Broken Promises
The SS United States was built in 1952 for the United States Line. Not only was she a ship of state, she broke the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage. She till holds the Blue Riband for being the fastest Ocean Liner. She crossed form New York to Southampton in 3 days, 12 hours, 12 minutes, averaging 35.5 knots.
The SS United States was laid-up in 1996.
In 2003 the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) purchased the SS United States and effectively promised to return her to service as a ‘state-of-the-art’ cruise ship.
Most industry insiders and commentators, including ship guru’s Bill Miller and John Maxtone Graham, were very sceptical that NCL would actually return her back to service. Apart from the immense technical difficulties, it would cost many times more to convert a fifty years old Ocean Liner, into a modern cruise ship, than it would to build a completely new ship.
In 2009 NCL had sold the SS united States. They had done very little to the ship, in the time that they had owned her, apart from surveying her extensively.
At a modest 53,329 gross tonnes it is difficult to imagine that the ‘Big U’ could accommodate the type of facilities and types of staterooms that modern cruise passengers expect. After all, such a ship would need to appeal to the cruising masses and not just Ocean Liner fans. Her existing internal spaces and low superstructure would probably not be sufficient for balcony cabins, big atrium’s and multiple dining rooms etc. that modern cruise passengers now expect as standard. However, extra decks could of course be added, but would probably destroy her ‘classic’ profile.
It has been alleged that NCL were NEVER interested in operating an historic ship, they wanted to own the SS United States ‘America’ hull. This hull which would allow her to become an ‘American’ flagged ship. This would and make her effectively immune from the ‘Jones Act’ and able to operate unique itineraries. (In short non-American built ships cannot visit multiple US ports, such as inter-Island cruises in Hawaii etc.)
Alternatively they may have just wanted to stop any of their competitors buying her American hull. NCL Already formed ‘NCL America’ and had ‘Pride of America’, an American flagged ship, operating unique itineraries around Hawaii that very few other ships are entitled to. If another cruise line purchased the SS United States, they could renovate her, and compete with NCL. NCL obviously wanted to block this possibility.
In a July 31, 2004 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer by NCL’s then CEO, Colin Veitch, said that he believed that the SS United States would be successful in sailing on a east coast to west coast cruise routes of America, via the Panama Canal.
However any possible renovation of the SS United States was linked to the success of their NCLA (Norwegian Cruise Line America) project, although the original press release (below) did not initially suggest this. However NCLA partially failed. NCLA originally had three US-Flagged ship operating in Hawaiian waters, but in 2008, two were withdraw leaving just one ‘Pride of America’. This is still the case in 2020.
NCL are of course not a charity with a mission of saving ageing Ocean Liners, they are a a business. Nevertheless, their the original NCL press release, which in my opinion was over optimistic and gave liner fans false hope:
Official 2003 Press Release – Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) announced on April 14, 2003 that it has purchased the S/S United States, one of the country’s most venerable ships built in the glory days of trans-Atlantic sea travel. NCL intends to convert the vessel to a state-of-the art, modern cruise ship and to add her to NCL’s planned US flagged fleet. A relaunched S/S United States will add more than 1,000 American maritime jobs and 5,000 shoreside jobs to the 3,000 maritime jobs and 17,000 shoreside jobs that NCL’s US flag initiative with Project America is predicted to generate.
Widely considered to be the greatest superliner ever built in this country, the S/S United States was engineered to be faster, safer and more technologically advanced than anything else afloat when she was christened. To this day, her Atlantic crossing record has never been matched and she remains the holder of the fabled Blue Riband.
“Knowing that S/S United States faced an uncertain future, NCL moved swiftly to purchase the vessel. NCL is now evaluating options for use of the ship under US flag and determining the extent of renovations needed to convert her to a state-of-the-art, modern cruise ship that will appeal to today’s vacationer. The ship is expected to offer mainland itineraries where cruise products are not currently available. The refurbishment of the hull and superstructure will be done at shipyards with the outfitting completed overseas. NCL is no stranger to such conversions, having converted the fabled North Atlantic liner the S/S France into cruising’s first Caribbean megaship, S/S Norway.
“When we discovered this American icon was in jeopardy, we saw a unique opportunity and acted immediately. The ship is a classic, she was built in America and is eligible to operate in domestic service under existing law and regulation,” said Colin Veitch, NCL’s president and CEO. “The S/S United States would be a phenomenal addition to our flag operation down the road. We remain focused on completing Project America and successfully introducing our innovative US flag cruise ships in Hawaii, but we will now organize a project team to work with US yards, naval engineers and architects to develop plans for what should be the fourth vessel in our US flagged fleet.”
End.
Above: 2008 -The ‘SS United States’ Library on-board the ‘Norwegian Jade’, complete with ship model. Ironically, they sold the SS United States in 2009.
Crystal To Save The SS United States?
Deja Vu:
In February 2016, the luxury cruise brand, ‘Crystal Cruises’ purchased the SS Unites states and launched a plan to renovate and return her back into service as a ‘state-of-the-art cruise ship. However like NCL, they carried out an extensive feasibility survey and even created concept renderings. However by August, Crystal quickly abandoned the plan.
The decision was announced: “that after a six-month evaluation that determined that the iconic liner, docked in Philadelphia for 20 years, is structurally sound but that the technical and commercial challenges to return the ship to service were “insurmountable.” “Unfortunately, the hurdles that would face us when trying to bring a 65-year-old vessel up to modern safety, design and international regulatory compliance have proven just too great to clear in both a technically and commercially responsible manner,” Crystal President and CEO Edie Rodriguez said.
Crystal spent more than $1 million on a feasibility study led by retired U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Tim Sullivan. The study concluded that while the ship is structurally sound, modifying it to meet today’s standards would require significant changes to the hull that would pose stability challenges, Crystal said. Additionally, the installation of a modern diesel electric propulsion plant would require altering the existing shaft lines and rebuilding about 25 percent of the hull to reconfigure the ship to a twin shaft-twin rudder arrangement.
It hard to believe that two such major cruise lines (NCL & Crystal) would make the mistake of effectively promising to return the ‘SS United States’ back to service, before fully evaluating the technical and economic challenges in advance. Everybody else in the maritime business thought the idea of a renovation very unlikely to happen, apart from NCL and Crystal! It’s not as if either line specialise in offering ‘nostalgic’ cruises on vintage ships. (Cunard are more into offering an Ocean Liner ambiance on-board their fleet, than both they are).
The classic liner continues to be laid-up, slowly rusting away. Although some very well meaning bodies continue to fight and are optimistic about her future as a floating hotel, exhibition space of even a shopping centre, sadly nothing has actually come to fruition.
Below are rendering of Crystal’s concept of a renovated SS Unite States:
2024: A New Hope?
In 2023, the SS United states Conservancy, unveiled a proposal that would see the SS United States return home to New York. The transformative plan would repurpose the vessel as a permanently moored floating structure encompassing hospitality, food and beverage, and cultural spaces. Those offerings would include a world-class museum honouring the ship’s history. (See video below).
Malcolm
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