The Queen Mary Spirits
During her nearly eighty year history, the Queen Mary has been known for many things; not the least of which is her war time career. Her contributions during WWII are legendary. With all of the people she has carried and with the many deaths that have occurred on board, it should come as no surprise that this grand ocean liner would still be occupied by the spirit of her these passengers.
The late psychic Peter James is well known for his extensive work on the Queen Mary and has estimated over 600 active resident spirits that still roam her decks and other areas of the ship. Peter James was instrumental in bringing to light some of these spirits and giving us a glimpse into their behaviors, and the various areas of the ship they like to frequent and possibly even their identities.
Here is a list of some of the more famous “Ghostly” residents of the Queen Mary:
Captain Treasure Jones: Captain Jones was the last captain to sail the Queen Mary and was at the helm when she made her final voyage on Halloween 1967 and into Long Beach harbor on December 9th 1967. Peter James reported that Captain Jones loved to smoke a good cigar and that at times the smell of cigar smoke can still be detected.
John Pedder: John was an 18 year old crewman who, in 1967 was crushed to death at the now Infamous door #13 in shaft alley. There are two tales of his death, one being that’s he was late getting to the door but tried to make it through anyway and was killed. Another has him playing chicken with other crew members and failed the game. There is another tale of a John McKenzie being killed by this same door in 1942. This tale also says that he may have been held there by others when the door closed. He may not have been well like.
John Pedder Photo's courtesy of Rob Wlodarski
Dana: A young girl who was murdered possibly in B-474 with her entire family by her Father. Her two little sisters and her mother were found strangled on the bed while Dana and her father were found dying in the bathroom with gunshot wounds. Dana now likes to play in the archives and cargo area and also is heard calling for her mother. Dana has often been heard in the boiler room area and even the second class pool.
Cary: Another little girl reported to play in the boiler room and pool area but no other info is available at this time.
The Lady in White: She is a young and beautiful woman who; it has been reported; likes to dance to unheard music in the Queens Salon; at one time the main lounge. She wears a white or off white evening gown. It is said that the piano that now resides in the piano bar near the hotel lobby originally was housed in the main lounge and reports of this ghostly beauty have also been reported in the lobby area of the ship. I myself have seen the white lady at around 3:00am coming down the stairs into the lobby area. I ran after her as she left the ship into the elevator area but when I got there she had vanished. Two people waiting for the elevator said they didn't see anyone come out there.
The lady in white wears a dress similar to these photos courtesy of Rob Wlodarski.
William Eric Stark: Was One of the ships officers who was waiting to entertain a couple of the ships officers after they came off their watch. Stark mistakenly grabbed a Gin bottle which actually contained a strong cleaning fluid (tetrachloride). William Stark added lime juice to it and began to drink while awaiting the other crewman. Apparently Stark realized his mistake but didn't really take it to seriously and in fact even joked about it with the other two officers when they arrived. A short time later William Stark became increasingly ill and within four days of drinking the fluid he was dead. Starks Ghost has been reportedly seen in and near the Captain’s cabin on the main deck and the Promenade. Also, choking sounds have been reported which some people attribute to William Stark.
Jackie: (Jacqueline Torin) A little girl who is said to be 5 or 6 years old and believed to have drowned in the second class pool. This area is now the Royal Theater. Jackie likes to play in both pool areas of the ship. Jackie is said to have wandered the ship for the past sixty years by the late Peter James. Jackie can be heard singing, laughing, giggling, calling for her mommy and daddy and even audibly answering questions. You can hear some of these exchanges on the EVP section of this site.
Ghost Girl photo courtesy of Rob Wlodarski
Sarah: She is believed to be between 6 and 8 years old and reportedly guards Jackie. She possibly drowned in the pool in 1949 according to Peter James. Another theory is that Jackie and Sarah were murdered, possibly by the ghost referred to as Grumpy. Sarah can be heard singing with Jackie and has been known to be temperamental and even slightly aggressive at times. The late Peter James stated that he was slapped by Sarah late one night. I have never encountered Sarah being anything but pleasant to me. Peter even said after Sarah got use to him she was very pleasant.
Grumpy: (Real identity unknown) Dubbed Grumpy by Bob Davis of Planet Paranormal. Also called “Grumpy the Growling Ghost” because of his habit of growling at people. He usually resides in the little room under the stairs in the first class swimming pool but he has also been heard in all other areas of the pool, as well as the boiler room area and even the hallways leading to the pool. It is not know why he growls but evp's have been captured at the same time as his growls and the voice sounds very similar. My feeling is that he is trying to be scary, but that he does it more like a joke. Whenever I have witnessed this happening to other investigators (many, many times) they always have the same reaction. Shock, fear and then laughter..Cigarette smoke has also been smelled back in the closet area he seems to frequent under the stairs in the pool.
John Henry: A boiler room worker who remains were found in the double bottom of the ship’s hull just outside the gated area of the Green Room adjacent to the boiler room. There is also said to be another vortex in this area. A vortex is a supposed area that spirits cross back and forth from our world to the next. John Henry has been seen as a shadowy figure that lurks in the boiler room and green room area. He has been seen looking down into the hole in the ceiling of the green room and darting around. EVPs have been captured as well that are attributed to John Henry.
The woman in bathing suit: She has been reported as a woman who is in her late twenties to mid thirties and wears a bathing suit consistent with the style worn in the late 1930's. She has been seen walking around the pool and then vanishing. She has been seen on both the upper and lower levels of the first class pool. The wet foot prints that appear around the pool may be activity related to this spirit but obviously we can’t know this for sure. It has however been reported that after this ghostly swimmer has been sighted the foot prints also were spotted. I myself have found water in fairly large amounts around the pool but have no way to know if it was paranormal.
Jeremy: Another spirit reported by the late Peter James is that of a boy who he has witnessed playing with Jackie but whose identity can’t be verified. He can be heard speaking audibly and laughing with Jackie.
Fedora Dude: This is a disturbing specter seen by both my daughter and myself. He is an extremely tall man who wears what looks almost like a yellowish tan “zoot suit” with a Yellow fedora. His eyes are yellow and his teeth rotten. One night at about 3:30 am he passed extremely close to us in the lobby area and upon passing us gave the creepiest grin that we both can still see to this day. He went around the corner and down the hall. Sensing something was strange I immediately ran to the corner of the hall (about five feet) to get another look at him. In the time it took me to run five feet he was half way down the long hallway of the ship. He was striding slowly down the hall with one hand in his pocket. He turned and smirked at me and continued to stroll down the hall. I turned away to see if my daughter had followed me and turned right back around and in that split second he was gone.
Jack and Terrance: Two WWII soldiers who frequent the 1st class pool area. They are always together and it is believed they died together while making a crossing during the war. Activity manifested Viagra online is; tugging at clothing and encountering intense heat when they are around and reports of them saying their names. They are a lesser known part of the spirit side of the Queen Mary's 1st class swimming pool, due to all the focus on Jackie and Sarah.
The Dude: In Sir Winston’s there is a spirit people call “The Dude” not to be confused with “Fedora Dude.” The dude is a well dressed man in tails and top hat, with slicked backed hair who enjoys the bar area. He usually will walk up behind people sitting at the bar, clears his throat until he is seen and then turns and vanishes through the wall into the men's restroom.
Daniel: Daniel is a little boy of 5 or 6 years of age people like to call the Blue Boy. He is often witnessed on the Promenade deck near the stairway and shops and has been seen in the observation bar. He seems to be looking for his parents and is always wearing blue, Edwardian clothing. He has been spotted by Robert Wlodarski, Peter James and numerous other guests. It is believed he roams other areas of the ship as well.
David and Sarah: Rob Wlodarski has made contact with them through séance in the 1st class pool and Sir Winston's. They are looking for their two children. They usually travel together and will answer questions if you address them using their names.
Other Types of Phenomena:
Shadow People: Shadow people have been reported by people in all locations of the ship and at all hours of the day and night. Many, Many people have photographed shadow people like the one pictured below. There are many theories as to what shadow people are.
Some believe they are possibly inter-dimensional beings slipping between our dimension and theirs. Others believe it is just another form of ghost and yet another theory is that they are possibly men in black somehow not fully cloaked as they enter our dimension and even demonic entities have been mentioned as a possible candidate for these beings.
Whatever they are or wherever they come from, one thing is for certain. When you see one you don't soon forget it. Shadow people come in many shapes and sizes. Some are tall and thin and seem to be wearing a hat and possibly even a coat or large cape. Some are small and hooded or robed. People who have seen shadow people say that they seem to have a strange Smokey look to them and also the appearance of oil on water or an almost a shimmering affect.
Photo by Bob Davis Planet Paranormal Investigations.
Balls of light: These are different than what is usually referred to as orbs. Orbs show up on film and more often than not are attributed to moisture, dust or other similar fine particles, as well as lens refraction and lens flair.
The Balls of light we are talking about here are visible to the unaided eye and can range in size from that of a grape all the way up to the size of a softball and possibly even larger. They are often bright blue in color but have been reported in colors all across the spectrum.
These have been witnessed in many areas of the ship and I myself have spotted them on three separate occasions in the boiler room. The ball was the size of a baseball and bright blue.
It traveled in a straight line but with an up and down wobble. I have seen a few great photographs of these and you can clearly see they have diminution or a depth to them. They don't look flattened like dust orbs do but very solid in appearance. They also produce their own light and can be seen in pitch black just cruising along in the darkness. It has been speculated that they could be a form of ball lightning or some form of spirit activity.
If you have had and encounter with these or any other ghosts on the Queen Mary we would love to hear your accounts. Please email your stories or other data to planetparanormal@earthlink.net with a note saying we have permission to use them on this site or in our publications.