MT California (Crowley Alaska Tankers) was in Long Beach Harbor on February 2, 2026, as Queen Mary 2 made her historic return to Southern California for a Royal Rendezvous with RMS Queen Mary. The tanker has a personal connection to Ocean Liner Photography: my son previously spent part of his 2024 Cal Maritime commercial cruise aboard California, making this unexpected meeting of familiar ships especially notable.

California (Crowley Alaska Tankers) provided the setting for my son’s Cal Maritime commercial cruise from May through July 2024. His time aboard took him to Valdez, Alaska, Port Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, and El Segundo in Los Angeles County. These photographs document the crude oil tanker and the ports surrounding his experience, offering a closer look at the working ships connecting Alaska’s oil industry with the U.S. West Coast.