*** Save the "BIG U" please read.... ***

[4forty]

I'm not sure you're aware of this ship. It's a piece of American history and American ingenuity and must be saved. ( It's on the National Register of Historic Places ). The ship is the S.S. United States, the last of the Superliners and the only Vintage American Liner left. I've been in awe of the "Big U" for years, It's holds the coveted "Blue Riband", westbound transatlantic speed record til this day. It's top speed was classified for years by the US government. It sits at pier rotting away in Philadelphia and really is in dire straits now with the ship being put up for sale again by NCL. I'm sure restoring it for ocean travel is not going to happen, but ANY alternative like a hotel/convention center in NYC, next to the Intrepid sea/air/space museum would be great. What a prospect vs ending up on an beach in India to be scrapped like the SS France/Norway and so many others. Anything you can do to spread the word about this American treasure would be greatly appreciated by myself and lot of people across the USA.

If anyone is interested there is a PBS Documentary about the Big U called "Lady in Waiting" , here is a link to the trailer.
http://www.vimeo.com/674103

Our nations history & pride deserves better than to be scrapped on a 3rd world country's beach. Please spread the word, e-mail your politicians. Thanks again!

[Johnny SixPack]

Thanks for the link!

I too hope there is some way to save her.

It'd be sickening to sell her to the Chinese just to buy her back in pieces as s#*tty trinkets.

[Silver R/T]

Cool ship. Sad to see it go but with today's economy people are not too worried about preserving relics/antiques. Anything is up for sale.

[chargerboy69]

Thanks for the link.  The trailer they show is very interesting.  I never knew it existed.  It is a shame she is just sitting there rotting away.

[Road Dog]

Lived in Norfolk Va from 69 -72. I could see the United States's Stacks from my house. 

[Aero426]

I've followed the ship off and on the last ten or so years and been fascinated by it.    I'm not sure how it's financially viable for anyone to save.    It has been completely gutted on the inside for asbestos removal and renovation, and there it sits.   Hard to believe it has been out of service for 40 years and is still here.

[4forty]

It has been gutted for asbestos removal ( mostly everything besides engine room ) which might make it easier to set up as hotel or museum, probably way to much money for ocean voyages again but the hull has been surveyed under the waterline by NCL and they said it's still very sound and solid

[BrianShaughnessy]

Been following the Big U off and on for like... um... 35 years or more    

 Highly unlikely anything will be done with it.     NCL bought it as they needed an American hull to run to Hawaii but there was an exclusion to use something else while getting "repaired"  

 My only cruise experience was on the QE2.     But even that's a hotel in Dubai now IIRC.    

  What happened to the France/Norway is a shame...  you can google pics of what was left when it was pulled onto the beach in India.  Heres before and during...  from 2008.  I guess it's all gone now.   
 

[PocketThunder]

What about the Titanic II that was being built some years ago.?  i'll go google for it.. hang on.

[mopar0166]

that ship has been siiting for years completly striped on the inside. basically just a hull . its also shoaled in as well

[Landonsrt]

They should have saved the Enterprise from its fate.....

[TylerCharger69]

Ya know....I'm for saving the uss united states.....Here in Corpus Christi, texas....the city has just purchased "replicas" of the three Columbus ships....Nina Pinta and Santa Maria....These three ships are big pieces of s**t.  If they were the originals...okay fine...that's one thing.....but we have so many potholes and other issues that are more important than trying to fix these replicas....i say  torch them up and use them for kindling.  We already have the uss Lexington here which is basically a retired aircraft carrier that is now a museum.  But the great liners like you have suggested need to be saved in this country

[4forty]

Next to me we have Battleship Cove, which has the Battleship Massachusetts and a few other destroyers and subs preserved, you can tour them and they have special events like boyscout sleepovers in the ships, still very popular tourist attraction and alway busy.

Most of the replica ships are cheesy and not built like the originals, (we also had a replica of HMS Rose that almost sunk at dock but nobody really cared.) The real pieces of American history are only around as long as we care, it's tough to convince most people of the importance of these ships/buildings/etc. in a bad economy but future generations will be the losers if we fail.
The S.S United States is a symbol of American Power & Pride  ... What this country was in the past and what it can be in the future.

[OldGuy]

Been following the fate of the SS United States for some time.  I came home from England on it in May, 1968.  Left Southhampton, England on a Thursday night and arrived in New York City on a Tuesday morning.  We hit a late spring storm mid-atlantic on Sunday - what a ride.  The ship was listing to one side, waves were coming up as high as the upper decks.  They actually stopped the ship for a few hours to ride out the storm.  Got so seasick, I couldn't get out of bed.  First and only voyage I will ever take on a ship.  I will take some time and look for my pictures of the voyage and post them up. 

However, all of that said - it was a magnificent ship.  The only wood on the ship was the butcher's block and the grand piano.  Meals were a feast - three times a day. 

[OldGuy]

1) SS United States docked in Southhampton, England
2) Yours truly standing on deck of SS United States on the Atlantic - 1968 (nice trousers ) Hey I was seasick!!
3) Storm in North Atlantic - waves coming above upper deck!!
4) Coming into New York City

[BrianShaughnessy]

1) SS United States docked in Southhampton, England
2) Yours truly standing on deck of SS United States on the Atlantic - 1968 (nice trousers ) Hey I was seasick!!
3) Storm in North Atlantic - waves coming above upper deck!!
4) Coming into New York City

    That's fantastic!   Thanks for sharing!




Back to an earlier note:  The scrapping of the CV6 Enterprise is one of the biggest mistakes we as a society let happen in the post war era.   It's amazing that even Halsey couldn't drum up enough support to save the old girl.   I'll be interested to see what happens with CVN65 Enterprise in a few years.
 
  We weren't alone.    Great Britain scapped Warspite,  but not before the old battlewagon broke the tow and washed up on the rocky coastline.   They took what they could salvage but they didn't get it all.

  I've seen more than my share of the museum ships... some are in better shape than others.   But it's something that can help bring tourism to a city and be a source of civic pride.   They're expensive to obtain and maintain without a dedicated group of volunteers but I believe the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages.

[4forty]

Great pics, must have been awesome to actually sail on her, not to awesome to be in that storm though