One of the stranger pieces of Torrance history has almost nothing to do with Torrance.

At 3440 West Carson Street, residents can find a massive anchor that once belonged to the RMS Queen Elizabeth. 

When launched, the Queen Elizabeth was the largest passenger liner in the world.

Instead of beginning life as a glamorous passenger ship, however, World War II changed its mission. The liner became a troop carrier, helping move military personnel during the war.

Afterward, it entered the luxury transatlantic passenger trade and spent roughly two decades carrying travelers across the Atlantic.

Later acquired by shipping magnate C.Y. Tung, the vessel was renamed Seawise University and was intended to become a floating university.

That plan never came to fruition.

The ship caught fire in Hong Kong Harbor on January 9, 1972, while conversion work was underway and was ultimately lost. 

The anchor and the ship’s original “Q” and “E” bow initials were preserved as reminders of the vessel’s history.

Somehow, one of those reminders ended up right here in Torrance.

It is the kind of landmark thousands of people can pass without realizing they are driving by a surviving piece of one of the most famous ocean liners of the 20th century.

Article Link: See the RMS Queen Elizabeth Anchor