Queen Mary Hauntings

This month Minnie is exploring the alphabet by digging out the unusual, often unexplained and alternative way of thinking. Stories of creatures, places and mysteries that have been passed down to us through centuries tease our imagination, live in our dreams and dare us to explore the impossible. Join Minnie each day as she discovers something unusual in the alphabet.

 

"Even Ghosts deserve a vacation!"

The luxury liner and World War II transport ship Queen Mary is one of the most haunted places of modern time in America. Queen Mary sailed on her maiden voyage on 27 May 1936 and with the outbreak of World War II, she was converted into a troopship and carried Allied soldiers for the duration of the war. During the war she was named "The Grey Ghost" because of the color she was painted to make her stealthy in war-time waters. Following the war, Queen Mary was refitted once again for passenger service. The ships Queen Mary and Queen Elisabeth dominated the transatlantic passenger transportation market until the dawn of the jet age in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s the ship was aging and though still among the most popular transatlantic liners, was operating at a loss and finally in 1967 she retired. The ship left Southampton for the last time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the port of Long Beach, California, United States, where she remains permanently moored and now serves as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a museum, and hotel.

In her time, the Queen Mary carried sailors, soldiers, stowaways and wealthy vacationers. It is not surprising she saw her own share of deaths. In fact, there are so many hauntings that some parts of the ship are now barred from the public. But for the paranormally curious there are still haunted tours of the cabins and halls that housed death. During her over 70-year history, the Queen Mary has 49 reported deaths, so there are plenty of potential spirits to haunt her hallways. Reported hauntings include a young crewman in the engine room, swimmers in the first-class pool, a man in black, and a woman in blue. The in-house psychic, Peter James, claims that he has communicated with over 150 separate ghosts on the ship. James gives bi-monthly ghost tours of the ship and claims to have made contact with many different ghosts. 

Can't get to the Queen Mary to see the ghosts, here is a link to some images from the Queen Mary GhostCam. 

Are the ghosts real? I don’t know, but I sure do love a good ghost story. Have you ever been on a ghost tour, seen a ghost? Do tell!