Jacki Fanzo
December 25, 2009

Today is Christmas.  I am working in the Attractions Department and catching up on paperwork.  In yesterday’s mail a letter from a former guest was received.  Mrs. Clara Willner and her family had visited the ship earlier in the month.  They took the World War II guided tour with Greg, our Tour Guide, who truly enjoys his job.  He says the high-point of every one of his tours is meeting someone who has a special memory of the Queen Mary.  So many people do.  Greg encourages them to write to me so that their story will become a part of our oral history program (Speaking of the Queen Mary, a History of Passages) and archive records.  Lucky for us, Mrs. Willner sent in the following letter and we thank her for sharing her memories of the Queen Mary.

What I remember about the Queen Mary during World War II
by Clara Willner

When I graduated from college during the war, I went to work for the Immigration Department on Ellis Island.  My window faced the Statue of Liberty.  Of all the ships transporting G.I.s back and forth from New York Harbor to Europe, the Queen Mary during World War II, was busy constantly.

We always knew when she was coming to New York by her siren.  We would say, “Oh!  The Queen Mary is coming.”  All of the ships had to stop three miles away at sea so that the Immigration Inspectors could go out to check for stowaways.

Finally, on May 8, 1945, the war in Europe ended.  The young men who had been fighting across Europe from England, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland  and all the way to Austria, where they met the Russians, was over.  They were exhausted, but relieved that “God” had spared them and they were alive.  My fiancé, who had been fighting on the front lines under General Patton’s 3^rd Army, 71^st Division, was one of the men who survived by a miracle.

But, the worst was still to come.  The war in the Pacific was waging on with no end in sight.  The U. S. Army decided that to help end the war, they must transfer thousands of soldiers from Europe to Tokyo with a stopover in New York.  This was going to be a suicide mission where thousands of American boys and Japanese would be slaughtered.

The first troop ship with thousands of weary, despondent, soldiers aboard was the Queen Mary.  They were thinking their lives were over.  This was in August 1945.  How sad they must have been.  Suddenly, as the Queen Mary was coming into New York on August 14, 1945, the G.I.s heard that the war was over.  I will never forget the shouting and screaming from the boys on the ship.  They wanted to jump overboard and swim to shore.  The Queen Mary was rocking back and forth as the boys jumped for joy.  We were watching from our windows and crying.  New York ships and floats came out to greet them and welcome them home.

The war was over and the Queen Mary was the first ship to bring them home safe when they thought their lives were over.  God bless them and the Queen Mary, for all the work she did during these terrible war years.  My husband’s division was also scheduled to storm Tokyo.  Instead, he came home, we got married and had 60 years of a wonderful life together.

Best Wishes and Happy New Year.

Clara Willner
December 13, 2009

By Preeti Narang, E-Commerce Manager
November 24, 2009

The food is being chopped, diced and sliced in preparation for Thanksgiving 2009 aboard the Queen Mary.  Chef Larry just sent me the list of ingredients that will be used in mass quantities this week. The culinary team is preparing meals for three restaurants (Sir Winston’s, Chelsea, Promenade Cafe) and for a full Champagne Brunch. Here’s the list:

2,300 pounds – Turkey
600 pounds – Potatoes
330 pounds – Yams
60 gallons -  Autumn Squash Soup
90 gallons – Turkey Gravy
120 pounds – Fresh Cranberries
130 each – Pumpkin Pies
2,100 each – Dinner Rolls

Yes, that’s a lot of food and imagine the amount of work that goes into the preparation, peeling and chopping each yam, basting and cooking each turkey perfectly. Kudos to all the cooks aboard the Queen Mary and across the country for preparing such large feasts and making it look effortless.

It’s a good thing the ship is large enough to store all this food.  Back in her sailing days, it took 24 to 48 hours just to load up provisions  for a one-way voyage on the Queen Mary.  The perishable items included 40,000 pounds of vegetables and 24,250 pints of milk.

Yield : 6 Servings

Ingredients:
4 cups – Heavy cream
8 each – Egg yolks
1/2 cup – Sugar
1/2 tsp. – Vanilla
1/2 cup – Pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. – Ground cinnamon

For the sugar crust:
2 tsp. – Granulated Sugar
1 tsp. – Brown sugar

For service:
as needed – Toasted sliced almonds (optional)
as needed – Chef Larry’s Chocolate Bourbon Sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup – Lightly sweetened whipped cream
to garnish – Chocolate shavings

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine cream and vanilla in a saucepan, scald over
medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Place egg yolks, sugar
and cinnamon in mixing bowl, mix using wire whisk. Add pumpkin puree and mix
thoroughly. Slowly incorporate cooled cream into egg yolk mixture. Portion mixture
into brulee dishes or ramekins. Create a “bain marie” by placing filled brulee dishes
in a deep baking pan and adding 1 inch of water to the pan. Bake in preheated oven
at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Remove and refrigerate. Prepare Chef Larry’s Chocolate
Bourbon Sauce per recipe, reserve. For service: Combine 2 tsp. granulated sugar and
1 tsp. brown sugar. Sprinkle 1 tsp. sugar mixture over each crème brulee. Glaze in top
broiler or with small torch. Top each Pumpkin Crème Brulee with sweetened whipped
cream. Garnish with toasted sliced almonds and chocolate shavings. Serve with Chef
Larry’s Chocolate Bourbon Sauce.

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Chef Larry’s Chocolate Bourbon Sauce
Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients:
1 lb. – Dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 oz. – Half and half or cream
1 oz. – Butter
2 oz. – Bourbon

Method:
Place half and half or cream in a saucepan. Heat over medium low heat until steam rises from surface. Add chopped chocolate and stir until well incorporated. Stir in butter until well incorporated. Stir in Bourbon, mix well.  Heat just before service.

Yield: 3 – 4 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups – Fresh cranberries
½ each – Orange
2 cups – Water
1 & 1/2 cups – Sugar
½ tsp. – Ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. – Ground cloves

Method:

Squeeze juice from orange and place in a saucepan. Add sugar and water. Remove membrane from orange and discard. Dice orange rind and add to liquid.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  Add cranberries, cinnamon and cloves.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over low heat until cranberries burst and sauce thickens. Cool sauce, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before service.

Yield: 8 – 10 Servings

Ingredients:

2 oz. – Butter
1/2 cup    - Onions, diced
1/2 cup    - Celery, diced
1/2 cup    - Carrots, diced
1/2 cup – Zucchini Squash, peeled and diced
1/2 cup – Yellow Squash, peeled and diced
3/4 cup – Pumpkin puree
1/2 cup – Butternut or Kabocha squash, peeled, diced
1 each – Bay leaf
1/3 tsp. – Curry powder
1/3 tsp. – Cinnamon, ground
pinch – Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. – Ginger, ground
1 1/2 qts. – Chicken stock
to taste – Salt
to taste – Fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup – Honey
1 1/2 cup – Heavy cream
1/4 cup – Chives, minced
to garnish – Puff pastry “fleurons”

Method:

Melt butter in a large saucepan or pot.  Add onions, celery, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, acorn squash, bay leaves, curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger, cook over medium heat.  Allow vegetables to cook until tender and well “caramelized” with butter and spices. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat and add pumpkin puree.  Simmer over low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Carefully puree mixture with a hand mixer or blender.  Finish with honey and cream.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.  Place soup in a tureen for service or portion into individual soup bowls and garnish each with minced chives and puff pastry fleurons.

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Chef Larry’s Notes:
Any hard winter squash can be substituted for acorn or table green squash.  For additional sweetness add more honey.  Puff pastry fleurons can be made by cutting “crescents” from puff pastry sheets and baking.  This soup can also be garnished with toasted squash or pumpkin seeds or served in a hollowed out pumpkin.

By Jacki Fanzo, Attractions Manager
November 6, 2009

Today in the mail I received a Queen Mary Memory form from Mr. T. J. Combs.  He sailed on the ship in 1945 and had some vivid memories he wanted to share.  With his permission I have condensed them for your reading pleasure.

“We were shipped to Europe in an English liberty ship.  It bounced all the way there and it took 18 days.  But I came home in July or August of 1945 on the Queen Mary.  Being an ole farm boy from Oklahoma, I did not know anything like that existed.

We took a troop train to Glasgow, Scotland.  The Queen Mary was away off shore and we had to take smaller boats out to load us.  I have told my family many times that the ride was as smooth as sitting in this 2006 Ford coupe—unbelievable.

It took us 5 days to get to New York.  I remember the beautiful wood in the hallways and rooms.

There was more gambling and crap shooting than anyplace in Las Vegas today.

I had hoped to come to Long Beach and see her again, but probably not now—I am 87 years old.

Comparing your beautiful picture of the Queen Mary in your brochure, I say that it is not as good as my remembrance of her in Glasgow….olive drab color, monster in size, headed to New York, New York….. HOME.”

This is just one of the stories I have had the pleasure of reading.  It is a fact that this ship has touched the lives of many in her long career and that those memories are not forgotten.  It is a pleasure to place these snippets in our growing archive.

To Mr. Combs I say, “Thank you for your service to our country, sir.  I am free because of it.”

Do you read flag?

Any guesses on what the flags say today? Check out the nautical flag alphabet

Do you read flag?

Any guesses on what the flags say today? Check out the nautical flag alphabet

September 23, 2009

This week the Queen Mary Facilities team is cleaning the Dome which sits adjacent to the ship and is frequently used as event space for car shows, concerts and as check-in for Carnival Cruise Line passengers. The Dome is 415-feet wide and 130-feet high. It will take about 3-days to clean and requires rental of a 120-foot high Man Lift and a pressure washer at approximately 300 PSI  (see picture).

Questions:

Q: What does the cleaning process look like?
A: Turn the water on and spray! No chemicals will be used in the cleaning process, just high pressure water

Q: What is inside the Dome?
A: The Dome was the home of the Spruce Goose, which opened in 1983. Now it is used for tv/movie filming, concerts and events

Q: How much space is available inside the Dome?
A: 75,000 square feet

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Bradley Cooper on the Queen Mary

The Crew taking photos for Prestige Hong Kong Magazine

The Crew and clothes for Prestige Hong Kong Magazine photo shoot

Bradley Cooper with Erika Testo, Marketing Manager

Bradley Cooper with Preeti Narang, E-Commerce Manager

Bradley Cooper was on the Queen Mary for a photo shoot in August. He was photographed throughout the ship and will be featured on the October issue of  Prestige Hong Kong Magazine.