Queen Mary Investigation

There are very few ships still in existence that can compare to the innate beauty and rich history of the RMS Queen Mary. In fact, the ship was named after The Queen of England or Queen Mary. The RMS Queen Mary was born in 1934 and constructed by John Brown & Company, Ltd of Clydebank, Scotland. She began her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936. The RMS Queen Mary was most commonly referred to as the "Grey Ghost" during her World War II troop carrying days. She was labeled the grey ghost to try and camouflage herself from Hitler's army. Obviously, the generous slap of grey paint paid off, because she indeed survived. However, tragedy struck on October 2, 1942 as the Queen Mary was making her way across the oceans, which resulted in many lives lost. She accidentally sliced in half one of her escort ships, the HMS Curacao, as both ships were involved in a zigzag motion to avoid obliteration from the enemy. After her war days, RMS Queen Mary became a luxury cruise vessel, where many people could relax, vacation and enjoy her ornate and gorgeous ambience, as well as the abundance of onboard activities. Additionally, quite a few celebrity names have touched upon her decks during her post war days. Long Beach has been Queen Mary's docked home since 1976. Thousands of visitors flock from all over the world to visit the RMS Queen Mary in southern California each year.

RMS Queen Mary is equipped to fulfill the curiosity of many people, from children to elderly adults. She is loaded with many attractions, shops and various dining options. The Queen is home to comedy performances, various tours and a variety of ongoing and seasonal attractions. She has a variety of gift and souvenir stores that cater to those who love to shop. For those who love art, the ship still houses some of her original Art-Deco pieces. She also features great sightseeing views from her promenade and sundecks. The ship wouldn't be Queen without featuring award-winning restaurants that even gratify the pickiest of eaters. RMS Queen Mary is quite the entertainer, as she has even been home to various television and movie productions. There is even a great hotel onboard for those who want to spend the night with the Queen. Passengers have the option of staying on A deck, B deck or M deck. There are many different cabins available ranging from small twin bed cabins to luxurious first class staterooms.

(Credit for this history courtesy of Nicole Strickland, California State Coordinator for the Ghost Research Society)

Address: 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, California 90802

Phone: 562-435-3511

Website: www.queenmary.com

GRS members present: Nicole Strickland, Charles Williams and Dale Kaczmarek

Hauntings:   For those who love a ghostly tale or two, the Queen Mary has plenty to share. Yes, RMS Queen Mary is believed to be one of the most haunted spots in the entire world. For ghost seekers alike, the Queen has various paranormal tours, where passengers can embark on the ship's paranormal hot spots. Passengers can travel to the engine room, where they might run into the ghost of J.P. (name omitted), who tragically died in engine room door # 13. Or, passengers might encounter the ghost of the beautiful lady in white, who is commonly seen in the observation and lobby bar areas.

What about those aquatic visitors who enjoy being around water? Yup, the first class swimming pool is a popular spot for many Queen Mary resident ghosts. Visitors might encounter a small girl, reportedly named Jackie, who likes to play hide-and-go-seek and sing Ring around the Rosy. Or, they might hear the angelic voice of a small child calling out for her mommy. Ghosts in vintage bathing suits might go for a swim and walk by with remnants of their wet foot prints gliding by. Passengers might suddenly hear the sound of splashing water even though the pool has been dry for many years. The pool's dressing rooms are supposedly home to a vortex or portal, whereby visitors from the other side can come and go.

In fact, anywhere a passenger travels on board the Queen may in fact come into contact with the other side. Many visitors report the smell of strong cigar smoke right outside Winston Churchill's suite. There have been reports of disembodied screams for help on sundeck and in the boiler rooms. Queen Mary's curious ghosts also like to knock on passenger doors and walls throughout. Phantom footsteps, sounds, smells and voices can be heard from anywhere on the ship. You name the ghost and Queen Mary most likely has it.

The RMS Queen Mary isn't just a ship, she's a legend. She definitely speaks of a nostalgic and bygone era. There were many people from different walks of life that traveled the oceans on the Queen. The RMS Queen Mary has navigated folks who might not see the next day's beautiful sunrise all the way to those folks who saturated themselves in her luxury and extravagance. Thus, the ship is home to various impressions left from her long-lost passengers, some of whom are still trying to find their way home. Her inherent beauty, nostalgic character and abounding history will remain in the hearts and souls of her visitors forever.

The Ghost Research Society investigated the on April 25, 2024 and the team members included: Charles Williams, Nicole Strickland and  Dale Kaczmarek.

Equipment setup: During our EVP sessions we employed a digital recorder & camcorder, an Ovilus V and Melmeter with a telescopic probe.

Personal experiences:  

Nicole Strickland:  Smart phones, digital audio recorders, and Ovilus with read-out.  Aft engine room, rudder control room, and a brief stop in the former first and third-class pool during the “Paranormal Shipwalk” tour.  Other sites on the tour included B340, Queen’s Salon (former first-class lounge), Isolation Ward, Piccadilly Circus on Promenade Deck, Observation Bar, Wheelhouse, and Chart Room. 

We attended the “Paranormal Shipwalk” tour from 8 pm to 10:30 pm on April 25^th.  Groups of three were allowed to briefly enter the pool on the bottom portside level.  We were part of the first group.

The three of us were stationed just aft of watertight door #13 on the starboard shaft alley side of the ship.  It was very quiet, so it was conducive to us conducting an audio session.  Dale utilized the Ovilus device in the dictionary and phonetic modes.  

Dale Kaczmarek: This was my first visit to the Queen Mary and found it to be immense. One could fit that entire Titanic ship in its frame and still have plenty of room left over. I found Shaft Alley near Door 13 to be the most fascinating. I did hear some noises and bangs along with a few very faint disembodied voices that could not immediately be made out. No one but the three of us were anywhere near where we were conducting our EVP sessions so I’m at a loss for any possible natural explanation at this time.

Evidence collected:

Girls laugh QM.MP4 – during a brief visit inside the 1^st Class Pool, I was able to pick up a very short but high-pitched girl’s laugh.

Hard QM.MP4 – while conducting an Ovilus V session in Shaft Alley near Door 13, a question was asked, “Were you trying to open this door?” The device responded with, “Hard.”

Hello QM.MP4 – while conducting and Ovilus V session in Phonetic Mode, a question was asked, “Do we have any engine room workers here with us now, if so, can we have your name?” A very faint male disembodied voice was heard by Strickland and later picked up on the digital recorder saying, “Hello.”

Hello2 QM.MP4 – while conducting an EVP session in the Rudder Control Room, a question was asked in Italian, “Come stai?” At around 4 seconds a male voice is heard faintly saying, “Hello.”

Hellos QM.MP4 – while conducting an EVP session in the Aft Engine Room, a question was asked, “Do we have any Engine Room workers in here with us now? If so, can we have your names? My name is Nicole.” At around the 16 second mark a disembodied voice in the background says what sounds like, “Hello.” Also at the 29 and 32 second marks additional vocalizations were recorded, very faintly, that say, “Hello.” Those two sound British.

Hi Nicole QM.MP4 – while conducting an EVP session near the 1^st Class Pool, a greeting was said, “Hi Jackie. A faint female voice was captured at the 10 second mark that sounds like, “Hi Nicole.” Right before that at the 6-8 second mark, Jackie mentions what might be, “Where are you, I can’t see you.” It is much muffled however.

Italian QM.MP4 – while conducting an EVP session in the Rudder Control Room, a question was asked, “Do you speak another language?” A possible male vocalization says what sounds like, “Italian.”

Nicole (I’m cold) QM.MP4 – while conducting an EVP session in the Aft Engine Room, a faint voice in the background says either, “Nicole” or “I’m cold.”

Rosie QM.MP4 – while attending the Paranormal Ship Walk, Williams was filming near the 1^st Class Room and picked up a faint female voice saying, “Rosie.”

Try me QM.MP4 – while conducting an Ovilus V session in Shaft Alley near Door 13 right after the loud bang a faint voice can be heard to say, “Try me.” (Editor’s note: In my opinion it does sound a lot like Kaczmarek and his lips were moving when that sentence was uttered.)

We work hard QM.MP4 – while conducting an Ovilus V session in the Aft Engine Room, Strickland commends the crew for working so hard. The device said, “We work hard.” At around 25 seconds Kaczmarek says, “Okay, we’re going to stop this in a second, can you say good-bye?” At around 29 seconds, a faint male voice is thought to say, “Hello.”

Whistle QM.MP4 – while attending the Paranormal Ship Walk, the guide was talking about other paranormal experiences when a loud and long whistling sound was recorded, “(Whistle sound)”

Words spoken by the Ovilus V in dictionary mode - Shaft Alley; finish, January, used, puncture, smell, ok, southern, calm; Rudder Control Room – modern, right, date, September, known, seen, wings, nor, year, wire, dives, grace, crayon, age, oi, us, before time, devil, up, Ida, alignment, healer, hair, constant, diction, palace, release, puncture, cellar and paint.

Words or phrases spoken by the Ovilus V in phonetic mode – Shaft Alley; hard, I hear (here), I need air, thank you and hard to hear; Rudder Control Room; me, here and book smart.

Conclusions: The first two EVP sessions were conducted by the three of us in Shaft Alley near Door 13 and the Rudder Control Room. The subsequent EVP sessions were attempted during a two hour ghost tour called the Paranormal Ship Walk which was amazing! Many of the places that Strickland showed us were also on the Paranormal Ship Walk but didn’t have the crowds of people so it was much quieter and more personal. I highly recommend this ghost tour to anyone interested in the paranormal aspects of the Queen Mary.

An interesting thing happened to me on the Bridge. I was videotaping the tour but intentionally keeping the tour guide out of frame as she requested.  Several young women asked me if I was attempting to videotape some spirits with my 4k camcorder and, of course, I said yes and mentioned that I was the leader of the GRS. They immediately became overjoyed and thrilled and wanted their pictures taken with me along with me passing out some business cards. They all got a real kick out of that and I was all too happy to comply with their requests.

This was an amazing ship and Williams and I shared a very nice room to get the total experience while there. Shaft Alley near Door 13 seemed to be the most active however I wish we were able to spend more time in the 1^st Class Pool and actually enter into the pool area rather than simply peeking at the pool from a side door. I do believe that I may have actually captured Jackie’s giggle that many people including psychic Peter James from Sightings had heard and experienced many times in the past. I also wish that we could have visited the bow of the ship where that fatal collision with another ship had taken place.