Unseen Images of the Haunted Queen Mary Ship

1. The B340 Stateroom

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While tourists are free to visit most of the rooms on the Queen Mary Ship hotel in Long Beach, there are particular rooms that are out of bounds – including this one. The Queen Mary's Stateroom B340 has been sealed off nearly all the time since the 1980s, prompting a lot of curiosity. It’s claimed that this Stateroom is one of the haunted rooms on the entire ship – and there’s a big reason why. In the 60s, a man went wild and murdered two women on board. He was then apprehended and locked in this room, with a guard placed outside. After a while, the man started banging on the door and screaming that someone was trying to kill him. The guard waited for him to calm down, and went to summon police the next day. When the door was found, the man was found brutally murdered.

2. The boiler room

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Now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the US, the Queen Mary attracts ghost hunters from across the country. And one of the prime areas of the ship for budding ghost hunters is the boiler room, which has a pretty spooky history. Screams, yells and high-pitched noises are said to be heard here after an 18-year-old soldier was severed in half after he became trapped in a huge heavy door during World War II. He’s said to still haunt the boiler room even today – much to the delight of the hotel’s guests!

3. Mauretania room

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There’s been more paranormal activity spotted in the Mauretania room of the Queen Mary, which is one of the grandest reception rooms on the ship. Back in 1989, two cleaners were busy preparing for a VIP party in the room when they noticed a guest had already arrived. But the cleaners felt that there was something wrong. The passenger was a woman, and she was perched on a chair right in the middle of the dancefloor. She didn’t acknowledge the cleaners, and didn’t say a word when they spoke to her. When a third cleaner came in, she politely asked the woman to move. But she still didn’t respond. As the cleaners started to call security, the woman is said to have disappeared before their eyes.

4. The Mayfair room

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The Mayfair room used to be the Queen Mary’s prestigious beauty salon, but it’s now used as a room for staff – and they’ve experienced a few odd goings on over the years. Back in 2001, a person on the accounting team decided to come in a bit earlier than usual to get some overtime done, but as she walked through the door, she felt a strange atmosphere in the room. It felt unusually cold, despite it being a fairly warm day. While going about her work, she felt someone move past her chair – but there was nobody else in the room at the time. The woman then saw a pale figure dressed in white walk across the room and vanish through the door.

5. The first class swimming pool

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The first class swimming pool has now been abandoned, but it has a colorful history. While it used to be the jewel in the crown of the ship thanks to its mother-of-pearl ceiling, swish mosaic tiles and illuminated fountain, California code issues prevent this pool from being used. However, a few tourists still sneak in to see if they can catch a glimpse of paranormal activity that’s said to plague the room. There’s been a fair few ghosts sighted in here; a little girl in a white and blue dress, a woman in a tennis skirt who is said to disappear behind a pillar, and an old woman wearing a wedding dress with a young page boy.

6. Boiler room number 4

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It seems that the Queen Mary’s boiler rooms are steeped in paranormal history. While the main boiler room has been abandoned, boiler room number 4 is a hub for the ship; it’s been transformed into an edgy bar for guests, who have spotted a mysterious figure lurking in the room. The figure in question is a little girl, who is sometimes seen sucking her thumb. She’s been spotted in various parts of the room, and occasionally has a little doll in her hand. Perhaps not what you want to see after you’ve had a few gins at the bar…

7. Self-guided ghost tour

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The Queen Mary was retired in 1967, and it’s now a floating hotel in Long Beach, California. Guests can embark on their own self-guided ghost tours, which means they can roam the ship to try and detect paranormal activity.  However, there are still restricted areas of the ship, which tends to make guests even more curious as to why areas are out of bounds. Still, guests on the ship can visit most of the creepier rooms on board, but the famous stateroom can’t be visited unless a member of staff is present…

8. Isolation wards

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The words ‘isolation wards’ probably conjure up a creepy feeling – which is why the self-guided ghost tours on the Queen Mary always start here! You reach the isolation ward by walking down a dark, spooky stairwell, and meet a placard that reads: “International quarantine regulations required that every passenger and crew member had to pass strict medical examinations and receive the necessary inoculations before they were cleared to travel. These regulations were designed to prevent the spread of such dreaded diseases as smallpox, typhoid, and influenza.”

And if you happened to get sick? You’d be placed in quarantine!

9. Makeshift prison

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This is a snap of what the isolation wards used to look like when the ship was in operation – and they were sometimes used as makeshift prisons too. The Queen Mary ship has two isolation wards; one for women and one for men, which are located at either end of the ship. Each of these units contained five beds, a full bath, and an attached cabin, which was big enough for two nursing attendants to occupy it. It seems like these isolation units weren’t used that often though – especially during World War II. Prisoners were often held in these units to keep them far away from the ship’s crew.

10. The haunted deck

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The Queen Mary ship is in high demand as a hotel these days – and more and more people are curious about what happened in the infamous Stateroom. Back in 2018, the owners of the hotel decided to capitalize on this curiosity, and opened up the room for paying guests. For $499 a night, guests could sleep in the room and get acquainted with its spooky history, and search the surrounding deck area for potential paranormal activity. The hotel would even provide ghost-hunting equipment as part of the package, as well as things like a chest with Ouija board for private seances, a crystal ball and tarot cards.

11. Standard guest rooms

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Not everything on board the Queen Mary is about ghosts – it’s also about relaxing too! The standard rooms on the ship might not be the epitome of luxury, but they’re still fairly cozy and comfortable. However, it’s not super clear how long the ship will stay like this – apparently there are plans in the pipeline to eventually convert the once-seaworthy liner into a huge entertainment complex and retail space, which would also incorporate some of the surrounding land that’s owned by the city council. Watch this space…

12. Death at sea

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The current hotel owners have really capitalized on the spooky aspects of the ship, haven’t they? To set the spooky mood, there are additional plaques placed inside the hotel that describe what would happen if someone died while at sea. A medical officer would be called to confirm the death, but the plaque doesn’t describe where the body would be placed after the person had been pronounced dead – that comes later! The ship sailed from 1936 to 1967, and it’s been reported that the deaths of at least 41 passengers and 16 crew members took place during that time.

13. The Grey Ghost

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The high-class liner was quickly turned into a troop ship in 1939 when world war finally broke out. As luxury travel naturally paused at that point, the Queen Mary was utilized by the British to haul as many as 15,000 soldiers around the world. Dubbed ‘The Grey Ghost’ (which is on-point as a spooky name) the ship regularly sailed from New York to Sydney, and carried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic a fair few times. It’s not known how many passengers died on the Queen Mary during the war, but the numbers are expected to be much higher than when the ship was a luxury liner…

14. Embalming kit

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This one might make you feel a little queasy. If someone was pronounced dead at sea, there would be a strict protocol on what would happen to the bodies. The medical team would prepare a corpse with this kit, but they would not carry out autopsies – even if a body was found in suspicious circumstances. These embalming kits can actually be viewed on the self-guided ghost tour of the Queen Mary ship, and many guests have reported their shock and sadness at seeing the grim reality of the deaths that took place on board.

15. Burials at sea

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Before and after the time the ship was used in World War II, the luxury liner allowed passengers to occasionally make burials at sea. Before loved ones of the deceased could book their chosen passages, they needed to ask permission from the caption for the burial at sea. If granted, friends and relatives could spread the cremated ashes of their loved one from the ship into the ocean. The captain could also make arrangements for a special service to be held. Three of the Queen Mary’s former captains opted for burial at sea.

16. The Capstan room

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The capstan room unsurprisingly features the ship’s capstan – which might not be something you’re familiar with unless you’re nautically minded. It’s a device that’s used to wind cable, chain or rope during the mooring and anchoring, pulling, loading and unloading of the ship. Essentially it helps keep the ship in one place as it comes into land, so it’s pretty important. On the Queen Mary, the capstan room is located fairly close to one of the isolation wards, so it has some pretty creepy vibes.

17. The engine room

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The Queen Mary engine room looks like a horror film waiting to happen! It’s located 50 feet below water level, and it’s rumored that a fair few crew deaths occurred here. Regular guests at the Queen Mary hotel claim that this area is a bit of a hotbed for ghosts and paranormal goings-on; people have heard odd noises and seen pale figures lurking around the room. The engine room was also used in the 1972 flick The Poseidon Adventure, so it has a pretty interesting history. You can view this room on the hotel’s self-guided ghost tour.

18. The Propellor room

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The propellor room is another hotspot for the paranormal – and it’s not much of a surprise given its history. During World War II, there was a terrible tragedy; the ship carrying 20,000 US troops ended up in a catastrophic collision with one of its escorting vessels in the North Atlantic ocean. The vessel that had been hit was the HMS Curacoa, which had been hit on the broad side. The ship immediately split in two on impact. While some crew members died instantly, others died in the freezing water, or became trapped in the ship. Others met a grisly end in the propellor of the Queen Mary. It’s said that you can still hear the crew members’ screams.

19. The children's playroom

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This is definitely a creepy one. The three children’s playrooms on the Queen Mary have been left untouched since its days as a luxury cruise liner in the early 60s, and they’re now freaking out the hotel’s guests in spectacular style. This photo is of the third-class playroom, which has an eerie past. Apparently a baby boy died there shortly after his mother gave birth to him on the ship, and his cries are still heard by guests on the ship. The other two playrooms in second and first class are equally scary, but there are no reported deaths in those.

20. The Queen's Salon

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This is the last stop on the ship’s self-guided tour – and it sometimes includes some paranormal encounters for the hotel’s guests! The Queen’s Salon was originally the super-posh first-class lounge, and was decorated with the most lavish interiors around. While it’s fallen into shabbiness, it still holds a draw for tourists thanks to its ghostly nature; guests report strange noises, and sometimes feel a sensation of someone brushing past them, even if nobody is standing next to them at the time.

21. Restricted stairwells

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While a lot of the Queen Mary Ship is open to the public, some areas have been deemed no-go zones. Hotel guests have noticed that there are a fair few stairwells along the guided tour areas that have been restricted, which has prompted a LOT of questions from the public. Why can’t people go down there? Are these areas for staff only, or have they been deemed unsafe? The mind boggles! While some staff members have claimed that building and maintenance work is taking place, guests haven’t always believed them…

22. Third-class bedrooms

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Those who have stayed near the infamous B340 Stateroom have reported some strange goings-on over the years (and considering some of the rooms look like the one above, we’re not surprised!). This room was originally made up of three cabins, which were later divided after the madman was found dead. These rooms were opened up for guests, who have so far reported having duvets yanked off them, seeing a dark figure standing at the edge of their bed, and hearing scratching noises coming from both the door and the walls.

23. Staff bathrooms

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You might think that staff are generally much more safe than the guests on the Queen Mary, but think again! The staff bathrooms that also happen to be near the B340 Stateroom also experience strange happenings; the taps can suddenly turn on all by themselves, despite them being sat unoccupied, and the lights have been known to switch on and off. One of the ship’s former maids also swears she once saw a duvet being thrown toward the ceiling after she had just made it, which scared her out of her wits.

24. The Winston Churchill suite

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Another room that is supposed to be haunted on the Queen Mary is the Winston Churchill suite. Both guests and staff alike have reported hearing strange noises like muttering and mumbled talking, even when nobody’s there. Some have also said they’ve heard the sound of someone clearing their throat, along with odd banging and knocking noises. There have also been reports of a smell of cigars in there, even though smoking is banned across the entire ship. It’s unknown whether anybody died in there during the Queen Mary’s reign of the seas.

25. The hallways

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There doesn’t seem to be many places that are safe on the Queen Mary. Even the hallways seem to occupy a ghost, who is known to the staff and regular guests as ‘the yellow man with the hat’. This ghost isn’t the friendliest, but he hasn’t done any harm to anyone – yet. He’s been spotted prowling up and down the halls in a mobster hat, with his figure taking on something of a yellowish hue. He also happens to be super tall and have rotten teeth, and has scared guests senseless as they walk to and from their rooms. According to reports, he likes to walk by guests and flash his teeth at them.

26. The bar

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During their stay, guests can relax and unwind at one of the hotel’s bars. This is the observatory bar on the Queen Mary, which is the flagship. But there are spooky goings-on even here; a neatly dressed gentleman is occasionally spotted by guests, who report him walking around the room clearing his throat. This is apparently an attempt to get the attention of the staff on board. He pays no attention to the guests at all. Once he’s noticed by staff members, he disappears in an instant – and nobody’s quite sure why this is.

27. Grumpy

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There’s another ghost that’s come to the attention of staff and guests – and this one isn’t as docile as the man at the bar! Known as ‘Grumpy’, this particular ghost has taken to growling into people’s ears as they walk past him, but he doesn’t really do much harm. In fact, people believe he thinks a lot scarier than he actually is! While he was originally spotted near the first-class swimming pool, he’s now been prowling around the corridors too. Guests and staff say that they usually smell cigarette smoke before he makes an appearance.

28. Reflecting on history

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The Queen Mary hotel definitely takes its history seriously. The main lounge area features this lovely little replica of the original Queen Mary ship, which has been reconstructed in painstaking detail. While a lot of the hotel guests will naturally be more focused on the spooky lure of the Queen Mary, the ship itself has some cool history; it was able to withstand a sudden tidal wave that hit near the Scottish coast when 16.082 people were on board. The wave was 92 feet high, and turned the ship a whopping 52 degrees. If the wave tilted the ship just 3 degrees more, it would have capsized.

29. Third class entrance

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The third-class area of the ship was completely transformed during World War II. Tons of soldiers were piled into this area to carry out their work, but the conditions were appalling. As there were thousands of men on board, the temperatures on the ship would rise dramatically. And because there was no aircon on the Queen Mary, soldiers were estimated to have died from heat exhaustion every seven minutes. Apparently prisoners of war committed suicide if they knew they were to be stowed away on this ship.

30. Arriving into Long Beach

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After the ship was turned back into a luxury liner after the war, the Queen Mary was never quite restored to her former glory. As air travel became much more popular, the shipping company was hit with major financial losses, and the Queen Mary was retired in 1967. The ship had one final, memorable voyage across the Atlantic from Southampton, England to California, and this photo was taken just as the Queen Mary made its way towards Long Beach, California. This would be its final, permanent residence.