Lord Nelson's]] and [[Emma, Lady Hamilton|Lady Hamilton's]]; it was themed in the fashion of early-19th century sailing ships. The famed and elegant Observation Bar was redecorated as a western-themed bar.

[[File:Queen Mary bridge.jpg|thumb|left|''Queen Mary''{{'s}} bridge in 2005]]

The smaller first-class public rooms, such as the Drawing Room, Library, Lecture Room and the Music Studio, were stripped of most of their fittings and converted to commercial use. This markedly expanded retail space on the ship. Two more shopping malls were built on the Sun Deck in separate spaces previously used for first-class cabins and engineers' quarters.

A post-war feature of the ship, the first-class cinema, was removed for kitchen space for the new Promenade Deck dining venues. The first-class lounge and smoking room were reconfigured and converted into banquet space. The second-class smoking room was subdivided into a wedding chapel and office space. On the Sun Deck, the elegant Verandah Grill was gutted and converted into a fast-food eatery, while a new upscale dining venue was created directly above it on Sports Deck, in space once used for crew quarters.

[[File:RMS Queen Mary Long Beach January 2011 view.jpg |thumb|right|Queen Mary in Long Beach is alongside the Cruise Terminal]]

The second-class lounges were expanded to the sides of the ship and used for banqueting. On R deck, the first-class dining room was reconfigured and subdivided into two banquet venues, the Royal Salon and the Windsor Room. The second-class dining room was subdivided into kitchen storage and a crew mess hall, while the third-class dining room was initially used as storage and crew space.

Also on R deck, the first-class [[Victorian Turkish baths|Victorian Turkish bath]] complex, the 1930s equivalent to a spa, was removed. The second-class pool was removed and its space initially used for office space, while the first-class swimming pool was open for viewing by hotel guests and visitors. Because of modern safety codes and the compromised structural soundness of the area directly below, the swimming pool could not be used for swimming after the conversion, although it was filled with water until the late 1980s. Today the pool can only be seen on guided tours and from the first class entrance on R deck. No second-class, third-class or crew cabins remain intact aboard the ship today.

===Opening as a tourist destination===
[[File:Hotel Queen Mary, Long Beach 01.jpg|thumb|Ship as a hotel, with permanent boarding gangways in 2009]]
On 8 May 1971, ''Queen Mary'' opened her doors to tourists. Initially, only portions of the ship were open to the public as Specialty Restaurants had yet to open its dining venues and [[Pacific Southwest Airlines|PSA]] had not completed work converting the ship's original First Class staterooms into the hotel. As a result, the ship was open only on weekends. On 11 December 1971, [[Jacques Cousteau]]'s Museum of the Sea opened, with a quarter of the planned exhibits completed. Within the decade, Cousteau's museum closed due to low ticket sales and the deaths of many of the fish that were housed in the museum. On 2 November 1972, the PSA Hotel Queen Mary opened its initial 150 guest rooms. Two years later, with all 400 rooms finished, PSA brought in [[Hyatt Hotels]] to manage the hotel, which operated from 1974 to 1980 as the Queen Mary Hyatt Hotel.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19750112&id=JrEqAAAAIBAJ&pg=7148,4713999
|title=Queen Mary now Hyatt House
|newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]
|date=12 January 1975
|first=Andrew H
|last=Malcolm
|agency=[[New York Times News Service]]
|access-date=29 December 2012
}}</ref>

By 1980, it had become apparent that the existing system was not working.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19760411&id=eHMjAAAAIBAJ&pg=6793,4464045|title=Queen Mary Ocean Liner Becomes an Albatross|newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]|date=11 April 1976|first=Holger|last=Jensen|access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref> The ship was losing millions each year for the city because the hotel, restaurants and museum were run by three separate concessionaires, while the city owned the vessel and operated guided tours. It was decided that a single operator with more experience in attractions was needed.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.queenmary.com/our-story/timeline.php |title=Queen Mary'S Timeline |publisher=Queenmary.com |access-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227080907/http://www.queenmary.com/our-story/timeline.php |archive-date=27 December 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:Queen Mary Panoramic Sunset.jpg|thumb|right|Sun setting behind the ''Queen Mary'' in Long Beach in 2016]]

[[Jack Wrather]], a local millionaire, had fallen in love with the ship because he and his wife, [[Bonita Granville]], had fond memories of sailing on it numerous times. Wrather signed a 66-year lease with the city of Long Beach to operate the entire property. He oversaw the display of the ''[[Hughes H-4 Hercules|H-4 Hercules]]'', nicknamed the ''Spruce Goose'', on long-term loan. The immense plane, which had been sitting in a [[hangar]] in Long Beach for decades unseen by the public, was installed in a huge [[geodesic dome]] adjacent to the liner in 1983, attracting increased attendance.<ref name="auto"/>

Wrather Port Properties operated the entire attraction after his death in 1984 until 1988, when his holdings were bought by the [[Walt Disney Company]]. Wrather had built the [[Disneyland Hotel (California)|Disneyland Hotel]] in 1955, when [[Walt Disney]] had insufficient funds to construct the hotel himself. Disney had been trying to buy the hotel for 30 years. When they finally succeeded, they also acquired ''Queen Mary.'' This was never marketed as a Disney property. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, ''Queen Mary'' struggled financially. Disney pinned their hopes for turning the attraction around on [[Port Disney]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theneverlandfiles.com/tnf/disneyland/portdisney.php |title=Port Disney |publisher=The Neverland Files |access-date=12 December 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708093024/http://www.theneverlandfiles.com/tnf/disneyland/portdisney.php |archive-date=8 July 2012 }}</ref> a huge planned resort on the adjacent docks. It was to include an attraction known as [[DisneySea (California)|''DisneySea'']], a theme park celebrating the world's oceans. The plans eventually fell through; in 1992 Disney gave up the lease on the ship to focus on building what would become [[Disney California Adventure Park]]. The DisneySea concept was recycled a decade later in Japan as [[Tokyo DisneySea]], with a recreated ocean liner resembling ''Queen Mary'' named the [[SS Columbia (Tokyo DisneySea)|SS ''Columbia'']] as the centrepiece of the American Waterfront area.

===1992 closure and reopening===
With Disney gone, the Hotel ''Queen Mary'' closed on 30 September 1992. The owners of the ''[[Spruce Goose]]'', the Aero Club of Southern California, sold the plane to the [[Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum]] in [[Oregon]]. The plane departed on barges on 2 October 1992. The ''Queen Mary'' remained open until 31 December 1992 when it closed.

During this period, the ship was nominated and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.{{r|PT 2017-03-13}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 September 1992 |title= Queen Mary Pushed for Historical Recognition |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-25-me-893-story.html |access-date=1 May 2022 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref>{{r|NRHP}} Also the [[Port of Long Beach]] turned over control of the vessel to the city in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Henry |first1=Jason |last2=Munguia |first2=Hayley |title=Long Beach now controls the Queen Mary, but it may have to deal with a derelict submarine too |url=http://www.presstelegram.com/2021/07/08/long-beach-controls-the-queen-mary-but-it-may-have-to-deal-with-a-derelict-submarine-too |access-date=23 January 2022 |newspaper=[[Press-Telegram]] |date=9 July 2021}}</ref>

On 5 February 1993, RMS Foundation, Inc signed a five-year lease with the city of Long Beach to act as the operators of the property. The foundation was run by President and C.E.O. Joseph F. Prevratil, who had managed the attraction for Wrather. On 26 February 1993 the tourist attraction reopened completely, while the hotel reopened partially on 5 March with 125 rooms and the banquet facilities, with the remainder of the rooms coming online on 30 April. In 1995, RMS Foundation's lease was extended to twenty years, while the scope of the lease was reduced to operation of the ship. A new company, Queen's Seaport Development, Inc. (QSDI), was established in 1995 to control the real estate adjacent to the vessel. The dome was used extensively as a soundstage for film and television by taking advantage of the adaptable interior space that was larger than any [[sound stage]] in the Los Angeles area.<ref name=pinsky>{{cite news|last1=Pinsky|first1=Mark|title=Long Beach Dome Gets New Life in Film|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-10-ca-41097-story.html|access-date=13 April 2015|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=10 March 1995}}</ref> In 1998, the city of Long Beach extended the QSDI lease to 66 years. Carnival Cruises repurposed a portion of the dome as a passenger terminal in 2001.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ferrell|first=David|date=11 October 2001|title=Giant Dome's Saga Takes Another Turn|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-oct-11-me-55854-story.html|access-date=2 July 2021|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US}}</ref> The [[California State Lands Commission]] also issued a report in response to citizens' concerns about the use of public trust lands and mismanagement of public trust funds. The report determined that the uses were not barred by the granting statutes or the [[public trust doctrine]], but may be considered necessarily incidental to the enjoyment of public tidelands. They found no evidence of mismanagement, a conclusion that was reviewed and affirmed by the [[California State Attorney General|State Attorney General]].<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.lbreport.com/reference/stlanrpt.pdf|title=A Report on the Queensway Bay Development Plan and the Long Beach Tide and Submerged Lands|publisher=State Lands Commission|date=April 2001|via=LBReport.com}}</ref>

In 2004, ''Queen Mary'' and Stargazer Productions added Tibbies Great American Cabaret to the space previously occupied by the ship's bank and wireless telegraph room. Stargazer Productions and ''Queen Mary'' transformed the space into a working dinner theatre complete with stage, lights, sound and scullery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tibbiescabaret.com/History.html|title=History|publisher=[[Tibbies Cabaret]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907104145/http://tibbiescabaret.com/History.html|archive-date=7 September 2009}}</ref>

[[File:Starboard sun deck of Queen Mary docked in Long Beach.jpg|thumb|upright|Starboard sun deck, 1972]]
In 2005, QSDI sought [[Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 11]] protection due to a rent credit dispute with the city. In 2006, the bankruptcy court requested bids from parties interested in taking over the lease from QSDI. The minimum required opening bid was $41M. The operation of the ship, by RMS Foundation, remained independent of the bankruptcy. In summer 2007, ''Queen Mary''{{'s}} lease was sold to a group named "Save the Queen", managed by Hostmark Hospitality Group.

They planned to develop the land adjacent to ''Queen Mary'', and upgrade, renovate and restore the ship. During their management, staterooms were updated with [[iPod]] docking stations, flatscreen TVs. The ship's three funnels and waterline area were also repainted to their original Cunard red colour. The portside Promenade Deck's planking was restored and refinished. Many lifeboats were repaired and patched, and the ship's kitchens were renovated with new equipment.

In late September 2009, management of ''Queen Mary'' was taken over by [[Delaware North Companies]], who planned to continue the restoration and renovation of the ship and its property. They were determined to revitalise and enhance the ship as an attraction.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://media.delawarenorth.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=689 |title=Delaware North on Board at Queen Mary |publisher=media.delawarenorth.com |date=28 September 2009 |access-date=10 September 2012 |archive-date=8 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508102357/http://media.delawarenorth.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=689 |url-status=dead }}</ref> But in April 2011, the city of Long Beach was informed that Delaware North was no longer managing ''Queen Mary''. Garrison Investment Group said this decision was purely business.<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://travel-industry.uptake.com/blog/2009/02/23/queen-mary-long-beach-lease?mode=print
 |title       = Queen Mary Long Beach Lease Rights Auctioned for $25,000
 |first       = P.
 |last        = Ling
 |publisher   = travel-industry.uptake.com
 |date        = 23 February 2009
|access-date  = 10 September 2012
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120425045613/http://travel-industry.uptake.com/blog/2009/02/23/queen-mary-long-beach-lease/?mode=print
 |archive-date = 25 April 2012
}}</ref> Delaware North continued to manage ''[[Soviet submarine B-427|Scorpion]],'' a Soviet submarine that has been a separate attraction next to ''Queen Mary'' since 1998.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.gazettes.com/news/business/updated-new-queen-mary-management/article_d53707f0-6c61-11e0-a889-001cc4c03286.html
|title=New Queen Mary Management
|last=Saltzgaver
|first=Harry
|newspaper=[[Gazette Newspapers]]
|date=21 April 2011
|access-date=10 September 2012
}}</ref>
Evolution Hospitality, LLC. assumed operational control of ''Queen Mary'' on 23 September 2011, with Garrison Investments leasing ''Queen Mary''.<ref>
{{cite news
 |url         = http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_18980056?source=rv
 |title       = Queen Mary gets a new operator
 |newspaper   = [[Press-Telegram]]
 |last        = Meeks
 |first       = Karen Robes
 |date        = 26 September 2011
|access-date  = 10 September 2012
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120406082506/http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_18980056?source=rv
 |archive-date = 6 April 2012
|df          = dmy-all
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 |url          = http://www.lbpost.com/news/staffreports/12439
 |title        = Orange County's Evolution Hospitality to Manage the Queen Mary
 |newspaper    = [[Long Beach Post]]
 |date         = 26 September 2011
|access-date   = 10 September 2012
|archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120605102909/http://www.lbpost.com/news/staffreports/12439
 |archive-date = 5 June 2012
}}</ref> The dome was used as a venue for the Long Beach Derby Gals [[roller derby]] team<ref>{{cite web
| title = Long Beach Derby Gals
| url = http://longbeachderbygals.com/
| year = 2013
| access-date = 1 October 2013
| archive-date = 4 October 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004222157/http://longbeachderbygals.com/
}}</ref> and as an event venue.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Queen Mary Dome
| url = http://www.queenmary.com/events/dome.php
| year = 2013
| access-date = 1 October 2013|archive-date=4 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004231510/http://www.queenmary.com/events/dome.php}}</ref>

===2006 meeting of the two Queen Marys===
[[File:TheQueenMarysMeet.JPG|thumb|{{RMS|Queen Mary 2}} approaching the ''Queen Mary'' at her berth, 23 February 2006, under a salute of "HAIL TO THE QUEENS" in [[skywriting]].]]

On 23 February 2006, {{RMS|Queen Mary 2}} saluted her predecessor as she made a port of call in [[Port of Los Angeles|Los Angeles Harbor]], while on a cruise from South Africa to Mexico.

In March 2011, ''Queen Mary'' was saluted by {{MS|Queen Victoria}} and fireworks, and on 12 March 2013, {{MS|Queen Elizabeth}} made a similar fireworks accompanied salute.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2006-02-23-queen-marys_x.htm |title=Queen Mary 2 to meet original Queen Mary in Long Beach harbor |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=1 March 2006 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref>

The salute was carried out with ''Queen Mary'' replying with her one working air horn in response to ''Queen Mary 2'' sounding her combination of two brand new horns and an original 1934 ''Queen Mary'' horn, which is on loan from the City of Long Beach.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCOralHistory/19430.asp |title='Queen Mary's horn |website=PortCities Southampton |format=mp3 |publisher=plimsoll.org |access-date=10 September 2012 |archive-date=26 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091226020846/http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCOralHistory/19430.asp |url-status=usurped }}</ref> ''Queen Mary'' originally had three whistles tuned to 55&nbsp;Hz, a frequency chosen because it was low enough that the extremely loud sound of it would not be painful to human ears.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/visions/funnels.html |title=The Funnels and Whistles |publisher=Sterling.rmplc.co.uk |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref>

Modern [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]] regulations specify ships' horn frequencies to be in the range 70–200&nbsp;Hz for vessels that are over {{convert|200|m|ft}} in length.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kockumsonics.com/products/marine/marine_tyfon_imo_regulations.htm |title=IMO regulations |publisher=kockumsonics.com |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref> Traditionally, the lower the frequency, the larger the ship. ''Queen Mary 2'', being {{convert|1132|ft|m}} long, was given the lowest possible frequency (70&nbsp;Hz) for her regulation whistles, in addition to the refurbished 55&nbsp;Hz whistle on permanent loan. 55&nbsp;Hz is the "A" note an octave above the lowest note of a standard piano keyboard. The air-driven ''Tyfon'' whistle can be heard at least {{convert|10|mi}} away.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/visions/funnel2.jpg |title=The voice of the Queen Mary can be heard ten miles away |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref>

===2016 lease to Urban Commons===
In 2016, Urban Commons, a real estate company, bought the lease, which extended to 2082, out of default.<ref name="LAT 2021-01-20">{{Cite news|last=Martin|first=Hugo|date=20 January 2021|title=Operator of Queen Mary in Long Beach files for bankruptcy protection|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-01-20/queen-mary-bankruptcy-hotels-eagle-hospitality-trust|access-date=21 January 2021|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> The lease obligated them to perform the ship's daily upkeep and long-term projects. Carnival Cruises took over the entire dome and made efficiency improvements under their management.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Martin|first=Hugo|date=17 October 2016|title=Carnival is set to take over the Spruce Goose dome, expanding its Long Beach cruise facility|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-carnival-long-beach-20161017-snap-story.html|access-date=2 July 2021|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> The operator generated funds through its events, the hotel bookings, and passenger fees from the nearby Carnival cruise terminal, which was the largest source. Taxpayer funds were not being used to maintain the ship under the lease agreement.{{r|LBP 2021-01-23}} Urban Commons had plans to extensively renovate the liner and to redevelop the adjacent {{convert|45 |acres}} of parking with a boutique hotel, restaurants, a marina, an amphitheater, jogging trails, bike paths and possibly a huge Ferris wheel, all at a cost of up to $250 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-queen-mary-20160421-story.html|title=Can $250 million and a Ferris wheel finally turn the Queen Mary into a Long Beach tourist destination?|first=Andrew|last=Khouri|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=21 April 2016}}</ref>

In May 2019, Urban Commons formed Eagle Hospitality [[Real estate investment trust|Real Estate Trust]] with the goal of generating up to $566 million for the Queen Mary along with its portfolio of 12 other hotel properties that it owns or manages.<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 January 2021|title=Queen Mary operator files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy |work= Long Beach Post News|url=https://lbpost.com/news/breaking-queen-mary-operator-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy|access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref> In December 2019, it was announced that the city was reviewing the finances of Urban Commons to determine whether the City of Long Beach had "received all revenues owed."<ref name="Evans"/>

===2017 condition===
In 2017, a report on the ship's condition was issued. The report observed that, not only the hull, but also the supports for a raised exhibition area within the ship were corroding and that the ship's deteriorating condition left areas such as the engine room vulnerable to flooding.<ref name="Knatz 2021">{{Cite news|title=Into the bowels of the Queen Mary {{!}} JOC.com|first1=Geraldine |last1=Knatz|url=https://www.joc.com/bowels-queen-mary_20210518.html|date=18 May 2021|access-date=24 May 2021|website=Journal of Commerce}}</ref> Repair costs were estimated at close to $300 million. In November 2016 the City of Long Beach had put $23 million toward addressing ''Queen Mary''{{'}}s most vital repairs. John Keisler, economic and property development director for Long Beach, said: "We have a timeline in which the engineers believe they can complete those immediate projects. These are major challenges we can only address over time; it can't all be done at once." Political leaders in Scotland, birthplace of ''Queen Mary'', called for the then UK Prime Minister [[Theresa May]] to pressure the American government to fund a full repair of the liner in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Queen Mary ship corroded, fixes could near $300 million |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/15/queen-maryship-corroded-fixes-could-near-300-million/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/15/queen-maryship-corroded-fixes-could-near-300-million/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Telegraph |location=United Kingdom |date=15 March 2017 |access-date=7 June 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In August 2019, Edward Pribonic, the engineer responsible for inspecting ''Queen Mary'' on behalf of the City of Long Beach, issued a report stating that the ship was in the worst condition he had seen in his 25 years on the job.<ref name="Kelly Puente">{{cite news| url=https://lbpost.com/news/engineer-tasked-with-queen-mary-inspections-says-ship-could-soon-be-unsalvageable-city-disagrees| title=Engineer tasked with Queen Mary inspections says ship could soon be 'unsalvageable'; city disagrees| author=Kelly Puente| publisher=Long Beach Post| date=16 October 2019| access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref> Pribonic stated that the neglect of ''Queen Mary'' had grown worse under the management of Urban Commons, and concluded that "without an immediate and very significant infusion of manpower and money, the condition of the ship will likely soon be unsalvageable." Incidents of recent neglect include the flooding of the Grand Ballroom with sewage after a pipe which was flimsily patched with duct tape burst, significant amounts of standing water in the ship's bilge, and recently applied paint on the ship's funnels already peeling because of the poor way in which it was applied. The pessimistic conclusion of Pribonic was disputed by city officials, who called the warnings "hyperbolic" and pointed to the "significant" work that has already been undertaken towards repairing ''Queen Mary''.<ref name="Kelly Puente"/>

The $23 million apportioned for repairs ran out in 2018, with 19 out of the 27 urgent projects identified by a 2015 marine survey completed as of September 2019. There were significant cost overruns overall, with the cost of fire safety repairs increasing from the original estimate of $200,000 to $5.29 million.<ref name="Puente">{{cite news| url=https://lbpost.com/news/inspection-reports-raise-concerns-over-queen-mary-safety-and-maintenance| title=Inspection reports raise concerns over Queen Mary safety and maintenance| author=Kelly Puente| publisher=Long Beach Post| date=23 September 2019| access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref> Two of the remaining eight issues identified in 2015 were considered "critical" – this includes the removal of the ship's lifeboats, which were rotted and in danger of collapsing.<ref name="Puente"/>

In October 2019, the City of Long Beach warned Urban Commons that the company was failing to uphold its commitment to maintain and repair ''Queen Mary'' and that it was accordingly in danger of defaulting on its 66-year lease agreement.<ref name="Evans">{{cite news| url=https://lbpost.com/news/urban-commons-queen-mary-city-auditor| title=City auditor to conduct review of Queen Mary operator's finances| author=Melissa Evans| publisher=Long Beach Post| date=3 December 2019| access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref> Urban Commons responded with an updated plan for repairs, including the removal of the lifeboats at a cost of between $5 and $7 million, and new paint work.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://lbpost.com/news/queen-mary-operator-gives-updated-plan-for-critical-ship-repairs| title=Queen Mary operator gives updated plan for critical ship repairs| author=Kelly Puente| publisher=Long Beach Post| date=6 November 2019| access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref>

===2020 closure and reopening===
The ''Queen Mary'' ceased operations in May 2020, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].{{r|LAT 2021-01-20}} As overseer for several corporations that operated the ''Queen Mary'', Eagle Hospitality Trust filed a motion in federal bankruptcy court on 9 March 2021 to auction off its lease.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Munguia|first=Hayley|date=10 March 2021|title=Queen Mary operator seeks to auction off ship's lease amid bankruptcy proceedings|url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2021/03/09/queen-mary-operator-seeks-to-auction-off-ships-lease-amid-bankruptcy-proceedings|access-date=10 March 2021|work=Press Telegram|language=en-US}}</ref> Court filings by the city claimed that Urban Commons' repair work was incomplete or not performed correctly and would likely have to be redone. Also, the current condition of the vessel was such that significant safety repairs needed to be performed before it could reopen to the public.{{r|LBPN 2021-05-17}} In court filings, Eagle Hospitality Trust stated that the lease was their most valuable asset.<ref name="LBP 2021-01-23">{{Cite news|last=Puente|first=Kelly|date=23 January 2021|title=Queen Mary's future in limbo as operator's bankruptcy hearings are underway|url=https://lbpost.com/news/queen-mary-future-limbo-bankruptcy-urban-commons/amp/|access-date=25 January 2021|work=Long Beach Post}}</ref> There were no bidders on the lease after all of Eagle's other hotel properties were sold at a bankruptcy court auction.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rabin|first=Jeffrey L.|date=27 August 2021|title=Bankruptcy judge blasts ex-Queen Mary operators, freezes $2.4 million of their assets|url=https://lbpost.com/news/queen-mary-freeze-assets-urban-commons|access-date=28 August 2021|work=Long Beach Post}}</ref> Eagle Hospitality Trust agreed to surrender its lease agreement back to the city, and Long Beach took back control in June 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Martín|first=Hugo|date=4 June 2021|title=Long Beach takes over Queen Mary, vowing to preserve the landmark ship|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-06-04/long-beach-takes-over-queen-mary|access-date=5 June 2021|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> To keep the ship running, the city approved a $2 million, six-month contract with Evolution Hospitality to cover monthly utility fees, security, landscaping and other costs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Puente |first=Kelly |date=15 June 2022 |title=City to consider hotel management agreement for Queen Mary; reopening possible this fall |url=https://lbpost.com/news/city-to-consider-hotel-management-agreement-for-queen-mary-reopening-possible-this-fall |access-date=5 November 2022|website=Long Beach Post}}</ref> Simultaneously, the city contracted with Evolution Hospitality, a hotel management company that had been managing the daily operations of the ship since 2011, to act as caretaker.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 June 2021 |title=Long Beach takes over Queen Mary, vowing to preserve the landmark ship |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-06-04/long-beach-takes-over-queen-mary |access-date=10 January 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

An architecture and marine engineering firm hired by the city<ref>{{Cite news|last=Martín|first=Hugo|date=21 July 2021|title=Long Beach considers options for Queen Mary, including sinking the ship|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-07-20/long-beach-considers-options-for-queen-mary|access-date=21 July 2021|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> found that $23 million was needed for urgent safety repairs to keep the ship viable over the next two years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Kelli|date=19 May 2021|title=Historic Queen Mary in danger of capsizing, new report reveals|url=https://www.foxla.com/news/historic-queen-mary-in-danger-if-capsizing-new-report-reveals|access-date=19 May 2021|website=Fox 11|language=en-US}}</ref> The report by Elliott Bay Design Group reported that the vessel was vulnerable to flooding or possibly even capsizing.<ref name="LBPN 2021-05-17">{{Cite news|last=Puente|first=Kelly|date=17 May 2021|title=New Queen Mary report says urgent repairs needed to keep ship viable in the next two years |work= Long Beach Post News|url=https://lbpost.com/news/new-queen-mary-report-says-urgent-repairs-needed-to-keep-ship-viable-in-the-next-two-years|access-date=20 May 2021}}</ref> On 21 September 2021, the Long Beach City Council voted to explore turning the ''Queen Mary'' and surrounding property over to the [[Port of Long Beach|Harbor Department]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2021/09/14/long-beach-votes-to-negotiate-transfer-of-queen-mary-to-harbor-department/|title = Long Beach votes to negotiate transfer of Queen Mary to Harbor Department|date = 15 September 2021}}</ref> Transfer of the ship and the surrounding land from city control to the port would include Pier H.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saltzgaver |first=Harry |date=30 April 2022 |title=Port of Long Beach estimates $345 million loss if it takes control of Queen Mary |url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2022/04/30/port-of-long-beach-estimates-345-million-loss-if-it-takes-control-of-queen-mary |access-date=1 May 2022 |website=Press Telegram |language=en-US}}</ref> An urgent removal of the deteriorated lifeboats was completed as they were putting stress on the side shell of the ship which has created cracks in the support system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singgih |first=Pierce |date=27 January 2022 |title=Long Beach to begin repairs on Queen Mary, will try to reopen the ship later this year |url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2022/01/27/long-beach-to-begin-repairs-on-queen-mary-tries-to-reopen-the-ship-later-this-year |access-date=1 May 2022 |website=Press Telegram |language=en-US}}</ref> Of the 22 lifeboats then on the ship, 15 were original while the remaining 7 were from other ships.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wiss |first=Janney |date=9 February 2022 |title=RMS Queen Mary: Lifeboat Evaluation and Condition Assessment |url=https://www.planetbids.com/LongBeach/BMfiles/20220328091451208%20RFP%20ED22-031%20Queen%20Mary%20Lifeboat(Revised%20Final).pdf}}</ref> Although the city offered the lifeboats to various groups, none were able to meet the city's removal requirements.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Puente |first=Kelly |date=13 May 2022 |title=Video: City begins demolishing historic Queen Mary lifeboats |url=https://lbpost.com/news/video-city-begins-demolishing-historic-queen-mary-lifeboats/ |access-date=2 February 2024 |website=Long Beach Post News |language=en-US}}</ref> Consequently, the city saved 11 of the original lifeboats for restoration and scrapped the remaining 11 (4 originals and 7 non-originals).<ref name=":1" />

In June 2022, the city established a new agreement with Evolution Hospitality where company managed the ship for a portion of the revenues while the city controlled repair and restoration of the ship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DiMaggio|first=Emma|date=22 June 2022 |title=Queen Mary's longtime caretaker Evolution Hospitality will enter 5-year agreement to manage ship |url=https://sigtrib.com/queen-marys-longtime-caretaker-evolution-hospitality-will-enter-5-year-agreement-to-manage-ship/ |access-date=10 January 2024 |website=Signal Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> By November, the city had spent $2.8 million for plumbing repairs, a new Wi-Fi connection, handrail restoration and energy-efficient lightbulbs. This also included beginning work on the ship's boilers and heat exchangers. The city approved $1 million to continue repairs to the ship's linoleum flooring and carpet, refrigerators, elevators, kitchen exhaust hoods, and guest room locks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valdez |first=Jonah |date=2 November 2022 |title=Queen Mary to get $1 million more in repairs ahead of reopening in Long Beach |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-02/long-beach-queen-mary-more-repairs-reopening |access-date=4 November 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> After the ship opened for limited tours on 15 December 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Painter |first=Alysia Gray |date=12 December 2022 |title=The Queen Mary Will Reopen to Visitors With Free 'Thank You' Tours |url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/the-scene/the-queen-mary-will-reopen-to-visitors-with-free-thank-you-tours/3053270/ |access-date=13 December 2022 |website=NBC Los Angeles |language=en-US}}</ref> a public opening was held on 1 April 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Zeke |date=18 April 2023 |title=The Queen Mary returns to her throne post pandemic {{!}} Greater LA |url=https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/long-beach-ship-doulas/queen-mary-tour |access-date=24 April 2023|website=KCRW |language=en}}</ref> Later in the month, the city announced that the ship and Pier H would remain with the city with the port being a partner.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richardson |first=Brandon |date=26 April 2023 |title=Proposal to transfer Queen Mary to the port is dead, officials say |url=https://lbpost.com/news/proposal-to-transfer-queen-mary-to-the-port-is-dead-officials-say/ |access-date=26 April 2023 |website=Long Beach Post News |language=en-US}}</ref> The repairs, along with increased tourism, led the ''Queen Mary'' to earn over $3.5 million in operating profits from April – December 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richardson |first=Brandon |date=17 December 2023 |title=After millions invested in repairs, the Queen Mary is now operating at a profit, operator says |url=https://lbbusinessjournal.com/news/business/queen-mary-operating-profit-repairs-evolution/ |access-date=5 January 2024 |website=Long Beach Business Journal |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Richardson |first=Brandon |date=10 March 2024 |title=Long Beach has spent $45 million fixing the Queen Mary, and more is needed |url=https://lbbusinessjournal.com/news/business/long-beach-has-spent-45-million-fixing-the-queen-mary-and-more-is-needed/ |access-date=12 March 2024 |website=Long Beach Business Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2024, the ''Queen Mary'' was inducted into the Historic Hotels of America registry for its historical significance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sisneros |first=Jacob |date=5 February 2025 |title=Queen Mary inducted into the Historic Hotels of America registry |url=https://lbpost.com/news/local-history/queen-mary-inducted-into-the-historic-hotels-of-america-registry/ |access-date=6 February 2025 |website=Long Beach Post News |language=en-US}}</ref>
In February 2025, the City of Long Beach approved an agreement with the Queen Mary Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the ship's preservation, allowing it to fundraise and carry out restoration projects aboard the vessel without requiring individual City Council approvals.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gonzalez |first=Jason |title=Nonprofit can now fundraise, restore art aboard Queen Mary under new agreement with Long Beach |url=https://lbpost.com/news/local-history/nonprofit-fundraising-restoration-projects-queen-mary |work=Long Beach Post |date=January 31, 2025 |access-date=August 5, 2025}}</ref> Under this arrangement, the Foundation will focus on restoring artwork, furnishings, and historic fixtures, while structural repairs remain under the city's oversight.<ref>{{cite web |title=City Council Agenda Item Details |url=https://longbeach.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=1dc2c7aa-be75-474b-afbe-bca333c0cf08 |website=City of Long Beach PrimeGov |access-date=August 5, 2025}}</ref>

==Amateur radio room==
[[File:Queen Mary radio room.jpg|thumb|left|''Queen Mary''{{'s}} relocated, amateur-manned, modern-equipped [[wireless]] radio room]]

''Queen Mary''{{'}}s original professionally manned wireless radio room was removed when the ship was moored in Long Beach. In its place, an [[amateur radio]] room proposed by Long Beach resident and radio amateur Nate Brightman, K6OSC, was created one deck above the original radio reception room, with some of the discarded original radio equipment used for display purposes. The new Wireless Room was opened for operation on 22 April 1979.<ref name="QM">{{cite web |title=W6RO aboard the Queen Mary |url=https://www.queenmary.com/history/amateur-radio/ |website=queenmary.com |publisher=The Queen Mary |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> The amateur radio station, with the call sign W6RO ("Whiskey Six Romeo Oscar"), relies on volunteers from a local amateur radio club. They staff the radio room during most public hours. The radios can also be used by other licensed amateur radio operators.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aralb.org/ |title=W6RO – Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach |publisher=Aralb.org |date=5 March 2012 |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gazettes.com/radio06232005.html |title=Human Touch Draws Ham Radio Buffs |newspaper=Gazette Newspapers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051024194132/http://www.gazettes.com/radio06232005.html |archive-date=24 October 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/visions/wireless.html |title=The wireless installation |publisher=sterling.rmplc.co.uk |access-date=10 September 2012}}</ref><ref name="VOA">{{cite web|last1=O'Sullivan|first1=Mike|title=Radio Hams Keep 'Queen Mary' Wireless on the Air|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/radio-hams-keep-queen-mary-wireless-on-the-air/1904153.html|website=Voice of America|date=29 April 2014 |publisher=[[Voice of America]]|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

In honour of his over forty years of dedication to W6RO and ''Queen Mary'', in November 2007 the Queen Mary Wireless Room was renamed as the Nate Brightman Radio Room. This was announced on 28 October 2007, at Brightman's 90th birthday party by Joseph Prevratil, former president and CEO of ''Queen Mary''.<ref name="LBP-T">{{cite web|last1=Dulaney|first1=Josh|title=Nate Brightman, Queen Mary radio operator, dies at 99|url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2016/10/31/nate-brightman-queen-mary-radio-operator-dies-at-99/|website=presstelegram.com|publisher=Long Beach Press-Telegram|access-date=19 March 2018|date=31 October 2016}}</ref>

==Alleged hauntings==
 [[Image:Soviet submarine B-427.jpg|thumb|250px|The ''Queen Mary'' with the [[Soviet submarine B-427]], since closed to the public|alt=The ''Queen Mary'' with the [[Soviet submarine B-427]], since closed to the public, at night]]

Following ''Queen Mary''{{'}}s permanent docking in California, claims were made that the ship was [[haunting|haunted]]. These claims began in earnest in the 1980s (possibly done by employees to increase business or spook guests) and have grown since then.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The real haunting of RMS Queen Mary is a corporate one |url=https://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/editors-corner/rms-queen-mary-corporate-haunting |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=World of Cruising |date=31 October 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Spencer |first=Terry |date=11 March 1988 |title=Tour of Queen Mary's Ghosts : Past Said to Haunt Giant Ship |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-03-11-me-1144-story.html |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> For example, in 2008, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine included the ''Queen Mary'' among its "Top 10 Haunted Places".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Top 10 Haunted Places|date=30 October 2008|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1855221_1855285_1855252,00.html|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=5 February 2019}}</ref> One of the staterooms is alleged to be haunted by the spirit of a person supposedly murdered there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/oct/30/travel-haunted-queen-mary-ship-long-beach-ca/|title=The Queen Mary... Haunted?|last=Westbook|first=Devlin|date=30 October 2012|publisher=The San Diego Reader|access-date=19 March 2013}}</ref> Other legends include a young girl who haunts the ship's former second class pool and a father who murdered his two daughters on board.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Perley |first1=Chris |date=31 October 2022 |title=There's Something about Mary (but It's Not What You've Heard) |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2022/10/theres-something-about-mary-but-its-not-what-youve-heard/ |access-date=28 December 2022 |website=Skepticalinquirer.org |publisher=Center for Inquiry}}</ref>

However, there is no historical record to support these claims as no person was murdered aboard the ship.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |last=alubow |date=18 October 2022 |title=The RMS Queen Mary: A Haunted Ship |url=https://houstonmaritime.org/rms-queen-mary/ |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=Houston Maritime Center |language=en-US}}</ref> Most deaths aboard the ship were due to natural causes.<ref name="auto1"/> Further, [[Center for Inquiry]] fellow [[Joe Nickell]] attributes the ''Queen Mary''{{'}}s haunting legends to [[pareidolia]], illusory mental images triggered by subjective feelings, and daydreaming commonly experienced by workers doing repetitive chores.<ref name="Nickell">{{cite magazine |last1=Nickell |first1=Joe |author-link=Joe Nickell |title=Haunted Inns Tales of Spectral Guests |url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/2000/09/haunted_inns_tales_of_spectral_guests/?%2Fsi%2Fshow%2Fhaunted_inns_tales_of_spectral_guest |access-date=12 June 2019 |magazine=Skeptical Inquirer |publisher=[[Center for Inquiry]] |volume=24 |issue=5}}</ref>

Nevertheless, the ''Queen Mary'' operates a number of [[Haunted attraction (simulated)|haunted attraction]] experiences, such as the "Haunted Encounters" and "Grey Ghost Project" tours.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Long Beach Tours & Exhibits – The Queen Mary |url=https://queenmary.com/tours/tours-exhibits/ |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=queenmary.com}}</ref> These tours, although focused on paranormal activity, counter many of the legends of the ship, with facts drawn from the ship's logs, such as records of documented fatalities.<ref name=":0" />

==Notes==

{{reflist|group=Note|refs=
<ref name=Note01>Cunard officials have always denied the story; and, traditionally, the names of royal family members have only been used for capital ships of the [[Royal Navy]]. This anecdote has also been widely contested ever since [[Frank Braynard]] published it in his 1947 book: ''Lives of the Liners''. Some support for the story was provided by ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' editor [[Felix Morley]], who sailed as a guest of the Cunard Line on ''Queen Mary''{{'}}s 1936 maiden voyage. In his 1979 autobiography, ''For the Record'', Morley wrote that he was placed at a table with Sir [[Percy Bates]], Chairman of the Cunard Line. Bates told him the story of the naming of the ship "on condition you won't print it during my lifetime." The story was finally confirmed in 1988 when Braynard attended the same dinner party as Eleanor Sparkes, daughter of Sir Ashley Sparkes, who'd been with Bates during the conversation with George V. She confirmed the "favourite ship story" to him, telling the exact anecdote that Braynard had published in his book.</ref>}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="NRHP">{{cite web
|url={{NRHP url|id=92001714}}
|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
|format=PDF
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|date=9 October 1992
|access-date=9 September 2012
}}{{cite web
|url={{NRHP url|id=92001714|photos=y}}
|title=Accompanying Photos
|format=PDF
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|access-date=9 September 2012
}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading==
* ''The Cunard White Star Quadruple-screw North Atlantic Liner, Queen Mary''. Bonanza Books, 289 p., 1979. {{ISBN|0-517-27929-0}}. Largely a reprint of a special edition of ''The Shipbuilder and Marine Engine-builder'' from 1936.
* {{cite book|last1=Britton|first1=Andrew|title=RMS Queen Mary|series=Classic Liners series|date=2012|publisher=[[The History Press]]|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|isbn=978-0-7524-7952-1}}
* Ellery, David, ''RMS Queen Mary 101 Questions & Answers'', Conway, 2006, {{ISBN|1-84486-033-7}}
* Ellery, David, ''RMS Queen Mary : The World's Favourite Liner'', Waterfront, 1994, {{ISBN|0-946184-84-4}}
* Duncan, William J., ''RMS Queen Mary: Queen of the Queens'', Anderson, South Carolina: Droke House, distr. Grosset & Dunlap, 1969, {{ISBN|978-0-8375-6746-4}}.
* Cunard Line, Ltd., John Brown and Company archives.
* Clydebank Central Library Clydebank, Scotland.
* Maddocks, Melvin, ''The Great Liners'', 1978, Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Va., {{ISBN|0-8094-2664-1}}
* Maguglin, Robert O, ''The Queen Mary: the official pictorial history'' Wrather Port Properties, Long Beach, CA (1985) {{ISBN|0866790233}}
* McCutcheon, Janette, ''RMS Queen Mary : transatlantic masterpiece'', Tempus, 2000, {{ISBN|0-7524-1716-9}}
* Roberts, Andrew, ''Masters and Commanders: How four titans won the war in the West, 1941–1945'', HarperCollins e-Books, London
* Grattidge, Harry, ''Captain of the Queens'', Dutton, New York
* ''Tramp to Queen'' autobiography by Capt. John Treasure Jones, The History Press (2008) {{ISBN|978-0-7524-4625-7}}
* ''The Queens of the North Atlantic'' by Robert Lacey, Sidgwick & Jackson (1973)
* ''RMS Queen Mary. 50 Years of Splendour'' by David E Hutchings, Kingfisher Productions (1986)
* ''Three Stacks and You're Out'' by Velma Krauch, VanLee Enterprise (1971), an account of the Last Great Voyage by a passenger
* ''The Queen Mary: her early years recalled'' by C.W.R. Winter, W. W. Norton and Company (1986) {{ISBN|0-393-02351-6}}
*{{cite book|last1=Watton|first1=Ross|title=The Cunard Liner ''Queen Mary''|date=1989|series=Anatomy of the Ship|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-0-87021-599-5}}

==External links==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|Transport|Greater Los Angeles|Scotland}}
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{{Commons category|IMO 5287938}}
* [https://www.queenmary.com/ The Queen Mary official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724215422/https://queenmary.com/ |date=24 July 2020 }} (Event listings as well as ''Facts & History'' section)
* [https://queenmaryheritage.org Queen Mary Heritage Foundation] City Of Long Beach nonprofit partner for restoration and preservation of the ship
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=svEDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+mechanics+1932&pg=RA1-PA38 "Thirty Million Dollar Super Liner Is Built", January 1932, ''Popular Mechanics''] detailed article on the construction of the future RMS ''Queen Mary''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160129015109/http://www.thegreatoceanliners.com/queenmary.html The Great Ocean Liners: RMS ''Queen Mary'']
* [http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=2194 Restored colour archive film of RMS ''Queen Mary'' on the Clyde (1936)] (archive films from the National Library of Scotland)
*[https://www.chriscunard.com/queen-mary/queen-mary-history/ ''Queen Mary'' Cunard Service History at Chris' Cunard Page] 
* [http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=6044 Launch of the ''Queen Mary'' (1934)] (archive films from the National Library of Scotland)


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{{Cunard ships}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in California}}
{{Largest passenger ships}}
{{October 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{1949 shipwrecks}}
{{National Historic Ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen Mary}}
[[Category:1934 ships]]
[[Category:Art Deco ships]]
[[Category:Blue Riband holders]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in October 1942]]
[[Category:Museum ships in California]]
[[Category:Museums in Long Beach, California]]
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:Ocean liners of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Reportedly haunted locations in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Rogue wave incidents]]
[[Category:Ships of the Cunard Line]]
[[Category:Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:Steamships]]
[[Category:Troop ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Long Beach, California]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1949]]