SS United States is
a luxury passenger liner built in 1952 for United States Lines
designed to capture the trans-Atlantic speed record.
Built at a cost of
$78 million, the ship is the largest ocean liner constructed entirely
in the US, the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic in either
direction, and even in her retirement retains the Blue Riband given
to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service
with the record highest speed.
Her construction was
subsidized by the US government, since she was designed to allow
conversion to a troop carrier should the need arise.[10] United
States operated uninterrupted in transatlantic passenger service
until 1969. Since 1996 she has been docked at Pier 82 on the Delaware
River in Philadelphia.
Inspired by the
exemplary service of the British liners RMS Queen Mary and Queen
Elizabeth, which transported hundreds of thousands of US troops to
Europe during the Second World War, the US Government sponsored the
construction of a large and fast merchant vessel that would be
capable of transporting large numbers of soldiers. Designed by
renowned American naval architect and marine engineer William Francis
Gibbs, the liner's construction was a joint effort between the United
States Navy and United States Lines. The US government underwrote $50
million of the $78 million construction cost, with the ship's
operators, United States Lines, contributing the remaining $28
million. In exchange, the ship was designed to be easily converted in
times of war to a troopship with a capacity of 15,000 troops, or to a
hospital ship. The vessel was constructed from 1950–1952 at the
Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News,
Virginia. Her keel was laid and the hull constructed in a graving
dock. United States was built to exacting Navy specifications, which
required that the ship be heavily compartmentalized and have separate
engine rooms to optimize war-time survival. A large part of the
construction of United States was with pre-fabricated sections. The
ship's hull comprised 183,000 separately fabricated sections.
To minimize the risk
of fire, the designers of United States used no wood in the ship's
framing, accessories, decorations, or interior surfaces. Fittings,
including all furniture and fabrics, were custom made in glass,
metal, and spun glass fiber to ensure compliance with fireproofing
guidelines set by the US Navy. Specially commissioned artwork
included pieces by fourteen artists, including Nathaniel Choate and
Gwen Lux. Although the galley did feature a butcher block, the
clothes hangers in the luxury cabins were aluminum. The ballroom's
grand piano was of a rare, fire-resistant wood species—although
originally specified in aluminum—and accepted only after a
demonstration in which gasoline was poured upon the wood and ignited,
without the wood itself igniting.
The construction of
the ship's superstructure involved the greatest use of aluminum in
any construction project to that time, and posed a Galvanic corrosion
challenge to the builders in joining the aluminum structure to the
steel decks below. The extensive use of aluminum provided significant
weight savings.
United States had
the most powerful steam turbines of any merchant marine vessel, with
a total power of 240,000 SHP (shaft horsepower) delivered to four
18-foot (5.5 m) diameter manganese-bronze propellers. This gave her
the greatest power-to-weight ratio ever achieved in a commercial
passenger liner, before or since. The ship was capable of steaming
astern at over 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), and could carry enough
fuel and stores to steam non-stop for over 10,000 nautical miles
(19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at a cruising speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40
mph).
On her maiden voyage
on July 3, 1952, United States broke the transatlantic speed record
held by Queen Mary for the previous 14 years by over 10 hours, making
the maiden crossing from the Ambrose lightship at New York Harbor to
Bishop Rock off Cornwall, UK in 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes at an
average speed of 35.59 knots (65.91 km/h; 40.96 mph) The liner also
broke the westbound crossing record by returning to America in 3 days
12 hours and 12 minutes at an average speed of 34.51 knots (63.91
km/h; 39.71 mph), thereby obtaining both the eastbound and westbound
speed records and the Blue Riband, the first time a US-flagged ship
had held the speed record since SS Baltic claimed the prize 100 years
earlier.
United States
maintained a 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) crossing speed on the North
Atlantic in a service career that lasted 17 years.
United States lost
the eastbound speed record in 1990 to Hoverspeed Great Britain;
however, she continues to hold the Blue Riband as all subsequent
record breakers were neither in passenger service nor were their
voyages westbound.
United States '
maximum speed was deliberately exaggerated, and kept obscure for many
years. An unlikely value of 43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph) was leaked to
reporters by engineers after the first speed trial. A Philadelphia
Inquirer article reported the top speed achieved as 36 knots (67
km/h; 41 mph), while another source reports that the highest possible
sustained top speed was 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph).
By the late 1960s,
the market for Transatlantic travel by ship had dwindled. America had
been sold in 1964, Queen Mary had been retired in 1967, and Queen
Elizabeth in 1968. United States was no longer profitable. While
United States was at Newport News for annual overhaul in 1969, the
shipping line decided to withdraw her from service, leaving the ship
docked at the port. After a few years, the ship was relocated to
Norfolk, Virginia. Subsequently, ownership passed between several
companies. In 1977, a group headed by Harry Katz sought to purchase
the ship and dock it in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where it would be
used as a hotel and casino. However, nothing became of the plan. In
1978, the vessel was sold for $5 million to a group headed by Richard
Hadley who hoped to revitalize the liner in a time share cruise ship
format. Financing failed and the ship was put up for auction by MARAD
in 1992. In 1979, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) was reportedly
interested in purchasing the ship and converting her into a cruise
ship for the Caribbean, but decided on purchasing the former SS
France instead. During the 1980s, United States was considered by the
US Navy as a troop ship or a hospital ship, to be called the USS
United States, but this plan never materialized.
In 1984, the ship's
remaining fittings and furniture were sold at auction in Norfolk.
Some of the furniture was installed in Windmill Point, a restaurant
in Nags Head, North Carolina. Following the closure of the restaurant
in 2007, the items were donated to the Mariners' Museum and to
Christopher Newport University, both in Newport News, Virginia. One
of the ship's 60,000-pound propellers is mounted at the entrance to
the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City. Another one
stands on a platform near the waterfront at SUNY Maritime College at
Fort Schuyler, New York. Across the Long Island Sound from SUNY
Maritime College, a third propeller is mounted at the United States
Merchant Marine Academy and is used as a teaching aid for merchant
mariners. In 2008 a fourth propeller was put on display at the
entrance of the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, Virginia.
In 1992, Marmara
Marine Inc., headed by Edward Cantor and Fred Mayer, purchased the
vessel for $2.6 million. The company was majority-owned by Juliedi
Sadikoglu of the Turkish shipping family. The ship was towed to
Turkey and then Ukraine, where she underwent asbestos removal in
1994. The interior of the ship was almost completely stripped during
this time. No viable agreements were reached in the US for a
reworking of the vessel, and in 1996 United States was towed to her
current location at Pier 84 in South Philadelphia.
In 1999, the SS
United States Foundation and the SS United States Conservancy (then
known as the SS United States Preservation Society, Inc.) succeeded
in having the ship placed on the National Register of Historic
Places.
In 2003, Norwegian
Cruise Line (NCL) purchased the ship from the estate of Edward Cantor
when the ship was put up for auction after his death, with the stated
intent of fully restoring her to a service role in their newly
announced American-flagged Hawaiian passenger service called NCL
America. United States is one of only a handful of ships eligible to
enter such service because of the Passenger Service Act, which
requires that any vessel engaged in domestic commerce be built and
flagged in the US and operated by a predominantly American crew. In
August 2004, NCL commenced feasibility studies regarding a new
build-out of the vessel, and in May, 2006 Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay,
chairman of Malaysia-based Star Cruises (which owns NCL), stated that
the company's next project is "the restoration of the ... United
States." By May 2007, an extensive technical review had been
completed, with NCL stating that the ship was in sound condition. The
cruise line has over 100 boxes of the ship's blueprints cataloged.
While this documentation is not complete, NCL believed it would
provide useful information for the planned refit. However, when NCL
America began operation, it used Pride of America, Pride of Aloha,
and Pride of Hawaii, rather than United States, and later withdrew
Pride of Aloha and Pride of Hawaii from Hawaiian service.
In February 2009, it
was reported that Star Cruises, to whom United States 's
ownership was transferred, and NCL were looking for buyers for the
liner.
A group of the
ship's fans keeps in touch via the Internet and meets annually in
Philadelphia. The ship receives occasional press coverage, such as a
2007 feature article in USA Today and there have been various
projects through the years to celebrate the ship, such as lighting it
on special occasions. A television documentary about the ship, titled
SS United States: Lady in Waiting, was completed in early February,
2008 and was distributed through Chicago's WTTW TV and American
Public Television with the first airings in May 2008 on PBS stations
throughout the US. The Big U: The Story of the SS United States,
another documentary about the ship, is currently[when?] in
development by Rock Creek Productions.
In March 2010 it was
reported that scrapping bids for the ship were being collected.
Norwegian Cruise Lines, in a press release, noted that there are
large costs associated with keeping United States afloat in her
current state—around $800,000 a year—and that, as the SS United
States Conservancy has not been able to tender an offer for the ship,
the company was actively seeking a "suitable buyer."
Since 2009, when
Norwegian Cruise Line offered the ship for sale, there have been
numerous plans to rescue the liner from the scrap yard. The SS United
States Conservancy, a group trying to save United States, has been
trying to come up with funding to purchase the ship. On 30 July 2009,
H. F. Lenfest, a Philadelphia media entrepreneur and philanthropist,
pledged a matching grant of $300,000 to help the United States
Conservancy purchase the vessel from Star Cruises. A notable
supporter, former US president Bill Clinton, has also endorsed rescue
efforts to save the ship, having sailed on her himself in 1968.
 |
An artist's
rendering of the planned "multi-purpose waterfront complex".
|
By 7 May 2010, over
$50,000 had been raised by The SS United States Conservancy and on 1
July 2010, the Conservancy struck a deal with Norwegian Cruise Line
to buy SS United States for a reported $3 million, despite a
scrapper's bid for $5.9 million. The Conservancy was given until
February 2011 to buy the ship and satisfy Environmental Protection
Agency concerns related to toxins on the ship. They now have 20
months of financial support to develop a plan to clean the ship of
toxins and make the ship financially self-supporting, possibly as a
hotel or development.
SS United States
Conservancy executive director Dan McSweeney has stated that likely
locations for the ship include Philadelphia, New York City and Miami.
In November 2010, the Conservancy announced a plan to develop a
"multi-purpose waterfront complex" with hotels, restaurants
and a casino along the Delaware River in South Philadelphia at the
proposed location for the stalled Foxwoods Casino project. A detailed
study for the site was revealed in late November 2010, in advance of
Pennsylvania's 10 December 2010 deadline for a deal aimed at Harrah's
Entertainment taking over the casino project. On 16 December 2010,
the Gaming Control Board voted to revoke the casino's license.
The SS United States
Conservancy assumed ownership of United States on 1 February 2011.
In March, talks
about possible locations in Philadelphia, New York City and Miami
continued. In New York City, negotiations with a developer are
underway for the ship to become part of the Vision 2020, a waterfront
redevelopment plan totaling US$3.3 billion. In Miami, Ocean Group in
Coral Gables was interested in putting the ship in a slip on the
north side of American Airlines Arena. With an additional US$5.8
million donation from H. F. Lenfest, the conservancy had about 18
months from March 2011 to make the ship a public attraction. On 5
August 2011 the SS United States Conservancy announced that after
conducting two studies focused on placing the ship in Philadelphia it
was "not likely to work there for a variety of reasons."
However, discussions to place the ship in her original home port of
New York as a stationary attraction are ongoing.
The Conservancy's
grant specifies that the refit and restoration must be done in the
Philadelphia Navy Yard for the benefit of the Philadelphia economy,
regardless of her eventual mooring site; the Conservancy continues to
negotiate with possible stakeholders in the New York area.
On February 7, 2012
preliminary work began on the restoration project to prepare the ship
for her eventual rebuild, although a contract had not yet been
signed. In April 2012, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was
released as the start of an aggressive search for a developer for the
ship. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued in May. In July 2012,
the SS United States Conservancy launched a new online campaign
called "Save the United States", a blend of social
networking and micro-fundraising, that allowed donors to sponsor
square inches of a virtual ship for redevelopment, while allowing
them to upload photos and story content about their experience with
the ship. The Conservancy announced that donors to the virtual ship
would be featured in an interactive "Wall of Honor" aboard
the future SS United States museum. 6 Million (USD) had been raised
by September, 2012 to turn the ship into a permanent waterfront
attraction.
A developer was to
be chosen by the end of 2012 with the intent of putting the ship in a
selected city by summer 2013. The ship, however, remained in
Philadelphia. In November 2013, it was reported that the ship was
undergoing a "below-the-deck" makeover which lasted into
2014 in order to make the ship more appealing for developers as a
dockside attraction. The SS United States Conservancy was warned
that, if its plans did not come together quickly, there might be no
choice but to sell the ship for scrap. In January 2014, obsolete
pieces of the ship were sold to keep up with the $80,000 (USD) a
month maintenance costs. Enough money was raised to keep the ship
going for another six months with the hope of finding someone
committed to the project, with New York City still being the
frontrunner target location.
On July 3, 2014, The
SS United States Conservancy held a Flag Raising ceremony
commemorating the Ship's Maiden Voyage. An American flag was raised
first to honor Independence Day and the house flag of the ships
former operating company, United States Lines (donated by the
trademark owner Hector L. Aponte III) was raised. Making it the first
time the ship flew its company flag since the ship was decommissioned
in 1969.
By August 2014, the
ship was still moored in Philadelphia and costs for the ship's rent
amounted to $60,000 (USD) a month. It was estimated that it would
take one billion (USD) to put the United States back on the high
seas. On September 4, 2014 a final push was made to have the ship be
bound for New York City. A developer interested in re-purposing the
ship into a major waterfront destination made an announcement
regarding the move. The Conservancy had only weeks to decide if the
ship needed to be sold for scrap.
On December 15,
2014, preliminary agreements in support of the redevelopment of the
SS United States were announced. The agreements included three months
of carrying costs, with a timeline and more details to be released
sometime in 2015. In February, 2015, another $250,000 was received by
the conservancy from an anonymous donor which will go towards
planning an onboard museum.
As of October 2015,
however, the SS United States Conservancy began exploring potential
bids for scrapping the ship. The group is running out of money to
cover the $60,000 per month cost to dock and maintain the ship.
Though attempts to repurpose the ship continue. Potential ideas
include using the ship for hotels, restaurants, office space, etc.
However, no plans have been announced. The conservancy says if no
progress is made by October 31, they will have no choice but to sell
the ship to a "responsible recycler.
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