The History of our Queen Mary The Queen Mary was conceived in the late 1920s as the first of a pair of 1,000-foot long ships and provided scheduled weekly service between Southampton, England, and New York City. Construction began on the ship in Scotland in 1930. On December 11, 1931, all construction was halted as a result of the Great Depression. But on September 26, 1934, Hull No. 534 was launched in the presence of King George V by his consort, Queen Mary. The Queen surprised and pleased the public by graciously giving her own name to the ship. Although dubbed the "stateliest ship afloat" by King George V at the time of her launch in 1934, life aboard the newest and fastest North Atlantic liner was not dull—there were five bars on the Promenade Deck alone. The Queen Mary was in the mid-Atlantic when Hitler invaded Poland in August 1939. She eluded submarines while carrying passengers and refugees, then arrived safely in New York that following Monday, September 4. The Queen Mary spent the next six years transporting over 800,000 troops and visited Bombay, India; Hong Kong, China; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Sydney, Australia. After the war she transported troops home and war brides and their babies from Great Britain to the United States and Canada. In 1947, the Queen Mary converted back to accommodating passengers. Passengers booked months in advance to guarantee passage. Because of modernized transportation, by the mid 1960s, the Queen Mary was no longer profitable. Her new home became Long Beach, California. Long Beach purchased the Queen Mary as a tourist attraction. Not only was it a city within itself, it was a hotel, convention center, and museum—this purchase was the ship's salvation. Now the Queen Mary is a world-famous landmark and is loved by millions. A non-profit foundation (RMS), now manages the ship and intends to preserve the ship and return it to its original condition.
The ship was created to be regal and has continued that tradition by becoming a popular venue to host weddings. The Royal Wedding Chapel aboard the majestic Queen Mary is a great location to exchange vows, and weddings outdoors on the deck are becoming more popular every day. Several brides have planned their reception in one of the ship's original salons and reserve Hotel Queen Mary staterooms for the wedding party and their out-of-town guests. The Queen Mary Royal Wedding Chapel hosts approximately 600 ceremonies per year as well as offers to officiate weddings denominational or non-denominational—a ship's chaplain or an ordained minister is available upon request. The ship has always exuded a warmth and elegance, and that ambience still remains; however, the space is even better suited to its new role as a wedding chapel. The Queen Mary Royal Wedding Chapel is designed for intimate weddings, and can accommodate up to 200 guests, and candlelit wedding services are available seven days a week, except holidays. There is a staff of professional wedding coordinators who will guide the couple on every detail of their wedding with a variety of wedding packages to meet everyone's needs, from helping to select a ballroom, the menu, and even the wedding cake. The Hotel Queen Mary has 365 restored first-class staterooms and suites. Contact the Chapel for a brochure. The Queen Mary is docked at the south End of the 710 Freeway, on the water in Long Beach, California. Staff Writer |
