The Queen Mary turns 80 - Long Beach, CA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Metro2
N 33° 45.139 W 118° 11.374
11S E 389825 N 3735329
The RMS Queen Mary...now permanently docked in Long Beach, California turned 80 years old in 2014.
Waymark Code: WMQ0A0
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/21/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
Views: 6

On 9/26/2014, the Los Angeles Times (visit link) ran the following story:

"The Queen Mary turns 80: Her launch, a Grey Ghost and a 600-pound cake
Queen Mary

By Amy Hubbard

As the Queen Mary turns 80 years old today, we take a closer look at the ship that's been a Long Beach landmark for decades. The Queen Mary has been a cruise ship, a World War II troop ship and a Southern California hotel. Here she is being launched on Scotland's River Clyde in 1934.

Queen Mary launches in 1934
A few ship stats: The Queen Mary is 1,019.5 feet long and weighs 81,237 gross tons. It has a cruising speed of 28.5 knots (about 33 mph). The ship has three smokestacks. (By comparison, the Titanic was 882.9 feet long, 46,329 gross tons, cruised at 21 knots [24 mph] and had four smokestacks -- but one was a fake, giving the illusion of a more powerful ship.)


The Queen Mary's maiden voyage was May 27, 1936. Then as well as in postwar years she was a favorite among British royalty and Hollywood celebrities.


The ship regularly won speed records among passenger liners crossing the Atlantic (that lightning-fast 33 mph). But her speed and size made her desirable for war service. During those years of transporting Allied soldiers, she was known as the "Grey Ghost."


June Allen, a war bride, came to America on the Queen Mary. She remembers her experience in the video below. "I didn't know what to expect. I'd never been on a ship before. When I first saw the Queen Mary, it was so massive. The Queen Mary was so famous in England. ... It was as famous as the queen and king!"


After the war, the Queen Mary was again a top ocean liner. But by the 1960s, more people were flying than sailing across the Atlantic, and the Queen Mary was aging. In 1967, she retired to Long Beach, becoming a hotel and venue for events.

On Dec. 9, 1967, the ship arrived in Long Beach. She had a grand welcome, as seen below, with a fleet of small craft as well as a hovering helicopter.

Admission to the Long Beach landmark is free for Friday's 80th birthday celebration.

A huge replica cake "as close to scale as flour and frosting will allow" was prepared for the onboard celebration, to be cut at a reception that's free and open to the public from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Grand Salon."
Type of publication: Newspaper

When was the article reported?: 09/26/2014

Publication: Los Angeles Times

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: regional

News Category: Arts/Culture

Visit Instructions:
Give the date of your visit at the news location along with a description of what you learned or experienced.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest News Article Locations
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
CacheKidz! visited The Queen Mary turns 80  -  Long Beach, CA 08/18/2018 CacheKidz! visited it
NH82 visited The Queen Mary turns 80  -  Long Beach, CA 09/02/2017 NH82 visited it
alynx visited The Queen Mary turns 80  -  Long Beach, CA 07/08/2016 alynx visited it
NW_history_buff visited The Queen Mary turns 80  -  Long Beach, CA 03/22/2016 NW_history_buff visited it
Metro2 visited The Queen Mary turns 80  -  Long Beach, CA 11/15/2015 Metro2 visited it
bluesnote visited The Queen Mary turns 80  -  Long Beach, CA 06/29/2015 bluesnote visited it

View all visits/logs