Ghost in Long Beach

Queen Mary in Long Beach Ca

Cat over at 3 Kids and Us, does this wonderful thing where she shares infomation to her readers about her hometown. I love that she does this, it helps ( at least for me) to get to know the gal behind the blog posts. So I decided I live in a pretty hip happening place, why not do the same?!?!?

I thought I would start out with a well known part of Long Beach, (which is in Southern California, just in case you were not sure) The Queen Mary!

Queen Mary on it's Maiden Voyage

A lot of times when you think of a ship that played a big part in history you automatically think of the Titanic, and why wouldn't you? But here in Long Beach we have a piece of history as well.

Titanic vs. Queen Mary:

• Overall Length
  Queen Mary: 1,019.5 ft. (310.74 m.)
  Titanic: 882.9
  
• Gross Tonnage
  Queen Mary: 81,237 gross tons
  Titanic: 46,329 gross tons
  
• Transatlantic Crossings
  Queen Mary: 1,001
  Titanic: 0 - Ship sank on Maiden Voyage
  
• Constructed by
  Queen Mary: John Brown & Co., LTD., Clydebank, Scotland
  Titanic: Harland & Wolff, LTD., Belfast, Ireland
  
• Commissioned by
  Queen Mary: Cunard Steamship Co., LTD.
  Titanic: White Star Line
  
• Keel Laid
  Queen Mary: December 1, 1930
  Titanic: March 31, 1909
  
• Date Launched
  Queen Mary: September 26, 1934
  Titanic: May 31, 1911
  
• Maiden Voyage
  Queen Mary: May 27, 1936
  Titanic: April 10, 1912
  
• Number of Decks
  Queen Mary: 12
  Titanic: 8
  
• Passenger Capacity
  Queen Mary: 1,957
  Titanic: 2,440
  
• Officers and Crew
  Queen Mary: 1,174
  Titanic: 860
  
• Horsepower
  Queen Mary: 160,000
  Titanic: 46,000
  
• Cruising Speed
  Queen Mary: 28.5 knots
  Titanic: 21 knots
  
• Lifeboat Capacity
  Queen Mary: 145 persons
  Titanic: 65
  
• Boilers
  Queen Mary: 27
  Titanic: 29
  
  

The Queen Mary was a war ship as well, but sas since retired and now calls the Port of Long Beach home. Another thing you can add to Queen Mary's list of information is it is known to be haunted, and people today still claim to feel/see the presence of said ghost. I remember when I was a little girl, my Nena was out for a visit and she wanted to go to the Queen Mary, so my mom, brother, Nena and I went for an afternoon. We went on the Haunted Tour Guide the ship now offers. I cried and my Nena laughed! To this day I am not sure if I cried because the tour guide was that damn good, I was a young child, or I really believed!

Here is what the website says about the guided tour..

Ghosts & Legends Show:

"The first-class swimming pool is a popular spot for ghost sightings and is part of the Ghosts & Legends show, a daily, special effects, walk-through show created aboard the ship that dramatizes actual paranormal and historic events that have been reported over the years. Wet footprints mysteriously appear - and there is not a drop of water in the pool. Women in vintage bathing suits visit for a leisurely swim. Although the pool has been closed for more than 30 years. Is it real, or is it your imagination at work? Testimonials from passengers and crew members continue to be reported and documented, all of them wanting answers to what they've experienced. Do ghosts really exist aboard the Queen Mary?
"Ghosts & Legends of the Queen Mary encompasses a 25,000-square-foot area and takes guests through locations not accessible to the public, blurring the line between reality and imagination".

So tell me, is there anything in your home town that "claims" to be haunted?

** You can read about a review I did on a book about The Queen Mary ( and it being haunted) over at my book blog, click here!