Night view of the RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California (© Kit Leong/Shutterstock)
She was never meant to fade away. When the RMS Queen Mary sailed in 1936, she stole the spotlight across the Atlantic—an Art Deco liner that broke speed records and carried celebrities, royalty, and dignitaries. War transformed her from a floating palace into the 'Grey Ghost,' stripped of luxury and loaded with Allied troops. In 1967, after 30 years at sea, she retired to Long Beach, where her decks now serve as hotel corridors, guided exhibits, and a living monument to maritime history.
But her legend did not dock with her anchors. Over the years, guests and crew have spoken of echoes in empty corridors, footsteps reverberating on metal floors, and the laughter of a child near the deserted pool. Ghost tours highlight these eerie stories, though historians note that deaths aboard were due to natural causes, with no murders ever recorded. Today, the Queen Mary stands as both a heritage landmark and a stage for folklore. So, is she haunted? There are no records confirming it, yet the whispers keep her stories very much alive.