Work continues on structural improvements to support the Ship for the long term
In April, the City of Long Beach completed a major milestone in critical repairs to the Queen Mary. Twenty deteriorated lifeboats, which were negatively impacting the ship’s structural integrity, were removed while two of the original lifeboats will remain on the ship for future preservation efforts. Of the twenty removed, an additional lifeboat has been identified for preservation and five have been set aside for future consideration. The removal of nearly 100 tons of weight has alleviated significant stress from the side shell of the ship and has allowed for further critical repairs to the internal support system to be conducted. Additional work for internal structural repairs began this month and are anticipated to be completed later this year.
The next round of critical repairs to take place will include improvements to the ship’s bulkheads and bilge pump systems. Bulkhead modifications are currently underway, which will contribute to the internal structural stability of the vessel and help discharge water intrusion in the unlikely event of flooding. To prevent damage to the interior hull of the ship, the City will also install an upgraded electrical bilge pump and plumbing system and an emergency generator for the bilge pumps. Additionally, the City has completed the design for the ship’s bilge pumps and new emergency generator, which includes panels, switch gears and upgrades to the ship’s mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems.
City staff from the Department of Public Works will also continue to work on minor repairs including painting, replacement of lighting and other necessary ship maintenance.
While the City works on completing critical repairs to the Queen Mary, it is also working towards finalizing an operational and maintenance agreement. On June 4, 2021, the City entered into a Caretaker Agreement with Evolution Hospitality, LLC, to provide basic safeguard services on the Queen Mary to prevent damage to the property while it was closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The current agreement is set to expire in June 2022 and the City and Evolution, LLC are negotiating a Hospitality Management Agreement (HMA), which will include the proper and efficient operation, maintenance and repair of the Queen Mary Hotel. To ensure hospitality services continue, the proposed agreement will be brought to the Long Beach City Council for consideration next month and will request approval of the HMA based on the terms and services provided by the City and Evolution, LLC partnership.
Twenty of the 22 lifeboats were removed from the ship in February, with two remaining onboard for future preservation efforts. The City launched a Request for Proposal (RFP) in February for the opportunity for eligible organizations to acquire and restore a piece of this historic landmark.
The City engaged with local, regional and national historical and preservation organizations to help promote this opportunity. All boats were surveyed thoroughly utilizing historic experts. The City extended the RFP timeframe to make sure eligible organizations had the time to bid and the RFP remained open for 60 days.
During that time City staff were accessible to potential bidders seeking additional information, application assistance and deadline extensions. Despite the City’s extensive efforts, only two proposals were submitted to the City and neither met the eligibility requirements of securing transport to a new destination and taking responsibility for repairs. Three lifeboats (which includes the two that remain on the ship) have now been identified for preservation and an additional five have been set aside for future consideration.
The City has also worked with Evolution’s historic resource advisor to review all the lifeboats that were previously on the ship and salvage a substantial amount of props, rudders and other artifacts of interest. The City has moved forward with the safe disassembly of the remaining deteriorated lifeboats, per applicable health, safety and environmental regulations, and is working to identify potential creative solutions to repurpose elements of the lifeboats.
The Queen Mary remains closed to the public while critical repairs are underway but continues to be available for filming and special events, which helps generate revenue to support the ship operations.
To keep the public informed, the City created a Queen Mary Updates webpage, which includes the Queen Mary’s economic impacts on the City, a historical overview, the City’s stance on preserving the historic integrity and structural safety of the ship and the City’s short- and long-term goals in the preservation process.
About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly-respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 171 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.
For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.