Queen Mary I and II in Long Beach Harbor Today

[lbcarguy]

Hey all,

Just wanted to share a couple of pix of the Queen Mary I and II in Long Beach Harbor today. There were many people who came down to the area to see this historic event. This is the first time the two ships have ever been together. The QM 2 carrys one of the QM 1's whistles, and both ships sounded off every half-hour together in the harbor.

The QM 2 is 23 stories tall and sits much deeper in the water so she could not come any closer that 1/3 mile of the permanently docked QM 1. That is why she looks smaller in the photos.

Enjoy.

MK in LBC

 

[lbcarguy]

Another Pic

Here is another picture.

 

[lbcarguy]

And one more

Here is another, sans moi.

MK

 

[oldwasherguy]

lbcarguy

thanks for posting,the old one looks like the titanic.have they turned it into a museum?

 

[lbcarguy]

Queen Mary Hotel

The Queen Mary has been in Long Beach since 1971. It is a floating hotel and convention center.

Here is the link:

Long Beach's Coolest Tourist Attraction | The Queen Mary

Discover the iconic Queen Mary, a top tourist attraction in Long Beach with endless things to see and do.

www.queenmary.com

The easiest way to see the ship is to have lunch or dinner on board and you are free to roam around most of it. They also have tours that take you all over. It is pretty cool but is in default on loans to the city and it's future is in doubt. It is a very cool ship and lots of neat history. I hope someone can keep her maintained and open.

Mike

 

[michaelman2]

Mike..thanks for the post...we were just there and took the tour of the I..It really needs some maintinance. There was an exhibit there with Marilyn Monroe belongings that was nice and quite extensive. The cabins were not being well kept. Our tour guide was a hoot and I tell ya..one of the ballrooms that we went in was really spectacular. The mirrors in the room all had a pinkish color to them. This was infused into the mirror so people could look into the mirror and even green with sea sickness they would look "healthy"....I was fascinated with the old cord switchboard that is on display.

 

[rickr]

Thanks for posting those photos Mike. I did not realize that both Queens were at Long Beach. Quite a sight to see!!
I visited the Queen Mary in 1984. Very impressive ship!
Is the Spruce Goose still at Long Beach?

Thanks,
Rick

 

[lbcarguy]

Spruce Goose

Hi,

The Spruce Goose moved to Seattle several years ago. The dome is now used for party rentals (big weekend type events) and a soundstage (one of the Batman movies was filmed there).

MK

 

[sudsmaster]

As I understand it, the Queen Mary I is set in a huge concrete block. I'm not sure, but it sounds like it could never be floated again, even with global warming. Maybe a huge tidal wave could dislodge her, but I tend to doubt even that. I suppose wreckers could cut her down with torches (or, plasma cutters) to the concrete for scrap metal, but of course that would be a huge waste.

 

[neptunebob]

At least someone is smiling in this picture!

 

[toggleswitch]

Looks like a great field-trip.
I'm sure it was an experience of a liftime.

Oh how I wish I were there to see it!

 

[mayken4now]

Holland America is my way to go, nice to see there are others around! LOL

 

[appnut]

Mike thank you for capturing this wonderful piece of history in the making. Bob

 

[lbcarguy]

Floating

Hi,

The Queen Mary 1 is a floating vessel. The engines are gone but the ship is afloat. There is a breakwater built around it to reduce the wave effects. It is not sitting on concrete. Trust me, I have been on it many times in the last 25 years, she floats and if you are seated, you can feel her move in the water, especially on a windy day.

Mike

 

[scott55405]

Thank you for the wonderful pictures Mike. How exciting to see it firsthand. Some of my co-workers live down there and they went to see as well. I knew it was coming but didn't realize it was this soon.

I have been to the original twice now, the last time just a week ago for Sunday brunch, a wonderful, elegant affair in what was the ship's main dining room. The first time was about a year ago when I spent the day there with Erik. We took the ghost tour which was a lot of fun.

 

[knitwits1975]

The Spruce Goose is in Oregon, Not Seattle. I wish Seattle though.

 

[knitwits1975]

Unexplained Experiences

The Queen Mary is said to be haunted.

 

[lbcarguy]

Evergreen Air Museum

Yep, Oregon it is for the Spruce Goose. My bad, thought it was in Seattle for some reason.

Details on the web as linked below.

MK

http://www.sprucegoose.org/

 

[filterflo]

Thanks for posting the pictures of the two Queens Mike. My friend Jill and I had the pleasure of staying on the original Queen Mary in 2000 for a couple of nights. It was a wonderful experience to stay on the ship, wake up and walk the decks on the way to breakfast in one of the dining salons, and explore the fascinating architecture. So many great stories of its sailing life are shown on board. On a sadder note: Yes, all the boilers and ships engines have been removed and the funnels are not the originals, having been rebuilt when it was turned into a hotel. Mike, dont they do a big celebration on the ship every now and then for the anniversary of the movie The Poseiden Adventure?