Memoirs - RMS Queen Mary and Me!

News over the weekend included a story of the 'rescue' 

of this beautiful and historic ocean liner which is dear

 to my own heart.

RMS Queen Mary - docked in Long Beach, California

"The landmark Queen Mary ocean liner, owned by the City of Long Beach and a popular tourist attraction and hotel, will be closed to the public for much of 2022 as it undergoes $5 million in “critical repairs.” 

This is good news for fans of the historic ship. After the city took control of the rundown vessel from a financially strapped leaseholder last year, one option under consideration was sinking the ship. The 88-year-old Art Deco-style ocean liner, which has been permanently docked in Long Beach since 1967, has been closed since May 2020 due to COVID-19. The repairs are expected to begin in February, with the plan to reopen Queen Mary to visitors by the end of the year.  A first step in the repair, and expected to be a two-week project, will be removing deteriorating lifeboats. "The lifeboats exert stress on the side shell of the ship which has created severe cracks in the support system,” the city said in its statement. “Removing the deteriorated lifeboats will enhance the structural stability of the ship."  Since the lifeboats are historic objects, Long Beach plans to preserve two for future display and to temporarily store 13 others, while seeing if there is interest from museums or other non-profits that want to preserve the boats.  Other projects include the installation of new permanent bilge pumps to discharge water in the event of an emergency, with additional repairs to follow.  The Queen Mary is a popular filming location, and during the repair period the city still plans to welcome film crews, a move that officials said would help “generate revenue to support the ship operations.”      via The Points Guy website

RMS Queen Mary in her heyday, sailing out of New York and headed to Southampton, England.

The RMS Queen Mary, built during the height of transatlantic ocean travel, sailed more than a million miles and transported over 2 million guests over a career spanning 30 years.  Built by Cunard as a the bigger and more powerful of two ships, the luxury liners and sometimes cruise ships, the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth reigned as a pair providing weekly express transatlantic service.  

February 25, 2006 - the two Queen Marys met for the first time!

This is yours truly just after boarding RMS Queen Mary for my

first transatlantic sea crossing home to England from New York to 

spend Christmas 1964 with my family. Two years earlier I came

 to the USA by air to work in Washington, D.C.

Since then I have sailed on many ships and had many adventures

at sea, but this first memory of crossing an ocean in the bitter

 cold of winter has definitely stayed with me.

The ship was taken out of service in 1967 and has been docked

 in Long Beach ever since.

Today I decided to treat myself to this book.

It's an older book and hard to find at an affordable price - today I

 was lucky and have found a used one online, hardcover, and

supposedly in 'good condition' - I've had it on my 'wish list' for

 several years.  Reviews are awesome - I'll let you know when

it arrives, I'm excited.

I'm missing ships and sailing so reading about them will fill the

 void for now.

 

My story - well part of it . . . . . . . . . .

When I emigrated to the USA in 1962, I flew from London to

 New York, then onward to my final destination, Washington, D.C. 

It was October. It was my first time ever on a plane. Jet travel was

becoming popular and taking over from steam ships as a faster 

way to 'cross the pond.' 

I was almost 19. I'd never been away from home before.

At the time I didn't even think of myself as an immigrant. 

Although I had all my legal paperwork, I just planned to be a working

 visitor for a year, seeing America, making some money, living an

 adventure before settling down etc.

I was excited, but scared to death.

I survived!

For my first visit home to England for Christmas I went by ship - this ship,

 Cunard White Star ocean liner RMS Queen Mary. I wanted the experience

 of a transatlantic crossing by sea.

Called luxury liners, they were splendid, glittering steamships connecting the old

and new worlds on each side of the North Atlantic,

 That bygone maritime era of the early 1900's accommodated royalty and financial

 barons on upper decks, and hordes of immigrants deep within their holds.

That way of life has gone forever, made obsolete by jet travel.

For me that crossing was a memorable journey. 

In the small blurry pic above, after I had traveled to NY by train from

 Washington, D.C., I had boarded the ship - note we dressed up a bit

 more for travel in those days - and was waiting to sail out of New York. 

Being December, the crossing was rough however I wasn't bothered by

seasickness thankfully. By then 'Mary' was aging and her stabilizers were

 nothing like those on modern day ships. It was my first of several journeys on

 Cunard's "Queens". I've yet to sail on Queen Mary 2 which replaced this first

 'Mary', but I have sailed on the current Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria,

 both of which were smooth sailing. I'm certain Queen Mary 2 sails effortlessly

 across the wide Atlantic. I still hope to sail home aboard her some day 

in the future. . . . . . so much more elegant than the hassle and discomfort 

 of air travel these days.

The first 'Mary' first sailed 80 years ago on May 27, 1936. She left Southampton

 to the sounds of bands and cheering crowds for New York on her Maiden Voyage.

 She would become one of the most beloved ships ever to sail during the 1930's,

the heyday of society cruises.

Over the years she carried 2,114,000 passengers, plus 810,730 military 

personnel whilst serving as a troop carrier/hospital ship during World War II, 

19,000 GI brides, and 4,000 child evacuees, and she sailed a total of

 3,794,017 nautical miles.

RMS Queen Mary left on her last voyage from Southampton on October 31, 1967,

just three years after I sailed on her, bound for her present home in Long Beach,

 California, arriving to an ecstatic American welcome.

 Dry-docked, she continues to be well-preserved and much enjoyed. She is now

 officially classified as a building (hotel/attraction/event center) rather than one of the

 greatest ships ever built.

Here's a book I'm adding to my wish list - the story of the 

Golden Age of sea travel across the Atlantic. The cover 

illustration is of the original Mauritania, another great 

Cunard ship, sailing the seas from 1906-1934.

Have you crossed the Atlantic by sea?

Which ship did you sail on, and did you enjoy that mode of travel?

Oh yes, I should add in closing, that one year visit turns into

 fifty five years come October of this year.

Few regrets ~ no longer scared!