![]() ![]() Thomas Thacker, the owner of Long Beach Maintenance & Repair, who describes himself as a history buff, submitted a bid for one boat, saying in an interview that he plans to restore it and keep it on display at his auto repair shop. In an interview, a spokesperson for the developer said the company has decided against pursuing the bid because transporting the boat to Canada would be too expensive. One of the bidders, a real estate developer in Nova Scotia, Canada, had considered taking one of the lifeboats and installing it outside of a new housing development in the province on a street named after ship builder Samuel Cunard, whose company Cunard Lines built the Queen Mary. ![]() ![]() “The timeline is so short, there is not a legitimate amount of time for them,” Rohrer said. Rohrer and the QMI group say the city should have set aside more time - perhaps as much as six months - to find preservationists around the world interested in the lifeboats. The Queen Mary in Long Beach needs $23 million in immediate repairs to keep it from potentially capsizing, according to court documents and inspection reports. “We are hopeful to find great homes for these historical lifeboats,” he added.īusiness Long Beach takes over Queen Mary, vowing to preserve the landmark ship If not enough bids are filed to take all of the lifeboats by March 25, city spokesman Johnny Vallejo said, “we will further evaluate next steps.” 17 and is giving potential bidders until March 25 to submit offers. Long Beach opened the bidding process Feb. Most of the lifeboats were not originally on the Queen Mary when it sailed its maiden voyage in 1936 but were salvaged over the years from the Mauretania and Queen Elizabeth, according to historians. One of the lifeboats is 30 feet long the rest are 36 feet long and weigh about 12,000 pounds. The bidders must show they have the financial means to transport the boats from the ship site, restore them and sign a waiver, releasing the city from liability for the lead-based paint on the boats. The city plans to keep only two of the original lifeboats on the ship, with the rest being offered in a bidding process to preservationists, historians and museums to be restored and preserved. Preserving the aging ocean liner for the next 25 years could cost $175 million, but sinking or dismantling it could cost even more.Ī study found that the 22 lifeboats hanging from davits on the deck needed to be removed. The bidders are not required put up any money, but they have to prove to the city that they have the finances and ability to take possession and restore the lifeboats.Ī structural study determined that the lifeboats were putting too much strain on the frame of the ship, prompting the city to seek bidders willing to save the lifeboats from ending up in landfills or scrap yards.īusiness Long Beach considers options for Queen Mary, including sinking the ship McDowell is among eight bidders who have offered to take one or more of the 20 lifeboats that the city of Long Beach has removed from the 86-year-old ocean liner-turned tourist attraction and floating hotel. “She’s a beacon to the whole world as a cultural artifact.” “The Queen Mary is not just a part of Long Beach or British history,” he said. McDowell has lodged a bid to take possession of a lifeboat from the aging Queen Mary in Long Beach so he can restore the six-ton craft in his landlocked Central Valley backyard. His next project may be a bit more hands-on and challenging. Aaron McDowell, a security guard in Stockton who considers himself an amateur historian, recently put his skills to work by helping to restore a Vietnam War-era mine sweeper, the Lucid. ![]()
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