The Brief

The Queen Mary in Long Beach is many things — a popular tourist attraction, a music festival backdrop, and a source of haunted tales.

But before it permanently docked on Southern California’s shores, the Queen Mary was a symbol of British luxury and prowess. Nearly 100 years ago, the record-setting ship made its mark as a feat of engineering, commanding attention and awe on the ocean.

The ship’s origins

The Queen Mary sprang from a desire to bring something new to the waters.

The company Cunard Line wanted a set of fancy new ocean liners to replace the ships on its North Atlantic route.

In 1930, construction started on what was known as Hull No. 534 in a Scotland shipyard renowned for its building skills. This shipyard was the only one in Great Britain set up for design experiments. With the aim of being superfast and nimble on the water, crews ran over 7,000 performance tests with wax models.

But the ship almost didn’t materialize, as Cunard was hit hard by the Great Depression. The company was strapped financially, and the ship was estimated to cost about 4 million pounds, about $100 million in today's money. So, the British government stepped in with a loan to cover the cost to complete construction. The company was forced to merge with a rival in 1934 as part of the funding agreement.

Over 300,000 people were involved in the ship’s creation. It had an art deco interior with bright colors, geometric shapes, and different textures like wood and glass and velvet. Some mocked the ship for this kind of old money, conservative take on luxury sea travel, but the designers were trying to appeal to the world.

According to the Scotland design museum, V&A Dundee, a promotional brochure described it as pairing a cosmopolitan sense of culture “with the comfort of a country home.” It was also the first British liner to have a small synagogue onboard, largely in response to rising antisemitism in Germany.

As an upper-class British passenger ship, the royal family was quite involved. This was during the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary. Family members would visit the ship to check on progress.

Hull No. 534 was originally going to be named in honor of the King’s grandmother, Queen Victoria, according to Washington Post editor Felix Morley in an autobiography. He alleged a Cunard executive told him why the name changed — swearing him to secrecy until his death.

Cunard’s custom was to give ships names ending with “ia.” But when the King was informed of the goal to name it after Victoria, considered “Britain’s most illustrious Queen,” he smiled and replied: “Mary will be pleased.”

The Queen Mary’s maiden voyage was a 470-mile round trip in May 1936, from one part of England to another. And those thousands of tests paid off. The ship was incredibly quick, at its best taking just four days to cross the Atlantic.

It set a record for fastest transatlantic crossing within its first year, cutting an hour and 25 minutes from the four-day journey.

The Gray Ghost

The ship would ferry thousands of wealthy passengers and millions in goods until World War II. Wartime stripped the Queen Mary of its opulence and beauty — but it would earn a historic spot in the war.

The ship was converted to carry not civilians but large numbers of troops. To make enough space, one of the dining rooms was converted to a large mess hall, and even the drawing room was turned into a sick bay for soldiers. Its sleek black, red, and white exterior was repainted gray, which eventually got it the nickname “Gray Ghost” for its speed and agility.

The Queen Mary arrives in New York City with thousands of U.S. troops on board on June 20, 1945.

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As the war continued, the Queen Mary was modified multiple times to carry more troops, P.O.W'.s and crew. In 1942, the expanded capacity made it the first ship with over 10,000 people on board — and it likely still holds the record for most people on a ship at one time (16,683).

In total, the Queen Mary transported 810,000 troops, contributing hugely to the war effort.

The ship’s speed also drew Hitler’s ire. It outran German boats so many times that the dictator put a $250,000 reward out to anyone who could sink it. The danger was so high that passengers were told to carry a life preserver, water canteen and rations on them at all times, according to a nurse’s personal account.

One time the ship encountered a rogue wave so fierce that it almost destroyed the ship. Fifteen thousand American troops were on board when a wall of water dozens of feet tall struck the side of the ship, almost capsizing it and flooding the decks. Some reports say it was up to 90 feet high. Crews were able to steady the Queen Mary and no passengers were lost.

The ship’s last wartime voyage was in 1946 to Southampton, England. It stayed there for months as crews restored it back to passenger service, painting it again with that iconic black, white and red. Pieces of its traditional interior had to be recovered from ports around the world.

Retiring to Long Beach

The Queen Mary continued passenger service for the next 20 years — but the ship was on borrowed time.

The cover of a first class menu aboard a 1950 Queen Mary voyage.

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Megan Garvey

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LAist

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The first class luncheon offerings on June 27, 1950.

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Megan Garvey

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LAist

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At the turn of the 1950s, sea travel popularity dipped because of the jet age. The Queen Mary was aging and losing money. Its era as the top ocean liner on the Atlantic was at an end, so Cunard was ready to sell the ship.

This was Long Beach’s opportunity. The city was itching for a major attraction — so why not a famous ocean liner? There were 18 bids in total for the ship, including an offer from New York to turn it into a floating Brooklyn high school, but Long Beach won. In 1967, the city paid $3.5 million for the Queen Mary to become its historic maritime museum and hotel.

The ocean liner 'RMS Queen Mary' at Southampton Docks, UK, October 1967. Shortly after she sailed to a permanent mooring at Long Beach in California.

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The ship’s “last great cruise” left England for California on October 31 that year. The ship was packed with famous people for the 39 day trip, which crossed the Canary Islands, the eastern coast of Brazil, down to Cape Horn and around to the U.S.’s west coast. The ship faced some trouble in the hotter weather. It got so hot on board that a chef died from heat exhaustion and was buried at sea.

Still, it was a celebratory journey. Crews threw hundreds of bottles stuffed with notes overboard, according to former Long Beach councilmember Renee Simon. The notes asked would-be readers to reach out with their location in exchange for a Queen Mary memento.

Chief deck steward Joe Allen also was among the crew. He wrote a poem called “The Mary”. Line by line, he affectionately recounted its accolades in war and peace:

To injured seamen broken in fall
She dashed to their rescue at the S.O.S call
The time has come for this Old Beauty
To retire from Atlantic duty
Setting sail for Long Beach in atmosphere terse
She will "finish with engines", her grand crew disperse
The toast is ‘The Queen,’ the end of an era
Here’s to the ‘Mary,’ the greatest ship ever

It was supposed to stay private, but “The Mary” ended up being printed in the ship’s farewell booklet and read aloud by the captain. Allen’s words made people cry.

Thousands of spectators welcomed the Queen Mary when it arrived in Long Beach on December 9, 1967. It’s been a peaceful, if not quiet retirement — millions more have gotten to know the ship on land than were ever able to visit at sea.

L.A. County leaders on Tuesday greenlit public transparency about payouts to county executives in response to LAist revealing a secretive $2 million settlement with the county’s CEO.

County supervisors unanimously approved a proposal by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath to have the county proactively inform the public about such settlements once they’re finalized and to look into creating a public website to describe them.

Among other things, the approved motion requires that all future settlements with county executives include language making it clear the agreement will be proactively disclosed to the public.

The backstory

The directive cited coverage by LAist revealing that two months ago, county CEO Fesia Davenport had quietly gotten a $2 million settlement payment from the county. As reported by LAist, Davenport’s settlement deal was labeled “confidential” and was not publicly reported out by the county.

The settlement was in response to her claims the supervisors harmed her reputation and caused her distress by putting a measure before voters — which was approved — that will create an elected county executive position. It’s among multiple reforms to restructure county government under last year’s voter-approved proposition, known as Measure G.

Davenport did not return a message for comment.

‘Public trust’ cited

“Transparency is central to strengthening public trust, without exception,” Horvath said in a statement after Tuesday’s vote. “Since joining the board, I have actively taken steps to ensure the public is included in the work of the county, especially concerning the use of public funds.

“Creating a clear process for department executive settlements is a commonsense action fundamental to good governance.”

David Loy, legal director of the First Amendment Coalition, commented on the decision, calling transparency the "oxygen of accountability in government."

“There is no reason why the county should not be proactive about posting and disclosing settlements that have been reached, especially with former executives or staff,” Loy said.

Davenport was one of several county executives to receive sizable settlement payouts over the past few years. Four additional county executives received payouts, according to Davenport’s claims that led to her settlement.

Costco now is one of the largest companies to sue the Trump administration over tariffs, hoping to secure a refund if the Supreme Court declares the new import duties illegal.

The Supreme Court is weighing the future of President Donald Trump's tariffs on nearly all imports. Justices seemed skeptical about their legality during last month's oral arguments. Lower courts previously had found Trump improperly used emergency economic powers to set most of the new levies.

Dozens of companies across industries have filed lawsuits to seek refunds in the event the Supreme Court finds Trump's tariffs illegal. The list includes makeup giant Revlon, the canned foods maker Bumble Bee and Kawasaki, which makes motorcycles and more. Now Costco has joined the queue.

"This is the first time we're seeing big companies take their heads out of the sand publicly," said Marc Busch, a trade law expert at Georgetown University. For the most part, small companies have been leading the legal action against tariffs, he said, adding, "It's nice to finally see some heavyweights joining in the fray."

In its suit filed with the U.S. Court of International Trade, Costco did not specify how much it's already paid in tariffs, but the retail giant worries that even if the Supreme Court eventually unravels Trump's tariff regime, it may not be able to recoup all that money.

Costco executives in May had said that about a third of what is sold in the U.S. comes from abroad, predominantly non-food items.

NPR's Scott Horsley contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 NPR

The L.A. City Council voted 8-4 on Tuesday to continue allowing the Los Angeles Police Department to be armed with 40 mm foam bullet launchers and tear gas.

California law enforcement agencies are required to track and publicly document how they use military equipment, including less-lethal bean bag shotgun rounds, drones and armored vehicles, under state law AB 481 passed in 2022. The law also requires city leaders to approve or disapprove military equipment use annually. That vote came in front of the council Tuesday.

Another law passed after the George Floyd protests of 2020 restricted the use of crowd-control weapons, including tear gas and foam bullets, unless specific criteria are met. In 2020, a federal judge also imposed an injunction restricting LAPD’s use of force at protests, citing the “unfortunate history of civil rights violations by LAPD officers.”

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez — who introduced an amendment asking city leaders to ban the LAPD’s use of 40 mm foam bullet launchers and tear gas — said military equipment use is allowed only in specific instances but that the police department has deployed the weapons “in ways that should make everyone here on this body pause.” He cited examples of weapons used against journalists and protesters during this summer’s protests against federal immigration activity in L.A.

“In recent months, we’ve watched this equipment deployed in ways that echo the same intimidation tactics we condemn in ICE raids — tactics that erode trust and violate basic legal protections,” he said. “Our residents should be able to exercise their rights without being met with [foam] bullets or tear gas.”

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell countered that such weapons are "a de-escalation tool, short of using deadly force. The last thing we want to use is deadly force."

He continued: "Taking a tool like this away from us puts us in a very bad position relative to city liability and relative to protecting our officers and the public that we serve.”

In 2024, Los Angeles was liable for more than $50 million in payouts related to civil rights violations and unlawful use of force by the LAPD, according to the city controller’s office.

 ”Rather than be swayed by emotion or swayed by the loud voices of a relative few," McDonnell said Tuesday, "we're here to protect 4 million residents of Los Angeles and all the visitors who come here."

How we got here

After this summer’s anti-ICE protests, the LAPD once again came under scrutiny for its use of foam bullet launchers and tear gas.

An LAist investigation found LAPD used crowd-dispersal tools on people who did not appear to pose a threat and, in some cases, did not appear to be protesting at all. LAist reporters witnessed LAPD officers firing less-lethal munitions into crowds and at protestors running away from police. They did not hear clear warnings about the use of crowd-dispersal weapons during some of the protests and could not locate evidence that adequate warning was provided during subsequent protests.

But at Tuesday’s council meeting, McDonnell said, these weapons are deployed as “a last resort to be able to restore order” and after people have been given time to leave.

The Los Angeles Press Club sued the LAPD after June’s protests, citing violations of journalists’ rights while covering protests. After a judge issued an injunction in that case prohibiting the use of force against journalists, the LAPD filed an emergency motion asking the judge to lift the injunction, stating it required “operationally impracticable standards.” The judge denied the LAPD’s request.

How to watchdog your police department

One of the best things you can do to hold officials accountable is pay attention.

AB 481 requires police departments — including those at transit agencies, school districts and university campuses, sheriff’s departments, district attorney’s offices and probation departments — to provide reports about the use of military equipment.

So how do you know if they're in compliance? It’s simple. Search for the law enforcement agency name and "AB 481" on any search engine, and a public page should pop up. Here’s the LAPD’s.

The city of Los Angeles has been working on major changes to its charter, which is basically the city’s constitution. The changes could bring sweeping reform to how the city works.

The Los Angeles City Charter Reform Commission has been meeting for several months on a wide range of topics, including City Council expansion, ranked-choice voting systems and land-use planning changes.

“It is weedy. It is academic. But the charter touches Angelenos’ everyday lives,” said Raymond Meza, who chairs the commission.

This week, the commission will host a town hall meeting in Echo Park in an effort to get more people involved in the process. It will take place outside on the northeast lawn of the park — weather permitting.

Despite getting a slow start, the commission is hosting multiple meetings in an effort to meet an April 2 deadline to submit proposals to the City Council. It’ll be up to the council to decide whether to place reform proposals on the ballot next November.

The commission has broken reform down into four subject areas, with committees for each.

They are:

• planning and infrastructure
• government structure
• better government
• personnel and budget

“We’re in an exciting moment,” said David Levitus of L.A. Forward, an advocacy group.

“Looking at the charter for reform is long overdue”

Reform Commission

The L.A. City Council created the commission last year after a series of scandals rocked City Hall. Former Councilmember Jose Huizar went to prison on federal corruption charges and secret audio tapes revealed backroom dealing on redistricting.

The panel is made up of four appointees by Mayor Karen Bass, two by the council president and two by the president pro tempore. Those eight selected an additional five through an open application process.

On Thursday, the full commission is expected to take up proposals for a two-year budget cycle and an expedited city hiring process. Advocates of the changes say extending budget planning from one to two years will allow city leaders to better anticipate spending and revenue.

They say the city hiring process is slow and byzantine.

Meza said the Echo Park meeting Saturday is an opportunity for members of the public to learn more about the process and speak at length with commissioners.

“We absolutely want to hear from people what is important to them as residents of the city of Los Angeles when it comes to their expectations of their city government," he said.

How to get involved

For a list of all upcoming meetings, go here.

To submit a public comment, you can email reformLAcharter@lacity.org.

There’s also a survey on the commission’s website at reformlacharter.lacity.gov.