The First Lady of the United States…

Back in her day she was the fastest and greatest that had ever been produced. She was an international symbol of American power, ingenuity and quality. She was, and still is, the SS United States, the flagship of our nation and the crown jewel in our maritime crown.

Though most people wouldn’t know her, her place in our nation’s proud maritime history is irreplaceable.

Though she was, as one person put it, “a symbol of America at peace”, this beautiful liner was actually designed and built with war in mind. During WWII the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth ferried hundreds of thousands of troops to the front, safely and fast, with each voyage carrying upwards of 10,000 men. One Queen Mary voyage still holds the record for the most people ever carried at one time, with over 16,000 troops carried. The heroic and valuable wartime career of the two Cunard Queens was credited by Winston Churchill, as having lessened the war by more then a year, a fact not lost on the United States.

Because of the great war-time service of the two Queens, by the late 1940s, the United States wanted such ships for themselves. They wanted a great ocean liner to symbolize the post war power, might and ingenuity of the US, on an international level, the North Atlantic ferry. But they also wanted a ship that could provide fast, safe and reliable troop transporting services in the time of war.

To design this great ship, the US called upon the self taught Naval Architect, William Francis Gibbs, one of the pre-eminent naval architects of his day. The ship he designed was larger than any passenger ship yet built in the US, and was faster, safer and more powerful then any other ship in service. Designed with exacting Navy specifications, the ship was heavily compartmentalized to maximize survivability, was designed to be able to sail non-stop for 10,000 nautical miles, and was completely fire proof (according to legend the only wood onboard were the chopping blocks and the piano). His design was revolutionary. An awesome combination of warship and luxurious ocean liner. (photo at left- William Francis Gibbs with his creation)

Built in Newport News, Virginia, the project was a joint effort between the United States Navy and the United States Line. Of the $78 million it cost to build her, the US government contributed $50 million, while the operator, the United States Lines, contributed the remaining $28 million.

The ship was equipped with the most powerful steam turbines of any merchant ship. This gave the ship immense speed and power. On her speed trials the ship was reported to have reached over 40 knots (close to 50 mph) while other more conservative reports say the official top speed was 36 knots…to this day no one seems really sure which claim is true.

Out of all the work, testing, building and designing, came one of the most beautiful ships to ever grace the Atlantic, or any of the world's oceans. Just looking at her, she conveyed a sense of power and prestige. Her two huge red, white and blue funnels looked beautiful atop the gleaming white superstructure and her shining black hull. With a low profile, the ship looked just as fast as she was. She had the angles and structural look of a warship, but still had the graceful lines and beauty that could rival any ocean liner.

Setting off on her maiden voyage on July 3rd, 1952, the ship smashed all speed records (which have previously been held by the Queen Mary for 14 years), crossing the pond in 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes (QUEEN MARY WAS STILL GREATER!!!!!). Then again on the return crossing, she conquered the westbound record at 3 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes, officially wining the coveted Blue Riband (the unofficial accolade given to the liner with the fastest crossing time between Europe and America) for the United States; the first time the US won it in over 100 years.

(Photo above- The United States (top) passing her older fleet mate the America (bottom) in NYC)

For the next 17 years the ship sailed the line between England and her home port of New York. During that time she was the ultimate way to cross (apart from the Queen Mary of course….but that goes without saying), carrying many of the worlds elite, from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, movie stars, kings, presidents (including a young President Clinton) and many others. She was safe, reliable, fast and profitable.

She was the pride of our nation’s merchant fleet, and known all over the world. Everybody wanted to cross on her (obviously because their first choice, the Queen Mary, was full so they went to the next best thing), there were books, songs and records made for, or about the ship. In fact, Walt Disney, while sailing on the United States, was so taken with her that he made her the center piece of the film, “Bon Voyage”. To sail on the SS United States was to sail on the best (after the Queen Mary).

But even all this popularity and fame could not stop a large change that was about to come to the North Atlantic. In 1957 the first jet powered crossing of the Atlantic took place and practically overnight, clumsy jets were taking over the business from the stately ocean liners. Though the United States continued sailing, not even she was safe. Over time as more and more passengers flew, passenger numbers on all the great liners began to fall drastically. Finally in 1969, the United States Lines pulled the United States out of service and laid her up in Virginia. After only 17 years of active service, she would never sail under her own power again…

In the decades following, she passed from owner to owner with several different ideas on how to utilize her. One plan was to use her as a time share cruise ship, another, considered by NCL, was to use her as their new cruise ship (before opting for the SS France instead), and yet another was to use her as a hospital ship. None of these plans even came close to materializing.

In 1984 her remaining fittings were removed and sold at auction and are now in various collections all over the country. Then in the early nineties, the ship became the center of attention because of asbestos onboard. Subsequently, the ship was towed across the Atlantic to Turkey and the Ukraine, where she underwent asbestos removal in 1994. Returning to the United States, the ship was laid up in South Philadelphia where she remains to this day.

In 2003 the most solid, though still unlikely, idea for the ship's future started to materialize when NCL bought the ship with the intention of restoring her, and returning her to active service for their newly announced NCL America initiative. The idea was that the ship would sail inter-island cruises in the Hawaiian Islands. Being US built and registered, the United States was one of only a few ships that could do this service, as the Jones Act limits the service of foreign built and flagged ships in inter-island Hawaiian cruises.

After purchasing the liner, NCL conducted studies of the ships condition and found that the she was in sound condition (a testament to the skill of her designer and builders) and it was stated that the Big U (as she is affectionately called) would be their next project. However, like all the other plans, this was not to be. NCL America ended up as a large and expensive failure. Starting off with 3 modern cruise ships, NCL America was downsized to a one ship operation after only a short time in service. This doomed any idea that the Big U would serve NCL, and in 2009 the ship was up for sale.

Enter the United States Conservancy (USC). For years now, the USC has worked hard to ensure that this wonderful ship has a positive future that would preserve it in some form for future generations, whether that be in an active cruising roll, or as a static attraction, much like the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. After years of hard work and lobbying, the Conservancy has brought attention to the sad plight of our nation's forgotten flagship, and the ship's story has appeared in many prominent news outlets around the country, gaining it any supporters.

Recently, after years of effort the USC was able to buy the ship from NCL for $3 million. NCL had previously received bids from scrappers for almost $6 million but luckily choose the USC’s smaller, but much more worthy bid. (THANK YOU NCL!!!!).

Now though, starts the real challenge. The USC only has a limited amount of time to find a home and come up with a viable idea for the ship's future. Currently several cities including New York, Miami and Philadelphia are being considered for the future home of this ship. The hope is to turn the ship into the center of a large housing, retail, convention and entertainment center. The ship could serve as a boutique hotel, with designer rooms (remember that the ship interiors were removed necessitating the installation of new ones), shops and restaurants. On top of that there could be parks, apartments and more, in the area surrounding her. (picture at left- a concept drawing of what could be)

To make sure that this happy future happen for the Big U, the conservancy needs help. I would like to encourage my readers to make any donation that you can to the United States Conservancy. I am sure I probably fail in this article to convey the great historic importance and value of this ship, but please, let me assure you that this ship is worth saving. Many other great liners and ships have gone to the breakers; this ship should be the exception. She is the last real remaining piece of America’s proud passenger ship heritage, there are none like her. Of all the great ocean liners and Ships of State, she and the Queen Mary are pretty much the last substantial examples remaining. We can’t let her go.

I find it kind of ironic that in a city famous for its American history, with things like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, or the many other historical artifacts/sites, that a major piece of American history like the Big U can sit in disrepair, forgotten. It’s really quite sad.

Even in her current state, however, the ship still has immense presence and beauty. She’s one of my favorite ships. I love her like crazy (not as much as the Queen Mary of course), everything from the huge oversized funnels, to her unique place in our history. She’s something special. Now me, and the many others who love her, can only hope that this beautiful ship continues, preserved, for many years to come.

(The Big U sailing out of New York on one of her crossings)

Please visit the United States Conservancy website @ http://www.ssunitedstatesconservancy.org/