Andi Grant's Blog - Everyday Real Estate with a Twist

Mary Still Cries in the Night:  The Haunted Queen Mary - Part 2 of 3

Legend has it that the Queen Mary in Long Beach is haunted!  The Queen Mary, also known by her war name as the "Grey Ghost," is considered by paranormal enthusiasts to be one of the top six haunted places to go and depending on what you've read, said to have over 600 spirits* still wandering her halls today (apparently  someone is counting).  It's no wonder that thousands of amateur and seasoned ghost hunters flock to board her for an eerie visit or overnight stay in the hopes of experiencing some of the unexplained phenomena. 

Unlike other "ghost ships" such as the "Titanic," the "Flying Dutchman", the "Mary Celeste," and Blackbeard's Pirate Ship, the Queen Mary is one of the last pre-war oceanliners and "haunted" ships that is still easily accessible to the public today.

WHY DOST THOU WEEP?

From the Queen Mary's maiden voyage in 1936 until her last voyage in the late 60's, there reportedly have been hundreds of deaths related to her; explained and unexplained, accidental drownings to suspected murders, with the largest number of deaths occuring during her wartime, most notably in a single voyage.  Two drownings in particular have gotten a lot of attention as the victims have been said to appear from time to time.  According to visitors, psychics and ship personnel, the most vocal and attention seeking of the two is that of a little girl named Jackie,** said to have been seen and heard at all times of the night near and around the pool area of her demise; preceded or followed by splashing sounds and wet footprints randomly appearing leading from the pool area.   

During the 13 "Bride and Baby" Voyages,* the Queen Mary passengered over 22,000 war brides and their children.  Playing, crying and laughing kids are said to be heard in the wee hours of the night in the empty rooms where the children are said to have played.   

KEEP ON A KNOCKIN' BUT YOU CAN'T COME IN

One of eeriest and saddest of tragedies to occur as a direct result of the Queen Mary to date, was the mass drowning of several hundred American troops during WWII maneuvers.  During evasive zig-zagging courses to avoid enemy fire, a small escort ship, the HMS Curacoa, was accidentally struck by the much larger "Grey Ghost," splitting the much smaller vessel completely in two.  Due to strict military orders not to stop under any circumstances for fear of U-boat attacks, the Queen Mary had no choice but to leave hundreds of drowning men behind before rescue operations could later save less than a hundred of them.  Many passengers, ship personnel and visitors are said to have heard and recorded unexplained pounding, tapping and knocking on metal in the area known as the "Bosun's Locker," the same area of the hull that split the Curacoa in half.

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS GHOSTS!" 

Is the Queen Mary's alter-ego the "Grey Ghost" taking over her?  Could she be the "Blair Witch of the Sea?"  Whether you believe in ghosts or not, something is happening aboard the Queen Mary. Whether it is real, fabricated, imagined or not remains to be seen as thousands of amateur ghost adventurers, professional paranormal investigators and seasoned ghost hunters take to the Queen Mary's "haunted" corridors again and again.   

QUEEN MARY DAY TOURS

QUEEN MARY NIGHT/EVENING TOURS

• Dining with the Spirits - Dinner and late-night guided tour of what is said to be the ship's most active paranormal areas. Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. (1 hour dining, and 2 hour shipwalk)
• Paranormal Investigation - become part scientist and ghost hunter by joining a paranormal investigator on an hunt using ghost hunting tools and tricks in the hopes of communicating with the Queen Mary's reported spirits.  Fridays at Midnight (2 hours)
• Paranormal Ship Walk - After hours tour of the reported haunted locations.  Thursdays, Fridays & Sundays at 8:00 pm (2 hours)
• Twilight Historical Tour - A Twilight "Behind-the-Scenes" tour as you learn of the ships history from past to present. Thursdays through Sundays at 6:45 pm (1 hour)

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE FULL SERIES:  

Part 1 of 3:  Queen Mary in Long Beach - Tourist Attraction, Museum, Hotel and Haunted Ship 

Part 3 of 3:   No Man Left Behind...Unless You're With the Queen Mary:  The Highs and Woes of War

___

Ship photos are property of AndiGrant.com and are not to be used without express written permission by Andi Grant.  All rights reserved. 

Footprints and hand in the fog photos courtesy of Creative Commons:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

sources: *Legends of America ; ** Fabulous Travel.com