Video: City begins demolishing historic Queen Mary lifeboats
An excavator with a large metal claw tore into the lifeboats this morning as part of the disposal process after no qualified bidders wanted the historic boats.
An excavator with a large metal claw tore into the lifeboats this morning as part of the disposal process after no qualified bidders wanted the historic boats.
It’s unclear how the city will dispose of the Queen Mary lifeboats, which span 36-feet-long and weigh 12,000 pounds.
The Port of Long Beach estimates that Pier H and the Queen Mary could bring in at least $38 million in operating revenue over the next five years, but that wouldn’t come close to offsetting the $392 million in costs.
A roughly 20-foot display model of the Queen Mary was left to deteriorate in Long Beach while on loan from the South Street Seaport Museum in Manhattan.
Long Beach is planning to reopen the historic Queen Mary by the end of this year, and in the meantime, the city is looking to have the ship considered for national monument status, which could bring in federal dollars for restoration.
Organizations interested in buying and preserving the Queen Mary’s lifeboats can submit bids through March 25.
City officials hope to reopen the Queen Mary to the public later this year.
An attorney for City Auditor Laura Doud called the whistleblower accusations false. The complaint comes as Doud is running for reelection to a fifth term.
These and other repairs are the “result of decades of deferred maintenance by former operators of the ship and are critical for its preservation,” according to a city news release.
City leaders push for new oversight of the ailing ship but uncertainties abound.