SS United States Sold

[RV traveler]

45 years ago I was lucky enough to sail on the United States from Southhampton to NYC. I had been living in Britain for a year and I can still remember my excitement and pride at seeing the Statue of Liberty!

[Jerseyboy1]

The triple masted ship behind is the Moshulu. Yes' date=' it is in Penn's Landing area. It has been turned into a fantastic restaurant.[/color']

 

You are correct PE....yes the Moshulu (actually four-masted but who's counting?).....Some of the best meals that I have ever enjoyed on a ship of any kind have been on the Moshulu....fantastic food and great atmosphere...Here's a better shot of her...

 

[Planer's Edge]

3 main masts and one jib mast, if that is considered a 4 master?

 

PE

[Jerseyboy1]

3 main masts and one jib mast' date=' if that is considered a 4 master?[/color']

 

It's listed several places on the web as a four-master, but who knows? I am certainly not a true sailor by any stretch so I don't know. At the very least, I think we can agree that it's a nice ship/restaurant.:)

[Barb Nahoumi]

The taxi driver who was driving me home from my last cruise, mentioned that he and his parents arrived in the U.S.A. aboard the Big U. He said that it was a great experience.

 

I hope that they move her to New York. I remember seeing her docked there when I was a kid.

 

My dream of being able to cruise on her might not happen. If it is converted to a hotel, we could stay on her for a while.

[runmomrun]

This is great news! I drive past her every day and it's a crime that she sits there in such disrepair.

 

She is such a beauty. I will miss her if/when they move her.

[acumenhokie]

It really is a great restaurant with the bar/lounge out on the open decks.

 

www.moshulu.com

 

PE

 

I recommend the Sunday brunch it's fantastic.

 

 

I too am glad to hear they are going to do something with the ship. I've looked at it for years every time I go to IKEA :)

[Laszlo]

I don't live in Philadelphia but I pass the ship a few times a month. Many folks are glad to see it go. Its been an eye sore for at least 15 years that I can remember. Refitting it? You must be joking. Has anyone seen the amount of rust on it? One of the many issues of the ship was sinking were she has been docked. The hull because of rust is very thin in some places The ship was gutted long ago and its just a bare shell. The large bar from the main restaurant along with a few bells and furniture were bought by a restaurant many years ago on the Outer Banks. As of 2009 Windmill Point in Nags Head has been closed. I have no idea what happened to furniture in it. I believe the ship is too far gone, but only time will tell. My best guess, it will be sold for scrap in about 3 years.

 

In 1984, the ship's remaining fittings and furniture were sold at auction in Norfolk. Some of the furniture now represents a substantial portion of the interior of Windmill Point, a restaurant in Nags Head, North Carolina.

 

http://www.mariner.org/ Restaurant HAD housed the largest collection of items from the SS United States, now berthed in Philadelphia. Items were purchased from a 1984 auction that included tables, lamps, chairs and artwork. Centerpiece is a 20-foot long kidney-shaped bar from the ship's first class ballroom. Artifacts have been transferred to the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Va. Restaurant now owned by the city of Nags Head and will be used as a possible visitor center.

[DCT61]

I remember seeing her stacks sticking above the buildings when we lived in Norfolk Va., and have been in love with her since. A magnificent ship. I have the auction catalogue from when her interior furnishings were sold off in the 80's. Really good news!

[birders]

 

Original etched glass panels from the ship are now ensconced in Celebrity's "Infinity" in the specialty dining room named for her -- the "SS United States"

 

The anteroom to the restaurant, like Celebrity's other Millenium-Class ship specialty restaurants, contains other artificats from the SS United States - menus, china, photos, etc., and the restaurant is styled in period, with reproduction china.

http://www.mikehelmick.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/IMG_6323.jpg

[waltd]

Will they eventually put The United States into dry dock to check and refurbish her hull?

[tntornadox]

I was under the impression that NCL had carried out several hull stability tests and found her in 'sound shape'? She may LOOK bad, but it's not irreparable damage...

 

The good news is for the first time, the SS United States is owned by someone who genuinely wants to see her refurbished. Considering most everyone here is a lover of the seas and the magnificent vessels that sail them, I urge you to visit the SS United States Conservancy's website and donate if you can to see our nation's flagship restored!

 

http://www.ssunitedstatesconservancy.org/

[waltd]

I would just like to see her moved from that spot for a while then I will feel like they are really going to do something with her. :)

[Laszlo]

I would just like to see her moved from that spot for a while then I will feel like they are really going to do something with her. :)

 

LOL

Considering she has been there 15 years I think the next move it to an artificial reef...............wait that won't work because it will cost millions to remove the leaded paint. Off to the scrap heaps she goes

[Planer's Edge]

LOL

Considering she has been there 15 years I think the next move it to an artificial reef...............wait that won't work because it will cost millions to remove the leaded paint. Off to the scrap heaps she goes

Always the pessimist no matter what others say here. Is anything okay?

 

PE

[Laszlo]

Always the pessimist no matter what others say here. Is anything okay?

 

PE

 

Not when the ship has been polluting the water for the last 15 years I fish in. Its funny but thats one of the things they like to cover up. Over that time their have been thousand of pounds of toxic lead paint that has flaked off, Thousand and thousand of gallons of oil filled water pumped out of the bilge into the river. At least the Navy yard 2 miles away was made to clean up its act 10 years ago. Nothing has been done for the SS United States. Rah Rah Rah.:(

[Planer's Edge]

Not when the ship has been polluting the water for the last 15 years I fish in. Its funny but thats one of the things they like to cover up. Over that time their have been thousand of pounds of toxic lead paint that has flaked off, Thousand and thousand of gallons of oil filled water pumped out of the bilge into the river. At least the Navy yard 2 miles away was made to clean up its act 10 years ago. Nothing has been done for the SS United States. Rah Rah Rah.:(

 

So, the logical solution is to scrap her rather than fix her up and save a little history?

 

So sad!! Go ahead and reply any way you want, you can have the last word!

 

PE

[Laszlo]

I guess since its not polluting your water you don't mind

Fix her up huh? Maybe 20 years ago......too far gone. You might just have the last laugh though. Maybe they can ship it to Colorodo:)

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

I guess since its not polluting your water you don't mind

Fix her up huh? Maybe 20 years ago......too far gone. You might just have the last laugh though. Maybe they can ship it to Colorodo:)

 

Not sure how it makes a difference to you what they do with the ship now... Whether they fix it up or scrap it, it will still be out of your beloved fishing grounds.

[mascott55]

My father, Roger Holland Edwards (Red), then a foreman at the Newport News Shipyard, and his crew of about a thousand men, build the distintive red, white and blue stacks. I was fortunate to have one transatlantic trip on the ship, and I remember being upgrade to the best 1st class cabin. He kept it secret on how fast she could go, but I beleive 45/50 knots was possible. Very little wood, if any was used on the ship, mostly aluminum. She is a treasure worth saving and needs a warm city port, like Miami, if she is to become floating hotel. I hope to live long enough to see the day. Scott

[rsachek]

It can be fun to wax nostalgic, but plans to restore this rusting hulk are nothing but a pipe dream. It took over $300 million to restore Rotterdam and that ship was a going concern when purchased. SS France/Norway needed comparatively nothing to fix and was scrapped. Potential buyers (other than scrappers) for SS Norway had years to step forward… yet nothing. QE2 just sitting in Dubai - owner quoted saying buying ship was huge mistake. And let's not forget the most "successful" hotel ship of them all, Queen Mary, which drifts in & out of bankruptcy under a succession of different owners.