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diversions:
legend has it ...
Spirits electrify
Grey Ghost
By Don Weberg
Welcome to the
new weekly column of the unexplainable, Legend has it.
Many people tell
them, few people believe them and fewer still have really
experienced them first hand. They are ghost stories, tales
of the supernatural.
Los Angeles County
has a rich history and diverse demographics, making it a stomping
ground for fables of the unexplained. The City of Long Beach
has numerous reports of roaming spirits, but none as famous
as those of The Queen Mary.
Her history alone
dictates the mysterious possibilities that more is there than
meets the eye. The Grey Ghost, as she was known during her
tour of duty during World War II, has seen more than the average
dose of tragedy and happiness ? if only walls could speak.
Legend has it, however, that the walls of the Queen Mary do,
in fact, tell a tale. At least the bow walls do.
During her WWII
service, Adolf Hitler became so enraged by The Grey Ghosts
success at evading enemy troopships and subs, that he offered
a $250,000 bounty and Iron Cross to any U-boat captain who
could sink her.
During this time,
while sailing in the military zig-zag pattern, Queen Mary
accidentally sliced through her escort ship, the H.M.S. Curacao.
The event took place so quickly and with such precision that
the Curacao was literally split in half. Only 101 of a crew
of 439 survived. The Queen Mary was extremely damaged, and
Curacao sank very quickly. During a visit to The Queen Mary,
a television crew left their recording devices on overnight,
by accident, in the bow area of the ship. The next day, in
playback, the sounds of banging and shouting could be heard
on the tape. Other visitors to the area have also claimed
to hear such noises.
Another ghostly
tale involves the lady in blue. Legend has it that one night
the hotel desk clerk was chatting with a ship telephone operator
when she noticed a woman in a flowing, powder blue gown walking
across the lobby. The desk clerk was intrigued by her image
as she appeared unfocussed, seemingly foggy. The woman walked
behind a pillar and never passed to the other side. She was
gone.
Another Queen Mary
resident is the one who greets guests with a song from the
piano at the hotel lobby A-deck. The instrument was especially
created for her early voyages in the 1930s. A mother and daughter
waited for a friend in the wee hours of the morning near the
piano. The mother took a seat in one of the chairs in the
abandoned lobby, while the daughter sat on the piano bench.
The keyboard lid was closed, but a melody rang out from the
instrument. Startled, they decided to wait on the deck of
the ship instead of in the lobby. Apparently the A-deck lobby
wasn't abandoned at all.
Several other stories
abound the famous ship involving hauntings and mysteries,
such as the glowing-eyed girl, the legend of engine room door
number 13, the diver in the first-class pool and so on. Always
worth a visit, The Queen Mary sports a tremendous heritage,
fabulous tales and some great bars and dance spots on the
weekends.
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