Queen Mary’s long slumber ends as she welcomes the public aboard

After nearly two years of major repairs, the Queen Mary reopened for limited tours on Dec. 15.

Members of the media were invited onto the ship for the first tour of the vessel accompanied by Long Beach officials and were given a tour by Commodore Everette Hoard.

“On December the ninth of 1967, this vessel triumphantly steamed into Long Beach with more than 1,000 cruise passengers. It would become a defining moment for our city, for the Queen Mary’s own indigenous magic would embrace the future of our beautiful city,” said Commodore Hoard during a speech.

A Seagull rests on one of the cables holding the retired oceanliner, Queen Mary, in its permanent location in Long Beach on Dec. 15, 2022. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

After the speeches, Commodore Hoard, whom Mayor Robert Garcia said “represents the Queen Mary in human form,” led city officials and media members through an educational tour of the ship that passed through the iconic rooms that are often used for period filmmaking.

Guests looked through the Promenade Shops, Observation Bar, Queen Salon, Royal Salon and the smoking room as Hoard told stories about the ship’s history.

The full ship will not reopen until 2023 as repairs will be continually made to the vessel. One of the milestones in the restoration was removing the dilapidated lifeboats attached to the ship’s hull.

Only one of the dilapidated lifeboats that were recently removed from the Queen Mary oceanliner’s hull can be seen on the port side of the ship during its reopening on Dec. 15, 2022. (Richard H. Grant | Signal Tribune)

“So we took on that first challenge of removing the lifeboats, and in doing so we removed 100 tons of weight that alleviated significant stress from both sides of the ship and allowed our crews to move in and continue our work,” said Public Works Director Eric Lopez.

The next phase of the project involves restoring the ship’s boilers and heat exchangers, which will allow for facilities to be fully operational for the Queen Mary to resume its role as a hotel and venue for events.

“We are keenly looking forward to ushering the great vessel back to a vibrant, successful life in 2023,” said Commodore Hoard. “Dear Mary, the end of your long slumber is at hand. Your loyal subjects await your massive majesty. May your glory never fade and your life never dim.”