![]() SS United States at sea in the 1950s
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History | |
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Name | United States |
Owner | United States Lines |
Operator | United States Lines |
Port of registry | New York City |
Route |
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Ordered | 1949[3] |
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company[3] |
Cost | $79.4 million ($748 million in 2023[5]) |
Yard number | Hull 488[2] |
Laid down | February 8, 1950 |
Launched | June 23, 1951[1] |
Christened | June 23, 1951[1] |
Maiden voyage | July 3, 1952 |
In service | 1952 |
Out of service | November 14, 1969[4] |
Identification |
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Nickname(s) | Big U |
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Owner | Various |
Acquired | 1978 |
Notes | Multiple owners since 1978[6] |
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Owner | SS United States Conservancy |
Acquired | February 1, 2011 |
Status | Laid up in Philadelphia awaiting possible sinking as artificial reef[7] |
Notes | Continual fundraising since 2011 for conservation[7] |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ocean liner |
Tonnage | 53,329 GRT, 29,475 NRT |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam | 101.5 ft (30.9 m) maximum |
Height | 175 ft (53 m) (keel to funnel)[8] |
Draft |
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Decks | 12[9]: 16 |
Installed power | |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Capacity | 1,928 passengers |
Crew | 1,044 [9]: 16 |
SS United States (Steamship) | |
Location | Pier 82, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Coordinates | 39°55′06″N 75°08′11″W / 39.91833°N 75.13639°W |
Architect | William Francis Gibbs |
NRHP reference No. | 99000609[10] |
Added to NRHP | June 3, 1999 |
SS United States is a retired ocean liner built during 1950 and 1951 for 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.
The ship was designed by American naval architect William Francis Gibbs and could have been converted into a troopship if required by the Navy in time of war. The ship served as an icon for the nation, transporting numerous celebrities throughout her career between 1952 and 1969. Her design included innovations in steam propulsion, hull form, fire safety, and damage control.
Following a financial collapse of United States Lines, she was withdrawn from service in a surprise announcement. 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, leaving her stripped by 1994. Two years later, she was towed to Philadelphia, where she has remained.
Since 2009, the '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. Donations have allowed the ship to avoid being scrapped as the ship awaits development while berthed in Philadelphia.
Due to a rent dispute, the ship has been ordered to leave her pier by September 2024 by a judge. If the ship is not relocated in time, she would be sunk as an artificial reef off Destin, Florida.
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