Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

Urgent Repairs Needed to Queen Mary, Potential Flooding & Capsize Risk

The ex-Cunard luxury liner Queen Mary, which had served as a tourist attraction and hotel in Long Beach, CA since 1972, was shut down by the pandemic. Then in January, the manager of the ship on behalf of the City of Long Beach filed for bankruptcy. Now, the Long Beach Post reports that a recent Queen Mary inspection survey reveals that urgent repairs have been neglected over the last five years, leaving the historic ship vulnerable to flooding or possibly even capsizing if critical work isn’t addressed.

The report from a city-hired naval architecture and marine engineering firm Elliott Bay Design Group, which inspected the ship on April 28, says the city would need an additional $23 million in urgent safety repairs to keep the ship “viable” over the next two years.

That’s on top of the $23 million in bonds and Tidelands funds that the city issued to former operator Urban Commons in 2017 to fix some of the most critical repairs listed in a marine survey. The funds ran out before many of the repairs were completed, and now, the latest report says most of the urgent structural work hasn’t even started as the ship slips into further disrepair.

Continues at:
http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2021/06/urge ... more-57703

Queen Mary Update: Long Beach Weighs Expensive Alternatives


Last month we posted that a recent Queen Mary inspection survey revealed that lack of maintenance and neglected repairs have left the converted Cunard passenger liner vulnerable to flooding or possibly even capsizing.

In early June, the City of Long Beach, CA regained full control of the Queen Mary for the first time in over 40 years, Now, the Long Beach City Council is considering what to do with the ship. All the options under consideration are very expensive.

The LA Times reports that the council was presented with three options to consider:

preserving the ship for the next 25 years at a cost of $150 million to $175 million;
preserving the ship for the next 100 years, which would require moving it to a dry dock for repairs at a total cost of $200 million to $500 million;
or retiring and dismantling or sinking the ship at a cost of $105 million to $190 million.

Continues at:
http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2021/07/quee ... more-57918

I was there around 15 years ago and even then she looked faded and tired. If she is to be preserved i would suggest she needs a concrete berth as per the Japanese battleship whose name i forget, Mikasa?

Here she is with another old lady of the sea....1966