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by WalterBright12 hours ago |
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upvoteby bunderbunder12 hours ago|
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Bittersweet, perhaps? I've never seen the ship in person but I've been following its story. It seems that Okaloosa County snatched it out of the jaws of the scrapyard just in the nick of time.

It won't be floating anymore, but it will at least be somewhat physically intact, at least relative to the state it was already in. It was pretty well stripped bare back in the 80s, and further gutted after that asbestos abatement project a while back. And it will be available for people who can SCUBA dive to visit.

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upvoteby 31carmichael3 hours ago|
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you can also swim down to the top of it if you're good at holding your breath.
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upvoteby quietsegfault10 hours ago|
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I’ve seen it at least once a week if not more for 10 or 15 years. It’s really startling that it’s missing from the waterfront. Super big bummer no one could make it work.
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upvoteby waltbosz9 hours ago|
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You must be in Philly. Every time I visit IKEA, I'd have a meal in the cafe and sit by the window to look at it.
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upvoteby stevesimmons11 hours ago|
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I sailed in a similar liner, originally the SS America, though renamed the SS Australis by the time my family took it in 1974 for the 5 week journey from UK via Cape Town to Australia.

The SS Australis passed through multiple owners until it ran aground while being towed near the Canary Islands and broke into two.

A sad end to a majestic ship.

One memory of the trip was the week in the Indian Ocean midway between Africa and Australia where the waves were so large the ship's dining rooms made the tablecloths wet to stop the plates sliding off as we tried to eat breakfast...

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upvoteby Zafira5 hours ago|
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I believe the America was essentially a testbed for the United States. They were both amazing ships designed by William Francis Gibbs and the United States was specifically designed with conversion to a troopship in mind, if necessary. Its propulsion system was classified as a state secret for a time and there are pictures of models shown to the public early on where everything below the waterline was covered up.
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upvoteby WalterBright8 hours ago|
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At one point there was a storm. I was very impressed with the size of the waves and the ship would just muscle through it.

Some years ago I was on a cruise ship. The captain announced that they were changing course to avoid a storm. I was disappointed :-/

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upvoteby buildbot8 hours ago|
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That’s more for comfort than anything I would think, a modern cruise ship can easily take pretty insane storms? They have active stabilization systems and huge amounts of mass while still powered by relatively strong engines?
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upvoteby prmph1 hours ago|
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Can they handle rogue waves?

Although, I guess rogue waves can appear anywhere deep and rough.

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upvoteby cucumber373284235 minutes ago|
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> The captain announced that they were changing course to avoid a storm. I was disappointed

The cruise ship will drive around the storm because it doesn't want the cargo to spill their drinks and get pissy. The liner has a schedule to keep.

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upvoteby Animats8 hours ago|
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Right. The S.S. United States was built for winter North Atlantic conditions, with a power plant, hull, and watertight compartments more like a warship than a cruise ship. She could be converted to a troop carrier if necessary, something that had been done to big liners during WWII. Cruising speed 30MPH, top speed 44MPH. Great for getting across the Atlantic in 3 1/2 days. Not so great on fuel economy.

Cruise ships today look like hotels mounted on barges [1]. About half the speed. A refurbished SS United States was never going to compete in that market, and plans to do so were never funded.

[1] https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/icon-of-the-seas

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upvoteby rkagerer11 hours ago|
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Lasted three quarters of a century, not bad!
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upvoteby fsckboy7 hours ago|
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United States was withdrawn from service in a surprise announcement in 1969. All planned cruises were canceled, and the ship changed owners repeatedly for the next several decades. Every owner attempted to make the ship profitable, but she was aging and poorly maintained. In 1984, her interior furnishings were sold at auction, and the rest of her interiors were stripped to the bulkheads in 1994. In 1996, she was towed to Philadelphia, where she remained until February 2025.

(not sure it should have been much of a surprise, jetliners were taking all the high paying traffic)

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upvoteby fsckboy8 hours ago|
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The fastest transatlantic crossing by a passenger liner was set by the SS United States in July 1952, averaging 35.51 knots (65.76 kmh) earning her the Blue Riband
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