Warbird Information Exchange

A great trailer video. I hope this ship doesn't go to the scrapper...it's starting to look like it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0hN_22jKV8

_________________
"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

There needs to be reality check here. This ship is probably never going to sail again but could be turned into a nice floating Hotel or something similar...

_________________
All I did was press this red button here...

Unfortunately, the likely outcome is the scrapper. The interior is gutted and it would cost a fortune to return it to it's former glory either as a hotel or a museum. If it came down to scrapping, there would be more dignity in taking her out to sea and sending her to the bottom...

_________________
"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

turds float too........ that thing is toast. a damned shame!!

_________________
tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

Hold on y'all while I put on my flamesuit...

As much as I really like ships and the SS United States is a handsome ship there just isn't a place for her any more. She is the last true winner of the Blue Riband, and that says a lot about the era in which she lived. That era is over and there is only so much demand for reminders of it. The Queen Mary fits the bill for those in need of the ambiance. I wonder if the QE2 will be able to survive as a luxury hotel.

In a perfect world the ship would be saved, but then so would the USS Enterprise (CV6) and the NS Savannah (fate still uncertain and it wasn't the draw it was speculated to be when it was at patriots Point). The USS Cabot couldn't do it and she was the last of her kind of an important class of ship at a location that should have been good for business.

There have been many attempts to resurrect the SS United States and none of them have come close.

It will soon be time to retire the USS Enterprise (CVN 65), will there be a place for her? One of the Kittyhawk class has already been sunk. The USS America is a carrier I thought should have been saved. Of all of the Aircraft carrier museum ships IIRC, only one of them, USS Midway, is not an Essex class.

There are many ships that ought to be saved. You just cannot force people to save them.

Heck, I would even go for putting them on a pole as opposed to losing them forever.

Thanks for posting, I didn't know this ship still existed. somewhere around the house I have a passengers log, from when my grandparents cruised on it to Alaska.

_________________
Roger Cain
www.sfahistory.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stearman/


We must limit politicians to two terms:
one in office and one in jail.

That's pretty neat. You should frame it with a picture of the ship. SS United States items are big time collectors items...

_________________
"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

Yeah, I've got a postcard too, need to put them together.........

_________________
Roger Cain
www.sfahistory.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stearman/


We must limit politicians to two terms:
one in office and one in jail.

I thought I'd chime in here.

First off, that's a beautiful ship and it is a shame she's not getting the care and attention she should be getting.

But, on that point it's got to be a very expensive things to do. It is incredibly hard to preserve artifacts that as big as a sky-scraper.

Looking at the realities of the world, it's easy to preserve little things like spoon collections, antique furniture, classic cars, even small vintage/warbird airplanes... but when we start getting bigger like preserving winnebagos and larger bombers, and boats, and other such things it becomes so costly just to store them so they don't decay.

I really hope that something can be done for the SS United States.

That being said, it makes me wonder how many Boeing 747's are going to be preserved (in museums) in 40 years besides Airforce One, and how many 727's there'll be, and anything else that is big.

I'm affraid that large things like ships and airplanes are hard to preserve especially when they become obselete... nobody really cares about them until it's too late.

Anywho.... my two cents.

Cheers,

David

Umm... What about 747 001? It's been on display at the Seattle Museum of Flight for years.

Ok, so besides the one in Seattle and eventually Air Force One, I don't expect too many others to survive in museums. I think there's one British Airways 747, there'll probably be a Qantas ship.... but beyond maybe 10 or 15 examples surviving world wide.... I wouldn't expect many more.

-David

Qantas have a 747 preserved at Longreach, Queensland, along with the 707 which was flown out from the UK two years ago. Longreach probably makes AMARC seem cold and wet. However British Airways dropped the ball with the BA collection at Cosford in the UK, and a 'preserved' 707 was scrapped there.

John Travolta of course is an official Qantas ambassador with his airworthy Qantas 707 as well.

However David's points re size and recent retirement=no value do stand, IMHO.

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Preserving and restoring an ocean liner is an enormous undertaking, expensive and the cost alone is not restricted to the ship itself. Finding a suitable port and berth for it is a huge problem and expense. Facilities have to be built, a visitors welcome center, parking, etc.
The SS United States is in terrible condition and the interior has been gutted due to asbestos. It would have to be drydocked ($$$) to have to hull blasted and painted, the superstructure needs massive amounts of work and the interiors would have to be re-constructed. The task is mind-boggling.
The future is grim unless a wealthy person steps in for the rescue...and quick.

_________________
"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

I don't see a way out in this economy. I've looked at the ship over the past few years on Google Earth and Live Maps and it's a shame. Love to see it preserved, but you can't save everything.
Jerry

_________________
"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Sad but true. The srappers are drooling over this one. Have you seen what happened to the SS Norway (former France)? Heartbreaking...

_________________
"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."