Now’s the time to pony up your millions to save her and restore her. If you don’t have that kind of money then like the rest of us it’s time to say goodbye as she’s ignominiously dragged to a fate 55 years overdue. In reality the ship died her final death in 1994 with the completion of removal of her interiors, since then it’s been nothing more than a vandalised mausoleum to itself.
Here in Honolulu we have something similar going... the Falls of Clyde 4 masted sailing oiler from the 1800s.... Condemned now and slated for removal/scrapping... Too expensive to maintain much less restore. I am sure it's similar for the SS United States.
@CarlosAlberto-ii1li I would be fine with it being left to rot. Shipwrecks you can see are pretty cool. I saw me Quincy Dredge #2 in Torch Lake. Keewanaw. It was tits. I hope it never gets scrapped. I guarantee it will still be there long after I am dust. As long as some fool doesn't come along and scrap it.
But thats the way the Conservancy wants it. So they can keep up with the begging and pleading for donations, After all who ever is on their payroll wants to keep collecting their cheques.
Part of problem I think is that all her interior fittings were stripped out by a previous owner - she’s been gutted - so, there is really nothing left to entice someone to buy it and open it as an attraction.
Partially true - all the asbestos in the vessel has also been removed, meaning she is ready now to be built back up. I'm amazed in all of the USA, with retired battleships, aircraft carriers etc, that no one has the vision to use Big U as a Hotel similar to Queen Mary or Rotterdam.
The environmental correction and expense has been completed. that cost is now gone. it is a blank canvas ready to be built on. the problem is the economy tanked and is still tanking. It is tough to get funds to start a big project. If this could be part of a large project for museum, hotel etc, the cost would be huge. The plans that I have seen does not show just the ship but a number of support buildings as well as a park area. That comes at a very high cost. It is nostalgic to think of saving the old girl, and I hope it can be done, but now they are pressured to move the ship and it is hard to find a space where it can camp until a deal comes through. She has history behind her but people have short memories. She was a grand lady in her time, sad to see her in this light.
@@lifequest7453 Regardless of the state of the economy, it's hard to see any economically viable use for the ship. It would cost tens to hundreds of millions to restore to any kind of useful state (as anything -- a museum, a hotel, a working ship) and it would be somewhere between difficult and impossible to recoup that expenditure. Indeed, she's been bought multiple times in the past by companies who wanted to turn her into a hotel, casino, conference centre, cruise ship, and probably other things. Every single one of those projects fell through.
@@alannewman85 Because those are battleships and carriers and the US is a militaristic nation, if Big U had deck guns and a history of warfare then it would be a museum like all of those battleships and carriers are, but it does not have either.
I think the asbestos remediation and the removal of her very dated 1950's interior design probably isn't the handicap that you think it is. Any repurpose of her even if she was a perfectly preserved time capsule would've meant stripping her interiors. She was born in an era where interior design has failed to stand up to the passage of time and isn't appealing to the masses today.
THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS!! Not as if Penn Warehousing even NEED the space - it will sit EMPTY now for years. This has condemned the liner that carries its countries name - to the bean can factory.......BLOODY DISGUSTING.
@scopex2749 The ship itself has been sitting empty and derelict at the dock for over 50 years. If money were going to be raised, if preservation/restoration were going to take place, it would have happened by now. Should the dock owners simply allow the ship to rest at its moorings indefinitely until it inevitably sinks from neglect ?
Plenty of old ships around the world that have a name that to some people sounds iconic eventually end up in the breakers yard. There are two things that can be done with this ship either the breakers yard thereby turned into scrap metal or towed somewhere and turned into a artificial reef where paying tourists can go down and dive on to her ,in fact I saw a video recently on RUclips that Escambria county in Florida are interested in turning her into artificial reef or dive wreck that is really the only other use for this ship she is old has been hold up in ports for the last fifty odd years just rusting and looking like a eye sore. Yes over the years there has been attempts to turn her into a floating hotel or museum and they all have seen to have fallen through ,so a artificial reef for paying tourists to dive down onto is the only use this ship has left plus if this ship becomes a dive wreck then a new generation might then appreciate her otherwise it will have to be the breakers yard.
@@christophera556I mean to be fair the entirety of Philadelphia is an eyesore in general so she fits in quite well with her surroundings. Not bashing Big U of course but people can’t say she’s an eyesore to Philadelphia when the whole place looks terrible
My Mother and I sailed on her in September,1963 from NY to France (I turned 12 years old on that voyage). In January,1967 my Mom and I sailed back to NY from Bremerhaven after living in Verdun, France where my Dad was stationed in the U.S. Army. Again , in June 1968, my mom, I, and my favorite cousin went to Bremerhaven from NY for a German vacation in Bavaria. What a trip! We were in 30-foot waves for a day in the North Atlantic.. Nobody ate. Even the crew got seasick! Great memories. It was great to look up at the two smokestacks as I stood under them in the middle of the ocean!
Yes, I've seen a video from inside the U.S. : Yes, it's stripped bare inside; interior partitions, room partitions removed, equipment gone... Was stripped in the '70's.
this is just disgusting to say the least. it's so sad to see how we in this country treat our history so badly . i am glad to see the N S Savanah is still here. this ship was the fastest in the world and had a steam power plant so that someday she could be converted to be just like the N S Savanah.
It's a terrible shame. The pride of America. No modern ocean liner will ever achieve her speed. She still holds the Atlantic crossing record and probably always will. She may show her age but her graceful lines will always be timeless
We don't miss something until it is gone. The ship was set up to fail when it was stripped bare and the joke is on those who remember and care. Saving the ship is the right thing to do but unless so billionaire comes to the rescue it will never happen.
@@Timbrock1000 "That" is a priceless part of our history as a people. Using your logic why save anything from the past? I suppose a billionaire wasting their money on a private yacht they never use makes more sense - not.
@@garyjarvis2730 A billionaires yacht is a well kept, well oiled machine kept is top working order. The SSUS isn't. It is a rusting, rotting shell of what she once was. Her oak panels, marble floors, chandeliers, brass hardware, fine rugs and such are all gone. The paint is faded and flaking away. Nobody wants to sink money into it because it can't provide a viable ROI. There have been a number of inquiries of restorating or repurposing her. But they proved to be too costly. She was just built at the wrong time. As commercial aviation was dominating. Sitting unused for decades for those reasons. Continuing to require increasing maintenance and upkeep. So, with no hope of sailing again , what should be done with her? It'll either be scrapping in India (a sad undignified fate), OR sinking her off the coast of Florida where she can become part of the reef, attract marine life, become an attraction for SCUBA diving, and thus a benefit to the local economy for decades to come.
@@garyjarvis2730 "Using your logic why save anything from the past?" Doesn't follow. That's like somebody saying "I'm not going to waste my money on a Lamborghini" and you responding "Using your logic why buy a car at all?" There are plenty of other things from the past that can be saved in a way that's economically viable, as every museum in the world testifies. The issue with a ship like this is that it would cost tens of millions of dollars to restore to the sort of condition where people would be interested in it as a tourist attraction. Then, look at the running costs: even just having it sit dockside costs over $600,000 per year in rent. Add in staff costs and other expenses, and you're probably looking at annual outgoings of most of a million dollars per year. So, at $10 admission, you need about 275 visitors a day just to cover costs. That just isn't economically viable, unfortunately.
As mentioned earlier, they had to strip her inside to abate the asbestos. She's a clean slate for restoration, if a group or some interest took the time.
Sad. The conservancy has only been interested in unrealistic uses and has failed this ship miserably. The time has come. Let it live on as a reef. It is an empty cavern, stripped of its dignity long ago.
Iam sure some conservancy board members have lined their pockets well. Time for the gravy train to leave the station. Dont be surprised if the conservancy pulls a vanishing act along with all the recently donated money they have collected
I feel bad for her. Proud yet alone. Like an Olympic gold medalist from 1952 who is now in a wheelchair in a retirement home and whose family has already passed, and all she has left are her memories of past glory.
I have a railing from her in my game room. My parents bought it from a sale many many years ago. If I didn’t know the history of it, no one would know what it was or even look at it twice.
We're not exactly talking about Independence Hall, the Mayflower, or Fort McHenry. To maritime enthusiasts, the ship might be an icon, but to the vast majority of people, she is completely unknown. And why should it be the responsibility of one of the country's "320* millionaires" to undertake her rescue and preservation? As private citizens they are under no obligation to spend their money (no matter how much they might have) on anything, no matter how noble you think the cause may be.
If they blew their money on things like that they wouldn't be rich for long. Ket it go for gosh sake. If it was practical to save it don't you think it would have saved by now?
@@michaelvaughn2091also, if someone were so inclined to dump a bunch of money on a project, there's probably a hundred things within a ten mile radius of this dock that would be a better use of it and benefit more people than dragging some rusting hulk out of the scrapyard.
It is a stunning and very accurate example of what our country once was and what it is today. As this once great liner rusts and rots away, so does this once great country it so finely represented.
@@alannewman85 The working class in America are tired of far Left democrats like Biden and Kamala and their high inflation, soft on crime policies and open borders. Vote Republican 2024
It didn't serve ...It didn't save lives, it didn't contribute, but is it was fast!.......fast by 10 knots...it continues to hold the blue ribband for speed. America still has this ship in a barn..or barn like dock. Money is needed to keep it.
She did serve in her own way. She was a back up for a troop ship if needed. That is why the military funded most of the cost to build her. She was also the United States flag ship and goodwill ambassador. She deserves to be saved, just like old historical buildin̈gs. It is pretty bad when we can save the British ss Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, but we can't save our own flag ship!!
It's not price gouging it's covering maintenance (yes some happens, such as keeping her afloat), covering insurance, keeping firefighting materiel on standby, a pier with a ship at it costs a lot more to operate than one that doesn't and those costs obviously go to the person renting it just as you would charge any expenses of a room to the person renting it.
Still a pretty ship - but the missing interior is a problem. QE2 is struggling in the UAE, and she was saved intact. Only QM seems to be doing okay (thanks, America). I hope that she can be saved, but I have a feeling that the mostly likely way that she might is if we're looking at the next diving attraction... unless her interior is sat in some warehouse? Mind you, perhaps Portsmouth, UK, could be approached. Having the UK's former flagship liner in the USA and the USA's former flagship liner in the UK would have a certain poetry - and Portsmouth were upset when their bid to give a home to the QE2 was rejected...
Ship was built with the sole purpose of taking the Blue Riband from Cunard. That was achieved - at the beginning of the passenger jet age when all such ships went into a steady decline in profitability. Cool heads need to consider emotion over common sense, the latter suggesting the scrap yard as $10s of millions would be needed to bring her up to standard for even a static display, like the Mary. But move her before she sinks at berth.
The state of this ship, represents the state, of which our country is in. Old, tired ideals not really working out anymore, and needing, a major fix-up. Something a little social project, would work out, for ALL of us🤔😉👍!!!
In some shots she looks like she's sinking from the stern. Reallistically even if Bill Gates and Elon Musk bought the ship, is she viable to repair without her original internal fixtures and fittings? If it was turned into a floating hotel similar to the Queen Mary would people pay good money tostay in a Holiday Inn or Ikea style cabin. I know I wouldn't.
It has been stripped of all the fixtures and fittings. On the other hand, it's also been stripped of all its asbestos, which is a big benefit. Overall, though, it seems clear that there's no commercially viable way to use the ship. Considering that just berthing fees run to over $600,000 per year, the expense of doing anything at all with the ship is just crippling.
The Conservancy that owns the ship is attempting to secure an extension on the Sept eviction. Decision pending I was told Saturday when I toured the ship. It’s unfortunate that in all the years the ship has been “waiting” for a next chapter that nothing has come to fruition. It’s financial resources combined with lack of vision for what she could become as an attraction, hotel, conference center, etc in the right location.
Not every piece of history needs to be saved. It obviously hasn’t gotten sufficient support over these many years to be restored. Time to let go, painful as it may be for some.
Just unbelievable how this ship has been abandoned and left to sit and fall apart it is literally an example of what is happening to America right now every hour
Towards the end,it sailed with more crewmembers than passengers.A lot of people in the stewards dept. essentially got paid to do nothing and got a vacation courtesy the taxpayer.
I hate to say it, my home state, put in a bid to make an artificial reef out of it, and I kind of hope we get it. The ship is way past its prime it's had many owners nobody's ever done anything with it she's stripped out on the inside so she's already 3/4 of the way there to make a reef out of her.
It's been very sad to see her in this condition for a very long time when crossing the Walt Whitman Bridge. Turning her into a reef would be a gift which keeps on giving!
It is too bad. As nice as it would be to see her in her former glory (or even making crossings under steam!), it likely just isn't doable. It takes a LOT of time and money to restore and maintain old ships, big ships, and steamships; this is an old, big steamship. About the only thing working (slightly) in her favor is she isn't wooden.
I remember it tied up in Norfolk and there would be occasional rumours about it being reactivated and articles in the Sunday paper. 20,000 people based in Norfolk lost their jobs when the ship was retired. Might as well make it into a reef since it's now just a hollow shell.
@1:55 the 53,330 tons is a measure of volume not weight. 'Ton' refers to the greco-roman 'tun', a standardized cargo vase used for hauling bulk items like grains or liquids. AKA 'amphorae
I'm no expert on ship restoration, but it would probably cost equivalent to building a brand new ship with state of the art components...is it really worth it ?
Great video!!! So sad to see a majestic beauty just waste away. Back in 2006, my daughter worked at the IKEA, that you see in a few frames, across Columbus, Blvd. A lot of security people told her that at night, occasionally, they would notice strange anomalies on the ship. In person, and also checking their security videos. So, she believed that there could be spirits that lurked about the ship. I guess anything is possible. The powers to be in our world today would love to erase past history. So, future generations, could be educated to a narrative of their liking.
It's not going anywhere, no one is going to tow it for free. Even if someone takes the ship for free, there would have to be a lot of work done to get out of there. I would bet where you see it now is its final resting place till there is no more metal to rust away. Unless it could run on its own power and we all know that won't happen, it is there to stay forever no matter what any court or judge may say. If there is no money to pay to keep it docked what makes anybody think there's money to move it? Plus it is so big and would have a hard time finding a dock to fit it. The decks look really bad, can you imagine what it looks like under the water line? It might not be safe to tow.
Come on New York! You were her home port in her heyday. Offer her a berth near Intrepid. Save her and restore her. She is just as worthy as the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, the battleships Missouri in Pearl Harbor and the New Jersey in Camden. She is the apex of design and speed; a vestige of a glorious era in Transatlantic travel the western destination of which was New York Harbor. Of all the great liners of that golden age, only the Queen Mary survives on a coast alien to her. The SSUS took the Blue Ribband away from her and she still retains it. She is a surviving tangible link to a historic, fanciful, bygone era. SAVE HER from becoming an ephemeral memory.
Even in the shape she's in, she is still a graceful greyhound of the seas. I hate to say but because of her size the cost moving her to a new home and doing a restoration would be a tall mountain to climb, but you never know.
Ocean vessels are in constant need of work whether it be routine maintenance or major refitting. The conservancy needs to come clean and publicize the cost of refitting the ship and the cost of annual maintenance, not to mention berthing it. There are also other costs in making available for public tours. Let's see the full budget and then let's see who steps forward to fund it. The Conservancy places the vessel in the same class as the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and the Washington Monument. Completely disingenuous.
For over 55 years that ship has been out of service and in that period no one has succeeded in finding a use for her... Even the military are not interested using her as a troop ship... high time to scrap her in order to terminate this money sink hole...
I think the ship would make a wonderful addition to Chicago's Navy pier. The north side of the pier is straight and open and is 3,300 feet long. The pier is the most tourist visited site in the entire state of Illinois. Nine million visitors come to the pier and spen 52 million there on food and entertainment. The SS United States could be refurbished into a hotel and fine dinning spot to join the other attractions at the pier. Remember the lake is fresh water and corrosion and deteriation from the water would be less than in salt water.
Very upsetting. It would be nice to see her restored. If I was stupid rich. Well the big shots would have a priceless ship that you can't afford to build new. ❤❤❤❤❤
The ship is a part of our American History It beat the Queen Mary's speed record for a Transatlantic crossing. The SS United States ship needs to be saved not sent to the Scrapyard It needs to be in Dry Dock to be refurbished and made into a Maritime Museum
Saw her in Norfolk in 1982. She'd been laid up for 13 yearsby then, and it showed. She's spent 73% of her existance laid up. It's time to reef her, and create a great dive spot. She's just a shell now....
The old girl deserves more respect than she is getting. It was a beautiful trailblazer in her prime and that surely must count for something? They managed to preserve the SS Queen Mary and make her a tourist draw in Florida. They should have done something similar while she was still in good condition, and preserved American maritime heritage.
It’s been so heartbreaking to watch this once proud ship sitting rusting away in neglect for almost 30 years. To think that she is most likely going to end up being scraped or sentenced to a watery grave. A world record holder that stands to this day, a testament to the engineering and design of a past generation. Hate to say it but the time to repurpose and return life to her as a mall, hotel or combination of those seems to have reached level far beyond can be raised to save her. The Philadelphia skyline will be forever changed when she is gone, no more will she greet travelers as they cross the river into the city.
It is obvious that the current owners have done nothing to save her. The talk of moving the ship is highly unlikely. It has been sitting there slowly deteriorating. I don’t think it could even be moved to make it a sunken reef. The fate of the ship will most likely pass to the dock company and if they really want it gone it will be scraped in place due to the cost and liability to move it.
Have there been any recent surveys of her structural integrity, especially of the structural integrity of her hull? Could she even survive being moved?
Yes. Structurally she is sound, according to the conservatory. As far as restoring the inside, many furnishings can be duplicated by looking at photographs and some items were bought by a restaurant that is no longer in business. Maybe they can be bought back. They said the exterior work can be done too, that it looks worse than what it is.
This ship is clearly beyond repair now. The 'Conservatory' have done noting to date to the ship itself to save it, so this is on them. Let this poor grand lady go and stop these people using her to pilfer more money out of people for a project which is not possible, only due to their neglect.
An x-ray of the hull plates will tell you all you need to know. She was built to be a racer, so weight would have been saved in construction. I would think she is structurally unsound. With the best will in the world, short of a billionaire she is destined to become a reef or razor blades.
@@DragonflyDroneServicesLLC the French government did not what to do with the ship , Although given for free by the Norwegian government. Anchored in Le Havre Harbor for years, it was finally scrapped.🥺👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼
My Dad came to America on that ship , very sad to have seen her for so many years just rusting away , it should have been taken care of by this country instead of spending it on stupid stuff ! This is the ....this was the fastest ship in the world and still holds the transatlantic speed record and today is unmatched by any other ship!
I dont want to see an ocean liner die in front of my eyes... That would devastate me, I never had the opportunity to see an actual ocean liner sailing and this is what you come to me with... Not him😢
They will probably end up sinking this liner due to no funds for restoration, but how much money was spend trying to bring the Titanic back to the surface? Ironic…
Yeah it's sad. People looking to raise the unraiseable to "save history" when history which is saveable is right there in front of them and they do nothing.
@@shelty3178 many companies and private individuals have tried that but backed out after knowing the full extent of the restoration process. Some even had plans to try and make her into a cruise ship but it didn't happen. She's too rusted and gutted. SSUS is basically just a rusting shell.
It's been moored there for decades. I imagine the hull must be in very poor condition. Too bad. It would make a nice hotel. Too expensive to restore I'd guess
Let's be honest, who is going to pay the towing bill? Which commercial towing business would take the risk of her foundering under tow and where could they take her anyway? You can't save everything, and this gutted wreck is long overdue for scrapping. In half a century nobody has come up with a realistic use for her and she needs breaking up.
Forgive me, but could this not be viewed by ship lovers as karma for the USA's role in the destruction of IMHO the most beautiful transatlantic liner of all time "Normandie" whilst undergoing conversion into troop transport "Lafayette" in NYC ? - usual disclaimers.
@@johnhunt8264 Also there’s a hotel in San Juan Puerto Rico called The Normandie Hotel which opened on October 10, 1942 as a hotel. Its design was inspired by the French transatlantic passenger ship SS Normandie. I used to work there in 1997.
Truly tragic, we already lost Her sister SS America, now there's a great possibility we may lose The SS United States. It seems only a miracle can save her now sadly. Worst case scenario they should sink her near New York City so She would at least be Back in her home city forever. Hopefully that doesn't have to happen but Would be better than getting torn to shreds by scrappers.
Graceful, even in decay. What we are looking at is billions of future razor blades. I just hope she isn’t sent to be scrapped by our future adversaries.
She became a victim of the times. At her time it was the only way to reach other contents. Once aircraft achieved trans Atlantic flight the time and cost factor did the liner in. I'm afraid her future is bleak.
We once had great Passenger Service on the Great Lakes, D&C and B&C Passenger Lines, The Grand Fleet,SS Seeandbee,City of Detroit,City of Cleveland,Greater Detroit,Greater Buffalo,Western,Eastern,etc ,over 600 feet long Side Wheelers, 3 Stackers,each could carry over 2,000 Passengers,stain glass windows victorian Oak stair cases Baroque Rocco Ceiling Paintings,of historic events on the Great lakes,highly ornate Smoking Lounge with statues of Indian Chief Pontiac and French Explorer Cadillac and many others adorning these ships, more luxurious than many Ocean going Passenger Ships. Now we have nothing that beautiful that plies the Great Lakes, actually no passenger service at all, even the small Boblo Boats to Boblo Island are gone,the amusement park closed and one boat sent to Lake Champlain while the other accidently caught fire while welding and burn,t to water level.
I worked on the good ship South American, out of Cleveland. Duluth to Montreal, with endless pauses at the Welland Canal, which doesn't function very well. 700 passengers, fed in two sittings. Lovely brass and steel quadruple-expansion steam engine. If she still exists, which I doubt, she is decaying in New Jersey or maybe Philadelphia somewhere.
@@markkinsler4333 I think that was the one that was all while and narrow hull,most of them built in Wyandotte or Ecorse similar to the one that capsized in Chicago dock in 1915,called the Eastland
Ocean liner travel was made obsolete by airplanes just as square-rigged sailing ships were killed off by steam ocean liners. Each step drastically improved safety and speed, so it's not a political matter. Despite their hidebound patterns of thinking, neither Republicans nor evangelicals can bring back the good old days. I would love to see that ship restored, however.
They lost the chance to save her when they striped her of her fittings to make a quick penny
There's nothing left inside.
My mom,sister and I sailed her to England in May 1962, 5 days.
It's sad to see such an important piece of Maritime left to rott.
@@Techgnome21 in deed
Now’s the time to pony up your millions to save her and restore her. If you don’t have that kind of money then like the rest of us it’s time to say goodbye as she’s ignominiously dragged to a fate 55 years overdue. In reality the ship died her final death in 1994 with the completion of removal of her interiors, since then it’s been nothing more than a vandalised mausoleum to itself.
It always boils down to money
Here in Honolulu we have something similar going... the Falls of Clyde 4 masted sailing oiler from the 1800s.... Condemned now and slated for removal/scrapping... Too expensive to maintain much less restore. I am sure it's similar for the SS United States.
I agree!! ❤🇺🇲😢🫡
Restore her or scrap her, don’t just let her rot at a dock.
It's best to let her rest at the bottom of the ocean than be scrapped. She can still serve another purpose where people can see SSUS.
@@MiniMC546Then the sea rises and causes floods on land.
Put the money in the bank and we will start Monday.
@CarlosAlberto-ii1li I would be fine with it being left to rot. Shipwrecks you can see are pretty cool. I saw me Quincy Dredge #2 in Torch Lake. Keewanaw. It was tits. I hope it never gets scrapped. I guarantee it will still be there long after I am dust. As long as some fool doesn't come along and scrap it.
But thats the way the Conservancy wants it. So they can keep up with the begging and pleading for donations, After all who ever is on their payroll wants to keep collecting their cheques.
Part of problem I think is that all her interior fittings were stripped out by a previous owner - she’s been gutted - so, there is really nothing left to entice someone to buy it and open it as an attraction.
Partially true - all the asbestos in the vessel has also been removed, meaning she is ready now to be built back up. I'm amazed in all of the USA, with retired battleships, aircraft carriers etc, that no one has the vision to use Big U as a Hotel similar to Queen Mary or Rotterdam.
The environmental correction and expense has been completed. that cost is now gone.
it is a blank canvas ready to be built on.
the problem is the economy tanked and is still tanking. It is tough to get funds to start a big project.
If this could be part of a large project for museum, hotel etc, the cost would be huge. The plans
that I have seen does not show just the ship but a number of support buildings as well as a park area.
That comes at a very high cost.
It is nostalgic to think of saving the old girl, and I hope it can be done, but now they are pressured
to move the ship and it is hard to find a space where it can camp until a deal comes through.
She has history behind her but people have short memories.
She was a grand lady in her time, sad to see her in this light.
@@lifequest7453 Regardless of the state of the economy, it's hard to see any economically viable use for the ship. It would cost tens to hundreds of millions to restore to any kind of useful state (as anything -- a museum, a hotel, a working ship) and it would be somewhere between difficult and impossible to recoup that expenditure. Indeed, she's been bought multiple times in the past by companies who wanted to turn her into a hotel, casino, conference centre, cruise ship, and probably other things. Every single one of those projects fell through.
@@alannewman85 Because those are battleships and carriers and the US is a militaristic nation, if Big U had deck guns and a history of warfare then it would be a museum like all of those battleships and carriers are, but it does not have either.
I think the asbestos remediation and the removal of her very dated 1950's interior design probably isn't the handicap that you think it is. Any repurpose of her even if she was a perfectly preserved time capsule would've meant stripping her interiors. She was born in an era where interior design has failed to stand up to the passage of time and isn't appealing to the masses today.
THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS!! Not as if Penn Warehousing even NEED the space - it will sit EMPTY now for years. This has condemned the liner that carries its countries name - to the bean can factory.......BLOODY DISGUSTING.
@scopex2749 The ship itself has been sitting empty and derelict at the dock for over 50 years. If money were going to be raised, if preservation/restoration were going to take place, it would have happened by now. Should the dock owners simply allow the ship to rest at its moorings indefinitely until it inevitably sinks from neglect ?
You dont know what they want their land for. Cut the crap with your leftist outrage.
@@michaelvaughn2091 false dichotomy, brother.
Plenty of old ships around the world that have a name that to some people sounds iconic eventually end up in the breakers yard. There are two things that can be done with this ship either the breakers yard thereby turned into scrap metal or towed somewhere and turned into a artificial reef where paying tourists can go down and dive on to her ,in fact I saw a video recently on RUclips that Escambria county in Florida are interested in turning her into artificial reef or dive wreck that is really the only other use for this ship she is old has been hold up in ports for the last fifty odd years just rusting and looking like a eye sore. Yes over the years there has been attempts to turn her into a floating hotel or museum and they all have seen to have fallen through ,so a artificial reef for paying tourists to dive down onto is the only use this ship has left plus if this ship becomes a dive wreck then a new generation might then appreciate her otherwise it will have to be the breakers yard.
@@christophera556I mean to be fair the entirety of Philadelphia is an eyesore in general so she fits in quite well with her surroundings. Not bashing Big U of course but people can’t say she’s an eyesore to Philadelphia when the whole place looks terrible
My Mother and I sailed on
her in September,1963 from NY to France (I turned 12 years old on that voyage). In January,1967 my Mom and I sailed back to NY from Bremerhaven after living in Verdun, France where my Dad was stationed in the U.S. Army. Again , in June 1968, my mom, I, and my favorite cousin went to Bremerhaven from NY for a German vacation in Bavaria. What a trip! We were in 30-foot waves for a day in the North Atlantic.. Nobody ate. Even the crew got seasick! Great memories. It was great to look up at the two smokestacks as I stood under them in the middle of the ocean!
My father used to work on board this ship.
The ship has been in Philadelphia for over 25 years. It was gutted a long time ago.
It was in Norfolk Va Before that...When I was in The US NAVY...Late 70's Early 80;s Its just going to continue rot away.Sell it to a crapper.....
Yes, I've seen a video from inside the U.S. : Yes, it's stripped bare inside; interior partitions, room partitions removed, equipment gone... Was stripped in the '70's.
From Deb…So sad…I sailed home in her in the sixties from England back to New York. She was such a gorgeous ship. Goodbye, my old friend.
this is just disgusting to say the least. it's so sad to see how we in this country treat our history so badly . i am glad to see the N S Savanah is still here. this ship was the fastest in the world and had a steam power plant so that someday she could be converted to be just like the N S Savanah.
Savannah is soon to go to deep layup
The reason NS Savanah is still here is because of being a nuclear powered ship. The NRC has spent millions each year for her upkeep.
It's a terrible shame. The pride of America. No modern ocean liner will ever achieve her speed. She still holds the Atlantic crossing record and probably always will. She may show her age but her graceful lines will always be timeless
So, this is how America treats its heritage. The only great American ocean liner... shameful, just sickening what has become of our national pride..
my dad was a passenger on this ship in the 1950s and sailed back to the US from Europe. he still has the cruise booklet from it in storage.
My Dad use to work on this ship by that time.
We don't miss something until it is gone. The ship was set up to fail when it was stripped bare and the joke is on those who remember and care. Saving the ship is the right thing to do but unless so billionaire comes to the rescue it will never happen.
A billionaire isn't going to waste his/ her money on that
@@Timbrock1000 "That" is a priceless part of our history as a people. Using your logic why save anything from the past? I suppose a billionaire wasting their money on a private yacht they never use makes more sense - not.
@@garyjarvis2730
A billionaires yacht is a well kept, well oiled machine kept is top working order.
The SSUS isn't. It is a rusting, rotting shell of what she once was.
Her oak panels, marble floors, chandeliers, brass hardware, fine rugs and such are all gone.
The paint is faded and flaking away.
Nobody wants to sink money into it because it can't provide a viable ROI.
There have been a number of inquiries of restorating or repurposing her. But they proved to be too costly.
She was just built at the wrong time. As commercial aviation was dominating.
Sitting unused for decades for those reasons.
Continuing to require increasing maintenance and upkeep.
So, with no hope of sailing again , what should be done with her?
It'll either be scrapping in India (a sad undignified fate), OR sinking her off the coast of Florida where she can become part of the reef, attract marine life, become an attraction for SCUBA diving, and thus a benefit to the local economy for decades to come.
@@garyjarvis2730 "Using your logic why save anything from the past?"
Doesn't follow. That's like somebody saying "I'm not going to waste my money on a Lamborghini" and you responding "Using your logic why buy a car at all?" There are plenty of other things from the past that can be saved in a way that's economically viable, as every museum in the world testifies. The issue with a ship like this is that it would cost tens of millions of dollars to restore to the sort of condition where people would be interested in it as a tourist attraction. Then, look at the running costs: even just having it sit dockside costs over $600,000 per year in rent. Add in staff costs and other expenses, and you're probably looking at annual outgoings of most of a million dollars per year. So, at $10 admission, you need about 275 visitors a day just to cover costs. That just isn't economically viable, unfortunately.
As mentioned earlier, they had to strip her inside to abate the asbestos. She's a clean slate for restoration, if a group or some interest took the time.
Sad. The conservancy has only been interested in unrealistic uses and has failed this ship miserably. The time has come. Let it live on as a reef. It is an empty cavern, stripped of its dignity long ago.
Iam sure some conservancy board members have lined their pockets well. Time for the gravy train to leave the station. Dont be surprised if the conservancy pulls a vanishing act along with all the recently donated money they have collected
As of today, according to the news it will probably end up being an artificial reef outside Florida coast.
Why evict? Doesnt look like the busiest of ports
The day they gutted her, was the day she died. It’s like a soul that left the body.
I feel bad for her. Proud yet alone. Like an Olympic gold medalist from 1952 who is now in a wheelchair in a retirement home and whose family has already passed, and all she has left are her memories of past glory.
Interesting analogy, thanks for sharing.
The ship seems to be in the same state as the country it is named after.
Have to agree simply because otherwise, the ship would have been preserved.
How very true. We have so much unnecessary dissent in our country that saving the ship would be the least of anyones concerns.
The ship once dominated the world, the country still does.
@@buckchesterfield8886 I don't know about that, even if I wish it was true.
@@buckchesterfield8886 China built the ship?
Sad, but this is the inevitable fate of everything made by people. Be glad if you were able to see it in it's prime.
@@scottmorton1202 I didn’t have that opportunity but my father worked as stewards
JUST LIKE THE OAKLAND RAIDERS 😊
She had her day in the sun and she was the BEST! , but all good things come to an end...
I have a railing from her in my game room. My parents bought it from a sale many many years ago. If I didn’t know the history of it, no one would know what it was or even look at it twice.
So sad. She's a beautiful ship. I'm sure that America's 320+ billionaires were far too busy to help preserve a national icon.
We're not exactly talking about Independence Hall, the Mayflower, or Fort McHenry. To maritime enthusiasts, the ship might be an icon, but to the vast majority of people, she is completely unknown. And why should it be the responsibility of one of the country's "320* millionaires" to undertake her rescue and preservation? As private citizens they are under no obligation to spend their money (no matter how much they might have) on anything, no matter how noble you think the cause may be.
If they blew their money on things like that they wouldn't be rich for long. Ket it go for gosh sake. If it was practical to save it don't you think it would have saved by now?
@@michaelvaughn2091also, if someone were so inclined to dump a bunch of money on a project, there's probably a hundred things within a ten mile radius of this dock that would be a better use of it and benefit more people than dragging some rusting hulk out of the scrapyard.
It is a stunning and very accurate example of what our country once was and what it is today. As this once great liner rusts and rots away, so does this once great country it so finely represented.
WOW you are a man of truth, a very rare thing these days. You omitted to say why the country is like a cesspit, it is the people.
Yawn
True, unfortunately. But I think there's hope with Harris and Walz.
@@alannewman85 The working class in America are tired of far Left democrats like Biden and Kamala and their high inflation, soft on crime policies and open borders. Vote Republican 2024
@alannewman85 uhh yeah because "Bidenomics" is working so well? Whatever you are smoking, please share some with the rest of the class! 🥴
It didn't serve ...It didn't save lives, it didn't contribute, but is it was fast!.......fast by 10 knots...it continues to hold the blue ribband for speed. America still has this ship in a barn..or barn like dock. Money is needed to keep it.
She did serve in her own way. She was a back up for a troop ship if needed. That is why the military funded most of the cost to build her. She was also the United States flag ship and goodwill ambassador. She deserves to be saved, just like old historical buildin̈gs. It is pretty bad when we can save the British ss Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, but we can't save our own flag ship!!
Cultural vandalism
Doesn't look like they need the dock space. Can we talk about the people price gouging them and forcing the ship to scrap?
It's not price gouging it's covering maintenance (yes some happens, such as keeping her afloat), covering insurance, keeping firefighting materiel on standby, a pier with a ship at it costs a lot more to operate than one that doesn't and those costs obviously go to the person renting it just as you would charge any expenses of a room to the person renting it.
I was on her a few times before she left for England as a child. I'm glad my nan can't see her now. How sad.
You can educate people but you can’t make them care.
agree
Still a pretty ship - but the missing interior is a problem. QE2 is struggling in the UAE, and she was saved intact. Only QM seems to be doing okay (thanks, America). I hope that she can be saved, but I have a feeling that the mostly likely way that she might is if we're looking at the next diving attraction... unless her interior is sat in some warehouse?
Mind you, perhaps Portsmouth, UK, could be approached. Having the UK's former flagship liner in the USA and the USA's former flagship liner in the UK would have a certain poetry - and Portsmouth were upset when their bid to give a home to the QE2 was rejected...
How does the first funnel fine get damaged way up there ? It’s pulled forward now 😮
You noticed too? They haven't say anything about that.
That aint no way to treat a Lady!
A 990 ft long speed boat.
Save the States!
If YOUR buying!
So do we know whats going to be done with it?
Ship was built with the sole purpose of taking the Blue Riband from Cunard. That was achieved - at the beginning of the passenger jet age when all such ships went into a steady decline in profitability. Cool heads need to consider emotion over common sense, the latter suggesting the scrap yard as $10s of millions would be needed to bring her up to standard for even a static display, like the Mary. But move her before she sinks at berth.
Do they need the parking space for anything else?
Pier 28 administration said, they could be using that space for shipping and receiving.
Penn Warehousing is an active business...I'm sure the space could be put to immediate use with the ship removed...
The state of this ship, represents the state, of which our country is in. Old, tired ideals not really working out anymore, and needing, a major fix-up. Something a little social project, would work out, for ALL of us🤔😉👍!!!
The should have converted her to a floating hotel like the Queen Mary when she was still in good shape. She's a rust bucket now.
Hate to see such a symbol of post war might rusting away like that, the American andrea doria deserves much better than this.
In some shots she looks like she's sinking from the stern. Reallistically even if Bill Gates and Elon Musk bought the ship, is she viable to repair without her original internal fixtures and fittings?
If it was turned into a floating hotel similar to the Queen Mary would people pay good money tostay in a Holiday Inn or Ikea style cabin. I know I wouldn't.
It has been stripped of all the fixtures and fittings. On the other hand, it's also been stripped of all its asbestos, which is a big benefit. Overall, though, it seems clear that there's no commercially viable way to use the ship. Considering that just berthing fees run to over $600,000 per year, the expense of doing anything at all with the ship is just crippling.
The Conservancy that owns the ship is attempting to secure an extension on the Sept eviction. Decision pending I was told Saturday when I toured the ship. It’s unfortunate that in all the years the ship has been “waiting” for a next chapter that nothing has come to fruition. It’s financial resources combined with lack of vision for what she could become as an attraction, hotel, conference center, etc in the right location.
Yeah, that particular area of the city doesn't attract a lot of tourists...
Not every piece of history needs to be saved. It obviously hasn’t gotten sufficient support over these many years to be restored. Time to let go, painful as it may be for some.
17 years of service, 55 years of Retirment. time to let it go and move on. make it a reef or scrap it, don't dwell on the past.
Just unbelievable how this ship has been abandoned and left to sit and fall apart
it is literally an example of what is happening to America right now every hour
@@Mannequinwizard-cx6vw Only few more days until the deadline
As a former passenger ( westbound crossing 1969) it's time to end the decades long fundraising.
Towards the end,it sailed with more crewmembers than passengers.A lot of people in the stewards dept. essentially got paid to do nothing and got a vacation courtesy the taxpayer.
They should use the ship as a titanic doner ship to at least save the price of building a new titanic 2 clive barker should buy it
I hate to say it, my home state, put in a bid to make an artificial reef out of it, and I kind of hope we get it. The ship is way past its prime it's had many owners nobody's ever done anything with it she's stripped out on the inside so she's already 3/4 of the way there to make a reef out of her.
It's been very sad to see her in this condition for a very long time when crossing the Walt Whitman Bridge. Turning her into a reef would be a gift which keeps on giving!
Yes, a tragedy on a certain level. However, the owner of the pier is not a charity and had expenses that have to be paid.
Well if they want it gone they will likely have to be the ones to pay to remove it. The owners of the ship have no money to move it.
Given how many empty piers are to either side of her, I am curious to see who the owners of the pier think will replace her...
Probably active freighters, coming and going with various cargo loads...
It is too bad. As nice as it would be to see her in her former glory (or even making crossings under steam!), it likely just isn't doable. It takes a LOT of time and money to restore and maintain old ships, big ships, and steamships; this is an old, big steamship. About the only thing working (slightly) in her favor is she isn't wooden.
I remember it tied up in Norfolk and there would be occasional rumours about it being reactivated and articles in the Sunday paper. 20,000 people based in Norfolk lost their jobs when the ship was retired. Might as well make it into a reef since it's now just a hollow shell.
@1:55 the 53,330 tons is a measure of volume not weight. 'Ton' refers to the greco-roman 'tun', a standardized cargo vase used for hauling bulk items like grains or liquids. AKA 'amphorae
SS United States, the condition of this once great and proud ocean liner just reflects the once great and proud USA. How sad.
I'm no expert on ship restoration, but it would probably cost equivalent to building a brand new ship with state of the art components...is it really worth it ?
Great video!!!
So sad to see a majestic beauty just waste away.
Back in 2006, my daughter worked at the IKEA, that you see in a few frames, across Columbus, Blvd.
A lot of security people told her that at night, occasionally, they would notice strange anomalies on the ship. In person, and also checking their security videos.
So, she believed that there could be spirits that lurked about the ship.
I guess anything is possible.
The powers to be in our world today would love to erase past history. So, future generations, could be educated to a narrative of their liking.
It's not going anywhere, no one is going to tow it for free. Even if someone takes the ship for free, there would have to be a lot of work done to get out of there. I would bet where you see it now is its final resting place till there is no more metal to rust away. Unless it could run on its own power and we all know that won't happen, it is there to stay forever no matter what any court or judge may say. If there is no money to pay to keep it docked what makes anybody think there's money to move it? Plus it is so big and would have a hard time finding a dock to fit it. The decks look really bad, can you imagine what it looks like under the water line? It might not be safe to tow.
Come on New York! You were her home port in her heyday. Offer her a berth near Intrepid.
Save her and restore her. She is just as worthy as the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, the battleships Missouri in Pearl Harbor and the New Jersey in Camden. She is the apex of design and speed; a vestige of a glorious era in Transatlantic travel the western destination of which was New York Harbor. Of all the great liners of that golden age, only the Queen Mary survives on a coast alien to her. The SSUS took the Blue Ribband away from her and she still retains it. She is a surviving tangible link to a historic, fanciful, bygone era. SAVE HER from becoming an ephemeral memory.
Some multi millionaire who knows their own time may be short should fund the rebirth of the America.
H3ll no...
Even in the shape she's in, she is still a graceful greyhound of the seas.
I hate to say but because of her size the cost moving her to a new home and doing a restoration would be a tall mountain to climb, but you never know.
I guess we will know in a few weeks
Ocean vessels are in constant need of work whether it be routine maintenance or major refitting. The conservancy needs to come clean and publicize the cost of refitting the ship and the cost of annual maintenance, not to mention berthing it. There are also other costs in making available for public tours. Let's see the full budget and then let's see who steps forward to fund it.
The Conservancy places the vessel in the same class as the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and the Washington Monument. Completely disingenuous.
For over 55 years that ship has been out of service and in that period no one has succeeded in finding a use for her... Even the military are not interested using her as a troop ship... high time to scrap her in order to terminate this money sink hole...
I think the ship would make a wonderful addition to Chicago's Navy pier. The north side of the pier is straight and open and is 3,300 feet long. The pier is the most tourist visited site in the entire state of Illinois. Nine million visitors come to the pier and spen 52 million there on food and entertainment. The SS United States could be refurbished into a hotel and fine dinning spot to join the other attractions at the pier. Remember the lake is fresh water and corrosion and deteriation from the water would be less than in salt water.
Very upsetting. It would be nice to see her restored. If I was stupid rich. Well the big shots would have a priceless ship that you can't afford to build new. ❤❤❤❤❤
You and me both!
She could be converted to be a residence or condo. That would be the most prudent thing. She will never operate under her own power.
Accommodation for undocumented immigrants, then tow it off the continental shelf and scuttle it, solve two problems at once.
The ship is a part of our American History It beat the Queen Mary's speed record for a Transatlantic crossing. The SS United States ship needs to be saved not sent to the Scrapyard It needs to be in Dry Dock to be refurbished and made into a Maritime Museum
Why can't somebody like Musk or Gates or Buffet step in and save it?
Probably is not on their agenda.
Why would they waste billions on That?
Enough is enough people. For goodness sake let it go. If it was practical to save it would have been saved long ago.
Saw her in Norfolk in 1982. She'd been laid up for 13 yearsby then, and it showed. She's spent 73% of her existance laid up. It's time to reef her, and create a great dive spot. She's just a shell now....
If Trump had any money spare he should bring here back as the national flagship
The old girl deserves more respect than she is getting. It was a beautiful trailblazer in her prime and that surely must count for something? They managed to preserve the SS Queen Mary and make her a tourist draw in Florida. They should have done something similar while she was still in good condition, and preserved American maritime heritage.
They didnt pay the bills I assume?
It’s been so heartbreaking to watch this once proud ship sitting rusting away in neglect for almost 30 years. To think that she is most likely going to end up being scraped or sentenced to a watery grave. A world record holder that stands to this day, a testament to the engineering and design of a past generation. Hate to say it but the time to repurpose and return life to her as a mall, hotel or combination of those seems to have reached level far beyond can be raised to save her. The Philadelphia skyline will be forever changed when she is gone, no more will she greet travelers as they cross the river into the city.
It is obvious that the current owners have done nothing to save her. The talk of moving the ship is highly unlikely. It has been sitting there slowly deteriorating. I don’t think it could even be moved to make it a sunken reef. The fate of the ship will most likely pass to the dock company and if they really want it gone it will be scraped in place due to the cost and liability to move it.
Have there been any recent surveys of her structural integrity, especially of the structural integrity of her hull? Could she even survive being moved?
Yes. Structurally she is sound, according to the conservatory. As far as restoring the inside, many furnishings can be duplicated by looking at photographs and some items were bought by a restaurant that is no longer in business. Maybe they can be bought back. They said the exterior work can be done too, that it looks worse than what it is.
This ship is clearly beyond repair now. The 'Conservatory' have done noting to date to the ship itself to save it, so this is on them. Let this poor grand lady go and stop these people using her to pilfer more money out of people for a project which is not possible, only due to their neglect.
Why is there not a national add campaign to sell bonds or a national trust? She’s never been anything but the
SS UNITED STATES
I see it on the Great Lakes, these ship owners leave these grand old vessels to rot, instead of recycling them.
An x-ray of the hull plates will tell you all you need to know. She was built to be a racer, so weight would have been saved in construction. I would think she is structurally unsound. With the best will in the world, short of a billionaire she is destined to become a reef or razor blades.
Please do not repeat what France has made with its own ship:” le France”!…😔🥺🥹
I'm not familiar with that story.
@@DragonflyDroneServicesLLC the French government did not what to do with the ship ,
Although given for free by the Norwegian government.
Anchored in Le Havre Harbor for years, it was finally scrapped.🥺👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼
The ship is a rust bucket and should be scrapped.
My Dad came to America on that ship , very sad to have seen her for so many years just rusting away , it should have been taken care of by this country instead of spending it on stupid stuff ! This is the ....this was the fastest ship in the world and still holds the transatlantic speed record and today is unmatched by any other ship!
I dont want to see an ocean liner die in front of my eyes... That would devastate me, I never had the opportunity to see an actual ocean liner sailing and this is what you come to me with... Not him😢
The owners only wanted money, playing everyone they should be investigated
I drove pass this so many times on Delaware Ave it's time to go, artificial reef
The last time this ship was moved was the last time the Sixers had a great team😂
They will probably end up sinking this liner due to no funds for restoration, but how much money was spend trying to bring the Titanic back to the surface? Ironic…
They’ve raised 150k, someone has promised to donate a 6 figure is they can secure a port, I’m sure she will be saved.
Yeah it's sad. People looking to raise the unraiseable to "save history" when history which is saveable is right there in front of them and they do nothing.
@@shelty3178 Saved to do what with it?
@@j.mc.8773 preserve it? Maybe one day restore it?
@@shelty3178 many companies and private individuals have tried that but backed out after knowing the full extent of the restoration process. Some even had plans to try and make her into a cruise ship but it didn't happen. She's too rusted and gutted. SSUS is basically just a rusting shell.
It's been moored there for decades. I imagine the hull must be in very poor condition. Too bad. It would make a nice hotel. Too expensive to restore I'd guess
Let's be honest, who is going to pay the towing bill? Which commercial towing business would take the risk of her foundering under tow and where could they take her anyway? You can't save everything, and this gutted wreck is long overdue for scrapping. In half a century nobody has come up with a realistic use for her and she needs breaking up.
Just can not save every piece of history, a shame.
Forgive me, but could this not be viewed by ship lovers as karma for the USA's role in the destruction of IMHO the most beautiful transatlantic liner of all time "Normandie" whilst undergoing conversion into troop transport "Lafayette" in NYC ? - usual disclaimers.
@@johnhunt8264 Also there’s a hotel in San Juan Puerto Rico called The Normandie Hotel which opened on October 10, 1942 as a hotel. Its design was inspired by the French transatlantic passenger ship SS Normandie. I used to work there in 1997.
Idiot firefighters destroyed Normandie.
A paintchipper's nightmare... holy bo'sum's mate, Batman... "Sweepers, man yer brooms..."
Truly tragic, we already lost Her sister SS America, now there's a great possibility we may lose The SS United States. It seems only a miracle can save her now sadly.
Worst case scenario they should sink her near New York City so She would at least be Back in her home city forever. Hopefully that doesn't have to happen but Would be better than getting torn to shreds by scrappers.
Graceful, even in decay.
What we are looking at is billions of future razor blades.
I just hope she isn’t sent to be scrapped by our future adversaries.
I don't see anything happening but the scrap yard , sad
That will be sad, It could be also use as an artificial reef.
Twin engine rooms , like a Battle Ship , also doubled as a troop carrier , she was fast !
She became a victim of the times. At her time it was the only way to reach other contents. Once aircraft achieved trans Atlantic flight the time and cost factor did the liner in. I'm afraid her future is bleak.
We once had great Passenger Service on the Great Lakes, D&C and B&C Passenger Lines, The Grand Fleet,SS Seeandbee,City of Detroit,City of Cleveland,Greater Detroit,Greater Buffalo,Western,Eastern,etc ,over 600 feet long Side Wheelers, 3 Stackers,each could carry over 2,000 Passengers,stain glass windows victorian Oak stair cases Baroque Rocco Ceiling Paintings,of historic events on the Great lakes,highly ornate Smoking Lounge with statues of Indian Chief Pontiac and French Explorer Cadillac and many others adorning these ships, more luxurious than many Ocean going Passenger Ships. Now we have nothing that beautiful that plies the Great Lakes, actually no passenger service at all, even the small Boblo Boats to Boblo Island are gone,the amusement park closed and one boat sent to Lake Champlain while the other accidently caught fire while welding and burn,t to water level.
I worked on the good ship South American, out of Cleveland. Duluth to Montreal, with endless pauses at the Welland Canal, which doesn't function very well. 700 passengers, fed in two sittings. Lovely brass and steel quadruple-expansion steam engine. If she still exists, which I doubt, she is decaying in New Jersey or maybe Philadelphia somewhere.
@@markkinsler4333 I think that was the one that was all while and narrow hull,most of them built in Wyandotte or Ecorse similar to the one that capsized in Chicago dock in 1915,called the Eastland
Ocean liner travel was made obsolete by airplanes just as square-rigged sailing ships were killed off by steam ocean liners. Each step drastically improved safety and speed, so it's not a political matter. Despite their hidebound patterns of thinking, neither Republicans nor evangelicals can bring back the good old days.
I would love to see that ship restored, however.
markkensler4333 Oh yes, yes Enlightened One, whatever you say.