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SS United States
Anyone Visit this ship or taken a voyage on her? Over the years I've developed a fascination on this ship... it's history, speed records for a ship of the time is amazing. Currently it's docked in Philadelphia awaiting funding or breaking. Anyone have pictures of it that they took? any stories?
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Historic SS United States Short On Funds, Time « CBS Philly
I've seen it, never been on it. Its in pretty rough shape. |
My office is in the renovated Navy Yard next to where this vessel is moored. It is impressive and there has been great effort to save it from the scrap yard. Over the last two years generous donations have kept it alive. Unfortunately, funding has run out and only a miracle will keep it from being salvaged.
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In Honolulu, I was with the law firm that worked for Dick Hadley, who wanted to make the SS United States into timeshare. He was a great man, made a fortune in real estate and this was to be his biggest project.
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The traveling public would rather travel on the "engines failed, toilets are exploding, there is now no running water" Carnival cruise lines than travel on a ship that was built to cruise reliably at high speeds and with CLASS.
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It really is a stately and beautifully designed boat. It's ashame that it's probably going to be recycled into Chinese steel.
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Interesting videos of her beginnings:cool:
SS United States: Made in America (Chapter 1) - YouTube SS United States: Made in America (Chapter 2) - YouTube My money is, sadly, on her being scrapped. Here's a lttle irony of national naming: The SS United States and the USS America: Both built at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. Both made Philadelphia their final port of call, apparently. One down: USS America, CV-66 - YouTube One to go? :( |
It is docked across from the Ikea in South Philly and is a disgrace IMHO. It needs to be scrapped or restored.
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While on a night-time harbor tour in 1984, I saw her docked at Norfolk VA, then stunbled upon her tied-up in Newport-News a few years later.
She looked pretty rough then. In 1990, I purchased an electric alarm-bell from a Virginia-Beach surplus-store - allegedly from the SS United States. Happy Motoring, Mark |
Many of the new crusie ships that Disney, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and others have are floating palaces with everything from dancing girls to golf courses on board. Today's cruising public wants bells and whistles, and lots of them.
The SS United States represented a "less is more" thinking which resulted in ONE FAST BOAT. It was designed to be able to serve in time of war if needed which meant speed and durability were required. That means less blingy bling bling, bells, whistles and other assorted crap the whiny drip traveling public now demands. Try converting a Disney, Royal Caribbean or a Carnival "engines regularly fail toilets explode" ship to a war vessel in short order. It won't be happening. |
...made obsolete by the airplane, just as the very elegant clipper ships were by steam power.
Too bad. |
the guy who designed that ship, designed countless battle ships, liberty ships the Beach landing crafts for D day too. It's fascinating reading... I hope they will save it, It's history and the history of the designer should warrant it... unfortunatly it's likely to be scrapped...but it still has an amazing history
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There were a few US merchant marine ships with the prefix "NS" meaning "Nuclear Ship". The NS Savannah was the first. Nice lines. NS Savannah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Well somewhere there is a guy trying to build an actual replica new titantic. With many upgrades I suppose. Probably never see it but apparently the guy has the kind of money it takes.
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