Posted on 03/11/2009 1:45:45 PM PDT by americanophile
Efforts to save the SS United States — a storied former ocean liner that has been mothballed in South Philadelphia — have apparently fallen through.
Two Washington, D.C.-based foundations that seek to preserve the ship are sounding the alarm that the historic vessel may be sold for scrap metal.
Robert Westover, who heads the SS United States Foundation, said this week that plans for refurbishment by Norwegian Cruise Line appear to be dead, and that the ship may be sold to a scrap dealer.
“I’m hoping this does not have a sad end, but it’s shaping up as an American tragedy,” said Westover, who started the SS United States Foundation 11 years ago to try to preserve the ship. It’s likely, he added, to be “headed for the scrap yard.”
Norwegian Cruise Line, which is owned by Hong Kong-based Star Cruises, said in April 2003 that it hoped to return the ship to service.
But this week the SS United States Conservancy, a second nonprofit, sent an urgent message to supporters: “In light of current economic conditions, the SS United States is now in grave danger of being sold for scrap.”
It added that “Star Cruises has provided no assurances that the historic vessel will not be sold for scrap.”
The SS United States, launched in 1952, set a speed record for westbound Atlantic crossings, averaging better than 35 knots an hour (or 41 mph). The record still stands.
The ship was built in Newport News, Va., for $79 million, in 500 days. In addition to duties handling transatlantic passenger service, it was used in 1962 in the Cuban Missile Crisis and in 1982 to transport British troops to the Falkland Islands. It is on the National Register for Historic Places. With the advent of air travel, the ship fell into disuse, and has not been used commercially since 1969.
It has been moored at a pier on South Columbus Boulevard since 1996.
Fixing it up would take millions.
Westover estimates that revamping the 990-foot ship to be a docked exhibit, much like the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif., would cost $100 million. To make it a viable, seaworthy cruise ship could cost $500 million, he said.
A last hope may be redirecting some of the $782 billion in federal stimulus funding — perhaps money earmarked for infrastructure.
To that end, Westover is appealing to Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., based on the fact that the SS United States was built in Newport News and could be returned to shipyards there for a makeover.
But Westover concedes that getting a piece of the stimulus funding “is a big old Hail Mary.”
When Norwegian Cruise Line bought the SS United States six years ago, it said it would refurbish it and add it to its fleet, using it on cruises between Hawaii and mainland United States.
Westover speculated that the cruise line’s motivation for buying the ship might have been driven by maritime law, which requires ships making domestic runs to use ships that are flagged, or registered, in the United States. Because there were a limited number of ships fitting that description, the SS United States may have seemed the most attractive option.
As to the ship’s future, Norwegian Cruise Line, which is based in Miami, said that it is evaluating its options, but offered few details.
“While all options for the ship are being evaluated, the SS United States Conservancy has been offered the opportunity to explore possibilities for the ship with the option of purchasing the vessel,” said AnneMarie Mathews, director of public relations for Norwegian Cruise Line.
An SS United States Conservancy spokesman, Dan McSweeney, said Norwegian’s asking price is $20 million.
“We must not let this national treasure fall into the wrong hands if she is sold,” said the SS United States Conservancy’s president, Susan Gibbs, granddaughter of the vessel’s designer, William Francis Gibbs. “While we understand the challenges posed by the economic downturn, this ship must be saved.”
Westover’s group, which has already spent an estimated $1 million in cash and in-kind contributions to save the ship, plans to hold a protest by the ship next month.
“Any other ship, I would not be wasting time. But I don’t want some kid to read five years from now that the ship that set the speed record that still stands could be hauled away for scrap,” said Westover. “It’s a great ship with our nation’s name on it.”
Scrap metal prices (it was made back in the cheap days of asbestos insulation and lead paint!) ain't what they used to be.
Wait a little while. Prices will go up.
On the other hand, a recession drives DOWN labor cost and steel prices, and there are more people available to do the same work at lower prices. We can get cheap labor to scrape the hull, insides, and remove all that bad stuff overseas .....
Can you build something that big and fast for the cost of refurbishing?
The interiors have already been stripped, in the Ukraine I think.
Some columnist asked a while back -
will America survive the 0bama administration?
And my first thought was - “that sure depends on how you define “America””.
You are quite right! I’ve been there many times.
35 minutes of geographic latitude in one hour.
Given how deadly anti ship torps and missiles are today
I wouldn’t put thousands of souls on a target like that.
We were pretty lucky that the germans didn’t take out
one of the Queens during the last ww.
SS United States headed to junk pile...
Soon to be followed by the United States.
are there any photos of the interior woodwork? That be cool. The HMS Queen Mary had some beautiful carvings and stuff.
Maybe Pelosi can make it her personal ship to go with all those Air Force G5’s she uses.
Heck no. I’m still trying to figure out of theirs 20 million worth of good steel in it, LoL!
The speed is ok, but it’s way too long to be of any value as a navel vessel. Too heavy to turn as fast as a frigate can.
Unless you mean target practice.
Heck no. I’m still trying to figure out of theres 20 million worth of good steel in it, LoL!
The speed is ok, but it’s way too long to be of any value as a navel vessel. Too heavy to turn as fast as a frigate can.
Unless you mean target practice.
35 minutes of geographic latitude in one hour is “35 knots”, not “35 knots an hour”.
“35 knots an hour” is acceleration.
The Falklands claim is bogus. This boat was laid up before the Falklands War.
“We definitely need to require a certain percentage of trans-Atlantic travelers to travel on this vessel.”
Are you kuckin’ futs?
7 a unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, used of ships, aircraft, or winds.
ORIGIN Old English; sense 7 derives from the former practice of measuring a ship’s speed by using a float attached to a long knotted line.
On google maps, the SS United States
“SS United States, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19148”
was the only ship in the entire port.
Shows
(1) how little regarded Philly (and south NJ) is as port now
(2) how few ships are actually needed
(3) how few “regular” docks are used today with containerships carrying everything.
There are few “mothballed” landing ships and destroyers down in old naval yaed.
Knot a unit of speed equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, used of ships, aircraft, or winds.
The only wooden equipment on-board was the butcher blocks...and the fire-resistant piano, if you count that.
Perhaps there were later furnishings that were wooden, but it was originally designed to double as a troopship.
Not true. The QE 2 was used as a transport. As it was, the US took great pains not to appear to be aiding Britain during the Falklands war. All our help was covert and backdoor stuff, especially satellite and communications intel.
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