It was the year 1950. The beginning of the decade where the golden age of the ocean liner would enter its closing years. Currently sailing the seas included RMS Queen Elizabeth, SS Nieuw Amsterdam, SS Liberte (formerly SS Europa), MV Britannic and MV Georgic, and the most recent Blue Riband holder, RMS Queen Mary. Many of the other great ships, such as SS Normandie, had been sadly lost during the Second World War. Over the course of the decade, the aviation industry would emerge and threaten to make the ocean liner redundant. But the golden age of the ocean liner wasn't done yet, as United States Lines was developing the fastest, and one of the greatest liners to cross the Atlantic. Aptly named, this ship would be called SS United States.
Construction of the SS United States:
This ship would be designed and constructed by both United States Line and the United States Navy, with the aim of building a large, fast liner to transport soldiers around the world. She was designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs, known for converting SS Vaterland into SS Leviathan after the ship was requisitioned by the US, as well as numerous other passenger, cargo and war ships. Following the devastating impact of the Second World War, and an emerging Cold War between the US and Soviet Union, the US wanted a ship designed in such a way that would make her easy to convert in a troopship in the event of war, and was able to carry over 14,000 troops a distance of a whopping 10,000 miles if necessary. As a result, her design had to be to Navy specifications, including a heavily compartmentalised structure and separate engine rooms.
Her engine was also especially powerful; her steam turbines boasted 240,000 horsepower, greater than any other ship before her. Listed below are some of her specifications:
53,330 gross-registered tonnes
An overall length of 990ft (302m)
Passenger capacity of 1,928 passengers and approx. 900 crew
Service top speed: 35 knots (Queen Mary reached a highest speed of 32 knots, in comparison)
Overview of the ship plans (taken from the SS United States Conservancy)
Yet the immense speed and power of United States isn't the only features that sets her apart from other liners of the time. The ship also contained no wood. Other than collisions, torpedoes and landmines, many ships had also been lost to fires, perhaps most famously, SS Normandie. As a result, William Francis Gibbs was extremely concerned about the potential risk of fire, so every fitting, piece of furniture or fabric was made from fireproof material. The only items made from wood included a butcher's block in the galley, and a mahogany piano which was allowed after demonstrations showed it would not catch fire. More aluminium was used on this ship than any other in history, and its light weight helped to maximise her speed.
Her design was also kept highly secret, with almost the entire construction occurring in a graving dock, making her the first passenger liner to be constructed in such a fashion.
A Deck foyer
Photo of suite M-69
Maiden Voyage and Career (1952-69)
On 3rd July 1952, United States began her maiden voyage from New York to Southampton and it didn't take long for her to make an impression as she completed the eastbound Atlantic crossing in just 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, with an average speed of 35 knots. She broke the record of the fastest eastbound crossing, previously held by RMS Queen Mary, by just over 10 hours! It was smooth sailing and aboard the ship were the First Lady and her daughter, Margaret Truman, who even got to take the wheel for a few minutes.
On her return voyage she also broke the westbound speed record, arriving in New York in just 3 days and 12 hours.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, United States would continue to be the fastest transatlantic liner, and was known for her high number of celebrity passengers, including Marilyn Monroe, Walt Disney, Judy Garland and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Despite being the quickest way to travel on the seas, United States would be no match for her biggest rival, the jet airliner. The jet age quickly became popular in the 1960s, making the ocean liner seem redundant almost overnight. Throughout the decade, most of the great ocean liners had been retired, and the ones that continued in service were becoming increasingly less profitable as passenger numbers declined. On 7th November 1969, United States arrived in New York, where she was planned to get an annual overhaul ready for a 55 day Grand Pacific cruise in January 1970. However, United States Lines instead chose to withdraw her from service due to lack of profitability, and she was laid up.
The next few decades saw United States passing from dock to dock, and from owner to owner. In 1973, the United States Maritime Administration took ownership, and in 1976 Norwegian Caribbean Cruise Line (NCL) attempted to purchase the ship, but the offer was declined due to still undisclosed naval design elements of the ship. NCL instead purchased the former SS France, and the United States' design elements were declassified in 1977.
Despite consideration from the US Navy to convert her into a troopship, the United States was deemed obselete for naval use and was sold in 1980 to Richard H. Hadley, who hoped to convert her into a time-share cruise ship. Many items from the ship were sold to raise funds for the project, and the ship was towed to Newport News (Virginia) but the project ran out of funds and the ship was seized by U.S Marshalls.
In 1992, she was sold at auction to Marmara Marine Inc. and towed to Turkey to strip her of asbestos, which ended up in the near complete removal of her interiors. Sadly, they too were unable to fully restore her and in 1996 she was brought to Philadelphia, where she remains laid up to this day.
In 1999, United States was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 2003 was purchased by NCL. The company hoped to refurbish her and revive her as part of NCL America, one of a number of ships operating a Hawaiian passenger service. A technical review deemed her in sound condition in 2003, but yet again, plans never came to fruition and she was sold to the SS United States Conservancy Foundation in 2011, saving her from potential scrapping. Despite numerous attempts to find a suitable developer and revitalise the ship as an attraction, placing her in either Philadelphia, Miami, or New York City, yet nothing has yet been successful.
In 2016, Crystal Cruises signed a purchase option for the ship, but withdrew due to too many logistical challenges. In 2018, RXR Realty expressed interest, announcing in 2020 potential plans to use the ship as a hospitality and cultural space in one of various potential locations in the country, but so far no plans have been made concrete.
Currently, the conservancy is paying around 1700 USD per day in rent for United States to keep her berth at Pier 82, plus 160,000 USD in backpay, which is threatening the ship's future at the sight. It may end up that a developer or buyer will have to move fast, or for increased funding to the conservancy in order to save the ship.
United States in her current state, docked in Philedelphia
Hopefully in the near future, United States will finally get a developer and a second lease of life, as it is a truly great shame to watch such a great ship left at little more than a shell of her former self, with owners desperately doing all they can to keep her from being scrapped. Thankfully, the ship is still considered to be structurally sound, despite being out of commission for more than 50 years, which certainly speaks to her incredible and revolutionary design.
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