RMS Queen Mary

The RMS Queen Mary sailed from 1936 to 1967 as a luxury ocean liner before becoming a floating hotel and museum in Long Beach. During World War II, painted dull grey and nicknamed the "Grey Ghost," she transported troops across the Atlantic. In 1942, she accidentally collided with her escort ship HMS Curacoa, slicing it in half and killing over 300 sailors - wartime protocol prevented her from stopping to rescue survivors. It is believed up to 150 ghosts haunt the ship.

The RMS Queen Mary launched in 1934 and sailed as Cunard Line's flagship luxury liner from 1936 to 1967, making over 1,000 Atlantic crossings. During World War II, painted dull grey and nicknamed the "Grey Ghost," she transported over 800,000 troops and once carried 16,683 people—a record that still stands. On October 2, 1942, tragedy struck when the Queen Mary accidentally collided with her escort ship HMS Curacoa, slicing the light cruiser in half at 28.5 knots. Wartime protocol forbade stopping for any reason; crewman Ernest Watson shouted "She's going to ram us!" moments before impact. Of the Curacoa's 430 crew, only 101 survived the frigid Atlantic waters—329 men drowned waiting for rescue that took two hours to arrive. The disaster remained classified until after the war.

At least 49 deaths have been recorded aboard the Queen Mary, and an estimated 150 spirits now haunt the vessel. The most infamous is Stateroom B340, which was sealed for 30 years after guests consistently fled in the middle of the night. Ship logs from 1967 onward document complaints of aggressive knocking, bathroom faucets turning on independently, shadowy figures standing at the foot of beds, and bedsheets being violently pulled off sleeping guests. Passenger Walter J. Adamson died mysteriously in the room in 1948, and some believe his restless spirit remains. The room reopened on Friday, April 13, 2018, now offering a paranormal package complete with Ouija board and EMF detector for per night.

Deep in the ship's bowels, Door 13 in Shaft Alley claims the spirit of 18-year-old John Pedder, nicknamed "Half Hatch Harry." On July 10, 1966, during a routine safety drill around 3:55 a.m., Pedder was crushed by the massive watertight door while tending the bilge pump. Witnesses report a bearded figure in blue coveralls who whistles behind visitors, asks if they've seen his wrench, then vanishes when people turn around. A night watchman's German Shepherd once refused to pass Door 13, cowering in fear moments before metallic clanging echoed through the corridor.

The first-class swimming pool, drained and closed for decades, hosts multiple apparitions. Women in 1930s-style swimsuits wander the deck, and wet footprints mysteriously appear leading from the empty basin to the changing rooms. The most famous spirit is Jackie, a young girl heard giggling, splashing in the dry pool, and calling for her mother—though paranormal researcher Cher Garman notes no child named Jackie ever drowned there. Psychics have identified the changing room hallway as "the center of spiritual energy on the ship," where visitors report sudden dizziness and goosebumps.

Senior Second Officer William Eric Stark haunts the main deck near the Captain's cabin. On September 18, 1949, while docked in Southampton, Stark grabbed what he thought was a gin bottle but was actually carbon tetrachloride cleaning solvent. He took only two sips before realizing the mistake but refused the ship surgeon's recommendation for immediate stomach pumping, telling his wife, "I did not think anything of it." He died five days later, two days before his 31st birthday. Visitors report choking sounds and a figure in a Cunard officer's uniform still making his rounds.

The Queen's Salon is haunted by a Woman in White—a first-class passenger seen dancing to inaudible music, a "residual haunting" repeating for eternity. Near the bow where the Curacoa collision occurred, visitors report sounds of crushing metal, rushing water, and men screaming for help.

Time magazine named the Queen Mary one of the "Top 10 Haunted Places on Earth" in 2008. Ghost Adventures, Most Haunted, Ghost Hunters, and numerous paranormal teams have investigated the ship, capturing EVPs including "What anger" and "Oh, I f****n hate them." The ship offers multiple paranormal tours, including séances in the ship's haunted spaces.