This is a video taken by Cruise With Mike of one of the cabins on the old Queen Mary now at Long Beach California
This is view of the ship/ hotel from the outside
Showing posts with label queen mary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label queen mary. Show all posts
April 4, 2011
March 13, 2011
Queen Mary at Long Beach. Worth visiting still? Yes and here is why...
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| RMS Queen Mary at Long Beach California |
Today, the Queen Mary is still billed as one of the most haunted venues in the United States
In this posting I cover:
- History of ship in Long Beach
- Things to do on the ship
- Attractions and events around the ship
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| RMS Queen Mary at Long Beach |
Being in Los Angeles California Long Beach 1126 Queens Hwy. Long Beach Long Beach
The ship has now been there sitting at the same berth for significantly longer than it was actually in service. The ship arrived there in 1967, and so has been there for coming up to a staggering 40 years. Long Beach
I had visited the ship years ago, but with my new found passion and interest in cruise liners and Cunard. I really wanted to visit the ship again. And I am glad I did.
It was even more interesting having read more and seen videos about the Queen Mary history. I would encourage you to try and do that before you visit the ship, although they do have some good and concise exhibition areas and videos covering its history.
In my view they do not capture enough of the glamour and varied life the ship led while in service from the mid 1930s, through the 2nd World War, and into the glory days of trans-Atlantic liner travel through the 1950s until the rapid decimation and pretty much destruction of the trans-Atlantic service by the jet liners in the early 1960s which led to both the Queen Mary and her sister ship the Queen Elizabeth being sold up after often there being more staff than passengers on the route.
The ship is large. Although it did not initially look as large as I remembered the ship, once I was on and wandering around (at one stage getting lost) inside it!
The thing that struck me, reading the material posted around the ship about its history since it arrived at Long Beach
Even Disney, operated the hotel and attraction at one time. Disney took on the lease as part of a clever – if maybe naughty – attempt to play offLong Beach Anaheim Anaheim
As you approach and go on the ship, you do get the distinct feeling that it is a kind of maintained neglect. But do not let that put you off, as the ship is still an amazing experience and well worth visiting.
They keep adding new initiatives like the “ghosts” tour, which I will cover later, being used to try and drum up new interest and reasons to get fans back to visit again.
The “Queen Mary” attraction – what to do there and some tips
Even Disney, operated the hotel and attraction at one time. Disney took on the lease as part of a clever – if maybe naughty – attempt to play off
As you approach and go on the ship, you do get the distinct feeling that it is a kind of maintained neglect. But do not let that put you off, as the ship is still an amazing experience and well worth visiting.
They keep adding new initiatives like the “ghosts” tour, which I will cover later, being used to try and drum up new interest and reasons to get fans back to visit again.
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| Queen Mary Funnels |
The day I visited (a Monday) it was very quiet indeed, and initially I thought that this was great as I had the ship more or less to myself… but it became increasingly spooky wandering around the corridors and beneath the deck areas of the ship and long and gloomy corridors with no-one around. I can see why so many 'ghost stories' have emerged!! And found myself scuttling around some parts of the ship.
On board, the public (i.e. those not staying at the hotel part of the ship) you get to go around the upper decks of the ship and see the bridge. This was quite something, with its brass controls. It is quite visually amazing.
You also get to see the Captain and his immediate senior officers' cabins. I really found these very interesting as all the furniture, fixtures and uniforms are there on display and as they were when the ship was in service. But even more interesting was to see where and how the ship was adapted for service in WW2, and how they managed to cram at time anything from 10000 to 15000 men on-board the ship. That’s about 4 times more than it was designed for.
You get to see how the accommodation was configured to achieve that. It certainly was crammed and cosy.
One of the best sections on the tour is the 'Treasures of Queen Mary' section which recreates all the cabins. That part of the attraction is quite hard to find, and it is really badly signposted and I almost missed them altogether and had to ask a few times how to get to that part of the ship. Last time I visited the ship, I had no idea that part even existed. So you need to make sure that you make sure you don’t miss this part of the ship, as it is well worth the visit as you get to see replicas of each of the different classes of cabins and the large diversity that existed on the ship.
I have taken a fair few photos of the ship, which you can take a look at. My photos of the ship: http://www.bembridge.co.uk/Queen_Mary_2004.htm
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| Decks of the Queen Mary at Long Beach |
What else is there to do on and around the ship?
There are 3 things worth mentioning:
- Eating and drinking venues
- The Ghosts and Legends Tour
- The Russian submarine anchored next to it which you can visit
I am not going to talk about staying on the Queen Mary as a hotel, other than to say there are over 200 rooms that are all the old better class cabins and that you can find out rates and how to stay via the official site at: http://www.queenmary.com
Eating and Dining
There is a wide range of places to eat across all levels and prices. I cover these on the podcast and more information can be got from the link above.
Ghosts and Legends Tour
Ghosts and Legends Tour
Many people, including psychics, believe the Queen Mary is a very haunted ship. They argue that it lives up to the name of 'The Grey Ghost' that it was nicknamed during the 2ndWorld War due to her camouflage paint that meant she was a ghostly looking apparition churning through the seas.
The Ghosts and Legends show is a daily, special effects, walk-through show created aboard the ship that dramatizes actual paranormal and historic events that have been reported over the years. The set up is that some of what you see may actually not be created – it may be real ghost activity. The tour is based on stories from passengers and people who work on the ship.
The tour is spread over a huge 25,000-square-foot area and takes guests through locations not accessible to the public on other tours.
The main haunted areas are:
The Ghosts and Legends show is a daily, special effects, walk-through show created aboard the ship that dramatizes actual paranormal and historic events that have been reported over the years. The set up is that some of what you see may actually not be created – it may be real ghost activity. The tour is based on stories from passengers and people who work on the ship.
The tour is spread over a huge 25,000-square-foot area and takes guests through locations not accessible to the public on other tours.
The main haunted areas are:
- The 1st Class Swimming Pool. Closed for almost 40 years, images of women in period swimming gear and wet footprints appearing are reported. Psychics claim the pool area is a vortex that allows spirits to enter and leave the ship. Give you the chills!
- The Engine Room/ Door 13. In 1966 an 18 year old was crushed in the water tight door, and reports of a blue overall lad walking down the corridor and disappearing at the door are common.
- The Queen Salon (old 1st Class Dining Room). A woman in white is seen dancing in the shadows. The spookiest story is the one tour guides tell of a young girl on a tour constantly claiming she could see the woman when no-one else could.
- First Class Suites (it does seem that the 1st Class spirits are the more persistent haunters doesn’t it). People staying there report ringing phones, breathing, covers being pulled off and a photographer had the image of a man dressed in 1930s clothes in one of the mirrors.
- 3rd Class Nursery. A baby died not long after birth and crying is often reported from the area the nursery used to be.
- The hull. In a tragic accident in the 2nd world war the Queen Mary zig zagging to avoid being destroyed by the German Navy submarines spliced through a Royal Navy escort ship called the H.M.S. Curacao killing 300 men. A TV crew had left recording equipment on overnight a few years back and found lots of pounding and other report horrible screams from the area the ships collided.
The Annual Queen Mary’s Halloween Terror Fest
Building on the haunted theme, this event is now been running for over 20 years!
The site says: “Every October the Queen Mary in Long Beach
Everyone knows the Queen Mary is haunted and is no stranger to haunted happenings. Throughout the years, Queen Mary employees, guests and visiting psychics have reported unexplainable events and paranormal activity aboard the ship. Visitors to Shipwreck will have the opportunity to encounter these areas as they descend deep into the bowels of the ship and navigate the closed corridors and dark hallways of this massive haunted vessel!”
Russian Submarine: Scorpion
Moored next to the “Queen Mary” is this Russian Submarine. Looking a bit shabby, it is very interesting.
The "Scorpion" theater, exhibit and gift shop areas are can be visited by everyone, and the views of the exterior of the submarine from the wharf are good. But the real interesting part is if you clamber inside.
But you need to be agile as it is very cramped and you better be fine and happy moving about in enclosed spaces.
On the sub, you learn and see that 78 crew shared 2 showers and 3 toilets, for up to 3 months at sea. Only officers had their own bunks. Ordinary sailors "hot bunked." 27 bunks in the aft torpedo room were shared by 54 crew. They managed that by having 3 shifts per day: duty, maintenance and sleep.
The sub, you find out, is a Foxtrot class which was the largest conventional (diesel-electric, non-nuclear) Soviet sub. It searched for and tracked enemy forces during the Cold War, extensively in the Pacific Ocean . 79 Foxtrots were built between 1958-1984 for both the Soviet Navy and others countries including India Libya Cuba Poland
3 diesel engines generate power for electric motors that drive the 3 propellers. At periscope depth, air for the diesels can be sucked from the surface using a snorkel. Below that, 4 gigantic battery banks take over.
I have no idea how men coped being in that sub. It is worth a visit.
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| Russian submarine next to Queen Mary Long Beach |
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| shopping arcade on the Queen Mary |
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| The bridge on Queen Mary at Long Beach |
Links
· The “Queen Mary” attraction – what to do there and some tips
· Read more: http://www.queenmary.com
· My Photos of the ship
· Ghosts and Legends Tour
· The Annual Queen Mary’s Halloween Terror Fest
· Russian Submarine: Scorpion
September 21, 2009
TWO GREAT CUNARD FAN SITES
I received an email with a link to 2 great Cunard sites by a fan:
This from Richard:
I'm very interested in ships including the QE2. I was lucky enough to travel aboard her so put together a website of my own which I thought you might be interested in.
http://maritime.elettra.co.uk/qe2/
If you think it might be of interest to you readers I'm happy for you to post a link
I can see from your site you've also been to Long Beach. If you are also interested you might like to visit:
http://maritime.elettra.co.uk/queenmary/
Kind regardsRichard
This from Richard:
I'm very interested in ships including the QE2. I was lucky enough to travel aboard her so put together a website of my own which I thought you might be interested in.
http://maritime.elettra.co.uk/qe2/
If you think it might be of interest to you readers I'm happy for you to post a link
I can see from your site you've also been to Long Beach. If you are also interested you might like to visit:
http://maritime.elettra.co.uk/queenmary/
Kind regardsRichard
August 17, 2007
California investors get rights to Queen Mary for $43 million
This from iht.com about the on-goign saga of the bankrupt QM in long beach:
"An investors' group will pay $43 million (€31.64 million) for the right to operate the Queen Mary and develop its waterfront after the only other qualified developer refused to outbid it at a federal bankruptcy auction.
A group called Save the Queen won Tuesday's auction to pick up a 66-year lease. The city of Long Beach, which owns the historic ocean liner, will receive $8.3 million (€6.11 million) from the sale that will pay legal fees and back rent.
"I think this is a really positive result for the city," said City Attorney Robert Shannon. "Now, the real work is ahead of us."
Save the Queen must still negotiate specific terms of the lease with the city and buy out a nonprofit group that subleases operation of the Queen Mary itself.
The 1934 vessel has been docked at a tourist attraction and hotel for nearly 40 years. Save the Queen has said it plans to develop a theme entertainment area that will include additional hotels, shops and restaurants.
The previous leaseholder, Queen's Seaport Development Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection two years ago.
The only other suitor for the Queen's lease was O&S Holdings in Santa Monica, which indicated it would bid $41 million (€30 million). At the U.S. Bankruptcy Court proceedings, however, bidding opened with the $43 million (€31.6 million) from Save the Queen. O&S refused to submit a counteroffer.
O&S contended that Save the Queen's initial bid had technical violations of the bidding procedures and should be disqualified. The offer was later revised, and a federal bankruptcy judge refused to disqualify the group.
"We are obviously disappointed with the result of today's proceedings," O&S co-founder Gary Safely said. "We were the first and, technically, only qualified bidder."
"An investors' group will pay $43 million (€31.64 million) for the right to operate the Queen Mary and develop its waterfront after the only other qualified developer refused to outbid it at a federal bankruptcy auction.
A group called Save the Queen won Tuesday's auction to pick up a 66-year lease. The city of Long Beach, which owns the historic ocean liner, will receive $8.3 million (€6.11 million) from the sale that will pay legal fees and back rent.
"I think this is a really positive result for the city," said City Attorney Robert Shannon. "Now, the real work is ahead of us."
Save the Queen must still negotiate specific terms of the lease with the city and buy out a nonprofit group that subleases operation of the Queen Mary itself.
The 1934 vessel has been docked at a tourist attraction and hotel for nearly 40 years. Save the Queen has said it plans to develop a theme entertainment area that will include additional hotels, shops and restaurants.
The previous leaseholder, Queen's Seaport Development Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection two years ago.
The only other suitor for the Queen's lease was O&S Holdings in Santa Monica, which indicated it would bid $41 million (€30 million). At the U.S. Bankruptcy Court proceedings, however, bidding opened with the $43 million (€31.6 million) from Save the Queen. O&S refused to submit a counteroffer.
O&S contended that Save the Queen's initial bid had technical violations of the bidding procedures and should be disqualified. The offer was later revised, and a federal bankruptcy judge refused to disqualify the group.
"We are obviously disappointed with the result of today's proceedings," O&S co-founder Gary Safely said. "We were the first and, technically, only qualified bidder."
August 6, 2007
4 will bid for Queen Mary
This on the presstelegram site about the long running QUEEN MARY saga...
"LONG BEACH - Just hours before Friday's 5 p.m. deadline to submit bids for the Queen Mary's lease, two developers and an off-beat artist emerged as potential buyers - paving the way for a bidding war over the historic ship and its surrounding acreage.
An auction is set for Aug. 14 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, where the ship's current lessee, Queen's Seaport Development Inc., sought Chapter 11 protection two years ago following a years-long rent dispute with its landlord, the city of Long Beach.
A stalking-horse bid of $41 million already has been received by O&S Holdings in Santa Monica. But, after Friday, the current high bidder is KUD International, a subsidiary of Kajima USA, which has submitted a bid of $44 million.
The other two bids, both of them for $43 million, are Save The Queen LLC - a creation of Hix Rubenstein developer Jeffrey Klein - and sculptor Brett-Livingstone Strong of Strong Monuments.
All three new bids were submitted between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, along with cashier's checks or wire transfers of nearly $1.3 million apiece, deposits ensuring that each is a committed bidder, said bankruptcy trustee Howard Ehrenberg. The deposit is returned to bidders who aren't chosen.
The last-minute nature of the bidding was strategic, Ehrenberg said.
"Sophisticated buyers in an auction-type setting don't want to reveal themselves any sooner than they have to," he said. "It gives the perception of an advantage to others if they make themselves known any sooner."
Ehrenberg said he was encouraged by the number of bidders, but cautioned that only O&S so far has been labeled financially qualified to take part in the auction.
He said he would meet today with city officials to discuss which of the bidders should be allowed to move forward. If there is a dispute, the matter will be brought before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Vincent Zurzolo before the auction begins Aug. 14, he said.
A closed session is scheduled for Tuesday to brief the City Council.
"While I'm, of course, very pleased to have received three bids," he said, "they each do need to qualify."
Save the Queen LLC and KUD International LLC are the most likely bidders to stay in the race, sources have said.
KUD International, headed by Marvin Suomi, stands to capitalize on Kajima's longtime relationship with the city of Long Beach, having built the Aquarium of the Pacific and the World Trade Center downtown.
For the Queen Mary project, KUD has teamed with Christopher Damon, a Pacific Palisades developer who has been heavily involved in the acquisition of entertainment real estate - including live-performance venues, theaters and restaurants. Recently, he has partnered with CineSpace Supper Club & Lounge in Hollywood and Surfparks, a surf-based theme park set to open next year in Orlando, Florida.
Save the Queen consists of Newport Beach developer Jeffrey Klein and Hix Rubenstein, a developer of high-end golf resorts.
Previously, Klein and Hix Rubenstein had been linked to the Caryle Group, but that is no longer the case, Ehrenberg said. Although he declined to specify the names of Klein's new backers, he said they appeared to be "equally strong institutional financing sources."
The third, and most unlikely bidder, is an artist named Brett-Livingstone Strong, whose vision for the Queen Mary site includes building a statue of the late Princess Diana of Wales on a scale similar to the Statue of Liberty.
Deputy City Attorney Charles Parkin said the city had received a package with a few details of Strong's plan. He said the artist planned to renovate the ship and build a "Statue of Freedom" monument - a bronze statue of an angel with a 20-foot tall face modeled after Princess Diana. There would also be a portrait of the Virgin Mary, he said, modelled after Michelangelo's Pieta in the Vatican, and other tourist attractions.
Developers have been reluctant to share their visions for the Queen Mary and the surrounding 50 acres, but most appear to center on mixed-use projects - retail, restaurants and entertainment - as well as resorts and marinas. Any development must go through the usual city process of approval, which could take years."
"LONG BEACH - Just hours before Friday's 5 p.m. deadline to submit bids for the Queen Mary's lease, two developers and an off-beat artist emerged as potential buyers - paving the way for a bidding war over the historic ship and its surrounding acreage.
An auction is set for Aug. 14 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, where the ship's current lessee, Queen's Seaport Development Inc., sought Chapter 11 protection two years ago following a years-long rent dispute with its landlord, the city of Long Beach.
A stalking-horse bid of $41 million already has been received by O&S Holdings in Santa Monica. But, after Friday, the current high bidder is KUD International, a subsidiary of Kajima USA, which has submitted a bid of $44 million.
The other two bids, both of them for $43 million, are Save The Queen LLC - a creation of Hix Rubenstein developer Jeffrey Klein - and sculptor Brett-Livingstone Strong of Strong Monuments.
All three new bids were submitted between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, along with cashier's checks or wire transfers of nearly $1.3 million apiece, deposits ensuring that each is a committed bidder, said bankruptcy trustee Howard Ehrenberg. The deposit is returned to bidders who aren't chosen.
The last-minute nature of the bidding was strategic, Ehrenberg said.
"Sophisticated buyers in an auction-type setting don't want to reveal themselves any sooner than they have to," he said. "It gives the perception of an advantage to others if they make themselves known any sooner."
Ehrenberg said he was encouraged by the number of bidders, but cautioned that only O&S so far has been labeled financially qualified to take part in the auction.
He said he would meet today with city officials to discuss which of the bidders should be allowed to move forward. If there is a dispute, the matter will be brought before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Vincent Zurzolo before the auction begins Aug. 14, he said.
A closed session is scheduled for Tuesday to brief the City Council.
"While I'm, of course, very pleased to have received three bids," he said, "they each do need to qualify."
Save the Queen LLC and KUD International LLC are the most likely bidders to stay in the race, sources have said.
KUD International, headed by Marvin Suomi, stands to capitalize on Kajima's longtime relationship with the city of Long Beach, having built the Aquarium of the Pacific and the World Trade Center downtown.
For the Queen Mary project, KUD has teamed with Christopher Damon, a Pacific Palisades developer who has been heavily involved in the acquisition of entertainment real estate - including live-performance venues, theaters and restaurants. Recently, he has partnered with CineSpace Supper Club & Lounge in Hollywood and Surfparks, a surf-based theme park set to open next year in Orlando, Florida.
Save the Queen consists of Newport Beach developer Jeffrey Klein and Hix Rubenstein, a developer of high-end golf resorts.
Previously, Klein and Hix Rubenstein had been linked to the Caryle Group, but that is no longer the case, Ehrenberg said. Although he declined to specify the names of Klein's new backers, he said they appeared to be "equally strong institutional financing sources."
The third, and most unlikely bidder, is an artist named Brett-Livingstone Strong, whose vision for the Queen Mary site includes building a statue of the late Princess Diana of Wales on a scale similar to the Statue of Liberty.
Deputy City Attorney Charles Parkin said the city had received a package with a few details of Strong's plan. He said the artist planned to renovate the ship and build a "Statue of Freedom" monument - a bronze statue of an angel with a 20-foot tall face modeled after Princess Diana. There would also be a portrait of the Virgin Mary, he said, modelled after Michelangelo's Pieta in the Vatican, and other tourist attractions.
Developers have been reluctant to share their visions for the Queen Mary and the surrounding 50 acres, but most appear to center on mixed-use projects - retail, restaurants and entertainment - as well as resorts and marinas. Any development must go through the usual city process of approval, which could take years."
July 17, 2007
Deal to purchase Queen Mary sinks as suitor backs out
This on the dailybreeze.com...
"Save the Queen, which had promised Universal City-style development, clashes with city.
By Kristopher Hanson STAFF WRITER
A powerhouse investment firm has reportedly backed out of a tentative $49 million deal to purchase the Queen Mary lease and develop property around the historic oceanliner.
The deal would have allowed a group calling itself Save the Queen LLC to take control of the ship and surrounding waterfront property for development into a theme resort.
In a July 10 letter to an attorney representing Long Beach, Save the Queen said it was ending its bid because of what it characterized as the city's refusal to reach an agreement on key monetary issues.
Save the Queen is backed by Orange County real estate investor Jeffrey Klein, investment firm The Carlyle Group and resort developer Hix Rubenstein.
"As a result of the city's failure to accept the proposal the city had indicated it required, Carlyle decided not to proceed with the transaction," attorney Mark Shinderman wrote to city-hired attorney Steven Gubner.
In response to the letter, the city issued a tersely worded reply to Save the Queen's backers Wednesday accusing the group of leaking confidential details about the proposed deal.
"We will no longer be negotiating with Carlyle because of what we believe is their clear violation of a court-ordered confidentiality agreement," Long Beach City Attorney Bob Shannon said Thursday. "We also don't agree with their characterization of the negotiations in the letter."
Shannon also indicated the city is considering legal action for what he described as a breach of confidentiality.
The city has been working to court a new developer for the 55-acre site since Queen Seaport Development Inc., which leases the site, entered bankruptcy in March 2005 following a dispute over rent payments to the city.
Long Beach owns the Queen Mary, but signed a 66-year lease with QSDI for maintenance and development several years ago.
Following the bankruptcy filing, a court-appointed trustee, Howard Ehrenberg, was put in charge of resolving QSDI's outstanding debts and finding new investors for the site.
Klein, who heads Save the Queen, said earlier that his team envisioned the project as a resort with hotels, a marina and bay club in addition to a mixed-used development similar to Universal Studios City Walk.
He also said developers were prepared to spend $22 million refurbishing the art deco ship - with $5 million provided immediately - and build the infrastructure needed to make the site more accessible to downtown Long Beach.
During negotiations, Klein's group offered to pay the city $5 million to cover QSDI's back rent, according to the letter from Shinderman, but the city sought an additional "subordinate claim" of $4.1 million up front.
Typically, such claims are paid only after all other creditors receive their payments.
The city disputes the financial point listed in the letter and said it was still confident the Queen Mary site will be a success.
"Regardless of this, we remain confident that we'll be successful in getting the maximum amount of money for the taxpayers for this property and it will be a quality development," Shannon said.
The war of words comes as the bankruptcy case nears its 29th month. Earlier this year, disputing parties decided to hold an auction-style sale Aug. 14, with the property lease going to the highest bidder.
A low bid of $41 million was set, with the next highest bid required to be at least $43 million. From there, bids increase in $500,000 increments, said Deputy City Attorney Charles Parkin.
Save the Queen indicated in its letter it may still participate in the auction.
Following the auction's completion, the winning bidder will be given 30 days to provide financial information and project details to the city.
Any eventual construction requires city and state approval, as both share jurisdiction over the property. "
"Save the Queen, which had promised Universal City-style development, clashes with city.
By Kristopher Hanson STAFF WRITER
A powerhouse investment firm has reportedly backed out of a tentative $49 million deal to purchase the Queen Mary lease and develop property around the historic oceanliner.
The deal would have allowed a group calling itself Save the Queen LLC to take control of the ship and surrounding waterfront property for development into a theme resort.
In a July 10 letter to an attorney representing Long Beach, Save the Queen said it was ending its bid because of what it characterized as the city's refusal to reach an agreement on key monetary issues.
Save the Queen is backed by Orange County real estate investor Jeffrey Klein, investment firm The Carlyle Group and resort developer Hix Rubenstein.
"As a result of the city's failure to accept the proposal the city had indicated it required, Carlyle decided not to proceed with the transaction," attorney Mark Shinderman wrote to city-hired attorney Steven Gubner.
In response to the letter, the city issued a tersely worded reply to Save the Queen's backers Wednesday accusing the group of leaking confidential details about the proposed deal.
"We will no longer be negotiating with Carlyle because of what we believe is their clear violation of a court-ordered confidentiality agreement," Long Beach City Attorney Bob Shannon said Thursday. "We also don't agree with their characterization of the negotiations in the letter."
Shannon also indicated the city is considering legal action for what he described as a breach of confidentiality.
The city has been working to court a new developer for the 55-acre site since Queen Seaport Development Inc., which leases the site, entered bankruptcy in March 2005 following a dispute over rent payments to the city.
Long Beach owns the Queen Mary, but signed a 66-year lease with QSDI for maintenance and development several years ago.
Following the bankruptcy filing, a court-appointed trustee, Howard Ehrenberg, was put in charge of resolving QSDI's outstanding debts and finding new investors for the site.
Klein, who heads Save the Queen, said earlier that his team envisioned the project as a resort with hotels, a marina and bay club in addition to a mixed-used development similar to Universal Studios City Walk.
He also said developers were prepared to spend $22 million refurbishing the art deco ship - with $5 million provided immediately - and build the infrastructure needed to make the site more accessible to downtown Long Beach.
During negotiations, Klein's group offered to pay the city $5 million to cover QSDI's back rent, according to the letter from Shinderman, but the city sought an additional "subordinate claim" of $4.1 million up front.
Typically, such claims are paid only after all other creditors receive their payments.
The city disputes the financial point listed in the letter and said it was still confident the Queen Mary site will be a success.
"Regardless of this, we remain confident that we'll be successful in getting the maximum amount of money for the taxpayers for this property and it will be a quality development," Shannon said.
The war of words comes as the bankruptcy case nears its 29th month. Earlier this year, disputing parties decided to hold an auction-style sale Aug. 14, with the property lease going to the highest bidder.
A low bid of $41 million was set, with the next highest bid required to be at least $43 million. From there, bids increase in $500,000 increments, said Deputy City Attorney Charles Parkin.
Save the Queen indicated in its letter it may still participate in the auction.
Following the auction's completion, the winning bidder will be given 30 days to provide financial information and project details to the city.
Any eventual construction requires city and state approval, as both share jurisdiction over the property. "
July 16, 2007
Would-be Queen Mary operator abandons attempt
This from the LATIMES.COM
"A leading candidate to run Long Beach's Queen Mary attraction and develop its surrounding grounds has pulled out of negotiations with the city, officials said Friday.
But other developers interested in leasing the 55-acre site are scheduled to bid at an auction later this summer.The city of Long Beach owns the Art Deco-era ocean liner that has been docked across Queensway Bay from the city's downtown for nearly 40 years. It has a hotel, restaurants, exhibits and hosts a number of special events.
But since 2005, the city has been working to find a new partner after its leaseholder, Queen Seaport Development Inc., filed for Bankruptcy Court protection.
A trustee was appointed by the court to resolve Queen Seaport's outstanding debts and find new investors. As part of the plan, the property lease is scheduled to be auctioned Aug. 14, said the trustee, Los Angeles attorney Howard Ehrenberg.
One developer, O&S Holdings of Santa Monica, has agreed to pay a minimum $41 million, the amount necessary to pay off Queen Seaport's lenders and other creditors. Other bidders would have to offer at least $2.5 million more than O&S to win the auction, Ehrenberg said.Meanwhile, the city had been quietly negotiating with a group of investors, which included the Washington-based private equity firm Carlyle Group, to sell the lease for $49 million. However, this week the group, which called itself Save the Queen, sent a letter to Long Beach saying it was ending its bid because of what it characterized as the city's refusal to reach agreement on key issues, City Atty. Robert Shannon said.
Shannon said the city disagreed with the group's position and said it was unfortunate that the Save the Queen group went public with what he described as confidential talks.
Representatives of Save the Queen didn't return calls seeking comment. The deal would have allowed Save the Queen to take control of the ship and surrounding waterfront property.
Plans included a resort with hotels, a marina and various entertainment, dining and retail attractions."
"A leading candidate to run Long Beach's Queen Mary attraction and develop its surrounding grounds has pulled out of negotiations with the city, officials said Friday.
But other developers interested in leasing the 55-acre site are scheduled to bid at an auction later this summer.The city of Long Beach owns the Art Deco-era ocean liner that has been docked across Queensway Bay from the city's downtown for nearly 40 years. It has a hotel, restaurants, exhibits and hosts a number of special events.
But since 2005, the city has been working to find a new partner after its leaseholder, Queen Seaport Development Inc., filed for Bankruptcy Court protection.
A trustee was appointed by the court to resolve Queen Seaport's outstanding debts and find new investors. As part of the plan, the property lease is scheduled to be auctioned Aug. 14, said the trustee, Los Angeles attorney Howard Ehrenberg.
One developer, O&S Holdings of Santa Monica, has agreed to pay a minimum $41 million, the amount necessary to pay off Queen Seaport's lenders and other creditors. Other bidders would have to offer at least $2.5 million more than O&S to win the auction, Ehrenberg said.Meanwhile, the city had been quietly negotiating with a group of investors, which included the Washington-based private equity firm Carlyle Group, to sell the lease for $49 million. However, this week the group, which called itself Save the Queen, sent a letter to Long Beach saying it was ending its bid because of what it characterized as the city's refusal to reach agreement on key issues, City Atty. Robert Shannon said.
Shannon said the city disagreed with the group's position and said it was unfortunate that the Save the Queen group went public with what he described as confidential talks.
Representatives of Save the Queen didn't return calls seeking comment. The deal would have allowed Save the Queen to take control of the ship and surrounding waterfront property.
Plans included a resort with hotels, a marina and various entertainment, dining and retail attractions."
June 30, 2007
Ships that pass in the night: of Queen Mary II and other passenger liners
This interesting and well written article appeared on thenews.com about QM2, QE2 and other ships
"By Kaleem OmarThe title of this article comes from the American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Tales of a Wayside Inn”, a collection of short stories told by a group of travelers, published in 1863. In 1867 Longfellow produced his translation of Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, on which he had worked for many years. It was highly acclaimed at the time, but is now considered to be somewhat pedestrian. Although Longfellow’s poetry is still widely known and is still taught in schools across America and other parts of the English-speaking world, most critics today regard it with some mockery as more often manufactured than deeply felt.
All this notwithstanding, Longfellow’s felicitous phrase “ships that pass in the night” has passed into the language. And that, when you get right down to it, is about all most writers can hope for. W. H. Auden, one of the twentieth century’s greatest poets, once remarked, only slightly tongue-in-cheek, that if he could get a phrase from his poems into the Oxford English Dictionary, he would die content that his life had not been lived in vain. If Longfellow were alive today, he, too, might have been moved to say that his life had not been lived entirely in vain.
On the subject of ships that pass in the night, however, what I want to talk about here is the British Cunard Line’s new flagship cruise liner Queen Mary II – named after Queen Mary II of England (who reigned from 1689 to 1694, and died of smallpox) – which made its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in October 2003 from England to Florida and has made numerous cruises between England and America in the years since then, carrying well-heeled passengers in the kind of luxurious comfort most of us can only dream about.
The $ 800 million, 150,000-ton trans-Atlantic liner is the biggest and most expensive passenger ship ever built. It is 1,132 feet long, with a beam of 135 ft and a height (keel to funnel) of 236.2 feet. It is powered by a 157,000 horsepower gas turbine-cum-diesel electric plant and propelled by four pods of 21.5 megawatt each, giving it a top speed of approximately 30 knots (34.5 miles per hour).
The QM2, as it is popularly known, has a crew of 1,253 and can carry 2,650 passengers. Among other things, the luxury vessel features a planetarium, 22 elevators and the world’s largest floating library. Passengers can enjoy six restaurants, 14 bars and clubs, theatre, swimming pools, a disco and casino. The 1,310 cabins include duplexes with private gymnasiums and penthouses with butler service. Captain Ronald Warwick, surveying the interior of the ship in September 2003 before it set sail from St. Nazaire, France, where it was built, for its home port of Southampton on the southern coast of England, said it was a cut above Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth II (QE2), on which he served 14 years as captain. “I always thought that was the best ship in the world, but now I think we have competition with this one,” Warwick said.
The QM2 has joined an illustrious list of massive passenger ships. The QE2 – whose trans-Atlantic route was taken over by the new ship in April 2004 – was built in 1967; the original Queen Mary was launched in 1934 and is now a hotel in Long Beach, California, where it is permanently anchored at the dock – a sad fate, it seems to me, for what was once the Queen of the Seas.
The original Queen Mary was built to take the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing by a passenger liner, and was to hold the record both ways – westbound from Southampton to New York and eastbound from New York to Southampton – until 1952. Though built during the depression years of the 1930s, she was by no means an austere ship. In fact, she was a fitting successor to the Aquitania, with which she operated prior to World War II.Wartime service as a troopship was marred by a collision in 1942 with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Caracoa, which sank with the loss of most of her crew (there were only 26 survivors).
Because of danger from lurking German U-boats, the Queen Mary was forbidden to stop and render assistance. During her career in mercantile service, the Queen Mary completed 1,001 Atlantic crossings. In 1967, Cunard sold her to the City of Long Beach, California, as a museum and hotel. To reach her new home, she had to round Cape Horn, being too wide by just 30 inches to pass through the Panama Canal.
Though the Queen Mary was nearly the same length as the QM2 (1,019 ft vs 1,132 ft), she was only about half the tonnage (80,744 tons vs 150,000 tons). But with a service speed of 29 knots, she was nearly as fast as the QM2. The QE2, the last Cunard liner built for the regular trans-Atlantic passenger service, was an anachronism even before she was launched on November 20th, 1967, airline travel having surpassed the seaborne trade. Her maiden voyage was delayed by more than five months because of mechanical trouble, which continued to plague her at intervals throughout her career.
In 1974, she was left adrift off Bermuda after an engine failure; in 1975, she hit a coral reef off the Bahamas; and, in 1976, she was partially crippled by an engine-room fire while in the eastern Atlantic, forcing her return to Southampton. In 1982, she played a key role as a troopship in the Falklands war between Britain and Argentina. Later, after a refit, she had an active career as a cruise liner, including voyages around the world.
She still makes occasional voyages between Southampton and New York – a run on which she was replaced by the QM2 in February 2004.Long before there was a Queen Elizabeth II, however, (the ship, that is, not the British monarch), there was a Princesse Elisabeth (and, no, Princesse and Elisabeth are not, repeat not, misprints; that’s the way the names of those ships were spelt). In the service between Ostend and Dover, the changeover from nineteenth century paddle wheels to turbine-driven ships came in 1904 with the introduction of the Princesse Elisabeth. Although she had a design speed of 24 knots, during her trials off Greenstock, Scotland, she achieved 26.25 knots, making her the fastest ship afloat.
As a result of her success, two more ships of similar design were built. Entering service in 1910, with two more slightly smaller versions following on shortly afterwards. However, none of these vessels was as successful as the Princesse Elisabeth, and it was not until 1922 that a ship was added to the Ostend-Dover service that could match her performance.
In fact, Princesse Elizabeth set a trend for fast ferry service across the North Sea and could carry a sizeable payload of 900 passengers in reasonable comfort.During October 1907, the Cunard Line’s 31,500-ton Lusitania, the biggest ship in the world at the time and the most luxuriously appointed, held both eastbound and westbound Blue Ribands simultaneously; she eventually achieved an average speed of 25.65 knots over 5,352 km (2,890 nautical miles).
Her achievements, however, have tended to be overshadowed by the manner of her demise. On May 7th, 1915, she was sunk without warning by a torpedo from the German submarine U-20 off the Old Head of Kinsale on the south coast of Ireland, with the loss of 1,198 (some reports say 1,201) men, women and children. About 228 were US citizens, and it was long held that their deaths were a factor that eventually persuaded the United States to join the Allies in World War I. A factor in her loss was her master’s inexplicable failure to zig-zag at maximum speed.
And then, of course, there was the Titanic. Billed by its owners as “unsinkable,” the 46,328-ton White Star liner left Southampton on her maiden voyage bound for New York via the French port of Cherbourg and the Irish port of Queenstown on April 10th, 1912. By the afternoon of April 14th, the Titanic was some 1,100 km (600 nautical miles) east of Newfoundland. Her wireless operators received warnings of ice in her path, but her captain, Edward Smith, chose to ignore them and the ship continued at an undiminished 22 knots. At 23.40 hours, a lookout reported ice ahead. The first officer gave orders to leave it to starboard, but the ship grazed an underwater spur, buckling her port side hull plates along the riveted seams. She sank, with the loss of 1,503 of the 2,223 people aboard, in less than two-and-a-half hours.
Much of the resulting scandal centred on the disproportionate number of lives lost (75 per cent) among the third-class passengers. Lady Astor, who known for her sharp tongue and icy demeanour, was one of those who survived. She was a first class passenger, naturally. The story goes that she and some friends of hers were sitting in one of the ship’s lounges, having a drink, when the vessel hit the iceberg. As the walls of the iceberg came crashing through the sides of the ship, Lady Astor, with a hauteur born of centuries of aristocratic breeding, was said to have turned to her companions and remarked, “I asked for ice, but this is ridiculous!”
"By Kaleem OmarThe title of this article comes from the American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Tales of a Wayside Inn”, a collection of short stories told by a group of travelers, published in 1863. In 1867 Longfellow produced his translation of Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, on which he had worked for many years. It was highly acclaimed at the time, but is now considered to be somewhat pedestrian. Although Longfellow’s poetry is still widely known and is still taught in schools across America and other parts of the English-speaking world, most critics today regard it with some mockery as more often manufactured than deeply felt.
All this notwithstanding, Longfellow’s felicitous phrase “ships that pass in the night” has passed into the language. And that, when you get right down to it, is about all most writers can hope for. W. H. Auden, one of the twentieth century’s greatest poets, once remarked, only slightly tongue-in-cheek, that if he could get a phrase from his poems into the Oxford English Dictionary, he would die content that his life had not been lived in vain. If Longfellow were alive today, he, too, might have been moved to say that his life had not been lived entirely in vain.
On the subject of ships that pass in the night, however, what I want to talk about here is the British Cunard Line’s new flagship cruise liner Queen Mary II – named after Queen Mary II of England (who reigned from 1689 to 1694, and died of smallpox) – which made its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in October 2003 from England to Florida and has made numerous cruises between England and America in the years since then, carrying well-heeled passengers in the kind of luxurious comfort most of us can only dream about.
The $ 800 million, 150,000-ton trans-Atlantic liner is the biggest and most expensive passenger ship ever built. It is 1,132 feet long, with a beam of 135 ft and a height (keel to funnel) of 236.2 feet. It is powered by a 157,000 horsepower gas turbine-cum-diesel electric plant and propelled by four pods of 21.5 megawatt each, giving it a top speed of approximately 30 knots (34.5 miles per hour).
The QM2, as it is popularly known, has a crew of 1,253 and can carry 2,650 passengers. Among other things, the luxury vessel features a planetarium, 22 elevators and the world’s largest floating library. Passengers can enjoy six restaurants, 14 bars and clubs, theatre, swimming pools, a disco and casino. The 1,310 cabins include duplexes with private gymnasiums and penthouses with butler service. Captain Ronald Warwick, surveying the interior of the ship in September 2003 before it set sail from St. Nazaire, France, where it was built, for its home port of Southampton on the southern coast of England, said it was a cut above Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth II (QE2), on which he served 14 years as captain. “I always thought that was the best ship in the world, but now I think we have competition with this one,” Warwick said.
The QM2 has joined an illustrious list of massive passenger ships. The QE2 – whose trans-Atlantic route was taken over by the new ship in April 2004 – was built in 1967; the original Queen Mary was launched in 1934 and is now a hotel in Long Beach, California, where it is permanently anchored at the dock – a sad fate, it seems to me, for what was once the Queen of the Seas.
The original Queen Mary was built to take the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing by a passenger liner, and was to hold the record both ways – westbound from Southampton to New York and eastbound from New York to Southampton – until 1952. Though built during the depression years of the 1930s, she was by no means an austere ship. In fact, she was a fitting successor to the Aquitania, with which she operated prior to World War II.Wartime service as a troopship was marred by a collision in 1942 with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Caracoa, which sank with the loss of most of her crew (there were only 26 survivors).
Because of danger from lurking German U-boats, the Queen Mary was forbidden to stop and render assistance. During her career in mercantile service, the Queen Mary completed 1,001 Atlantic crossings. In 1967, Cunard sold her to the City of Long Beach, California, as a museum and hotel. To reach her new home, she had to round Cape Horn, being too wide by just 30 inches to pass through the Panama Canal.
Though the Queen Mary was nearly the same length as the QM2 (1,019 ft vs 1,132 ft), she was only about half the tonnage (80,744 tons vs 150,000 tons). But with a service speed of 29 knots, she was nearly as fast as the QM2. The QE2, the last Cunard liner built for the regular trans-Atlantic passenger service, was an anachronism even before she was launched on November 20th, 1967, airline travel having surpassed the seaborne trade. Her maiden voyage was delayed by more than five months because of mechanical trouble, which continued to plague her at intervals throughout her career.
In 1974, she was left adrift off Bermuda after an engine failure; in 1975, she hit a coral reef off the Bahamas; and, in 1976, she was partially crippled by an engine-room fire while in the eastern Atlantic, forcing her return to Southampton. In 1982, she played a key role as a troopship in the Falklands war between Britain and Argentina. Later, after a refit, she had an active career as a cruise liner, including voyages around the world.
She still makes occasional voyages between Southampton and New York – a run on which she was replaced by the QM2 in February 2004.Long before there was a Queen Elizabeth II, however, (the ship, that is, not the British monarch), there was a Princesse Elisabeth (and, no, Princesse and Elisabeth are not, repeat not, misprints; that’s the way the names of those ships were spelt). In the service between Ostend and Dover, the changeover from nineteenth century paddle wheels to turbine-driven ships came in 1904 with the introduction of the Princesse Elisabeth. Although she had a design speed of 24 knots, during her trials off Greenstock, Scotland, she achieved 26.25 knots, making her the fastest ship afloat.
As a result of her success, two more ships of similar design were built. Entering service in 1910, with two more slightly smaller versions following on shortly afterwards. However, none of these vessels was as successful as the Princesse Elisabeth, and it was not until 1922 that a ship was added to the Ostend-Dover service that could match her performance.
In fact, Princesse Elizabeth set a trend for fast ferry service across the North Sea and could carry a sizeable payload of 900 passengers in reasonable comfort.During October 1907, the Cunard Line’s 31,500-ton Lusitania, the biggest ship in the world at the time and the most luxuriously appointed, held both eastbound and westbound Blue Ribands simultaneously; she eventually achieved an average speed of 25.65 knots over 5,352 km (2,890 nautical miles).
Her achievements, however, have tended to be overshadowed by the manner of her demise. On May 7th, 1915, she was sunk without warning by a torpedo from the German submarine U-20 off the Old Head of Kinsale on the south coast of Ireland, with the loss of 1,198 (some reports say 1,201) men, women and children. About 228 were US citizens, and it was long held that their deaths were a factor that eventually persuaded the United States to join the Allies in World War I. A factor in her loss was her master’s inexplicable failure to zig-zag at maximum speed.
And then, of course, there was the Titanic. Billed by its owners as “unsinkable,” the 46,328-ton White Star liner left Southampton on her maiden voyage bound for New York via the French port of Cherbourg and the Irish port of Queenstown on April 10th, 1912. By the afternoon of April 14th, the Titanic was some 1,100 km (600 nautical miles) east of Newfoundland. Her wireless operators received warnings of ice in her path, but her captain, Edward Smith, chose to ignore them and the ship continued at an undiminished 22 knots. At 23.40 hours, a lookout reported ice ahead. The first officer gave orders to leave it to starboard, but the ship grazed an underwater spur, buckling her port side hull plates along the riveted seams. She sank, with the loss of 1,503 of the 2,223 people aboard, in less than two-and-a-half hours.
Much of the resulting scandal centred on the disproportionate number of lives lost (75 per cent) among the third-class passengers. Lady Astor, who known for her sharp tongue and icy demeanour, was one of those who survived. She was a first class passenger, naturally. The story goes that she and some friends of hers were sitting in one of the ship’s lounges, having a drink, when the vessel hit the iceberg. As the walls of the iceberg came crashing through the sides of the ship, Lady Astor, with a hauteur born of centuries of aristocratic breeding, was said to have turned to her companions and remarked, “I asked for ice, but this is ridiculous!”
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