Eyewitness Report: SS UNITED STATES Celebration by Byron Huart
An eyewitness report from the SS United States Conservancy Event, July 1st 2010: National Flagship Celebration from Byron Huart, in his own words.
Video by Byron Huart SS UNITED STATES CONSERVANCY EVENT 7/1/2010 PT 1
All photos and video copyright Byron Huart 2010
On the afternoon of July 1st , I had just arrived at a pier off Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing where, at aproximately 3:35pm, I was escorted by security along with other guests of the SS United States Conservancy. I was not able to get aboard for a full tour due to insurance issues and remaining PCBs on board the storied vessel. As I approached America’s most powerful merchant vessel ever built, she was a sight to behold. From the distance behind the gates and barbed wire I could not gauge her true condition.
With my camera snapping away pierside, I had a chance to see her in full detail. Though her hull is intact and in good condition, her exterior is in evident decay. The funnels are sun-bleached and paint is chipping off her sides and her hull is rusting from many years of neglect. Cobwebs and spiders take residence in her portholes.
I proceeded to her stern, which I had never before seen in person — my gosh it was amazing to see her full profile! Her name was still intact on her stern, yet on the top deck, a guard rail is damaged. Indeed, this full survey of the condition of the ship was very helpful for I got to see how she is in dire need of repairs. One of her caretakers said that the lead paint on her hull needs to be sandblasted and all the remaining traces of PCBs and asbestos from her trip to Turkey need to be removed. The ship is in serious decay, indeed, but even in her decayed state she still looks powerful. When you look up at her mighty bow you can see she still has life in her and a soul waiting to be resurrected and reborn. After my documentation of the stern, I proceeded to the bow where I got many spectacular shots of her bow and full profile.
After 3 1/2 hours alongside the UNITED STATES, I left to attend the festivities across the street at Ikea where many members of the Conservancy dined at an exclusive VIP event while the general public gathered in the parking lot where the band assembled for their show for the night.
Later in the evening, Dan Mc Sweeney and Susan Gibbs made public the extraordinary news of Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest, who has pledged up to $5.8 million to the SS United States Conservancy. These funds will be used to purchase the vessel from its current owner, Norwegian Cruise Line/Genting Hong Kong, and maintain the ship in its current berth for up to 20 months while redevelopment plans are solidified. Amazing news for everyone in the room — it provided us all a huge sigh of relief, for this gesture has given the UNITED STATES a stay of execution. We are one giant step closer to making our dream of preserving her for future generations a reality. The whole room was filled with tears of joy as Mr. Lenfest talked of the plan. After the speech, the band Jimmy & the Parrots rocked the stage while attendees took to the parking lot and celebrated. Mr. Lenfield was hounded by reporters and attendees alike. It was a beautiful moment as the sun set upon the SS UNITED STATES.
I looked upon the people gathering at the edge of the parking lot waiting to see the ship’s funnels lit. It was beautiful to behold those who had never even heard of the SS UNITED STATES, watch and support our cause. This was a gathering of not just conservancy members and ocean liner buffs but the general public supporting a valiant and just cause and an appreciation for a lost, forgotten piece of American history that was ahead of it’s time. All were united as one. It was one of the biggest gatherings the ship has seen since it’s maiden voyage 58 years ago, and boy did we give her a party!
As the night fell, the UNITED STATES was lit up five minutes after 9pm. When the bridge and then the funnels were illuminated, everyone cheered and many crossed the street to get a closer look. Photographers lined up to get shots of her in her reborn glory as the flag on her mast flew in the wind with pride.
Majestic she was, in the night reborn to her former glory! Even in her current state the UNITED STATES is still beautiful. With her massive twin funnels lit, she could be seen for miles as she graced the Philadelphia nightscape on this 4th of July weekend.
I took as much video footage and photos as I could. Some attendees left and others stayed to watch the screening of “Lady in Waiting” as the celebration closed up. After the event was over, the ship remained lit until 11pm and then went dark.
The end of a beautiful night came. In all, it was a great success. With over 500 people in attendance, it was a hit.
Special thanks to Dan McSweeny & Susan Gibbs for making this report all possible.
Article assembled for Byron by Martin Cox
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I TRULY HOPE SHE IS GOING TO RETURN TO SERVICE. HOPEFULLY WITH THE SAME EXTERIOR PROFILE LEAVING FUNNELS THE ROWS OF LIFEBOATS (REPLACE THEM) AND THE ENTIRE SHIP AS SHE WAS WITH JUST COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF INTERIOR SPACE, BUT STILL WHERE POSSIBLE LEVAING HER INTERIOR AS WELL, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ALL CABINS WITH FACILITIES. I FINGERS ARE CROSSED.
If only her funnels were painted, she would look almost ready to depart in the night time shots. Sail on, O ship of state!
I think this is great, but also think it is a pipe dream to think she will ever see paying passengers again.
It’s sad to see any ship with all that rust and peeling paint. Restoration is going to be a monumental undertaking. Whatever dollar figure quoted will probably have to be doubled by the time they are all finished. Maybe tap into some of that “stimulus” money from Washington? Surely this has to be as much or more important than studying the effect of bovine gas on the atmosphere!
Byron, that’s a wonderful report! Well done, mate. Need a like button on here. 🙂
As much as I hate to break it to you the ship literally has no interiors, just gutted, bare, empty, blank, primered walls, decks, and overheads. And she will never return to service in a capacity that would attract enough profits to warrant a $500million – $1billion refit. Even if she did return to service she would need a complete overhaul of her exteriors to add pools, extra decks for balconies, etc , At best a very small part of her could be fitted as a hotel or museum but even that is highly unlikely. In todays hard economic times there will be no one wanting to risk that kind of financial loss. Check out this website for pictures of her interiors: http://www.modern-ruins.com/ssunitedstates/ as well as these two articles http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704334604575339053837359296.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/97576799.html?cmpid=15585797
Excellent article in the Enquirer also. I’m just jazzed about this. Bypassing all the “if only’s,” I’m still jazzed.
Why would you add balconies??there are enough ships out there with these unsafe pieces. Ide rather see that ship all repainted and new engines, etc. Modernize maybe the cabins and the interiors. It would not be a billions dollars.
Ive seen old ships restored for alot less than that. It would have to be Solas approved but they could do it. This ship is what cruising was all about, going out to sea in a true ship. Not these floating hotels with balconies stuck to them. These new ships are ugly..
Ide rather sail on this ship redone and look out my porthole than some stupid balcony view. yee haa the S.S. United States will be saved, maybe then these cruise ship companies or shall I say the one that owns all of them will get the hint. Variety is important and having at least one classic is of course awesome.
the project contemplated by the conservancy does not involve restoring the ship to active service, but creating a stationary exhibit, much like the Queen Mary. It is correct, however, that the interiors have been removed and the overall condition of the vessel is unsound. The purchase of the ship does not “save” it, but delays any ultimate decision for an additional twenty months. After that time, when the project inevitably fails to attract backers, the ship will be scrapped
Sorry GREGG but this ship has been in limbo for FORTY, count them 40 long years, longer than she was actually ever in service, and longer than most people in the US have been alive. If she were to be restored it would have happened a decade ago. And if she were ever to come back into service, which will not happen, she would need to compete for dollars against the Big 3 (Carnival Corp of which 5 of their 11 cruise lines sail heavily and often in US waters , Royal Caribbean Internationals 2 giant cruise lines, and NCL) and against the demographics of what ‘todays’ cruisers want. Since she would be US Flagged and sailing in US waters she would attract todays US Cruisers, not just historian shipophiles that romance about the good old days looking through a porthole. Look at todays cruise ships, even those that were built 10-15 years ago. They are adding balconies to ships that dont have them because that IS what cruisers want, two dozen venues for eating and dining and enterainment, expansive spas with gyms and pools with jazuzzi’s. The investment to restore the entire ship and to make her SOLAS compliant would be enormously susbstantial, and the alterations to make her competitive would be absolutely required to make her worth the investment. LOOK at the ModernRuins website link above and you can see just how deteriorated and gutted she is. She is not saved, just a rusting hulk on life support before her final days.
GREGG: PS, it took the equivalent of $350 MILLION US DOLLARS to renovate and restore the Rotterdam V to a hotel/museum and she is a lot smaller and was in *significantly better state* that the SSUS’s rotted deteriorated rusting hulk.
I don’t think there’s anyway she’ll ever sail again. I think the best preservation efforts might be focused along the lines of CONTE BIANCAMANO. Each time I take a look at Peter’s tour of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology I think that might really be a interesting option. Water wind and air are enemies which must be constantly fought even on a static preservation project. But I’d love to see a few decks and of course a funnel (or two) preserved in the manner of the museum in Milan. In the long term I think it would be more feasible to preserve at least a portion of the SSUS in this manner. The long term costs would be much lower.
That said, a lot of the preservation/restoration cost of these old ships has to be in the asbestos removal. From a development standpoint, the SSUS is a blank slate with that expense already taken care of. If the conservancy wanted to repurpose the ship for retail/convention/restaurant space, well, the demolition expense and asbestos remediation expense would be negligible, she’s empty!
5.8 million to purchase it, but $1,000 a day for dockage not to mention all of the other costs involved in refurbishing it, both interior and exterior and the group has it in their hands. This money could be spent on far more important things than chasing a pipe dream. It’s only going to delay the inevitable. Gerry Lenfest is a smart man and I can’t imagine what’s prompting him to waste good money on a lost cause. The money could have been spent on an additon to the Mariners Museum in Newport News for a permanent SS United States exhibit. Far more practical.
i really dont think people should be bashing the ship or how far we have come to saving her. but the fact of the matter is we need action not people saying she should be scrapped or she is falling apart..as a matter of fact the way you see the ship is all superficial..and the interiors can now be designed as a static role!!!
Outside its look to be a disaster and inside ? Without air dryers,ventilation ? try to get 400.000.000 € to restore it, and forget any business plan for return on investissement .In 20 months , towing from Phi to Bronsville with the ghost fleet .
Although I am not sure,what Partick Le Bihan means by restoging the ship with 400 mil.Euros ( 494 mil. USD) but anyway you could build an brand new ocean going replica of the Big U with that amount of money . The price of a brand new replica would probably be around 330 – 360 Mil. USD and restoring the the big Big U into an operating cruise vessel would probably cost only about 12 to 18 % less than a brand new replica.
The only economical solution for her future is for her to be used as a convention center/luxury hotel and restaurants. The cabin decks could be built-out w/luxurious hotel-sized ‘rooms’ that paying guests would actually want to stay in-ala Rotterdam V. The upper decks public rooms could be re-built in a luxurious high-style mid-century look w/a nod to her original interiors but with a more upscale look. The only way for her to even begin to make money is to attract ‘average’ people and you need a great product to do that. The engine rooms could be restored but the rest would be a 21st century re-building retaining the fabulous exterior architecture but w/an all new high end interior.
Why is every one so negative, these people so far have pulled a rabit from the hat and at least she is safe for a bit longer.
Everyone knows she will not sail again, move her to New York and make here a static attraction, get back some of the fixtures and set up those in storage from the Independance and of significant ships.
Conferance centre, shopping, cafe’s and bars, what a great venue.
If they cant make a business case to keep her afloat at least reef her as a tourist attraction.
I agree with the above. The unthinkable has happened, the Conservancy has saved the United States from the breakers. Even as optimistic as I am, I had a hard time imagining how SSUS could be saved from the breakers when they were (almost literally) barking at her heels. Now that she is safe, for the moment, I think everyone needs to come to terms with the fact that she will never sail again. I think the proposals above are sound. Rebuild her with themed hotel-style cabins, perhaps restore the public spaces for posterity while sacrificing some cabin space for new shopping and entertainment venues.
Someone should sell idea as hotel ship in Florida to Disney .
S.S. United States today is a metaphor for the entire USA today…in so many ways. Think about how many…and you will surprise yourself!
What we need now are plans! Whether that be a static museum, hotel, tourist venue remains to be seen. Return to service is a longshot; however passengers would accept a United States that unique, and it need not be a copy cat of those apartment block vessels now in service. Let’s at least see what it might cost and what could be done to bring the ship back to sea. No harm in evaluating that, but let’s not write it out completely. While I agree that a new version of the ship could be built that to me seems to be very remote. We can’t correct what was done in the past, but having allowed the ss United States’ fate to rest with a foreign flag concern was part of the problem.
i think its an incredable ship and the past she has is amazeing and it was such a tragedy to let her rot her life away but hopefully something good will come from all this and she will be preserved in way that people can her and relive some of the great memorys she has brought to thousands of people in the past …….
I say park her in NYC wherever the PUBLIC masses and tourists are so they can READILY access her..AND…see her well-lit and very famous profile! Perhaps close to Intrepid…etc. Keep the exterior profile and appearance as close to original as possible. BUT- re-do the empty interior to whatever will generate the most MONEY! Shopping, entertainment, offices…??? Otherwise, this ship will become razor blades. Money, Money, Money….that’s what matters these days. Preserve at least 1 of the famous engine rooms for public tours, like on Queen Mary.
Perhaps berth her in an enclosed fresh water lagoon to preserve the hull
better….if possible (ie, build a berm around the ship?)
At the meeting the plans are to utilize the vessel as part of a waterfront shoppiing/museum/restaurant experience. Since the ship is gutted, that is the most logical approach. Across the river is the USS New Jersey by the way.
If a temorary docking locations is needed, Buffalo NY is a good location. Have the BIG U tied up near the giant grain mills,near the area where the Aquarama used to be.
While it will never make economic sense, the S.S. United States needs to be restored to service. For many years it was an icon of this country’s accomplishments and a source of pride. More than ever, this country needs to feel good about itself again.
The United States is uniquely positioned to once again to be a symbol of this country’s abilities. Use stimulus funds to employ American workers and restore America to again rule the seas.
I would like to remind everyone that for the ship to have a refit , she would have had been gutted anyway, Lets all hope for the best for this beautiful ship. She a ship, modern cruise ships are floating boxes.
Big U’s day has passed. She’ll never see the open sea under power again.
But she CAN glitter in NYC….and WOULD be a spectacular attraction to days gone by when America ruled the waves. And, she’d make a great attraction
on the tourist-infested waterfront there. Talk of sending her to sea again…its romantic, but forget it. The future of cruise ships is balcony staterooms and internal volume…big ugly barges like NCL’s latest monster. The days’ of the Greyhound North Atlantic Liner are ….gone…like the Lockheed Constellation, the Boeing 707, the Clipper Ship and the 426 Hemi-Cuda. History!
There is still hope David! If we can find money. Being realistic though, it is hard. However, a month ago we thought she would be headed to the scrappers but no she was saved by a donation. Didn’t see that coming, did you? No pessimistic comments.
What should happen, is to find a way to get many different entities involved. For example get IKEA to donate furniture and get the many Universities in the city to use the SSUS as a project ship. The universities have students that are majoring in interior design, structural engineering, architecture, many different possibilities. Imagine the synergies that a project like this could create. IKEA could use the finished project as a floating “in-use” showroom, the schools can use it as a testament to revitalizing America’s past. With all that in play it wouldnt be difficult to obtain gov grants to pay the workers. Just some thoughts
BRING THE SS UNITED STATES BACK TO NYC WHERE SHE BELONGS !!! That is where she was home ported and NYC is where she belongs…back in her home. It was a great thrill to see her at the National Flagship Celebration. What a beautiful ship..even in her present condition. My ties to her are very strong. My father was “Chief Printer” aboard the SS United States from her maiden voyage in 1952 until 1964. How proud he would be to see her back in her home territory of NYC. She could be repurposed as a floating museum, stores, etc. KEEP HER EXTERIOR PROFILE JUST AS IT IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN !! That is the way she should be preserved … not change her outer profile. To make the preservation viable the interior would most likely have to be preserved…but what a great thing it would be if they could keep her just the way she was both on the outside and the inside. I know the Windmill Point Restaurant in North Carolina had a huge amount of memorabilia from the SS United States before the restaurant closed. I do not know where all the memorabilia is now, but find the memorabilia from that restaurant and put it back on the SS United States so everyone going aboard her can see what she looked like when she was in service. What a great thrill that would be !!! SHE MUST BE PRESERVED AS CLOSE TO HER ORIGINAL STATUS AS POSSIBLE !!! It would be a source of pride for my entire family to be able to see the heritage of my father and their grandfather. The SS United States was our National Flagship; our National Icon; our National pride, and the SS United States represented our country with pride. Let her do it again for our future generations !!! PLEASE help in any way you can to restore her former glory….donate to the SS United States Conservancy with as much as you can. SAVE THE SS UNITED STATES !!!!!!
she will never sail again,but she must be saved for the future,a wonderful old she to grace,new york harbour,come the u.s.a.save this icon of real ships.
the majority of people today can’t relate to the concept of an “ocean liner” and only think in terms of cruise ships. When I hear ships like the Andrea Doria or SSUS referred to as “cruise ships”, it makes me realize that the concept of an “ocean liner” is dead and that’s why there’s never going to be any interest in saving the United States. People today just can’t relate.
So they raised money to keep it from the scrapyard from one lone individual (Gerry Lenfest) who has an interest in the project. They’re not going to be able to raise enough money ever to refurbish it and maintain it.
It’s better to remember these ships as they were in their glory days and not as rusting hulks sitting in a backwater with people hoping for a miracle. A miracle happened to the Rotterdam and I hope it might happen for the Augustus so that it can be brought back to Italy. Both of these ships, however, were maintained (The Rotterdam actually as an active cruisehip under different names) and although the Augustus was only kept as a convention center, she’s still being used; not sitting at a pier, disemboweled and rusting away. The end for the SSUS is going to be the same no matter how you look at it. The scrap yard.
Unfortunately I must agree with John. To save every ship with “historic merit” is just not realistic. A ship is a moving object best seen at sea. Tied up to a pier, a ship always looks like she is straining to break free and reach the ocean.
The QUEEN MARY has struggled to make a profit to keep her viable, and how successful has that been? What ties did she have to Long Beach? (Or California for that matter.) Every ship is continually being updated while in service not left to stagnate as a museum. Would the “museum liner” be updated as public tastes change?
The UNITED STATES has been out of service for 40 years. The number of people who actually remember her in service is dwindling all the time. The SANTA ROSA’s claim to “historic merit” is apparently that she outlived her contemporaries. Both ships were (and are) laid up for many years and the general public was not clamoring to see them.
Ships have finite lives and that is part of their mystique. They are always replaced by newer (not necessarily better, but newer) ships. Not every ship can be or should be saved. The memories of the NORMANDIE, LEONARDO DA VINCI, MAURETANIA et al last much longer than the ships themselves. The UK has attempted over the years to “save” ships of all shapes and sizes and most have proven to be unsuccessful. The QE2 languishes in Dubai and did the world stop turning.
Ships need to be at sea and after their passing, remembered fondly.
I would like them to bring back the ss united states in service i will love to work on this ship in history make it happen.
Good, good! Let’s hope the plans are carried out well, and that this ship will find it’s way, fully restored, to New York or Washington DC as a semi-static attraction and hotel/convention center. A National Historic Landmark if there ever was one these days. !!! She is a wonder and symbol of national pride–Congress needs to listen and provide some support as well. She also belongs to the American people-good luck and well done–all. 🙂
YOU GUYS CAN SLAM IT OR THE IDEA APART. THERE WILL BE SKEPTICS EVERYWHERE. iVE SEEN STEAMSHIP VESSELS GET THE WHOLE NINE YARDS INCLUDING STRECHING SOME AS MUCH AS 3OO FT. eVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. i WOULD HAVE THIS TRUE OCEAN LINER GET REDONE OR REFITTED AS THEY CALL IN IN SOUTH KOREA, THEIR DOLLAR IS LOWER AND THE LABOUR IS ALOT CHEAPER THAN IN THE UNITED STATES. IT WOULD PROBABLY COST 150 MILLION TO DO A RIGHT JOB AND TO BE SOLAS COMPLIANT , BUT IT CAN BE DONE AND WILL BE DONE. THEY HAVE TO DO THIS SHIP AND DEFINING IT AS ULTRA LUXURIOUS, MAKE THE CABINS TWO LEVEL BRING THE NEW WITH THE OLD BUT HAVE MODERN CONVENIENCES AND OPTIONS. i THINK IT WOULD BE A WIN WIN. MAYBE NOT TO cARNVAL WHO HAS A MONOPLY ON ALL CRUISE LINES, JUTS IGNORE THEM AND MAKE THE BEST MOST LUXURIOUS KICK ASS SHIP ON EARTH. WHO CARE ABOUT THE AGE AS LONG AS SHES SOLID AND KEPT UP, IT WILL BE A SUCCESS. NOT ALL OF THE OLDER CLASS PEOPLE LIKE BLACONIES, JUST WAIT TILL THOSE START CAUSING PROBLEMS..YOUDE WISH YOU DIDNT HAVE ONE. BESIDES HAVING A MEDIOCRE CABIN, PASSENGERS SPENT MORE MONEY IN THE VENUES ETC ETC. NOW THESE NEW LINES HAVE TO HOUND PEOPLE LIKE HERD TO BUY AND GO ANYWHERE, THATS BECAUSE THE CABINS ARE WAY TOO EASY TO STAY IN.THIS IS WHERE THE CRUISE SHIPS ARE GOING TO LOOSE, AND GUESS WHAT NOT EVERYONE IS AMERICAN GO FIGURE!!!
SHOULD BE SAVED
WAY IT GOES! :@
if not then the money should be diverted to saving some another ship like SS Meteor or Olympia.
Newport News, VA has a superb Maritime Museum truly first rate. The facility could handle the Big U docked at the facility, permanently. With the ship originally built in VA, jobs could be created to upgrade the ship to 21st century standards. The Rotterdam was saved, why can’t the Big U? Imagine the SS United States as a living museum.
I have tried to contact Mayor Bloomberg in NYC, without reply. The Big U and/or QE2 would be ideal attractions to the Intrepid along the Hudson. I have had no ne reply from Mayor Manino of Boston either, for either ship for Boston.
Costs to redo United States for travel today are probably way out of line, and unthinkable. Well, NCL purchased the elegant SS FRance back in the day, and spent multi-million US $$$ to refit, rennovate, and rebuild decks, cabins and the aft portion, and the modifications made the SS Norway, after engine refits, The Norway, one of the most successful cruise ships in her day. It can be done, but the cost to convert in todays market is outrtageous.
Perhaps Disney might like to have the Big U and run her on the Pacific run between the Western US to Hawaii, and connect with the NCL ships that were built for Hawiian cruises. The rumor, say it isn’t so joe, not just a rumor, is that Disney may enter the Hawiian market with the purchase of the US built NCL ship(s). Now, that would be something. Disney is building a major resort in Hawaiia right now.
A really wonderful story and I sincerley hope it comes true that the ship will sail again and the dream of the conservancy turns into reality.
However we must be realistic, the cost of restoration after all this time will be high as she has been laid up for so many years, if I may take an example the Magarita L namely the former Windsor Castle wehich was in a much better condition and the last Union Castle liner could not be preserved owing to cost, sadly she ended up at Alang, I hope the same does not happen to the United States
What a magnificent piece of engineering! The very looks of that knife like prow makes it seem that the Big U is still chomping at the bit to race across the Atlantic. But I don’t see this Grand Ole Lady sailing ever again. It wouldn’t be economically realistic to remove those massive turbines and machinery and install a much inferior set of diesels. That gigantic propulsion system is just too much to handle. But that said, I do very much forsee a Queen Mary style use for this vessel. Interior/ exterior cosmetic work costs pennies compared to expensive propulsion refits and major marine related machinery. I sincerely hope the Conservancy is highly successful in their attempts to convert this masterpiece into a floating convention center/motel, while still preserving her beatiful vintage profile.
Reportedly, for years, the interior mechanisms for propelling the ship, were completely removed from the SS United States. She is under tow when moved, and supposedly has no engines at all.
The mechanical sytem for this ship was top secret, and was arm-guarded 24/7 during her sailing career. It may be quite easy to replace what was removed with something more modern by todays standards.
If – IF – she were to sail agiain, she would be bastardized, as was the case with the SS France to Norway convertion, with extra decks added, balconied cabins, suites, towering show lounge – the ship would not be the same. wwwshipgeek.com has some excellent interior photos of the abandoned liner.
The ship must find a home. Boston, New York City, Miami, Here in Norfolk the USS Wisconsin is permanently moored, serving as a living museum. The SS United States was built in Norfolkl, she could return home, and join the Wisconsin, along side Norfolks sparkling new cruise ship terminal.
at shipgeek.com the finest example for the SS US is Ken Marchalls site Note: there are indeed photos of boilers etc – however, the main “guts” of the top secret engines reportedly have been removed
It may take a few moments for the pictures to appear at the site
Enjoy them, they are a treasure to see.
I thought that much of the ship’s machinery was intact. However, the ship’s engine layout is similar to the USS Forrestal Class Aircraft Carriers. All one must do is take the missing parts from the decommioned Forrestals and reinstall them unto the Big U.
I only recently heard of the dire straits of this magnificent ship. I sailed on her in July of 1969 from New York. I have a day and night shot of her in dock taken from my hotel. I did not realize that this was the last year in service. As there was a dock strike, we docked at la Havre,France and took a ferry back, so I actually got a misty picture of the ship as she passed us, and also back in Southampton at the dock.
Does anyone have the date of her last voyage?
instead of building ne warships the us should retrofit the magnificent uss united states.