By WARREN RESEN – Member of NATJA – Tampabaycurrent.com
Long Beach, CA — With much fanfare, the Queen Mary arrived in Long Beach Harbor in December 1967 to begin its well-deserved retirement after 30 years as the premiere luxury liner sailing the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.
The conversion to change Queen Mary from an ocean-going luxury liner to a floating hotel, tourist attraction and venue for special events began almost immediately upon its arrival. The retired “Queen of the Seas” opened to the public at her now permanent home in 1971 and more than 50 million visitors have since walked its decks.
