Confessions of a Queen Mary Tour Guide- Part I

Some years ago this examiner was a tour guide on the famously haunted Queen Mary. Along with its rich history, comes rumors of hauntings that span the years of its service as the grandest ocean liner in the world, to the years of military service as "the Grey Ghost" during World War II, through its final years of providing regular passenger service from England to New York. There were approximately 54 recorded deaths that occurred on the ship; however, in actuality, there were much more than that as the Cunard line was fearful of negative publicity anytime a passenger did pass away during their voyage on the Queen Mary. As a tour guide, a story that was often told to guests on the tours, was of the death of a rather large gentleman who had apparently succumbed to a heart attack. The deceased passenger had been expected at a prominent New York Hotel. This occurred during the Queen Mary's glory days before World War II, when it was fashionable to travel with those old, large, and cumbersome steamer trunks, which would store one's entire wardrobe if it was so desired. So, rather than report the incident as another death on the ship, the deceased's body was placed in one of his steamer trunks and delivered to the hotel. The ship crew members requested to personally deliver the dead gentleman's steamer trunks to his hotel room as he would check in later because of an appointment he had to make. After taking the man's possessions to the hotel room, they took his body out of the trunk and respectfully put him into bed. It was maybe a day or so later that his body was discovered by hotel staff and he was thought to have passed away in his sleep. Another more famous death was that of a young crew member, eighteen year old Jon Pedder, who died in the Queen Mary engine room as water tight door number 13 was closing during a routine safety drill. Apparently, he had somehow gotten in the way of the door and was unable to get out, and was crushed to death as a result. This happened in 1966, and the final voyage of the Queen Mary began one year later on October 31, 1967. Due to the convenience of air travel, the Cunard Line began to lose money as more and more people chose to fly instead of book passage on the ship. She famously sits in the Port of Long Beach ever since her arrival in December of 1967 and is not dry-docked, but sits in her own break water. As a former employee, this examiner can attest to the validity of the ships hauntings, having a few personal run-ins with the paranormal as part of the regular work day. The next article will examine those experiences in "Confessions of a Queen Mary Tour Guide"-Part 2. The Queen Mary is located in the Port of Long Beach, at 1126 Queen's Highway Long Beach, CA 90802 Until next time, Happy Hauntings~ Traci Otake, L.A. Paranormal Examiner