The Queen Mary, the iconic World War II-era ship that has been a Long Beach tourist attraction for decades but has long needed repairs worth millions of dollars, could become a national monument — which would transfer ownership from Long Beach to the federal government.

Or at least the city could take steps to persuade the federal government to list the ship as a national monument, according to a recent recommendation from city staff.

That was one of several recommendations, including when to reopen the ship and a newly proposed oversight structure, that Long Beach staff made to the City Council in a memo on Friday, March 11.

In the memo, posted on the city’s website on Monday, staff recommended Long Beach apply the Queen Mary for national monument status.

The legendary-but-rundown ship is already a national landmark. The difference is that national monuments — like the Statue of Liberty or Wyoming’s Devils Tower — are owned and operated by the federal government, whereas landmarks are not.

National monuments are approved by an act of Congress or the president. The National Park Service defines monuments as places of “historic, scenic, or scientific interest set aside for preservation,” according to the city memo said.

Applying for national monument status would need to be approved by the Long Beach harbor commission and the City Council, the staff report said.

Long Beach has owned the Queen Mary since 1967, leasing the ship and surrounding property to a series of operators. But the city regained control of operating the ship for first time in 40 years last summer. The city got the ship when the latest lease-holder, Urban Commons, declared bankruptcy and gave up the lease.

In September, the council agreed to transfer control of the ship to the Harbor Department, with city officials saying the port is better-equipped to deal with the complexities of the coastal tourist attraction.

Negotiations for that transfer are ongoing and, the memo added, the final transfer would have to be approved by the City Council and the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners.

The Queen Mary needs tens of millions of dollars in repairs and earlier this year, Long Beach started those fixes.

It will cost an estimated $5 million just to make the ship stable enough to reopen to the public. The memo provided updates on those repairs — including removing deteriorated lifeboats — saying they would take from 180 to 270 days and recommending they be finished before the ship reopens.

One set of repairs, draining and inspecting the ship’s ballast tank — a compartment that holds water to keep the ship stable — has not yet been funded, the memo said. Once Long Beach staff process the scope of that work, it will go to the harbor commission and City Council with an update on the cost, process and timing of that project.

In the memo, city staff also provided updates on a new oversight structure, historic preservation efforts and new funding sources. Among other recommendations, the memo also said the ship could reopen by the end of year for special events and hospitality services. The memo did not address who would operate the ship’s services once it reopened, though there could be a special events coordinator who would oversee things like concerts or other activities. there was also no mention of reopening the hotel.

Evolution Hospitality, which operated the ship’s services under Urban Commons, is under contract in a custodial role.

In the wake of Urban Commons, the Queen Mary’s former owner, not making urgent repairs to the Queen Mary, leaving an estimated $23 million left for critical repairs, Long Beach staff has also proposed creating a new oversight structure to ensure fixes are made and that the ship is preserved properly.

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That means, the memo said, creating new staff positions, such as a Queen Mary analyst to coordinate accounting and budgeting for the ship and a construction project manager to oversee day-to-day construction.

These recommendations would also have to go to the City Council and harbor commission for approval as part of the budget proposal process, the memo said.

Along with exploring a national monument designation for the Queen Mary, city staff recommended applying for historic tax credits to rehabilitate the ship and to collaborate with local institutions to preserve the ship and its artifacts.

The memo also recommended applying for state funding and that the city study passenger feeds from Carnival Cruise Lines and the Long Beach Cruise Terminal to determine if costs are at market value. If costs can be increased, that revenue could go toward repairing the Queen Mary, the memo said.

And as part of the reopening plan, city staff recommended a feasibility study to explore removing the Scorpion Submarine, a derelict submarine partially submerged next to the Queen Mary. The believed owner and his insurance company have not replied to multiple requests to remove the submarine, city officials said.

If scheduled repairs go according to plan, the Queen Mary could be reopened to the public by the end of the year.