No matter what Long Beach chooses to do with the Queen Mary, one thing is for certain: it will be expensive.
“There really is no cheap option, just the least expensive of several expensive items,” said Franc Pigna, a consultant hired by the Port of Long Beach.
During a special meeting on Tuesday, July 20, the Long Beach City Council publicly weighed its options for the Queen Mary for the first time since the City regained control of the ship in June.
The historic ocean liner has been a tourist attraction since it first arrived in Long Beach in 1967 and is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.
In the past four decades, the ship has had seven different operators, the most recent of which filed for bankruptcy. Deferred maintenance has left the ship with up to $289 million in needed repairs, according to a 2017 marine survey.
Now, the ship’s fate lies in the hands of the city council.
If Long Beach wants to wash its hands of the Queen Mary, a “retire and recycle” option would dismantle the ship with a cost of $105 million to $190 million, according to city-hired engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol.
The short-term solution would save the City time and money on repairs, but deprive Long Beach of its historic artifact and economic generator.
The ship brings in an estimated $93.7 million in economic output and 1,374 jobs, according to a 2019 study by Beacon Economics. The ship and surrounding land generated $58 million in revenue in the last full year it was open.
Alternatively, the City could take a medium-term approach to preserve the ship. If it continues critical repairs and base maintenance until the ship is too costly to maintain, the City could pay up to $175 million over the next 25 years, in addition to $5 million annually and up to $50 million in one-time costs.
But as long as the ship remains in water, it will continue to degrade. Naval architect John Waterhouse said that the ship is at a “tipping point” after 30 years of “fits and starts” in maintenance.
The ship could last another century if the City chooses to drydock the Queen Mary with an estimated cost of $200 to $500 million, according to Moffatt & Nichol.
Dry-docking the ship may be feasible, but only if the Queen Mary is structurally sound without the support of water.
“The reports aren’t in,” Pigna said. “And we will find out, I guess, soon enough what the structural integrity of the Queen Mary will be. Now this sounds promising and it is promising. But then you’ve got the alternative, which is the reality issue.”
Council members seemed in support of preserving the Queen Mary, both for its historic value and its potential as a revenue generator. The meeting was tinged with cautious optimism as the council awaits final reports on the full cost of conservation.
“I think most cities would die for an opportunity to have a ship like the Queen Mary,” Councilmember Cindy Allen said, noting that the ship brings in an estimated 1.6 million annual visitors.
Vice Mayor Rex Richardson said dismantling and recycling the ship would be “irresponsible,” given the substantial cost and loss of revenue opportunities. Dry-docking the ship could create job opportunities, he said, especially if the City decides to develop neighboring parcels of land.
Economic Development Director John Keisler stressed that investments for the Queen Mary would not come from the taxpayer-funded General Fund, but rather the Tidelands Operating Fund. One-time costs associated with repairs could also be spread out across years, with some costs front-loaded at the beginning of the project.
“Certainly the amount of history that has happened here is something to be celebrated and to be preserved and to be honored,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “I want to also recognize that this is a very complex project or future project, this is not something that’s going to get decided today or next week.”
The Queen Mary is expected to reopen sometime in 2022 after critical repairs are completed. City staff are expected to report back later this year with additional information on the City’s options for the ship.
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