Moses Sandoval

Ms. Trelease

Digital Journalism

13 September 2018

The Secrets of the Iron Queen

The famous and legendary ​Queen Mary​. This ship was named after the Lady herself, the

wife of King George the V. However, legend has it that the ship’s name was not intended to be

so. The board of directors at Cunard Ship Line wanted to name the ship, ​Queen Victoria​, thus

keeping it in the tradition of the Cunard ships having an “ia” suffix. The legend states that the

directors asked the king for his blessing of the ships proposed name. “We have decided to name

our new ship after England's greatest Queen,” they had said. The king responded with, “My wife

(​Queen Mary​) will be delighted that you are naming the ship after her.” However, they meant

Queen Victoria, the king’s grandmother, but the name Mary stuck.

The once famous​ Queen Mary ​retired from the sea as an active liner in 1967. However,

the legendary ship is now more famous than she had ever been before, now an iconic Southern

California Attraction, hotel and a venue for special events. While in her prime, the ​Queen Mary

was able to transport 2.2 Million passengers in times of peace, and during the Second World

War, she was able to transport 810,000 Military personnel. Now, she rests in the harbor of Long

Beach, California. She has frequently been visited by an estimate of 50 Million people, and on

Saturday, October 4, 2018, I, Moses Sandoval, and my digital journalism crew will visit this

legendary ship as well.

THE SPOOKY STUFF

As far as facts go, the​ Queen Mary ​is said to be one of the most haunted places in the

world. Personally, after my trip, I didn’t feel “haunted.” I walked through her enormous engine

room and felt no other presence, other than those of my crew. I honestly can’t say that I truly

believe in the horrors of the night (such as “ghosts”). There is always that sense in maybe, just

maybe, but it hasn’t been exposed by science. The haunted thing to me at least is just a way to

bring in customers.

The only time I felt a sense of fear was when I walked through one of the vast corridors

of suites and heard a faint scream off in the distance. Granted, it could have been one of the

passengers at the time, but even so, why would they have screamed? One night, while the chef

on board was sleeping, a couple of soldiers who disliked the cooking decided to grab the chef

and stuff him in the oven. In the end, he was cooked alive. As far as screams go, they must have

been those of the young girl named Dana, as she watched her mother and two sisters being

strangled to death by her father, and later being shot to death herself by him as well. Her father

later killed himself as well. The poor Dana was found bloodied next to her father in the bathroom

of room B-474. This room is open to the public today.

The first class pool is also a source of haunting. It’s scary enough due to the aesthetics of

having cracked floor tiles and rusted walls. After giving it a quick peek through the doors, I felt

bad for the condition of the pool. There was a young girl who drowned in the pool; people have

said to be able to hear splashing in the now empty pool, as well as two young ladies in 1930s

swimming suits, so if you see them give them a wave.

 After hearing and reading some of the stories come to pass, I haven’t been able to look

through some of the footage that I have accumulated on my time aboard. Mainly in my laziness,

but also in fear of finding something paranormal in these videos. Although she is a famous ship

of frights and scares, I felt completely at ease, almost at home. It was probably due to the thought

of her not really being haunted, and more of a hoax to bring believers of the paranormal through

her iron exterior. Video blogs like those of Shane Dawson, Sam Golbach, and OmarGoshTV,

tend to fume the flames of the “haunted” ​Queen Mary​.

HER BEAUTIFUL HISTORY

On September 26, 1934, The RMS ​Queen Mary ​was launched and she graced the seas

with colors of red, white, and black. Three years after her launch, she set a speed record, which

she held for a good 14 years. However, in the year 1939, she docked in the city of New York.

This was the last time she would have been able to transport any civilian passenger for quite

some time

As World War II began to take place, the once beautiful ​Queen Mary b​ egan her

transformation into a troopship. Her luxurious amenities were stripped of her and they painted

her a camouflaged grey color. The​ Queen Mary​ was the largest and fastest troopship sailing the

seas and was capable of transporting about 16,000 fully armed troops at an average of 30 knots.

She was rapidly dubbed the “Grey Ghost” due to her stealth and stark color. After World War II

came to an end, the ​Queen Mary ​began a 10-month retrofitting process, which helped return the

ship to her former glory. On July 21, 1947, the ​Queen Mary​ began to resume her regular

passenger service across the Atlantic Ocean. She continued her service for nearly two more

decades.
 The era of the ​Queen Mary​ came to an end, as the popularity of air travel inclined. By the

year 1965, the entire fleet of the Cunard operated at a loss and it was decided that the legendary

Queen Mary ​would be sold. On October 31, 1967, the ​Queen Mary​ began her final cruise and

arrived in the city of Long Beach, California on December 9 of that same year. She has since

called Southern California her home. Now, the ​Queen Mary​ is a floating hotel, attraction, and

event/wedding venue. She is home to three world-class restaurants and an icon in Southern

California. All in all, this majestic ship is a real beauty.