Search the Community

Sul numero 2 (2016) della rivista Naval History viene riportata la notizia che la SS United States Conservancy (organizzazione no profit che possiede la nave) e la società Crystal Cruise restaureranno e rimetteranno in linea la SS UNITED STATES, elegantissimo liner di 64 anni. Ecco la notizia in originale e in allegato una foto (fonte Wikimedia) The famed ocean liner SS United States could avoid the scrap yard with the announcement in February that a luxury cruise-ship line plans to renovate the vessel and return her to sea. The 4 February announcement in Manhattan by the SS United States Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that owns the ship, and Crystal Cruises that the 64-year-old ship could return to transatlantic service from New York and other voyages from the city and additional American ports came as a surprise. The conservancy has been focused in the past few years on trying to return the 990-foot vessel, now mothballed in Philadelphia, to New York for a new life as a stationary attraction. But finding a developer willing to do that and a permanent site for the ship proved frustrating. "We would be remiss if we would pass up an opportunity to restore such an important symbol of luxury travel and a bygone era of Americana," said Crystal chief executive Edie Rodriguez. The company will pay the $60,000-a-month carrying charges to keep the ship docked in Philadelphia while studying the feasibility of upgrading her. If the determination, expected by the end of the year, is favorable, Crystal will negotiate the purchase of the vessel from the conservancy. Crystal would reconfigure the exterior of the ship to add balconies on her sides in keeping with most modern cruise ships. It would give the United States a slightly more boxy look amidships. "We think this is the best way to save the ship," said Susan Gibbs, the conservancy executive director and granddaughter of the ship's designer, the late William Francis Gibbs (see "Looking Back: The Last Great American Liner," August 2013, p. 6). "The essence of her will remain front and center." Rodriguez said rebuilding the vessel with her entirely gutted interior would cost in excess of $700 million. "Failure is not an option," said Rodriguez, adding that the only thing that would stop the project is if the Environmental Protection Agency found pollution on the ship could not be remediated. The ship carried 2,000 passengers when she was launched in 1952. It would be transformed into an 800-guest vessel with 400 luxury suites. Original features including the Promenade Deck and Navajo Lounge will be retained. If the renovation goes forward, Gibbs said, the conservancy would focus on building a museum ashore, ideally in New York. The United States' maiden voyage in 1952 set the still-current record for the fastest transatlantic passenger-ship crossing. Her role superseded by passenger jets, she was taken out of service in 1969. PHOTO (COLOR): Crystal Cruises will most likely decide whether or not to purchase the SS United States (shown in a rendering of what she would look like after her restoration) by the end of the year. ~~~~~~~~ By Bill Bleyer