RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that was under the ownership of the Cunard Line.
History
Beginnings
Mary was built at the John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland. During her construction she was known as Job Number 534.
Work began in December 1930, but came to a halt a year later due to the Great Depression. A couple years later, Cunard would begrudingly merge with their rival White Star (of Titanic fame) in order to get a loan from the British government. Work resumed in April 1934 and the Cunard-White Star Line was formed.
On September 26 1934, she was given the name Queen Mary by Her Majesty Queen Mary of Teck, consort of King George V, and launched.
Mary departed from Southhampton, England for her maiden voyage on May 27 1936. In August she took the Blue Riband, an unofficial accolade given to vessels who made the fastest Transatlantic crossing, from her rival SS Normandie. Normandie took back the prize in 1937, and in 1938 Mary took the speed record from Normandie again.
Wartime
In September 1939, the Second World War broke out in Europe. Mary was rushed to New York and left idle, docked alongside Normandie and later her little sister, Queen Elizabeth.
Mary and Elizabeth were requisitioned as troop transport ships, and proved to be of immense value to the Allied effort due to their size and speed. Mary famously earned the moniker "The Grey Ghost" in reference to her battleship grey livery, and how she seemed to vanish into thin air before a U-Boat could take aim.
Post-War
Mary returned to passenger service in 1947, providing a Transatlantic voyage express alongside her sister Elizabeth as Cunard originally intended.
In 1952, Mary's speed record was broken by the brand new SS United States, ending her 14 year streak.
A New Beginning
With the advent of the passenger jet, the ocean liner trade began to decline. As a result, Cunard put the Queens up for sale in the hopes that they would be preserved. Mary was purchased by the City of Long Beach, CA, to become a floating tourist attraction.
Mary left Southampton for the final time on Halloween 1967. Her Last Great Cruise lasted 39 days; the main reason for this was because she could not fit through the Panama Canal and thus had to go around the tip of South America.
Mary arrived at her new home on December 9 1967. After a few years of converting her so she complied with California building codes, she opened as a floating museum and hotel in 1971, and still operates as such to this day.
Trivia
- Mary is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the world.
- Mary has been featured in movies, TV shows, and other forms of visual media:
- The Poseidon Adventure. Not only is this her most well known role, but it is based on a real-life encounter Mary had with a rouge wave during one of her wartime voyages.
- Assault on a Queen starring Frank Sinatra.
- The music video for "SOS" by the Jonas Brothers.
- Some works of art aboard Mary pay tribute to other famous vehicles, such as:
- RMS Queen Elizabeth: As Mary's sister, Elizabeth is featured in many works aboard the ship. This includes the large map in the First Class Dining Room (Grand Salon) and one of the glass panels at the Second Class Staircase depicting the history of transportation.
- RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania: The two sisters are featured in a wood carving in the First Class Dining Room (Grand Salon) depicting the history of shipbuilding. Maury is featured in the painting "Mauretania Arriving at Rosyth" by Charles Pear, which depicts the vessel on her way to the scrappers. This painting was on display in the Second Class Smoking Lounge (the Wedding Chapel), but is currently in storage.
- RMS Aquitania: Possibly on the map in the First Class Dining Room (Grand Salon), as she was the only four-funneled liner to serve alongside Mary and Elizabeth.
- Stephenson's Rocket: Featured on one of the glass panels at the Second Class Staircase depicting the history of transportation.
- LNER Class A4: Featured on one of the glass panels at the Second Class Staircase depicting the history of transportation.
- The LNER Class A4 Mallard holds the title as the fastest steam engine in the world, just as Mary was the fastest ocean liner. However, because the panels precede Mallard's construction, it cannot be him in the panel.
- RMS Britannia: The first Cunard liner, featured on one of the glass panels at the Second Class Staircase depicting the history of transportation.