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LONG BEACH : Queen Mary Reopens Under New Management

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The Queen Mary reopened under new management Friday after more than a year of uncertainty about the fate of the money-losing tourist attraction.

About 100 people boarded the moored liner by midafternoon, despite a heavy rain, a receptionist estimated. There was no admission fee, but guided tours were offered for $5. Restaurants, the ship’s wedding chapel and other attractions were scheduled to open today and Sunday. Hotel service will reopen March 5.

The City Council voted in December to take over the ship from the independent Harbor Department, which wanted to sell the Queen Mary to a Hong Kong firm for $20 million. A local group won approval to run the ship, which had been operated at a loss by its previous manager, the Walt Disney Co.

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The Queen Mary and its former neighbor, the Spruce Goose airplane built by Howard Hughes during World War II, were victims of recession.

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