The powerful storm that raged across Southern California on Monday featured ferocious winds, booming thunder, and brilliant lightning strikes – including several near the iconic Queen Mary in Long Beach.
The accompanying image, revealing a 1,000-foot ship seemingly reliving a tempestuous moment from a bygone era, was captured by Vanessa Perez and posted to Instagram . The image was then shared to Facebook by Downtown Long Beach with the description: “Utterly Awesome.”
Mondaze ⚡️🌦🚢
A photo posted by _Vz_ (@veezee_p) on Mar 7, 2016 at 8:02am PST
Reads one of the Facebook comments: “An ode to the ‘Grey Ghost,' " in reference to the Queen Mary’s nickname during World War II, when the ship's role changed from passenger liner to troop carrier.
The Queen Mary, which was built in 1930, resumed her role as a passenger liner during the heyday of transatlantic travel in the 40s and 50s. The ship was relocated to Long Beach in 1967, to serve as a hotel and tourist attraction, and is now a historic landmark.
–Photo courtesy of Vanessa Perez
