By Kirsty Gilchrist
Launched in 1934 by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Glasgow, the ocean liner Queen Mary has been permanently moored as a working hotel in the city of Long Beach, California, since 1967.
The Queen Mary was built during the Great Depression, and the Cunard company had to take a loan from the British Government to complete construction of the 80,000-ton ship. The ship’s size meant that the River Clyde had to be deepened and widened prior to her launch. This work was completed by the famous Scottish lighthouse engineer D. Alan Stevenson. [1]
The Queen Mary is believed to be one of the most haunted ships in the world, perhaps because of the vessel’s significant involvement in WWII as a troopship, often transporting soldiers without an escort, and holding the record for the largest number of people on one vessel at one time. In fact, the ship was known as the “Grey Ghost” during WWII due to her speed and wartime colour of navy grey. [2]
The ship’s current role as a floating hotel in California makes it accessible to a wide audience of visitors. Some visit the Queen Mary for its interesting history or preserved art deco interiors, and some are drawn to the ship by stories of ghosts. Known active areas of the ship include the morgue and the swimming pool, where doors slam shut, lights go on and off on their own, and figures can be seen roaming where deaths occurred during WWII. [3]
There is a popular rumour that after the ship’s launch in 1934, the English astrologer Lady Mabel Fortescue-Harrison stated a very accurate prediction:
‘Most of this generation will be gone, including myself, when this event occurs. However, the Queen Mary will know its greatest fame and popularity when she never sails another mile and never carries another passenger.’ [4]
More Glasgow Shipbuilding Ghosts?
There are also some ghostly stories connected to the Scottish Maritime Museum, with many of our staff having strange encounters over the years. For example, in the Linthouse building at our Irvine site, visitor services staff often hear noises of movement and activity when visitors are not present. There have also been a few cases of lone staff members seeing figures walking through the museum when it is closed to the public. Perhaps there are ghosts of former shipyard workers haunting the engine shop building of Alexander Stephen & Sons. Or even spirits tied to museum objects with more tragic histories.
References:
[1] https://www.scottish-places.info/people/famousfirst955.html
[2] https://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/history/wartime.html
[3] https://www.bookagain.dannolte.com/folklore87d.html
[4] Legend of the Queen Mary and her phantom guests
Photographs:
1997-016(002) R.M.S. Queen Mary coming down the River Clyde, © Scottish Maritime Museum
R. M. S. Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, <https://www.visitlongbeach.com/things-to-do/attractions/the-queen-mary/>
2024-089(4) Crowd watching the Queen Mary on the River Clyde, © Scottish Maritime Museum
2015-015(023)ao Helen “Ella” Millar and family onboard the Queen Mary during trip to visit relatives in New York and Indiana, 1949, © Scottish Maritime Museum
2019-067(011) The reconstruction of the Museum’s Linthouse building in Irvine, © Scottish Maritime Museum
Queen’s Salon on the Queen Mary, < https://artdecola.org/events-calendar/queen-mary-cocktails-2023>
