NationMaster - Encyclopedia: SS United States

Coordinates: 39.918410° N 75.136528° W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

The SS United States (also known as "The Big U") is an ocean liner built in 1952 for the United States Lines. At 53,329 gross tons, she is the largest ocean liner to date built entirely in the United States and is still the fastest liner ever built. In 1952, on her maiden voyage as the new flagship of the United States Lines, the United States captured the Blue Riband with the fastest transatlantic crossing on record. The entry of the United States marked the first time a U.S.-flagged ship held the Blue Riband, surpassing European speed records which had stood for decades. The United States plied the transatlantic passenger service until 1969, and outlasted the demise of her original owners. The ship is currently docked in Philadelphia until funds are raised for her restoration. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1984 Ã— 1488 pixel, file size: 717 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point, or a point alongside the ship at the mid-point of its length. ... See Foster Wheeler Corporation ... The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an organization founded by George Westinghouse in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. ... A knot is a unit of speed abbreviated kt or kn. ... Kilometres per hour (American spelling: kilometers per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... Image File history File links Portal. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... United States Lines was a shipping company that operated ocean liners from 1921 to 1969, most famously the SS United States. ... The Blue Riband is an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing. ... The Blue Riband is an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing. ...

Construction

Inspired by the exemplary service of the British liners Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth which transported hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops to Europe during World War II, the United States government decided to sponsor construction of a large and very fast merchant vessel capable of transporting large numbers of soldiers. Designed by renowned American naval architect and marine engineer William Francis Gibbs, the liner's construction was a joint effort between the United States Navy and United States Lines. The U.S. government underwrote $50 million of the $78 million construction cost, with the ship's operators, United States Lines, contributing the remaining $28 million. In exchange, she was designed to be easily converted into a troopship or a hospital ship in the case of war. types/51 sh/sh liner/36 qma/qma. ... RMS Queen Elizabeth was a steam-powered ocean liner of the Cunard Steamship Company. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... William Francis Gibbs (August 24, 1886 - September 6, 1967) was a renowned naval architect who directed the mass production of cargo ships for the United States during World War II, including the famous Liberty ships, of which 2,751 were built. ... USN redirects here. ... United States Lines was a shipping company that operated ocean liners from 1921 to 1969, most famously the SS United States. ... USS John Land (AP-167) in San Francisco Bay sometime in 1945-46; soldiers crowd the decks in anticipation of homecoming. ...

She was built from 1950-1952 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia. Her keel was laid and her hull was constructed in a graving dock. The United States was built to exacting Navy specifications, which required that she be heavily compartmentalized and have separate engine rooms to enable her to survive should she be damaged in war. Location in the State of Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States State Virginia County Independent city Incorporated 1896 Government - Mayor Joe Frank Area - City 119. ... U.S. Navy submarine USS Greeneville in dry dock following collision with a fishing boat. ...

Mindful that during World War II U.S. aircraft carriers, with wooden flight decks, tended to catch fire more readily than steel-decked British carriers, the designers of the United States did not use a single piece of wood in her framing, accessories or decorations. There were no wood interior surfaces. Fittings, including all furniture and fabrics, were custom made in glass, metal and spun glass fiber to ensure they were in full compliance with strict fireproof guidelines set by the U.S. Navy. Even the clothes hangers in the luxury cabins were made of aluminum. The only wooden equipment used in the construction of the vessel was in the bilge keels and butcher blocks in the galleys. The grand piano in the ballroom was even made of a rare, fire-resistant species of wood ^{[citation needed]}. Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and in most cases recover aircraft, acting as a sea... For other uses, see Keel (disambiguation). ... The galley is the compartment of a ship, submarine, train or aircraft where food is cooked and prepared. ... A grand piano from Schiedmayer & SÃ¶hne, Stuttgart. ...

The construction of the ship's superstructure involved the largest use of aluminum in any construction project to that time, and presented a special challenge to the builders in joining the aluminum structure to the steel decks below. The significant use of aluminum provided an extreme weight savings. At 106 feet (32 m) beam, the United States was built to Panamax capacity, ensuring that she could clear the Panama Canal locks with just 2 feet (0.6 m) to spare on either side. The United States featured the most powerful engine installation in a merchant marine vessel and the most powerful in any vessel, civilian or naval, apart from later U.S. supercarriers. She was capable of steaming astern at over 20 knots (37 km/h) and could carry enough fuel and stores to steam non-stop for over 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 km). Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... The two ships seen here seem almost to be touching the walls of the Miraflores Locks. ... Two Panamax running the Miraflores Locks The Panama Canal (Spanish: ) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ... USS Enterprise, a supercarrier, and the conventionally-sized aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle A Supercarrier is a ship belonging to the largest class of aircraft carrier. ... A knot is a unit of speed abbreviated kt or kn. ... Kilometres per hour (American spelling: kilometers per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ... â€¹ The template below (Unit of length) is being considered for deletion. ...

Service history

Embarking on her maiden voyage on 4 July 1952, the United States smashed the transatlantic speed record held by the Queen Mary for the previous 14 years by over 10 hours, making her maiden crossing from the Ambrose lightship at New York Harbor to Bishop Rock off Cornwall, UK in 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes at an average speed of 35.59 knots (40.96 mph). The liner also broke the westbound crossing record by returning to America in 3 days 12 hours and 12 minutes at an average speed of 34.51 knots (39.71 mph), thereby obtaining both the eastbound and westbound Blue Ribands. The United States maintained a 30 knot (56 km/h) crossing speed on the North Atlantic in a service career that lasted 17 years. During her career her Captains were Harry Manning, John Anderson and Leroy J. Alexanderson. She was very popular and proved to be a worthy competitor to the Cunard Line's Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. This is a picture postcard showing the SS United States. ... This is a picture postcard showing the SS United States. ... The maiden voyage of a ship or aircraft is the first cruise or flight in revenue service, typically following a series of shakedown cruises or test-flights. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lightship Ambrose served as the sentinal beacon marking Ambrose Channel, the main shipping channel for New York Harbor, from 1823 until the station was replaced by Ambrose Lightstation, a Texas Tower, in 1967. ... New York Harbor, a geographic term, refers collectively to the rivers, bays, and tidal estuaries near the mouth of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York City. ... Bishop Rock Lighthouse Bishop Rock (Cornish: Men an Eskob) is a small rock at the westernmost tip of the Isles of Scilly (), known for its lighthouse, and listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest island in the world. ... For other uses, see Cornwall (disambiguation). ... The Blue Riband is an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing. ... John Anderson is a common name shared by a number of individuals: John HD Anderson (1726-1796), a Scottish scientist. ... Commodore Alexanderson Leroy J. Alexanderson was the last captain of the SS United States, the biggest ocean liner ever built in the United States and the fastest ocean liner in history. ...

The maximum speed of the United States was deliberately exaggerated, and kept obscure for many years. An impossible value of 43 knots (80 km/h) was leaked to reporters by engineers after the first speed trial. The actual top speed — 38.3 knots (44.1 mph) — was not revealed until 1977.^[1]

Recent history

While the the United States was at Newport News for her annual overhaul in 1969, her owners decided to take her out of service and she was laid up at Newport News. A few years later, she was moved to Norfolk. Since then, ownership has been passed between several companies. In 1978 the vessel was sold to private interests who hoped to revitalize the liner in a time share cruise ship format. Financing fell through and the ship was placed up for auction by MARAD. In 1984, the ship's remaining fittings and furniture were sold at auction in Norfolk, Virginia. Some of the furniture now represents a substantial portion of the interior of Windmill Point, a restaurant in Nags Head, NC. (These items include dining room tables and chairs in the main restaurant and the bar and lounge tables and chairs in the upstairs lounge as well as other items.) In 1992, a new consortium of owners bought the vessel and had her towed to Turkey and then Ukraine, where she underwent asbestos removal. No viable agreements were reached in the U.S. for a reworking of the vessel and eventually the United States was towed to her current dock in South Philadelphia, where she has been moored since 1996. She can be easily viewed from shore and Interstate 95, as the United States is located directly across Columbus Boulevard from Philadelphia's IKEA store. Pacific Sky sails under Sydney Harbour Bridge A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Maritime Administration. ... Motto: Crescas (Latin for, Thou shalt grow. ... Nags Head is a place in North Carolina, USA. When many people refer to the Outer Banks, they use the term Nags Head to generically describe the area. ... For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Interstate 95 is a major interstate highway that traverses the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, from Maine to Florida. ... Map of countries with IKEA stores. ...

In 1999, the SS United States Foundation and the SS United States Conservancy (then known as the SS United States Preservation Society, Inc.) successfully worked to have the ship placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1984x1488, 682 KB) Summary Photo of SS United States from Columbus Blvd (aka Delaware Ave). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1984x1488, 682 KB) Summary Photo of SS United States from Columbus Blvd (aka Delaware Ave). ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2576 Ã— 1932 pixel, file size: 923 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo taken at sunset on June 3, 2006 from The Spirit of Philladelphia Mike Romano, V550, Fair Use, Taken by me File historyClick on a... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (2576 Ã— 1932 pixel, file size: 923 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo taken at sunset on June 3, 2006 from The Spirit of Philladelphia Mike Romano, V550, Fair Use, Taken by me File historyClick on a...

In 2003, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) purchased the ship with the intent of fully restoring it to a service role in their newly announced American-flagged Hawaiian passenger service. In August 2004 NCL commenced feasibility studies regarding a new build-out of the vessel. In May 2006, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman of Star Cruises (which owns NCL) said that the company's next project is "the restoration of the...United States."^[2] In May 2007, NCL stated that it had completed an extensive technical review and determined that the ship is in good condition. NCL has cataloged more than 100 boxes of blueprints of the vessel and while this is not a complete set, NCL says the documents will provide useful information to the project team that is seeking to refit the United States.^[3] Norwegian Cruise Line NCL America Orient Lines Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in Miami, Florida. ... Star Cruises largest ship, SuperStar Virgo, lying at anchor near Phuket, Thailand Star Pisces at Ocean Terminal, Hong Kong harbour Star Cruises is the third-largest cruise line in the world behind Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean, and dominates the Asia-Pacific market. ...

While the United States was the last superliner to hold the Blue Riband, she eventually lost the eastbound transatlantic record in 1990 to Hoverspeed Great Britain, an Incat-built Norwegian-owned wave-piercing catamaran ferry. The United States still retains the westbound speed record. Superliner is a term sometimes used for an ocean liner of over 10,000 gross tons. ... The Blue Riband is an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing. ... Hoverspeed Great Britain is a 74 metre long, ocean-going catamaran built in 1990 by Incat, and owned by the UK company Hoverspeed. ... Incat is a manufacturer of large HSC catamarans, based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. ... It has been suggested that Catamaran History be merged into this article or section. ...

In fiction

The fictional novel Flood Tide by Clive Cussler features the United States in a major role. The liner was accquired by Qin Shang Maritime Limited, a massive shipping company owned by the villain Qin Shang. It was planned to have her steamed from the Eastern Seaboard to China for her refitting as a "robo-ship." Shang intended to use the ocean liner as a diversionary dam in the Mississippi River, diverting the river's flow to his own shipping port, Sungari. Categories: Possible copyright violations ... // Clive Eric Cussler (born July 15, 1931 in Aurora, Illinois)[1][2] is an American adventure novelist and successful amateur marine archaeologist. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ...

In poetry

C. K. Williams wrote the poem "The United States" (published in the April 16, 2007 issue of The New Yorker magazine) about the ship and the experience of sailing on it to France. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ...

References

External links

Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since April 2007 | Ocean liners | Steamships | Registered Historic Places in Pennsylvania | Landmarks in Philadelphia | Blue Riband holders | Passenger ships of the United States types/51 sh/sh liner/36 qma/qma. ... The Blue Riband is an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing. ... The Blue Riband is an award held by the ship with the record for a transatlantic crossing. ... Hoverspeed Great Britain is a 74 metre long, ocean-going catamaran built in 1990 by Incat, and owned by the UK company Hoverspeed. ...

Encyclopedia > SS United States

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