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"Big U" Update


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The conservancy is doing an "SS United States" cruise to Bermuda May 6 on the Celebrity "Summit". It appears there will be talks, discussions, visuals, etc pertaining to the ship. We're going!!!!

 

It promises to be a great cruise and what a perfect time of the year to visit Bermuda. Be sure to check back here after your return. :)

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The conservancy is doing an "SS United States" cruise to Bermuda May 6 on the Celebrity "Summit". It appears there will be talks, discussions, visuals, etc pertaining to the ship. We're going!!!!

 

Should be a great cruise, we had already booked summit and leaving next week. Our cruise is a rock and romance cruise , with America ,Micheal McDonald , BJ Thomas and many others , have a sky suite

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  • 4 weeks later...
The conservancy is doing an "SS United States" cruise to Bermuda May 6 on the Celebrity "Summit". It appears there will be talks, discussions, visuals, etc pertaining to the ship. We're going!!!!

 

Really enjoyed summit great food , nice ship

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Sadly, it has been an uneventful summer in the effort to save the SS United States. The only headlines generated were tied to the recent death of Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. "Gerry Lenfest who saved the Big U from the breakers in 2011. His generous donation allowed the SS United States Conservancy to purchase the ship from NCL.

 

It is thought that efforts continue to relocate the ship to NYC.

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Maybe one of the cruise lines that is in the environmental doghouse (Carnival) could make modest investment ($40m- the amount of a few fines*) buy the Big U and make her a test bed for future low impact engines and systems.  She is all torn apart already inside.  So:

 

Flettner / Magnus wind turbines (the photos are amazing) 

Hydrogen fuel cells - would require internal tanks (boiler room?) 

Solar panels on outside surfaces 

Batteries 

Biofuel diesels (palm oil, algae, etc.) 

Fusion/advanced nuclear power (this was the ship of the future- remember?) 

Highly efficient environmental systems  (and even air filters for hydrogen sulfide- ocean dead zones produce this ) 

Etc.

 

The "prize" would be some good PR, and a ship that could make intra-US voyages.  The industry has lost their "get out of jail free" card for environmental impact and needs to step up.  

 

*Fines are not tax deductible this would be 

 

Edited by ew101
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On 6/14/2019 at 9:56 PM, ew101 said:

Maybe one of the cruise lines that is in the environmental doghouse (Carnival) could make modest investment ($40m- the amount of a few fines*) buy the Big U and make her a test bed for future low impact engines and systems.  She is all torn apart already inside.  So:

 

Flettner / Magnus wind turbines (the photos are amazing) 

Hydrogen fuel cells - would require internal tanks (boiler room?) 

Solar panels on outside surfaces 

Batteries 

Biofuel diesels (palm oil, algae, etc.) 

Fusion/advanced nuclear power (this was the ship of the future- remember?) 

Highly efficient environmental systems  (and even air filters for hydrogen sulfide- ocean dead zones produce this ) 

Etc.

 

The "prize" would be some good PR, and a ship that could make intra-US voyages.  The industry has lost their "get out of jail free" card for environmental impact and needs to step up.  

 

*Fines are not tax deductible this would be 

 

Unfortunately, another idea of yours that won't work, this time from a legal standpoint.  One of the legal challenges when NCL bought the ship was from historical groups (not sure if the conservancy was part) to preserve the power plant, as this is the historically significant part of the ship.  The power plant still remains onboard.  And, as Crystal found out, in order to meet the new SOLAS requirements, you would essentially have to remove the entire stern of the ship and redesign for twin rudders, redesign the entire superstructure at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, and that is before any experimental work is done.

 

The thought of the shielding required for a nuclear reactor on a passenger vessel is mind boggling, as is the liability to endless future lawsuits long after the ship is scrapped from anyone who sailed on the ship and developed cancer at any future time.

 

As for using the SSUS as a test bed, one thing most folks don't know about is that a US flag vessel, when it does any repairs (or in this case total reconstruction and retrofitting power plants multiple times as they experiment) in a foreign country, the US slaps a 50% customs duty on the cost of all repairs and work.  So, you would be limiting the total reconstruction of the hotel, and the cost of all the costly experimental power systems to being done at the much higher priced US shipyards (very few capable or desiring of doing this kind of work) or paying enormous duties to the US.

 

While I agree that Carnival Corp has worn out its welcome as a good member of the maritime industry, I would like them to focus more on the types of environmental issues (garbage, plastics, sewage, ballast water, refrigerants, and sulfur emissions) than in a far more costly attempt to reduce greenhouse gases.  Cruise ships account for about 5% of the world's ocean going tonnage, so trying to single them out for reducing fuel consumption is not going to help the planet much.  90% of the world's commerce travels by sea, so this is where the focus should be, and folks should brace for impacts on their life styles if this is where they want to go.  The experimenting with new power systems needs to start with the lower power demand cargo ships, and then, just like with diesel electric, gas turbines, and azipods, it can be seen if scaling up for cruise ships is feasible for a proven smaller installation.

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Interesting to see a thread about this here. In Philly the ship is directly across the street from an Ikea. Going to the store for the first time it was the absolute last thing you'd expect to see when you pull into a parking lot. We sat there for awhile looking at pictures from her better days before we made it into the store. 

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On 6/20/2019 at 4:14 AM, Wedgie23 said:

Interesting to see a thread about this here. In Philly the ship is directly across the street from an Ikea. Going to the store for the first time it was the absolute last thing you'd expect to see when you pull into a parking lot. We sat there for awhile looking at pictures from her better days before we made it into the store. 

One of the best views of the ship is from the restaurant on Ikea' s second floor.

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On 9/9/2019 at 6:17 PM, George C said:

This looks interesting!

Can anyone who was on the Summit cruise fill us in on what the activities were like?

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America's flagship continues to be a "lady in waiting" on the Philadelphia waterfront.

 

According to the SS United States Conservancy website, developer RXR is still working on a combined museum-retail effort at the ship's NYC home port after the initial March, 2020 announcement. 

 

The Conservancy continues enrichment efforts and fund raisers including tours starting at $500. There was a contest to go aboard too.

 

ssusc.org

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I'm not sure if anyone watches "Mysteries of the Abandoned", but on the episode a few weeks ago, the "Big U' was one of the stories on the episode. They had the granddaughter of the designer on there with the history of the ship and some indoor shots. Sad, but beautiful at the same time.

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10 hours ago, zdcatc12 said:

I'm not sure if anyone watches "Mysteries of the Abandoned", but on the episode a few weeks ago, the "Big U' was one of the stories on the episode. They had the granddaughter of the designer on there with the history of the ship and some indoor shots. Sad, but beautiful at the same time.

That would be the indefatigable Susan Gibbs granddaughter of William Gibbs the designer of the Big U.  The ship should have been saved years ago but ran up against one unsuccessful buyer after another.  The ship is an American icon and historic monument.  The question is…how many years can the foundation go on without an end use for the once great ship?  The Big U will probably never sail again but she could become part of a convention/exhibition center on dry land.  That would make a great maritime museum.

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I read an article recently about her being moved to Manhattan as part of an entertainment complex. Has anyone else heard about this?

It is still sad every time that I drive over the Whitman Bridge and look over and see her rusting away.

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On 11/20/2023 at 11:48 AM, zdcatc12 said:

I read an article recently about her being moved to Manhattan as part of an entertainment complex. Has anyone else heard about this?

It is still sad every time that I drive over the Whitman Bridge and look over and see her rusting away.

 

At this point, I think the conservancy is willing to donate the ship to any city that's willing to accept her. They might have a slick set of drawings for the mixed-use plan, but no lender or investor is ever going to piss away $500 million on this pipe dream.

 

How would that investment ever be recovered? $500 million is literally how much professional sports stadiums cost to build. The United States is not that historically significant, either. It had a short, boring career and there's nothing original to see inside because it's all been gutted. Plus, modern society doesn't care about old-timey ocean liners.

 

The Queen Mary in Long Beach has been a financial disaster for anyone foolish enough to invest. And that ship was fully intact and well known by the public at the time of it's hotel/exhibit conversion. 

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