April 18 -- Only a year or two ago, it seemed that the days of the old ocean liners were finally coming to an end, with nearly all the pre-1980 ships in the American market either laid up or scheduled to be sold or redeployed abroad. Thus, it came as a wonderful surprise this week when Norwegian Cruise Line (www.ncl.com) announced its purchase of the SS United States, a legendary vessel that's long been the subject of determined preservation efforts.
Launched in 1952, the vessel was a technological marvel. Working on a mandate from the U.S. Congress that required the ship to be fast, safe, and able to be converted into a military transport at a moment's notice, naval architect William Francis Gibbs went beyond anything previously accomplished. The ship was constructed entirely without flammable materials -- the only wood aboard was reportedly the Steinway pianos and the kitchen's butcher block, and her art collection even excluded oil paintings -- and her top speed, rumored to approach 50 knots, was kept secret as a matter of national security. On her maiden voyage, she averaged 35.5 knots and broke the transatlantic record with a time of 3 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes, a record that has never been broken to this day.
Though she flourished for over a decade, the rise of jet air travel eventually took its toll on her as on the entire passenger shipping industry, and in 1969 she was finally decommissioned. She has remained so ever since, and for the past seven years has languished at a Philadelphia pier, gutted of her interior furnishings and slowly rusting.
Enter NCL, which has recently committed to operating several large U.S.-flagged cruise ships currently under construction. In an age where U.S. registry is a rare thing due to various cost factors, this is news in itself, and will allow these vessels to offer itineraries comprised entirely of American ports of call -- significant in Hawaii especially, where foreign-flagged vessels must include a foreign port in all itineraries to get around the law, though that takes them far out of their way.
According to NCL, the line has begun evaluating the extent of renovations needed to convert the United States into a modern cruise ship, with initial plans calling for her to be rebuilt entirely from the inside out, complying with current international safety regulations and creating an interior that's in tune with modern tastes. The refurbishment of the hull and superstructure will be done at U.S. shipyards, with the outfitting completed overseas, but no target date has as yet been announced. Statements by NCL president and CEO Colin Veitch that the ship "would be a phenomenal addition to our U.S. flag operation down the road" indicate that we may have to wait a while. Whatever her possible relaunch date, the ship is expected to offer itineraries visiting mainland U.S. ports where cruises are not currently available.
Note: Concurrent with its announcement of the SS United States purchase, NCL also announced that it had purchased the classic, American-built SS Independence, formerly of the bankrupt American Hawaii Cruises, at federal auction from the U.S. Maritime Administration. No further details have been announced on possible renovation and redeployment.
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