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Queen Mary to re-open after three years

By Christal Gaines-Emory, Marvin Andrade, Naoki Gima, and Porter Aydelotte

RMS Queen Mary was a popular location in Long Beach before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo Credit: Naoki Gima

The RMS Queen Mary will reopen to full operations in spring 2023.

The Queen Mary was built in 1930 in Clydebank, Scotland, as a Trans-Atlantic ocean liner. It first sailed on May 27, 1936.

During World War II, the United States converted the vessel into a troopship that ferried Allied troops. After the war, it was retrofitted for passenger usage once again.

The final journey was in 1967, becoming a mainstay of Long Beach. Since then, the Queen Mary has been a popular tourist spot in Long Beach. It is a hotel, event venue, museum, and home to various paranormal tours.

The Queen Mary initially shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, marine engineers hired by the city of Long Beach realized critical issues, and repairs were necessary before the tourist attraction could reopen.

Timeline of RMS Queen Mary repairs.
Graphic Credit: Marvin Andrade

After inspections during the pandemic, Long Beach decided that the iconic ship needed over $23 million worth of immediate renovations to prevent long-term damage. However, according to the engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol, long-term costs could range from $150 million to $500 million to maintain the ship.

A few of the renovations necessary before the reopening include an update to the main boarding entrance, elevator modernization, restroom, HVAC, and floor and window repairs in the Observation Bar.

Renovations began in January and are expected to continue before reopening in the spring of this year. Currently, $5 million has been spent on the ship’s maintenance.

According to the Long Beach Economic Development website, the renovations in late January began with demolishing the existing heat exchangers, piping, and electrical pneumatics. In mid-February, more demolitions will be in place, and the main focus of the renovations will be in the kitchen and dining areas to keep these locations up to code.

Installing new boilers and heat exchangers will provide more hospitality amenities, such as improved cooking. The emergency generator will also need to be installed and activated before the reopening of the Queen Mary.

Repairs on the vessel are expected to be finished in early spring.
Photo Credit: Naoki Gima

“The amount of critical work put into our icon, the Queen Mary, over the last year has been incredible to watch. We are almost there for our targeted reopening later this spring. I look forward to welcoming more visitors back onboard this historic landmark soon.”

Mayor Rex Richardson

The Queen Mary is expected to reopen to the public in early spring, and tourists will have the opportunity to visit the beloved attraction again. Tours are to fully reopen, along with all of the restaurants, the hotel, and the museum. An official reopening date has yet to be announced as of Feb. 24, 2023.

Tourists interested in visiting the iconic landmark can receive updates on the renovation status by visiting:
https://longbeach.gov/economicdevelopment/real-estate-development/queen-mary-updates/ or https://queenmary.com/.

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