How Many People Died Onboard The Queen Mary? Crew and Passenger List

The Queen Mary set sail in 1936 and sailed for 30 years before retiring in 1967. Many people died on board during this time.

During her career, she completed many Transatlantic voyages and also played a big part in World War II.

The Queen Mary is now a floating hotel in Long Beach, California.

I was lucky enough to stay on board the ship, and I learned about the onboard deaths. There are many ghost stories about Queen Mary, and I’m glad that I wasn’t aware of most of them until after my stay!

How Many People Died Onboard The Queen Mary?

There have been 55 reported deaths onboard the Queen Mary since the ship launched in 1936.

The majority of deaths onboard were from natural causes. Death records were not kept during World War Two, so in reality, the true number is likely to be higher.

The Queen Mary offers ghost tours and has taken part in many TV shows, including “Most Haunted.”

At least 16 Crew Members Died Onboard The Queen Mary

The below crew members died onboard the Queen Mary between her launch in 1936 and 1967 when she retired. There haven’t been any fatal accidents onboard the Queen Mary since she has been used as a hotel.

If a crew member was unwell, they would be taken to a hospital on land – which is perhaps why no natural causes of death have been reported within the crew since 1967.

Year of Death	Crew Members Name	Position Onboard	Cause of Death
1936	A.J.G Golding	Seaman	Skull Fracture
1944	P.A.W Hughes	Night Steward	Natural Causes
1949	W.E Stark	Senior 2nd Officer	Accidental Poisoning
1950	W. Humphries	Fireman	Natural Causes
1951	A.J Lee	Trimmer	Man Overboard
1951	J.R Maloney	Master at Arms	Natural Causes
1952	H. Healey	Assistant Barkeeper	Natural Causes
1955	G. Martin	Bedroom Steward	Natural Causes
1956	Bonnici	Steward	Natural Causes
1956	K. Thomson	Trimmer	Natural Causes
1959	A.E Boyland	–	Man Overboard
1962	A. Baugh	Master at Arms	Natural Causes
1964	F. Royl	–	Natural Causes
1966	C. McCarthy	Seaman	Accidental Fall
1966	J. Pedder	Fireman	Accidentally Crushed
1967	L. Horsburgh	Cook	Natural Causes

Unusual Deaths

Queen Marys Watertight Door 13 Claimed The Life of J. Pedder in 1966

On July 10th, 1966, an 18-year-old crew member called J. Pedder was crushed to death by a watertight door. The mechanical door was located in the engine room, and the ship was sailing across the Atlantic at the time.

The accident happened during a routine safety drill.

This area of the ship is claimed to be one of the most haunted placed on the ship, the mechanical door was removed when the Queen Mary was converted into a hotel.

W.E Stark Accidentally Poisoned Himself

In 1949 W.E Stark accidentally poisoned himself by drinking some acid that he believed to be Gin.

W.E Stark instantly released his mistake and reported the accident to the captain’s steward.

Upon hearing about the accident W.E Stark was told to go to the onboard doctor to have his stomach pumped, he refused and by all accounts he laughed and joked about the incident. Three days later he died of Carbon Tetrachloride poisoning.

W.E Stark had been at sea all of his life, starting work on cargo ships when he was 17 years old.

At least 41 Passengers Died Onboard The Queen Mary

Year of Death	Passengers Name	Cause of Death
1937	Mr. P Chapman	Natural Causes
1937	Unknown	Unknown
1939	Mr. F Brandt	Natural Causes
1943	Capt H.L Fry	Unknown
1945	P.H Ashburn USN	Man Overboard
1946	Pvt E.W Simons	Natural Causes
1946	L.T Smith	Natural Causes
1947	Gypsey Rodney Smith	Unknown
1949	Mr. H.M Sichel	Natural Causes
1949	Unknown	Unknown
1950	Mr. W.H Barrett	Natural Causes
1950	Mr. H.C Bazett	Natural Causes
1950	Mr. P.H Davies	Man Overboard
1950	Unknown	Unknown
1951	D.J Martin	Natural Causes
1951	Mr. A Kacser	Natural Causes
1953	Mr. M. Shield	Natural Causes
1954	Mrs. M.A Ferris	Natural Causes
1954	Mr. G.S Wayman	Natural Causes
1955	Mr. P.P O’Sullivan	Natural Causes
1955	Mrs. L.I Ford	Natural Causes
1956	Mr. W.E Shott	Natural Causes
1956	Mr. D.B Blaisdell	Natural Causes
1956	Mrs. L. Somino	Unknown
1956	Mr. O.S Redfield	Unknown
1959	Mrs. F. Buthman	Accidental Death
1963	Unknown	Unknown
1964	Rev. G. Stutzer	Natural Causes
1964	Mrs. E. Griffin	Natural Causes
1964	Mr. W.H Pope	Natural Causes
1965	Mr. A.E.N Clark	Natural Causes
1966	Mrs. C.N Nicholson	Natural Causes
1966	Mrs. H. Keller	Natural Causes
1966	Mrs. F. Teasdale	Unknown
1966	Mr. A. Kondratieff	Natural Causes
1966	Mr. J. Owen	Natural Causes
1966	Mr. G. W McCreery	Natural Causes
1967	Mr. A. Meredith	Natural Causes
–	Mrs. A. Waring	Natural Causes

In 1942 The Queen Mary Sank The HMS Curacoa, Causing 300 Deaths

The following deaths didn’t occur onboard the Queen Mary but were caused by the Queen Mary.

The HMS Curacoa was built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. She was acting as an escort for the RMS Queen Mary in 1942 when the Queen Mary accidentally cut through the HMS Curacoa.

At the time of the accident, the Queen Mary was carrying 10,000 troops and was sailing in a zig-zag pattern to evade submarine attacks.

Both the Queen Mary and the HMS Curacoa thought that they had the right of way.

I said to my mate “You know she’s zig-zagging all over the place in front of us, I’m sure we’re going to hit her.”
And sure enough, the Queen Mary sliced the cruiser in two like a piece of butter, straight through the six-inch armored plating. 

Alfred Johnson

The Queen Mary was sailing at considerable speed (around 25 knots) and she had to carry on after hitting the HMS Curacoa.

It was the policy at the time that, for safety reasons, the ship could not stop to pick up survivors as the threat of U-boats was present.

Accounts differ as to whether the ship did stop to help survivors or not.

The case went to court a few years later, and the Queen Mary was cleared of any blame. It estimated that over 300 people died in the accident.

Before You Go

Ever wondered how the Queen Mary compared to the Titanic? In this post, we compare the size, speed and function of the two famous ships:

Titanic vs The Queen Mary 2 – Size, Power, and Speed Comparison

Ever wondered what the difference is between an Ocean Liner and a cruise ship? Find out here:

Cruise Ships vs Ocean Liners – Measurable Differences You Need to Know