By Alex Chrisman
It should have been possible to save her. The SS United States is America’s flagship of sorts, the world’s fastest ocean liner who took the Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing from the world-famous RMS Queen Mary in 1952. Now the United States will almost certainly be intentionally sunk off the coast of Florida as an artificial reef, which I suppose is better than scrapping her, but still seems like a tremendous waste.
The ship was built and designed starting in 1949 and took to the seas in 1952 and was the brainchild of famed naval architect William Francis Gibbs. She was built with a modern, lightweight construction, very different from the stern and formal wood of the British liners, such as the Queen Mary and the Titanic. In that way she was an early product of the new modern era that would eventually give way to the jet age.
The SS United States in her natural element (Creative Commons, Item is held by John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.)
The ship was partially funded by the United States government, which had noted the impact that the Queen Mary and other large ships had made during World War 2, during which the Queen had transported tens of thousands of troops into battle. Built for speed, the United States boasted a classified engine and propeller design that allowed for a breathtaking 44 miles per hour. By way of comparison, the infamous RMS Titanic could only manage 26 miles per hour. The ship was never used as a troop carrier, although she did transport many famous people during her career, including future president Bill Clinton, Marylin Monroe and John Wayne. By the late 60s, she met the same fate as the aforementioned Queen Mary and was removed from service due to competition from transatlantic jet aircraft.
This was not the end of the line for the impressive vessel, however. There were plans afoot to turn her into a cruise ship, or, as happened with the Queen Mary, a museum. These plans stopped and started for decades afterwards. A critical blow to her future was the removal of her interior in 1993, when she was towed to Turkey and stripped of the décor and materials within that made her what she was. This was done as part of an asbestos abatement project in an abortive attempt to return her to sea as a cruiser. Unfortunately, this had the effect of stripping her of her identity (the same occurred with the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, but she has fared better) and making it harder for future visitors to remember her as she once was. The closest the United States came to sailing again was when she was owned by the Norwegian Cruise Line, which hatched a plan to sail her as a rare American flagged ship in 2003. This would allow her to sail between American ports, which most cruise ships cannot, due to the Jones Act, which says that ships sailing domestically must be registered in America. Unfortunately, the costs associated with bringing her up to modern specifications proved insurmountable and by 2009 she was up for sale yet again.
The ship would receive a new lease on life in 2011 when she was purchased by the SS United States Conservancy, headed by the granddaughter of her builder, William Francis Gibbs. The Conservancy, steered by Susan Gibbs, tried to find her a permanent home in Philadelphia, where she had been laid up for years within view of an Ikea parking lot.
Many people have heard the truisms related to boat ownership, such as Boat equaling “Bust Out Another Thousand.” This is exponentially more true for a massive ocean liner like the United States. Just having her sit at her berth on the Delaware River was costly as the sea air and water constantly attacked her, and the Conservancy raised just enough money to maintain her place dockside. Unfortunately, landlord Penn Warehousing reportedly raised the berthing fees, making it impossible for the Conservancy to afford for her to remain.
The Ikea in Philadelphia had a lot more than just affordable furniture and discounted meatballs; for decades it offered a stunning sight. (Creative Commons, https://www.flickr.com/people/29817133@N00)
Today the SS United States rests in Mobile, Alabama, awaiting her fate as an artificial reef to be sunk off the coast of Florida. She is in town to have hazardous materials removed so that she can safely be sunk. She has captured the imagination yet again in her new home, with many locals and news organizations lamenting her water bound fate, trying to raise money yet again to turn her into something that can stay afloat. When she was towed from Philadelphia to Alabama, her silhouette in the distance attracted much attention. What was this impressive looking ship on the horizon? It seemed as if she were sailing almost; even as a mirage of functionality she still impresses.
Will the swift ship be able to escape a watery grave? It seems unlikely. After all, her sister, the SS America, met a similar fate after her own checkered career, splitting in half after a failed tow off the Canary Islands and eventually being reclaimed by the sea. It is striking to think about how the impressive feats of humanity, an entire fleet of once-produced ocean liners, have almost all vanished from the earth. It makes the accomplishment and vision of the City of Long Beach, which in the late 60’s purchased the Royal Mail Ship Queen Mary, and saved her from such indignity. Maybe stop by and visit next time you are in Southern California. As for the United States, stay tuned, as her sage continues.
******************************************************************
Sources: SS United States Conservancy , https://alachuachronicle.com/hancock-efforts-underway-to-save-the-ss-united-states-as-a-museum-ship-instead-of-being-turned-into-a-reef/
Author’s note: I’m just a guy, trying to make it in this increasingly tough world, like everyone else. I’m definitely not AI; I grew up with Terminator 2 though, and we should all pay close attention. If you have a few cents, please consider supporting this work: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/trivalmaster