Since 1967, the Queen Mary has been permanently docked in Long Beach, California. Over the last 50 years, it has become a staple and is now almost synonymous with the city.
Today, it is destined for demolition, millions of dollars worth of renovations are needed to keep it up and running.
The Queen Mary’s rich history and contribution to the economy of Long Beach is important and merits support for a full renovation.
A $5 million renovation project is underway, but it requires $23 million to be fully operational. The big question is will $5 million suffice or end up in a flopped project?
Since its docking in 1967, the Queen Mary has served as a tourist and local attraction bringing revenue to Southern California. It is a piece of history that many of us are not fully aware of.
The Queen Mary originally comes from Southampton, England and retired in 1967 on the port of Long Beach.
Among many things it is equipped with a swimming pool, small hospital, cocktail bars, restaurants and has had a wide variety of events celebrated such as New Years, Halloween, and weddings.
According to the Long Beach Post, the Queen Mary generated more than $93 million for the local economy in 2019.
One of the most indisputable attractions in Long Beach is the Queen Mary. It is an iconic symbol that has made history all over the world.
It has served as a movie set that continuously gets booked, which adds to the wealth and prominence of Long Beach.
Today if one chooses to visit the city of Long Beach, they are likely to visit the famous Queen Mary.
The Queen Mary adds to the landscape of the Long Beach shore, which would lose its romantic vibe by having it replaced with floating container ships.
The City of Long Beach officials need to fully invest and assure the public that this will be a no-fail mission to get the ship back up and running.
The Los Angeles Times reported that it will cost $175 million to preserve the Queen Mary and maintain it over the next 25 years, but it could cost up to $190 million to abandon the ship, sink it and recycle it.
The Queen Mary is currently closed and will remain closed while it undergoes maintenance to keep it from being demolished.
All that aforementioned evidence, and rich history points towards its importance that the Queen Mary gets fully renovated and kept.
Currently and fortunately, all support channels are in favor of saving the Queen Mary, but it still remains uncertain that key renovations will be made.