January 11, 2025, 6:40 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Once a luxury liner, the “RMS Queen Mary” has been anchored in the Californian city of Long Beach since 1967—and is now considered one of the world’s spookiest places. Everywhere on the ship is said to be haunted. You can even spend the night in the most haunted suite—if you dare…
Anchored in the harbor of Long Beach, California, stands a ship that, despite being 91 years old, continues to captivate: the “RMS Queen Mary”. After seven years of construction, this pinnacle of luxury steamers first crossed the Atlantic in 1936. Since then, she has earned a reputation as one of the spookiest places in the world. Today, the Queen Mary is a hotel ship.
Queen Mary: From Cruise Ship to Hotel
Legends tell of countless ghosts that roam the decks of the ocean liner. Since the ship first opened to visitors in Long Beach in 1971, there have been repeated reports of eerie, inexplicable encounters and events. Especially since the “Queen Mary” was converted into a hotel in 1972, ghost sightings have become more frequent. There is even a suite on board that is so regularly haunted that it was no longer allowed to be booked until 2018.
A Tragic Collision
Let’s rewind the tale: Merely three years following her inaugural journey on March 5, 1936, the Queen Mary graced the Atlantic as Cunard Line’s opulent new flagship. The same company had also had the legendary Titanic built. When England declared war on Germany in 1939, the ocean liner was converted into a troop carrier. She was no longer called the Queen Mary but was renamed the “Grey Ghost”, as can be read on the ship’s official website.
On October 2, 1942, a tragic accident occurred when the “Grey Ghost” collided with an escort ship, the “HMS Curacoa”, cutting it in two. As the magazine “Forbes” reports, the “Ghost” then simply continued on its way, fearing a collision with enemy naval forces. This meant the death sentence for 239 sailors from the “Curacoa” who drowned as a result. Intriguingly, while the Queen Mary’s official website acknowledges the collision, it remains silent on the events that followed.
The Ghost Stories Begin
In 1967, the Queen Mary’s “career” comes to an end. After the end of the war, she had returned to service as a luxury liner in 1947. On December 9, 1967, she docked for the last time in Long Beach, California. She is still anchored there today. This marked the beginning of a new chapter, one that would crown the ship as one of the most haunted places on the globe. At least that is what the renowned “Time Magazine” calls it.
It is believed to be haunted by the ghost of a man who died in a terrible accident in 1966. As “Forbes” reports, the 18-year-old is said to have been dismembered by a closing security gate. Overnight guests at the hotel have repeatedly and unanimously reported seeing a bearded man in dark clothing at the scene of the accident.
The Eeriest Room on the Ship
Other ghosts also appear regularly. For example, that of a woman dressed in white who was seen dancing in the ballroom. There is also talk of the ghost of a young girl who is said to have drowned in one of the swimming pools. According to “Travel + Leisure“, employees on the ship also repeatedly report eerie encounters: In 1989, for example, three cleaners agreed that a mysterious man vanished into thin air before their eyes in the ballroom.
However, most of the horror stories revolve around one of the hotel rooms, which now enjoys almost legendary status: Suite B340. The first alleged ghost sighting dates back to 1966, when a woman reported that the covers had suddenly been pulled off her bed in the middle of the night and a man had been standing at the foot of her bed. The ghost of the man who allegedly died here in 1948?
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Profiting From the Haunting
Over the years, the stories associated with Suite B340 have become so numerous that they can even be found on the ship’s official website. For example, the light in the bathroom is said to mysteriously turn on by itself time and again, and cleaning staff have reported that taps are running even though no one has been in the suite for days. The door to the bathroom would also often close by itself, and there would sometimes be a knock on the door at night even though no one was there.
As a result, Suite B340 was closed to visitors until 2018, but you can now sleep there again, according to a report by Press Telegram, for the hefty price of 499 dollars (approx. 475 euros) per night. The price includes a Ouija board, tarot cards, and a crystal ball so you can go hunting for ghosts yourself.
The ship capitalizes on its eerie reputation as one of the world’s most haunted locales, hosting magic shows and other events when not shrouded in ghostly tales. And, of course, you can also hunt for them yourself on a guided tour or with the ship’s own ghost hunter. And of course, the Queen Mary has already been featured on various relevant TV shows, including “Ghost Hunters” and “Most Haunted”. As long as these spectral stories continue to be a lucrative draw, it seems the Queen Mary’s operators have little interest in dispelling the ghosts that supposedly roam its halls.