SOS - Save our Ship

[StarFox]

The SS United States, perhaps one of the most famous ocean liners of her time, has been
owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines since 2003. at $1,000 a day in docking fee, she was an
expensive asset wit no income of her own. She is to be listed for sale by Star Cruises
immediately. This ship, built in 1952, and the Flagship of America during her 17 year
Career, she is still the fastest ocean liner ever built, her 1952 records have never been
broken by a ship similar in size.

She is now in grave danger of being scrapped. I Urge anyone and everyone to get in contact
with the US Government. The ship is a prime candidate for a prestige project under Barack
Obama's Public works proposal. Her restoration would provide shipyard jobs restoring the
ship, and provide jobs at whatever city she ends up in as a Hotel, Convention center,
retail outlet, and entertainment complex. She is the Icon of the United States, our
Largest Ocean liner. She must no be aloud to be scrapped, her historic value is too great

http://ssunitedstatesconservancy.org/SS ... 9FINAL.pdf (http://ssunitedstatesconservancy.org/SSUSCPressRelease021009FINAL.pdf)

[NEON DEON]

:know:

Holy Cr#p!

She could do 44 Knots!

http://www.ssunitedstates.org/theship.htm

http://www.ssunitedstates.org/gif/shipphotos/FeldStern.jpg

[Rockstar]

She must no be aloud <allowed> to be scrapped, her historic value is too great


Actually I thought it was already razor blades, shows how much I know.

Too bad everyone is looking for Uncle to take care of them now. IMO it needs to either support itself ie turning it into a park. And if you can't do it then donate that scow to the artificial reef program. I got my own boat to maintain and it's a pain in the arse without having to support someone elses 'prestige' project with my money.

[StarFox]

On paper at least, the ship could turn back the cost of restoration. and if Grants and donations are factored in, the cost drops. Eventually, the ship would end up like the Queen Mary, and hopefully in the end turn a profit. The problem I always had with the Queen Mary was that the full space available was never used, 3/4 of the ship is empty and unused. The Untied States is smaller then the Queen Mary, but her interiors have also been stripped, meaning the cost of remodeling the ship will be lower then other ships that have been preserved (such as the Queen Mary, Rotterdam, and the future preservation of the Kungsholm)

So, if everything was done properly, the ship could eventually pay back both the cost of restoration, and make a profit once the dept is paid off. If I had the money to do it, I would. I am not that lucky

[Sailor Steve]

:know:

Holy Cr#p!

She could do 44 Knots!
Being that she was almost 12% longer than an Iowa class battleship (990' vs 887') with roughly the same beam (101' vs 108') and had 17% more horspower (248,000 vs 212,000), I'm not surprised.

Still, that's pretty impressive. She probably would have been pretty safe had she been built for the war. Same top speed as the fastest setting on a G7a.

[A Very Super Market]

If you've got to try and get your torpedoes to chase a ship down.... you know you're a poor kaleun!

[Kapt Z]

My old man loved that ship! He would go on and on about her feats and designs when I was a kid. His father sailed on her to Europe, I think in the late '50s. I still have the deck plan in the attic somewhere. Those fast liners like the QM, Normandie and the United States sure make today's cruise liners look like ugly ducklings.

I hope she can be saved, but I'm not optimistic. It's an enormous undertaking and you just don't know the profit potential long term. Still, it would be great to see her all fixed up and shiney sitting next to the Intrepid in NYC.

[Kapitan]

I wouldnt compare her to the QM seeing as the origional QM is in a very poor state at the moment apparently, and the QM has outlasted most other liners to date.
Theres only so many ships we can preserve repair and keep afloat before something gives and its generally the cost that means she will end up on a beech in alang if the cost is to great.

[bookworm_020]

Good luck in saving her. There have been many good ships that have fallen under the scrappers torch. I do hope this won't be one of them!:rock:

[A Very Super Market]

It takes supreme effort to save these kind of ships. Even the Enterprise was scrapped, ships are just worth to much to lie around, if they aren't protected directly by the govarnment

[OneToughHerring]

Ashamed to say I never heard of her. Very impressive ship though. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have some Saudis or folks from Dubai become interested in her and turn her into a floating hotel or something. I mean, if the option is scrapping, best thing would be a free museum ship.

[Kapitan]

Yes she is a very impressive ship never had the fame that the queens had but none the less she carries the name of her country and that alone should warrent enough for her to be preserved, its in a sorry state a bit like britian and america and indeed most of the world today but unfortunatly she was or maybe still is (not sure) in the hand of the NCL norwiegen cruise lines who dont have the best history with preserving ships i must say.

The norway went to scrap recently despite all efforts to save her, the rotterdam is laid up in spain i do believe and the QE2 is on her way to dubai personally i think the QE2 should have remained at sea in her cruising capacity but its a shame to see them go.

Its like a car its the best thing you ever did see when it was new then a few years later the new models come out and your like my car sucks and you loose intrest but theres always people out there who still love them.

It is a shame and she should be preserved even if its for the honour of holding the blue ribband.

[Kapt Z]

It takes supreme effort to save these kind of ships. Even the Enterprise was scrapped, ships are just worth to much to lie around, if they aren't protected directly by the govarnment

I couldn't believe they scrapped the big 'E'. Of all the ships from WWII she deserved to be saved.

[StarFox]

Yes she is a very impressive ship never had the fame that the queens had but none the less she carries the name of her country and that alone should warrent enough for her to be preserved, its in a sorry state a bit like britian and america and indeed most of the world today but unfortunatly she was or maybe still is (not sure) in the hand of the NCL norwiegen cruise lines who dont have the best history with preserving ships i must say.

The norway went to scrap recently despite all efforts to save her, the rotterdam is laid up in spain i do believe and the QE2 is on her way to dubai personally i think the QE2 should have remained at sea in her cruising capacity but its a shame to see them go.

Its like a car its the best thing you ever did see when it was new then a few years later the new models come out and your like my car sucks and you loose intrest but theres always people out there who still love them.

It is a shame and she should be preserved even if its for the honour of holding the blue ribband.


Rotterdam is currently in Rotterdam, undergoing the final stages of her restoration before she opens to the public. QE2 is in Dubai, but never went to dry dock. Apparently when the Global economay went to crap, everyone stopped going to Dubai, so now rather then spending millions refitting her, they may just open her as is.

The MS Kungsholm will end up in Sweden in the next few years, the ships next owners recently signed a letter of intent to convert the ship into a hotel complex, so she being the last of her countries great liners, will live for quite some time

Even the SS Hamburg (currently Maxim Gorkey) is in the process of being saved, even though she is on her way to Alang!! Several groups are working to raise funding and get docking space. One group has the funding but no dock space, the other has the dock space and no funding (gee, they should get together). She was towed to Alang earlier this month, but after the Suez Canal she stopped. She may very well be rescued from the grasp of Alang, that is one of my groups most important operations right now.

[StarFox]

The SS United States Conservancy, Foundation, as well as the Save the Classic Liners Campaign have launched the Coalition to Save the SS United States. This is the first time that everyone has gotten together for a common goal. We came to realize that as individuals and separate groups, the ship is lost. But as a single organization, we have a chance at succeeding.

We had a conference call on Tuesday evening, I thought it went well. We are now working on both short term and long term plans for the ship, goals, and action on 4 fronts, Media, Legislative, Direct and Business, all on both a short term and long term time scale. We will be working with NCL....hopefully, to preserve the ship. The current asking price is $20 Million....which is inflated in my opinion, its $18 Million more then they spent on the ship, and $16 Million more then they paid for the SS Independence, which was operating until 2001, and was complete with interior. So hopefully that price will go down.

So, a lot is happening. Steve Ujifusa has set up a blog for the Coalition, but we are still working on it (its only been up for less then a day) but once it is up and going, it will be a good place to check for updates.

http://www.savethessunitedstatescoalition.blogspot.com/