LOS ANGELES — Are you an expert in preserving historical items and looking for corroded and lead paint-covered lifeboats? Well, Long Beach has an opportunity for you.
The city of Long Beach is looking for bidders — museums, preservation groups or developers — interested in buying one or all 20 of the Queen Mary’s lifeboats as it kicks off a $5 million repair project, officials said. The project is the first step in reopening the Queen Mary to the public after it closed in May 2020.
The Queen Mary has been in severe disrepair for years — so much so that the city had once considered sinking the ship after taking control of the vessel from its operator last year. The former operator, Eagle Hospitality, had severely neglected the ship and filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2021. It surrendered its lease agreement for the Queen Mary in June.
