Spooky Travels: The Queen Mary

After years of chasing legends across six continents — in Romania’s haunted castles, Iceland’s elf caves, searching for leprechauns, skywatching in Roswell, and sleeping in haunted hotels, ships, hospitals, and prisons — I’ve been fortunate to log a lot of tales, and a whole lot of miles. Driven by a relentless curiosity, and desire to connect people across cultures through a shared love of storytelling, I aim to share these adventures with this Spooky Travels column. And I invite you along for the journey.

The Location

Queen Mary

• 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802 
• Queenmary.com
• Active hotel; available for a variety of ghost tours

History

Launching on her maiden voyage with passengers from Southampton, England, on May 27, 1935, the RMS Queen Mary was a symbol of elegance in transatlantic travel, including multiple dining areas, two cocktail bars, swimming pools, and squash court. Part of the Cunard-White Star Line, she boasted art deco elegance and cutting-edge technology, and would ferry celebrities, royalty, and dreamers alike. But she was also fast, and her early days of glamour were short-lived as she was put into service during World War II.

In August of 1939, she made her final peacetime voyage on a journey that included comedian Bob Hope and his wife. By September, a day before England and France declared war on Germany on Sept. 3, her portholes were being blacked out. Dubbed the “Grey Ghost,” the Queen Mary was transformed into a military troopship, and went from carrying nearly 2,600 passengers, maximum, to transporting 15,743 troops (with a crew of 943), and traversing waters from the United States to Australia, and Scotland. Winston Churchill was the new kind of “celebrity” aboard the vessel during this era.

Because she was so fast, and due to her zigzagging course to evade U-boats, the Grey Ghost was an important part of the war effort. Hitler even offered a large reward and honors to the German naval captain that could sink her, or her sister ship Queen Elizabeth. Sadly the speed and evasive course of Queen Mary led to her collision with the World War One-era HMS Curacoa escort ship one afternoon in October 1942. She was off the northern coast of Ireland, returning to Scotland from the U.S. with troops, and within range of German forces. There was confusion about which craft had the right of way, and struck the Curacoa amidships. According to Alfred Johnson, a 22-year-old Seaman aboard the Queen Mary at the time, she “sliced the cruiser in two like a piece of butter.” Because of the German threat, orders prevented the liner from stopping for rescue operations, and the Curacoa sank with more than 300 men perishing. Meanwhile, the Queen Mary suffered a fractured bow.

Following the war, the Queen Mary was repainted in the Cunard colors, and transported war brides and children from Europe to North America, before being restored as a passenger liner in 1947. Churchill traveled aboard again, once again in its luxurious state — as did Queen Elizabeth II, Walt Disney, Clark Gable, Jackie Kennedy and Robert Kennedy — before her final voyage to Long Beach in 1967, where she remains docked. During her time here, she has been a tourist attraction and hotel, with ownership changing hands a number of times, including being operated by the Walt Disney Company during the late 1980s. Despite closing for three years 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Long Beach took back full control, launching major efforts to restore the ship and preserve her legacy. She has since reopened where she is a beloved local icon, as well as a time capsule, floating museum, and reminder of a bygone era of oceanic travel and resilience during wartime.

Haunted Reputation

The Queen Mary has an interesting paranormal distinction of being both a haunted hotel as well as a haunted military vessel. As far as ghost hunting goes, that’s an exciting twofer. Officially, there have been 55 recorded deaths on the ship, but the figure is certainly incomplete as it does not include fatalities during wartime voyages, nor those that were declared dead on shore as a result of incidents on board.

Her haunted reputation was firmly established by 1985, when seances had been held aboard, and she appeared in the “National Ghost Registry,” according to the Los Angeles Times. But the stories went mainstream in 1988 while Disney owned the ship — about the time ghost tours began on board, and leading up to her being featured in that year’s Halloween episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

By that time, the story of John Pedder was already entrenched in the ghostlore of the ship. Pedder was an 18-year-old working aboard Queen Mary in 1966 when he was accidentally killed by a watertight mechanical door in the engine room during safety drills on a transatlantic trip. The stories of a ghostly man in white overalls or boiler suit looking for a wrench, and wandering “Shaft Alley” are associated with Pedder.

Another notable ghost is that of William E. Stark, a Senior 2nd Officer on Queen Mary who died accidentally in September 1949. Just days before his 31st birthday, he was seeking a bottle of gin for drinks with the Captain. The bottle of gin he was handed by the Captain’s Steward instead contained a toxic cleaning agent. When the mistake was realized, Stark dismissed it as a joke and ignored the medical advice to have his stomach pumped. Sadly that decision proved fatal, and he died shortly after the ship arrived in Southampton, England, following a final meeting with his wife. Sightings of a spirit making the rounds on the Promenade, or near the Captain’s Quarters, or of phantom choking sounds, are linked to Stark’s accidental poisoning.

Along with a classic woman in white ghost, apparitions of men and women in period attire, and disembodied laughter and screams, the Queen Mary’s two most famous hauntings revolve around a ghostly child, and a gruesome murder.

Depending on the version of the story, Jacqueline “Jackie” Torin was about five years-old when she drowned in either the first-class or second-class pool. The story goes that sounds of giggling, childlike singing, and splashing water have been heard in the first-class swimming pool area — long since drained — and that the wet footprints of a child have appeared here. There were no reported drownings in the pools, but the story of a child ghost was shared by a maintenance supervisor in that Unsolved Mysteries episode, when the pool still contained water. In 1991, psychic Peter James contributed to the drowning element of the story, and added that another drowning victim, Sarah, also haunted the pools, and is protective of Jackie.

Meanwhile Room B340 has the notoriety of being the “most haunted” spot on the Queen Mary. It is a combination of three previously existing state rooms, and the stories surrounding it are that of a British author Walter J. Adamson who died in one of the older rooms in 1948, or of a woman who had her sheets pulled off in the middle of the night, only to see the form of a man at the foot of her bed who then disappeared. Then there’s the grisly story of a man who murdered two women aboard, was locked in the room for security purposes, and began banging on the door to be let out because he was trapped inside with something. When the doors were open, he was dismembered. In the 1960s, guests reportedly complained about rappings at the door, hearing strange noises, and reporting water turning on by itself. Eventually it was intended to be a Haunted Mansion-esque attraction during the Disney days — tricked out with spooky gags — but was closed off to the public for 30 years before reopening as a premiere paranormal booking.

The existence of Adamson himself has not been verified, and the murders of the women — and subsequent dismembered murderer— was never documented in ship’s logs, nor in newspaper reports or that Unsolved Mysteries episode. 

Experiencer Stories

The best laid plans of mice and men — and paranormal investigators — often go awry. My own edit of Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse” scurried through my brain, like the titular rodent might, as my rideshare dropped me at the Queen Mary at nearly 2 a.m. one early April morning in 2019. 

The “plan” in question was to arrive early the previous day, and to explore at my leisure, investigate a bit, and just enjoy some alone time before work began the following day. However, due to weather delays out of NYC, the day on board was instead a day spent at the airport, and I had been awake for 23 hours, and in a state of delirium, as the car pulled up. As I waited for the painfully slow elevator, and made my way to reception, feeling like the only living soul aboard — which would normally be an eerily cool experience in a location such as this — all I could think of was sleep, and how much of it I could squeeze in, before I was expected to be “on” that fast-approaching morning.

It was the back half of 2 a.m. by the time I made it into my stateroom, the number of which I regrettably forget. I set out to do the bare minimum so I could crash, and promptly washed my face, brushed my teeth, stripped down and slid under the covers. As exhausted as I was, my brain engaged in excruciating late-night calculations: How long have I been up? How many hours can I sleep? It’s almost 6 a.m. East Coast time, so when will my body wake due to the time difference, and can I fight it? 

Laying on my left side towards the edge of the bed, facing the hall leading towards the cabin door, eyes squeezed shut, one part of my brain telling the other part to “shut it,” I became aware of the movement next to me. I hadn’t drawn the sheets — just enough for me to slide in — so it was curious indeed when they shuffled, and were pulled down beside me. Then there was the weight of something slipping under the covers next to me, and I could feel the mattress shift with this human-sized introduction.

Even on my side, with my back towards it, it was the unmistakable feeling of a phantom spooner sharing my bed. Or rather, maybe I was sharing its bed since I was only going to be an occupant for a few nights, and who knows how much it had spent there. I didn’t feel anything touch me, per se, but I am certain it was there, much like how you just know whether your partner is still with you in bed at any given moment throughout the night without having to open your eyes or feel around. Interestingly, there wasn’t a noticeable temperature fluctuation in the cool room. 

Was I already asleep? Was I experiencing a hypnagogic hallucination in that strange state of consciousness between being awake and asleep? No. I am confident about this, and I’ll tell you why: I was pissed. And I was awake. Annoyance overrode any fear I’d probably normally feel in such a vulnerable state. 

Eyes still closed, I said, “Nope. Not now. Sleep now. Piss off.”

(I should add, this was not a moment of bravery. However, I am very stubborn, especially when sleepy. On two occasions, I have slept through significant hurricanes. And I get super cranky when someone, some “thing,” or even my own noisy brain interrupts this process. There are even a few other stories I could share where my determination to sleep overrode my paranormal curiosities.)

After my initial verbal declaration, I added, “I’ll be around for a few days; you can say hi then.”

A beat passed. The distinct weight of the form shifted ever so slightly, and then simply dissipated. My very next sensation was of the sheets settling back into place, sinking into the mattress once more. Whatever it was, it was gone. Or at least, it wasn’t making itself known to me. I actually chuckled. Of course this was happening at the worst possible moment, when I have no tolerance or interest in the paranormal, and only care desperately about sleep, and am anxious about work the next day. 

Speaking of the next day, and the day after, I think my ghostly roomie did make itself known again. I did sleep that night/early morning, but not enough. My body clock calibrated to East Coast time had me up earlier than preferred, and I spent some time in the room puttering about, stubbornly refusing to take on the day. I was setting aside some toiletries, moving about lazily between my suitcase in the bedroom area and the bathroom, and the tap on the basin was seemingly turned on by an invisible force. I would have dismissed this as my own groggy, absent-minded action had it not happened again that morning, and again the next day. 

At this point, I think I just said it was welcome to hang out but probably shouldn’t waste water, and I continued on with my day. There were no further spectral spooning sessions during that trip to the Queen Mary.

What Else To See

As you’ll learn throughout the course of this column, I don’t only explore spirits of the ethereal kind, but also of the cocktail variety. And I am especially well known for my love of Polynesian Pop and respectful Tiki culture. With that in mind, no visit to Long Beach is complete for me without a visit to The Bamboo Club restaurant and Tiki bar. The interior is ultimate Tiki, designed by Bamboo Ben Hassham, but it’s also a welcoming locals spot and also seems to have a live act happening. Not only is Bamboo Club an excellent destination to acquire classic cocktails like a Mai Tai that conjure up images of faraway destinations, but the bar’s new modern inventions are brilliant. Personally, I am a massive fan of their River Dragon, a bold libation made with Ming River Sichuan peppercorn and Thai chili infused Baijiu, White rum, lime, passion fruit, Aperol. Plus, the food should not be missed. Though I am not a vegetarian, I dig the BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich on a Brioche bun with Shoyu BBQ sauce, seasoned jackfruit, coconut chili slaw, and pickles. The Bamboo Club is located at 3522 East Anaheim St., Long Beach, and is open seven days a week. Hit them up at @bambooclublb on Instagram, and let ‘em know Aaron sent you. They won’t know who I am, but you can still let them know. 

Grave Essentials

It seems like I have been hearing people talking about the Australian-made Blundstone’s Chelsea boots for a while now, but I am always reluctant to try out a new pair (or brand) of boots. With how much I travel around, schlepping in haunted hot spots or walking around creepy forests, I don’t have time to experiment, and break in a new pair. Plus, I need something that can withstand wear and tear, but also look nice enough to blend in as “dressy enough” to wear anywhere since I hate packing multiple pair of shoes. But since they were so highly recommended, I picked up the Blundstone Men’s Original Lace Up Boots in Rustic Black. I packed them up, along with my regular hiking shoes and running shoes, to road test during a few weeks of a paranormal wintry adventure in Ireland across cities as well as tricky terrain. Yet due to a mishap, my hiking boots went buh-bye before I even touched down on the Emerald Isle, and the Blundstone’s were my only boots for the trip (along with those lightweight running shoes). I do not advise anyone engaging in this kind of breaking-in experiment, but it worked out surprisingly well for me. These boots slipped on and felt great right away, and as I trekked through some woods, navigated questionable castle rocks, and steep stones, the Blundstones held up. They were, and remain, incredibly comfortable and withstood anything I’ve thrown at them thus far. These are tough shoes. The “Rustic Black” color is more of an off-green, and while I do wish these were closer to black, they still look great — and somehow have avoided getting marred up. They likewise blend enough for dressing up (but I would not call them dress shoes whatsoever). The premium water-resistant leather also withstood a lot of rain, ice, and an unexpected partial dip into the sea. Simply put, these are great adventure boots, and I am a convert. However, I was advised to order a size up, and that tip served me well. 

*Note: I don't receive compensation for these recommendations, and my opinions are based solely on road-testing gear that holds up.

One More Thing

I am hosting my second Spooky Explorers Club event at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, this September 18-21, 2025. Rather than a ghost-hunting paranormal event, this is a spooky season fun gathering where guests (limited to 20) will join for the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, as well as an investigation of spirits and spirits around the EPCOT World Showcase. Along with a talk by yours truly, we will be joined by a paranormal researcher and other guests to talk about the spooky side of Disney and Orlando. We’ll also be kicking off the event with a party at the Permanent Vacation Tiki bar. Tickets include daytime conference talks, the Halloween party, admission to EPCOT, three nights at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (with monorail access), a dessert party and exclusive fireworks viewing at EPCOT, transportation and access to the party with a drink included, a goodie bag with swag from top-tier sponsors, and the ability to add on a ghost tour and hunt in Downtown Orlando. Head to SpookyExplorersClub.com for more info.

---

Got a haunted hideaway, eerie encounter, or ghostly getaway we should know about? Send your spooky travel tips, and tales (along with gear and food/drink recs) to Contact@SpookyTravels.com