THE very essence of Art Deco grace and style, with her three red funnels and classic Cunard colours, the Clyde-built RMS Queen Mary ferried the rich and famous across the waves for more than 30 years.

A favourite with Hollywood elite, her passengers were a Who’s Who of the rich and famous: Noel Coward, film legends Mary Pickford, Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor and Fred Astaire were just a few to cruise amid luxurious surroundings, skimming across the Atlantic between the UK and New York faster than any other liner of her age.

Bigger than the Titanic and with 12 decks showcasing the best of British design, the Cunard-White Star Line’s flagship liner was Scottish shipbuilding at its best; while her guests bathed in her two indoor swimming pools or relaxed in opulent surroundings, she raced the waves at over 35mph.

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Having been called up for war service, she carried troops and sped Sir Winston Churchill across the Atlantic for meetings with Britain’s Allies before gracefully retiring to the warmth and glitz of Long Beach, California. Bought by the city authorities for £1.2 million, every February she forms the backdrop to the Queen Mary Scotsfestival, with pipes and drums, Highland dancers, Highland games, clan gatherings and whisky tastings.

Her future under the bright Californian sun was supposed to be secure: the elegant 1,020-foot-long liner became a floating 347 room hotel and heritage attraction which the city fathers claimed would welcome tourists for at least 200 years.

But now fears are growing for the 87-year-old former star of the Atlantic, with worries over her upkeep and condition compounded by questions surrounding the complex chain of businesses responsible down the years for her maintenance.

While they seem to change with alarming regularity - and, in some cases, with concerns over their finances - a group of supporters anxious to ensure the Queen Mary’s future say their efforts to help care for her have been ignored.

Their alarm bells rang even louder last year, when the engineer who for 25 years provided Long Beach city authorities with updates on the ship’s condition, was dismissed after speaking publicly about his worries that she had deteriorated to the worst condition ever.

“Without an immediate and very significant infusion of manpower and money, the condition of the ship will likely soon be unsalvageable,” warned Edward Pribonic.

In one damning survey of the vessel, he claimed: “Conditions in most areas of the ship are declining. Maintenance is inadequate, likely caused by inadequate staffing and funding. Projects begun with (city) funds remain unfinished and many others not begun, allowing further deterioration.”

All of which was in the wake of an earlier marine survey which revealed 27 key areas of concern including sewage leaking throughout the ship, and fears that its 22 suspended lifeboats were corroded and at risk of falling from the ship or breaking apart.

Urgent repairs are said to total $23 million. Longer term repairs have been put at an eye-watering $200 million.

To add to the concerns, the Long Beach Post recently reported that several current and former directors of Eagle Hospitality Trust, the Singapore-based real estate trust which currently holds the master lease for the Queen Mary, had been arrested on suspicion of failing to make required disclosures to investors.

All of which has left those anxious to ensure the future of the Clyde-built liner with a dreadful sense of doom.

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“Where do I begin?,” says Texas-based Mary Rohrer, who began visiting the Queen Mary as a child soon after the ship arrived in Long Beach in 1967. She later helped launch a community non-profit organisation, “Restore the Queen” with hopes of protecting the liner’s future.

“We thought we could volunteer our time with anything that was needed so we reached out to the City of Long Beach,” she adds. “We learned there was no preservation effort or foundation formally set up for the community to participate or contribute.

“During the past eight years the ship has had three different lease holders.

“There have been decades of challenges. I honestly believe they have no clue of the international value of the ship.”

That said, an economic impact report published last year claimed the ship had generated more than $93 million in spending in Long Beach the previous year, supported more than 1,300 jobs and attracted 1.5 million visitors.

The report described the Clyde-built liner as “a timeless treasure and landmark renowned for its elegance and splendor”.

Indeed, such is the city’s apparent commitment to the Clyde-built gem, that it is currently looking into building a $250 million aerial gondola system to take tourists to the ship. It is part of a wider proposal to put the vessel at the heart of a new leisure wonderland of restaurants and attractions called Queen Mary Island.

It may sound as if the vessel’s future is protected. And, indeed, the new resort with the ship as its centrepiece was a vision touted by Los Angeles real estate and investment firm, Urban Commons, which in 2016 signed a 66-year lease with the City of Long Beach for the liner.

But by last April, city authorities were threatening the firm with legal action over delinquent rent, taxes and penalties related to the vessel.

It paid up and launched Eagle Hospitality Trust (EHT) in the hope of funding its Queen Mary Island vision by selling stock on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

In yet another twist, that move backfired when the fledgling trust turned on its founding company and terminated its master lease, handing it responsibility for the liner.

With arrests and Singapore police investigations rumbling in the background, last month EHT attempted to appoint a new trust, SC Capital Partners, to oversee its property portfolio including the Queen Mary. That move, however, has now been torpedoed by shareholders.

It’s yet another cause for concern by those keen to ensure the ship’s survival.

“In the last eight years we have watched new managers come and go with the ship as well as new city council members and with each new group, we make every attempt to try and put in place a strong vehicle for the community to participate and help with the preservation of the ship,” adds Mary.

“We presently have money sitting in our bank account and have been unsuccessful finding out who to make the cheque payable to with the City of Long Beach.

“It’s that messy.

“We have people who want to contribute but honestly nobody wants to throw the money down a rabbit hole. The ship’s biggest problem is its owners.”

Johnny Vallejo, Business Operations Bureau Manager at the Economic Development Department, City of Long Beach, the city’s property services officer says the ship remains a priority for the city.

“The intention is that the Queen Mary would be the centrepiece of any future development, and that development generated revenue would directly benefit the upkeep of the ship,” he says.

“The pandemic and its long-term effects on tourism, entertainment and hospitality are not yet known, but the Queen Mary property has always been a high city priority.

“We intend to work with our master lessee on their obligations to maintain the ship, as well as look at creative ways to ensure the future of the Queen Mary.”