Current state of Queen Mary Bankruptcy

[Steve Olguin]

Bid to bring a Queen home

For 40 years the luxury liner has been berthed in California as a tourist attraction. Now a British businessman wants to buy her back for the nation.

David Smith and Graham Mole
Sunday March 19, 2006
The Observer


The Queen Mary was one of the most glamourous ships ever to set sail, with a passenger list including Noël Coward, Greta Garbo and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

For nearly 40 years the liner, once the pride of Britain, has been run as a tourist attraction and hired out for weddings in Long Beach, California. Now a British businessman has declared his intention to buy it back for the nation.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1734275,00.html

[Moderator's Note: This board's formatting processes appear not to be able to handle a url that contains a comma, and this one contains two. Steve's attempt to make this a clickable link didn't work for that reason. To get to the Observer article he mentions, you'll have to copy and paste the url into your browser's address window. MAB]

 

[Steve Olguin]

LBReport.com

News

Long Beach's Queen Mary Long Way From Returning To UK, City Hall Indicates

_____

(March 20, 2006) -- Following-up on a report published in The Observer, a
British daily newspaper, indicating efforts by some in the UK to bring the Queen
Mary back to England, LBReport.com spoke with LB Deputy City Attorney J.
Charles Parkin seeking context.

In a quick overview, Mr. Parkin indicated that a scenario in which City Hall
might consider selling the ship (possibly sending it England or elsewhere)
is effectively quite remote. Among other things, the city has a current
tenant (QSDI) under lease and although the tenant might change as a result
of now-pending QSDI bankruptcy proceedings, the lease itself currently has
over 50 years to run.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

I don't know if these people are going to be successful in raising the money, but if they are, the towing of the vessel should be an interesting challange. With the engine rooms gutted, she'll need to be ballested down somehow.

 

[Matthew Newman]

I really hope they don't do that. I've wanted to see the QM for over 10 years and just haven't been able to make it out there yet. I doubt I'll be able to travel across the ocean anytime soon to see her. This is really going to be sad for me if it happens.

 

[Dave Gittins]

"It's a dream, but we also have serious commercial plans. If she was based back in Southampton, she could generate tens of millions of pounds and provide about a thousand jobs."

Pure fantasy! How many customers would be needed to cover the cost of 1,000 jobs?

If the nation whose business is business can't make the ship profitable, the nation of shopkeepers sure won't. Remember Millenium Dome?

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>Remember Millenium Dome?<<

Oooops!

 

[David G. Brown]

You can say that again!

-- David G. Brown

 

[Steve Olguin]

I honestly doubt this will happen. There are several suitors interested in acquiring the lease from the QSDI with the hopes of refurbishing the liner and develop the remainder of the land adjacent and between the QM and the Carnival Line dome. I was told on a tour about ten years ago that it would be 98% impossible to successfully move the ship within even a 15 mile radius. The whole superstructure would likely to collapse onto the hull with too much force.

Her final voyage half way around the world was just that, her final voyage. I predict either she will just sink on her own, or someone will set her on fire. It would be tragic that both ships would end with a similar destruction, but I guess we should be thankful she has been around as she has. I myself and grateful that I've been to her twice. Wow, what a sight to see those huge smoke stacks rising against the Long Beach sky while driving down the freeway.

 

[Steve Olguin]

I might add, that I honestly think that if successfully redeveloped, the ship has the potential to make money for the first time in 40 years. The Mission Inn in Riverside, CA is a prime example of a historic "hotel" that was redeveloped in the late 1980's after nearly being torn down to make way for a new parking garage! While it was off to a rocky start, the place is thriving now. I believe it was built in about 1908... That's what a lot of us out here in Riverside County can't figure out about the Queen Mary. The Mission Inn is classy (sure it's in the center of a dead downtown Riverside) but the Queen Mary has so much potential to make money. Sir Winston's is overpriced and not worth the money, the decor leaves a lot to be desired). Both eateries on the Promenade Deck are okay, but the decor is not original (since it was the sheltered promenade) and it looks like a lot of Denny's did in the late 1980's. Reopen some of the original public spaces as new restaurants and entertainment venues, and get somebody like Chicago's N9NE group to oversee it.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>You can say that again!<<

Ooooops!

Seriously, Dave Gittins makes one fine point as usual, and so does Steve. Every tidbit I've heard points to a ship that's hardly in good material condition, and the non stop frieght train of financial mismanagement doesn't help. I don't know that the superstructure's condition is so bad that it would cause the thing to collapse, but the topweight problems are no laughing matter. Take the Queen Mary out on the open ocean for any reason, and they better be prepared to see her become an artificial reef.

What they need to turn the thing around are some smart busnesspeople who actually understand the market that's out there and who know what they're doing. If any are out there who want to step up to the plate, *now* would be a very good time!

 

[James Smith]

I was there last week, and the paint has peeled off large portions of the superstructure on the port side aft. There were also leaks in several rooms, including the chart room aft of the bridge and the capstain club. I don't think there are any major structural issues yet, but if they don't fix those leaks and repaint before the rust advances, there will be.

--Jim

 

[David G. Brown]

Men and ships rot in port -- Nelson.

The huge costs of maintaining a steel ship are beyond belief. I really doubt there is any business plan anywhere in the world that can keep an ocean liner in A-1-A condition as a commercial enterprise.

Perhaps the best thing to do is throw a helluva party on board...and then tow it to sea....

-- David G. Brown

 

[Jim Hathaway]

It's a dream, but we also have serious commercial plans. If she was based back in Southampton, she could generate tens of millions of pounds and provide about a thousand jobs."

I think this is what Long Beach was saying when they brought her there-
I watched from my house when she came to Long Beach, and I don't remember a time when she was ever really solvent-I wanted her to be!
As far as materiel condition, when she came she went to Long Beach Naval Shipyard, and her stacks were removed to remove the boilers.
The stacks were so corroded at that time, they collapsed due to corrosion, under their own weight when lifted off. (the ones she has now were built after her arrival)
If that was her condition on arrival, I am sure Cunard spent much more on upkeep than at any time since her arrival-

 

[Michael H. Standart]

I really doubt the entreupeneurs in Southampton really have any concept of just how expensive it is to maintain a ship in decent material condition. The expense of keeping up ships in the U.S. Navy mothball fleet in deep preservation...all sealed up, sectioned up, and with dehumidifiers running plus cathodic protection amounted to several hundred thousand dollars per year...each!

The Queen Mary is already in poor condition and has not had the advantage of being sealed up against the elements that a single warship receives. I think when these guys seriously look over the ship, and work out a list of essential repairs, they are going to be in for one very rude shock when the bids start coming in.

 

[Kyle Johnstone]

The lack of propper structural support for the funnels as they were plopped down on the dockside in Long Beach probably had more to do with their collapse than "corrosion".

 

[Jerry Nuovo]

I have read this article on another website concerning the problems of the Queen Mary in Long Beach,California.The article does state that Long Beach officials say that the possibilities that Long Beach would sell the Queen Mary are very slim.Since I live on the East Coast of the U.S. in New Jersey and I was at the Queen Mary 3 months ago for the first time,I would like to ask this question to people who live in Southern California and that is would you hate to see the Queen Mary sold and moved away from Southern California? And since you are Southern California residents about how many times a year do you go visit the Queen Mary? And how many people reading this regardless of where you live have even been to the Queen Mary? Here is the website for the article www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=008610

 

[John Clifford]

quote:

...would you hate to see the Queen Mary sold and moved away from Southern California?

ABSOLUTELY!!

quote:

...about how many times a year do you go visit the Queen Mary?

I used to go about four times per year, but less so, probably once or twice.

However, the ship is a ideal location for various events, as well as a hotel. Therefore, I don't foresee the ship ever leaving Long Beach.

 

[Kyle Johnstone]

I visit several times a year, attending various events, and sometimes just visiting for the sake of being on the Queen Mary.

I give money to the Foundation, which may or may not be a waste.

The SoCal. headquarters of the Steamship Historical Society are on the Queen Mary, in the former Third Class Cinema.

There is almost no chance of losing her, but it would be a huge loss if we did.

 

[Joe Russo]

I live in LA and I can't imagine Long Beach without the Queen Mary. It is such a symbol of the city. I'm sure losing the QM would be heartbreaking to a good majority of people in the LA metro area since it has been a beloved building in Southern California longer than it was a ship.

I go the QM at least once a year. There is a great party there every May for the Long Beach Pride Festival. Actually this is one of the best dance parties of the year in So Cal. The dance floors are spread out in the convention area in the stern of the ship and also in the former boiler room. The boiler room venue is especially amazing mainly because the dance floor is pretty much on the bottom deck of the ship and you're basically underwater and the "ceiling" of this room is all the way to the top of the ship where the funnel was plugged. You can imagine what kind of a view that is.
I'll be staying there overnight for the first time this year in a few weeks.

 

[Jerry Nuovo]

Thanks for your responses.Since I live in the N.Y./N.J. metropolitan area and sadly there are no classic ocean liners that are permanently docked in the Port of NY/NJ like the Queen Mary is in Long Beach,California.There is the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier permanently docked on the West Side of Manhattan and she is used as a floating museum.I was aboard her about several years ago and maybe I'll again and there is a model of the Titanic aboard the Intrepid.Then there is the battleship New Jersey permanently docked in Camden,New Jersey and the New Jersey officials were very stupid to place the Battleship New Jersey in Camden which is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia because she is doing very poorly attracting people to go see her and I have never visited the Battleship New Jersey because of 2 reasons which are it is about a 2 hour drive from Northern New Jersey where I live to get to Camden,located in Southern New Jersey and then it is the City Of Camden,N.J. which has very big crime problems and I would not feel safe driving through that city to get to the Battleship New Jersey.A better location for the Battleship New Jersey would be in Liberty State Park in Jersey City and Liberty State Park is located on the waterfront behind the Statue of Liberty.It would also be great if someone with deep pockets would buy the Ocean Liner S.S.United States and renovate her and bring her to the Port of NY/NJ to be used as a floating hotel and conference center like the Queen Mary in Long Beach,California,since she will never sail again as a passenger ship anyway.I do admit that this idea maybe a pipe dream but it would be great to see this happen and New York is the homeport of the S.S.United States anyway.