This week The Queen Mary ocean liner celebrates its 80th Anniversary and on September 26 the public is invited to join in the ship-wide celebration with FREE admission all day from 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, with discounted parking and discounted ship tours and attractions.
To celebrate the ship's 80th 'birthday', the Queen Mary has commissioned TV celebrity baker, Jose Barajas to create a grand cake that's worthy of a grand ship. Weighing almost a quarter ton and measuring over 15 feet long the anniversary cake will be as exact a replica of the Queen Mary as flour and frosting allows.
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Commemorations during the day will include the reading of letters by King George V at the ship's launch on Sept. 26, 1934, and a recent congratulatory message from Queen Elizabeth II on the ship's 80th anniversary. The Queen Mary will use the anniversary event to announce a groundbreaking initiative, a forward-looking plan inspired by the ship's eight-decades of public life and overall influence on maritime commerce.
Following remarks by attending dignitaries, Commodore Everette Hoard will read the Royal Letters. He then will then officiate the ceremonial cutting of the Queen Mary's 80th Anniversary Cake.
Following remarks by attending dignitaries, Commodore Everette Hoard will read the Royal Letters. He then will then officiate the ceremonial cutting of the Queen Mary's 80th Anniversary Cake.
"Celebrating 80 years of global prominence is reason enough to invite the community to share in this
special moment, but there is more news,” said Queen Mary General Manager, John Jenkins. “I will make an important announcement during the ceremony; an announcement that goes to the very heart of why this great ship continues to attract so much attention all across the globe. In the meantime, we invite every Queen Mary visitor past, present and those yet to voyage with us - to come to Long Beach, Friday - September 26 to salute the ocean liner that set new maritime standards and won hearts when launched, and does so still.”
The Queen Mary was christened Sept. 26, 1934 at the John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland, with King George V and Queen Mary launching the magnificent ship before a crowd of more than 200,000 spectators. The Queen Mary departed on her maiden voyage over a year later and soon became the transatlantic crossing vessel of choice for dignitaries, celebrities and those embarking on a new life in America.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE QUEEN MARY
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE QUEEN MARY
- Launched Sept. 26, 1934, in Clydebank, Scotland.
- King George V spoke and Queen Mary christened the ship before a crowd of 200,000.
- More than 10 million rivets used in construction
- 1,004 ft. at waterline – longer than the Eiffel Tower, 1,019 ft. overall length – 228 feet shy of the Empire State Bldg. and 81,237 gross tons – nearly twice that of the Titanic
- Driven by four 32-ton propellers, each spanning 18½ ft.
- May 27, 1936 — began maiden voyage to New York with 1,742 passengers and 1,186 crew
- Initial cabin-class fare: £53.15 or about $86; tourist-class: £8.10 or about $13
- Served more than 10,000 meals each transatlantic trip
- 640-line switchboard provided ship-to-shore phone service to all first-class cabins
- First ocean liner fitted with fully motorized lifeboats
- 314 guest rooms including 305 staterooms and 9 suites
- Air-driven Tyfon horn could be heard 10 miles away
- Served more than 24,000 meals each transatlantic crossing
- Carried 20 tons of meat each trip, with 50,000 lbs of potatoes, 70,000 eggs, 3,600 lbs of cheese, 1,200 lbs of coffee and 500 gallons of ice-cream
- Stored 10,000 bottles of wine each trip with 40,000 bottles of beer, 6,000 gallons of draught ale, 5,000 bottles of spirits
- Carried 5,000 cigars and 20,000 packs of cigarettes each trip
- Six miles of carpet were vacuumed each day.
- Linen supplies: 210,000 towels, 30,000 sheets, 21,000 table cloths and 92,000 napkins
- Dining table held more than a half-million pieces of china, glassware and silverware.
- Carried more than 810,000 Allied military personnel during World War II
- British leader Winston Churchill sailed under the alias “Colonel Warden."
- Won ‘Blue Riband’ speed prize in 1936, crossing Atlantic in 4 days, 4 hours and 12 minutes.
- Celebrity passengers included: Bob Hope, Spencer Tracy, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Fred Astaire, Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
- In 1967, she retired to Long Beach, Calif., which bought her for $3.4 million as a living landmark, event venue and hotel
- Since 1971, she has attracted over 50 million visitors
