Draft:Death of John Pedder

On July 10, 1966, John Pedder, an English firefighter aboard the RMS Queen Mary, was crushed to death by a watertight door. It was one of the ship's last trips and the fifth ridden by Pedder, who had worked there for four months. Not much is known as to what exact decisions led to his death, though much speculation has arisen. Out of 49 deaths on the ship, Pedder's death is one of few not caused by natural causes.

Background
John Pedder was born c. 1948 in Skipton and joined Cunard in March of 1966. By the time of his death, he had completed four trips with the Queen Mary: three as a firefighter in the boiler room and one as a bilge pump operator in the engine room.

The Queen Mary had many watertight doors to prevent sinkage if struck by another vessel. The water can breach a ship quickly; thus, these doors close quickly, in about six seconds. To ensure the doors' functionality, the captain frequently ordered routine drills to test them, given their crucial importance. Due to extreme boredom, crew members of the boat often challenged themselves and others in a game of "chicken" to go through the doors as many times as possible before they closed.

Death and legacy


On one of the ship's final voyages in its lifetime, and the fifth with Pedder, 483 West, the ship's captain William Warwick ordered a drill at around 03:00.

Pedder, who had been stationed in the engine room, attempted to close watertight door 13. It is unknown what exact events led up to his death, but speculation has arisen. Some journalists say that he was crushed while trying to get through the door as many times as possible to "test his manhood", while others purport that he tried to slide through the door but simply was too late and got crushed. He died instantly, having succumbed to his crush injury. His lifeless body, with outstretched arms, was discovered by a coworker around 04:00.

Watertight door 13 is now infamous and a famous tourist attraction on the Queen Mary due to his death and his purported presence. Some say his ghost, a bearded man with blue overalls, works near the watertight door before fading away. Others say he knocks on the pipes in the engine room. One famous sighting is that from a tour guide on the ship, who, after reportedly seeing the ghost of Pedder, was able to instantly identify him out of many old photos in a lineup.

Controversy
A 24/7 camera had been installed near door 13 to track all of the potential apparitions by Pedder. In response, Pedder's sister, Pauline Howard, said that their continuation of the past was painful for her and her family and that "John was a human being but they are treating him like a peepshow." She maintained that Cunard had not attained permission by any means nor was the family ever approached.