Ghost ships

HMS Queen Mary

The HMS Queen Mary, a luxury passenger ship built in the 1930s, has a long and colorful history filled with both glamour and tragedy. The ship was larger and faster than the infamous Titanic and carried such luminaries as Clark Gable, Bob Hope, and even Sir Winston Churchill.

During World War II, the ship became a troop carrier under the name “The Gray Ghost.” She was so successful that Adolph Hitler placed a $250,000 bounty on the ship, payable to whoever could sink her. The closest the ship came to disaster, however, was when she collided with an accompanying ship, the HMS Curacao. All three hundred people aboard the Curacao died at sea.

After serving in the war, the Gray Ghost returned to service as a luxury passenger carrier and since 1967 was docked in Long Beach, California to serve as a floating hotel. During her 60-year history, the Queen Mary was the site of 49 reported deaths, so there are plenty of potential spirits to haunt her hallways.

Some investigators claim that there are at least 150 spirits still residing on the Queen Mary. 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 daily Queen Mary Ghosts and Legends Tour includes admission to a special Ghosts and Legends exhibit and a self-guided tour to other places where ghosts have been sighted.