SS United States
1951 ocean liner / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about SS United States?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
SS United States is a retired ocean liner built between 1950 and 1951 for the United States Lines. She is the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the United States and the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic in either direction, retaining the Blue Riband for the highest average speed since her maiden voyage in 1952, a title she still holds. She was designed by American naval architect William Francis Gibbs and could be converted into a troopship if required by the Navy in time of war. United States maintained an uninterrupted schedule of transatlantic passenger service until 1969 and was never used for military applications.
SS United States at sea in the 1950s | |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | United States |
Owner | United States Lines |
Operator | United States Lines |
Port of registry | New York |
Route | New York – Le Havre – Southampton (also Bremerhaven) |
Ordered | 1949[1] |
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company[1] |
Cost | $79.4 million ($748 million in 2023[2]) |
Yard number | Hull 488[3] |
Laid down | February 8, 1950 |
Launched | June 23, 1951[4] |
Christened | June 23, 1951[4] |
Maiden voyage | July 3, 1952 |
In service | 1952 |
Out of service | November 14, 1969[5] |
Identification |
|
Owner | Various |
Acquired | 1978 |
Notes | Multiple owners since 1978[6] |
Owner | SS United States Conservancy |
Acquired | February 1, 2011 |
Status | Laid up in Philadelphia[7] |
Notes | Continual fundraising since 2011 for conservation.[7] |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ocean liner |
Tonnage | 53,329 GRT, 29,475 NRT |
Displacement |
|
Length |
|
Beam | 101.5 ft (30.9 m) maximum |
Draft |
|
Depth | 175 ft (53 m) (keel to funnel)[8] |
Decks | 12 |
Installed power | |
Propulsion |
|
Speed |
|
Capacity | 1,928 passengers |
Crew | 900 |
SS United States (Steamship) | |
Location | Pier 82, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Coordinates | 39°55′06″N 75°08′11″W |
Architect | William Francis Gibbs |
NRHP reference No. | 99000609[9] |
Added to NRHP | June 3, 1999 |
The ship has been sold several times since the 1970s, with each new owner trying unsuccessfully to make the liner profitable. Eventually, the ship's fittings were sold at auction, and hazardous wastes, including asbestos panels throughout the ship, were removed, leaving her almost completely stripped by 1994. Two years later, she was towed to Philadelphia, where she has remained.
Since 2009, the preservation group, 'SS United States Conservancy' has been raising funds to save the ship. The group purchased her in 2011 and has drawn up several unrealized plans to restore the ship, one of which included turning the ship into a multi-purpose waterfront complex. In 2015, as its funds dwindled, the group began accepting bids to scrap the ship; however, sufficient donations came in via extended fundraising. Large donations have kept the ship berthed at her Philadelphia dock while the group continues to further investigate restoration plans.[10]