22 Spooky Facts About The Queen Mary
The Queen Mary first started as an ocean liner in May 1936 between Europe and the United States. After more than three decades of operating, she retired from the transportation industry and slowly became a widely known hotel in Long Beach, California. But the Queen Mary was far from a normal place where couples and newlyweds would mingle; soon enough, others discovered the hidden ghosts who roamed around the ship. Want to know more about this phenomenon? Here are 22 spooky facts about the Queen Mary and it’s hauntings for those adventurous explorers.
1. When the ship launched in 1934, an English psychic named Lady Mable Fortiscue-Harrison said that “The Queen Mary will know her greatest fame and popularity when she never sails another mile or carries another fare-paying passenger.”
2. Queen Mary was known as the “Grey Ghost” during World War II due to the ghastly color on the exterior and the rapid speed.
3. During a war-time expedition in 1942, a smaller boat was driving in front of Queen Mary to help spot enemy ships. However, the Queen Mary ended up over-speeding and crushing the smaller boat, which killed over 300 people.
4. Times Magazine placed the Queen Mary in the Top 10 rankings for the most Haunted Places in 2008.
5. The ship has been featured on two TV shows for investigation; SYFY Channel’s Ghost Hunters and the British TV series Most Haunted.
6. More than 15 films used the ship and her interiors as a prop. For example, the Queen Mary was filmed as the Titanic in S.O.S. Titanic and was also seen on Assault on a Queen and the X-Files.
7. The most notoriously haunted Stateroom B340 costs around $499 for one night of stay and was closed for 25 years.
8. Guests who choose to stay in Stateroom B340 have the option to play with unique items such as a Ouija board, tarot cards, and a crystal ball.
9. Even during the final voyage in 1967, guests complained about hearing knocks on their door in the middle of the night, bathroom lights turning on by themselves, and doors slamming shut in Stateroom B340. These complaints still continue today.
10. In 1948, a passenger named Walter J. Adamson passed away in Stateroom B340. His ghost can still be seen today next to the bed.
11. There were reported to be around 49 deaths on board the Queen Mary, including an engineer and a child who drowned in the pool.
12. Another supposedly haunted room is the Mauritania Room. Legend states that in 1989, two women were cleaning the VIP reception and saw a passenger sitting on a chair in the middle of the dance floor. As soon as a third worker entered to clean the room, she told the two other women that the passenger had asked her to move and was staring at the workers. When the three women called security, the passenger vanished into thin air.
13. Guests and workers have also reported hauntings at The Mayfair Room, which was previously the ship’s beauty salon. Even though the room has been converted into an office, employees continue to spot a lady in white roaming past the desks, especially when they arrive early in the morning.
14. Although The First Class Swimming Pool is now being renovated, people have seen many ghosts appear and vanish at the site. Some of these include a young woman in a tennis skirt, another woman in a wedding gown standing next to a little boy, and a little girl wearing a blue and white dress.
15. Guests have even reported hauntings at the Boiler Room #4. A little girl playing with a doll apparently meanders around.
16. A chef who was brutally murdered by soldiers still haunts the kitchen.
17. When the Buzzfeed team visited the Queen Mary, they heard a lot of suspicious sounds, such as knocks and glass breaking.
18. Theatrical shows such as Illusions of the Passed, A Theatrical Séance have taken place in the Queen Mary.
19. People have also spotted the fireman — a man in dark clothes with a beard who was crushed underneath a door during a drill.
20. Guests can book a tour at night ranging from a dinner at an award-winning restaurant, a ship walk to explore the haunted locations, or a paranormal investigation with thrill seekers.
21. For Halloween parties and family trips, the Queen Mary offers an annual tradition which includes mazes, concessions, DJs, and a costume ball.
22. Death records weren’t kept from World War II, which indicates that more people may have died on the ship and continue to haunt on it. Some of them may not have been spotted… as of yet.