Brian Clune - Ghosts of the Queen Mary

Published by Haunted America

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2014 by Brian Clune with Bob Davis

All rights reserved

Front cover: Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Carol M. Highsmith Archive.

First published 2014

e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978.1.62584.800.0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Clune, Brian.

Ghosts of the Queen Mary / Brian Clune, with Bob Davis.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

print edition ISBN 978-1-62619-314-7

1. Queen Mary (Steamship)--Miscellanea. 2. Ghosts. I. Title.

BF1486.C58 2014

133.122--dc23

2014032818

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Being a paranormal author requires a lot of time away from home and family. I could not do this without the support, inspiration and love of my wonderful wife, Terri. My three fantastic children, sons Carmel and Josh and my sweet pea Amberly, must be without their father on many occasions, and even though they are grown, they will always be my light in the darkness. This book is lovingly dedicated to the four of you. You will always be my muses.

Brian Clune

To my wife, Miyuki; my son, Nick; and my daughter, Katrina. Thank you for always loving and supporting me in all my endeavors. I know the sacrifices you have made so my dream could become a reality.

In addition and equally as important, I would like to give a huge thank-you to my dear friend Brian Clune for enabling our dreams of writing the Planet Paranormal Guide to the Other Side book series to become a reality.

Lastly, to Brians family for putting up with me and letting Brian go on all these research trips that take him away from you. You have no idea how much I appreciate you allowing him to follow his dream, too.

Bob Davis

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Jackie, do you like to sing?

I do.

Singing, whistling, screams, friendly comments and your unusual curse wordsover eight years, those were just some of the disembodied voices and electronic voice phenomena (EVPs) I and others heard during the investigations we performed in the metallic hulls of the Queen Mary. The Queen Mary, now resting in Long Beach, California, is hardly inactive. Aside from the tourists and overnight visitors who come from all over the world, the ship plays host to many disembodied spirits that call her their permanent home. In fact, the Queen Mary is one of my top three most haunted locations I have ever had the pleasure of investigating, and she will always be my all-time favorite.

Let me share with you my background and some of my experiences on this amazing vessel.

In early 2004, during the filming of the first TV show I co-hosted, Dead Famous, I had my first opportunity to set foot on the famous ship about which I previously only dreamt. Little did I know that this ship would not only make a great impact on my career but would also reestablish the friendship with the spirit world I once knew as a child. Most importantly, in the years to come, she would also over-deliver on every type of paranormal encounter imaginableand in front of other witnesses, too.

It began with being introduced to medium Peter James. Peter, who passed away in 2007, was someone I had watched and admired on the television show Sightings. On that show, I had seen him communicate with the ghosts of this very ship. What always amazed me about him, and the show, was that the ghosts actually spoke back to him, for all to hear, on requestand it was captured on film! Now here I was investigating with him.

Every step of the way, I watched intently and listened as Peter called out to the ghosts. His voice echoed off the walls, and I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store. I was extremely excited. I hoped to experience firsthand the things I saw him do on TV. We were filming this for a show, but I was enthralled with what Peter could show me. I really wanted to see the ghosts of this ship come alive, and oh boy, did they ever!

Near the engine room, Peter called out, John Henry, can you hear me? Speak to me, John! Fifteen seconds later, a voice I assumed was John eerily responded, I hear you.

My skeptical co-host Gail Porter, one of the UKs most well-known pin-up girls and a host of popular shows such as Tops of the Pops, thought maybe Peter James was throwing his voice, like a form of ventriloquism. Frustrated with her comment, I felt she was being overly skeptical. This was not the first time her cynical skepticism caused us to butt heads. I was well past the does it exist? phase and eager to see the proof. I knew she was on the verge of becoming a believer because a few days earlier, on location at the notoriously haunted Hotel Del Coronado, she had an incredible encounter that dramatically shifted her beliefs. While still emotional and shaken, the Queen Mary was probably not the best place for her to explore. However, I couldnt help but be ready if an I told you so was in order. I didnt want to appear too smug, but I wouldnt have minded a little bit of vindication. I had spent too many years knowing these things were real not to have wanted some rookies to see what I had been seeing, feeling and hearing since I was a little boy.

The tour guide assigned to assist us with the show led us into the poolroom. We had already been told that the poolroom was the most haunted part of the ship and was considered a portal between this world and the next. Its design made it the perfect spot for this, although I am sure the original designers did not have this in mind. It had two levels of tiled solid walkways and a pool floating dead center. It had a mysterious feel to it, perhaps a result of suggestion, but it also had a definite heavy energy of something dark and foreboding. No amount of suggestion could have caused me to feel the palpable energy. I was used to ghost investigations, but for me, this was the pinnacle, as Everest would be for a rock climber.

Peter called us to gather around him. Gail and the producer said, Watch his lips, as Peter called out to the spirit of a little girl he called Jackie. After a few of what we in the ghost hunting business call baited questions, we heard a response. It was unmistakable and audible to our naked ears.

Jackie, Peter called. He told us of the many sightings people had of a little girl in this particular part of the ship. Then we heard it, all of us did: it was a distinctive childs voice responding in a playful and singing undertone. It had a distant sound, yet it seemed to be right next to us.

I watched Gail for her reaction. I was expecting her to argue with us and claim some kind of fraud. I am well versed in the trickery people used to employ during the earliest days of spiritualism. Whatever was real was dismissed as a hoax, along with the elaborate schemes used to defraud the hopeful. As much as Houdini devoted his life to debunking the existence of life after death, he also hoped he could find someone who could prove it was true.