The RMS Queen Mary in All Her Majesty By Contributor Philip Wahba
The RMS Queen Mary in All Her Majesty
By Contributor Philip Wahba
image: http://www.queenmarycruises.net
The RMS Queen Mary is the last survivor of the golden age of ocean liners. She was a symbol to many of hope for the future out of the depression, and eventually became even more symbolic after World War II. She now sits docked in Long Beach as a historical landmark, hotel, museum, and events venue, still a sight to behold, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the beginning of her construction, December 1, 1930.
Before she was named and launched as the RMS Queen Mary, she was known as “job #534”. She was built by Scotland craftsmen in Clydebank, Scotland. Cunard Line spared no expense on building the Queen Mary, even through the financial hardship and setbacks of the depression, and her design was influenced by the Art Deco movement of the 20s and 30s. She was informally dubbed the "Grey Ghost" because of her stealth and stark color. She was designed to set a new standard for elegance and comfort for the time.
The Queen Mary has also been referred to as the Ship of Beautiful Woods, for the 56 different woods used to line the hallways, stairways, and panels throughout the ship. All 56 varieties of wood included represented each of the British protectorates at the time the ship was built. Of those, six types of woods are now actually extinct making the Queen Mary, one of the few places they can still be found.
www.wikipedia.org --passageway in First Class accommodation, now part of the onboard hotel
The ship was built to be the largest and fastest built by man, intended to be a luxury liner. She boasted 160,000 horsepower, intended for travel across the Atlantic in 7 days, a record time. Her top speed was 32.5 knots which was very fast compared to other boats and warships at the time. She was built to surpass the Titanic in every way, standing at 1018 feet, which is taller than the Eiffel Tower, and included 12 decks. She was built with 346 rooms of first class suites and staterooms. She was touted as having five dining areas and lounges, two cocktail bars and swimming pools, a grand ballroom, a squash court and even a small hospital. The first class lounge was designed where passengers could go to spend their day reading, listening to pianist, or a small orchestra. This lounge was a perfect example of why the ship is nicknamed “Ship of Beautiful Woods”. The ceiling consists of Nazzer Birch, the walls are made up of Maple Bur, and the columns are made from Cherry Mahogany from West Africa. More than 10 Million rivets hold her together.
"Today we come to the happy task of sending on her way the stateliest ship now in being. It has been the nation’s will that she should be completed, and today we can send her forth no longer a number on the books, but a ship with a name in the world, alive with beauty, energy and strength! May her life among great waters spread friendship among the nations!"
– King George V on the Queen Mary launch
September 26 1934 was launch day. King George the 5th and Queen Mary of England launched the ship and named the ship RMS Queen Mary on that day. Her maiden voyage was May 27, 1936, from Southampton, England to New York.
Celebrities would sail across the Atlantic such as Fred Estaire and Bob Hope, who was on board on her final passenger voyage before the ship conversion to outfit her for World War II. The ship's last peacetime voyage in August, 1939 was anything but routine. Queen Mary's captain was ordered to sail about 100 miles south of her normal route as a precaution against lurking German submarines. The Queen Mary was converted to a war time ship. When converted, she was turned into the world’s largest troop ship, and bunks were built in the rooms, squeezing the most troops possible into small quarters. Her first voyage as a war time ship was May, 1940.
The Queen Mary would play many important roles in the war. WWII troop transport. Every other week would haul GIs to Europe and England to New York. The ship would send American soldiers to Europe on the average of about 15,000 troops and the record being 16,600 troops in July, 1943 which is the largest ever record that still to this day. She carried more than half a million GI soldiers leading up to D-Day. Ham and eggs were the most popular meal on board, and had to be cooked and prepared 24/7 to keep up with demand. It should be noted that the Queen Mary was never in a battle or even fired upon during its tenure.
Winston Churchill traveled on the Queen Mary three times during WWII and considered it his headquarters at sea. In fact, he even signed the D-Day Declaration onboard. He sang her praises, and said that she was instrumental in the battle of the Atlantic, and without her aid, the victory of WWII would “unquestionably” postponed.
The U.S.O. sailed many voyages onboard the Queen Mary. Bing Crosby was a passenger several times, especially when he traveled overseas with the U.S.O. He was recognized as the entertainer who had done the most for G.I. morale during WWII.
After WWII, the Queen Mary began a retrofitting process that took 10-months, which returned the ship to her original glory. In 1947, she resumed regular passenger voyages, which included Elizabeth Taylor, who traveled with her poodles. Travel with personal pets was popular and kennels were built on the Sports Deck. Clark Gable delayed the voyage by 18 minutes as he bid goodbye to his love interest, Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer boarded the majestic ship on their way to their 2nd honeymoon, and Lynne Redgrave sailed on the Queen Mary’s final voyage in 1967.
Dignitaries also enjoyed sailing aboard the Queen Mary. The Duke & Duchess of Windsor (Edward VII was the son of Queen Mary, the ship’s namesake) traveled the ship often, calling it “their ship.” They always would travel in the same suite, M58 on the Main Deck, which is now called the “Windsor Suite.” During one of their voyages, the couple brought with them 120 pieces of luggage and their dogs. Prior to becoming the President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower sailed aboard the ocean liner. He and his wife made the transatlantic voyage on September 27, 1946 to Southampton, England. Most importantly, The Queen Mother returned from a visit to the U.S. aboard her namesake in November, 1954.
The Queen Mary would tally voyages crossing the Atlantic 1,001 times, and by the 1960s, preferred transatlantic travel would move from ocean liners to jet aircraft, which made travel easier and faster. In 1967, as Cunard was operating the Queen Mary at a loss, the City of Long Beach purchased the Queen Mary for $3.5 Million to turn her into a maritime museum and hotel, and the Queen Mary made her final voyage from Southampton to Long Beach, under the direction of Captain John Treasure Jones. On May 8, 1971, Long Beach opened the Queen Mary’s doors to the viewing public.
www.wikipedia.org --2008
Since then, many television shows and movies have been filmed there. In 1972, The Poseiden Adventure was filmed aboard the Queen Mary. Many other movies have been featured either the interior or exterior of this beautiful ship, including The Aviator, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Pearl Harbor, Out to Sea, Dial M for Murder, and more. Television shows that have been filmed include episodes of Charlie’s Angels, Murder She Wrote, Columbo, Love Boat, and even a ghost hunting episode. Even the movie Shawshank Redemption references the Queen Mary, when Red goes and digs up the box that Andy left for him, the money is in a Queen Mary candy tin.
www.wikipedia.org -- January 2011
Now anchored a little over 50 years in Long Beach, the Queen Mary stands as a shrine and symbol of the City of Long Beach. She hosts many tourists, guests, and events every year. She carried some 2.2 million passengers in peacetime and 810,000 military personnel in the Second World War, but here in Long Beach, an estimated 50 million people have visited. The Queen Mary is an eternal floating historical landmark and will continue to be for generations to come.
References
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2017/01/16/rms-queen-marys-war-service-voyages-to-victory/
Philip Wahba is a graduate of the University of Oregon. Growing up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, he was always fascinated with the local history. Coming home has given him a new perspective and interest in the South Bay, past and present. His interests include local real estate and architecture. In his free time, he enjoys watching and cheering for the Los Angeles sports teams, especially the Dodgers.
