Post by yachtsmanwilly on Mar 7, 2010 18:39:28 GMT -5
Fast ocean liner S.S. United States faces scrapping
3/7 - Preservationists have a sinking feeling that the owners of the S.S. United States – the fastest ocean liner in the world – are trying to sell it for scrap.
The vessel's current owner, NCL Group, a unit of Genting Hong Kong, is collecting bids from scrap yards this month, according to the S.S. United States Conservancy, a nonprofit group trying to save the ship. The effort to preserve the historic ship was the subject of an article in The Wall Street Journal in September.
In a statement, an NCL spokeswoman said, "We continue to seek alternative arrangements with the intent of selling the vessel to a suitable buyer." The preservationists recently launched a "Save Our Ship" fund-raising drive at ssusplankowner.org. ("Plank owner" being the nautical term for a new vessel's first crew.)
Scrapping would be an ignominious end for a vessel that once traversed the Atlantic carrying British royalty, Hollywood big shots and three orchestras on board. The ship – so fast, its top speed was a Cold War state secret – still holds the record for the fastest westbound crossing of the Atlantic, nearly 60 years after setting it.
The steamship offered passenger service between New York and Europe for nearly two decades. It went out of service in 1969, as jet travel killed the passenger business of the classic ocean liners.
For years, the S.S. United States has been rusting away on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, across the street from an Ikea. It costs about $800,000 a year to keep the ship mothballed, according to NCL.
The NCL spokeswoman said, "We have continued discussions with the S.S. United States Conservancy, but to date, they have not made an offer to purchase the ship." NCL put the ship on the market about a year ago, after a failed plan to refit it and sail it around Hawaii.
The executive director of the Conservancy, Dan McSweeney, expressed optimism that a solution can be found that doesn't end at the scrap yard. "They've taken care of the ship very well thus far," he said of NCL. "There's a win-win here. We're confident we can work with them to save the ship and repurpose it successfully."
Among other things, the preservationists hope it could become a floating convention center or hotel, perhaps even reclaiming a spot on New York City's waterfront, its original home port. New York's West Side is already home to other unusual vehicles, including the Intrepid aircraft-carrier museum and a grounded Concorde jet.
In recent months, the Conservancy has met with neighborhood groups and urban-development officials in New York and Philadelphia. Late last year, Philadelphia's city council passed a resolution honoring the ship.
But resolutions don't buy steamships, so the Conservancy is looking for cash. To drum up support, it's screening a documentary about the ship, "Lady in Waiting," next week at the National Academy in New York. And it has lined up a pledge of $300,000 from Philadelphia philanthropist Gerry Lenfest toward the purchase price – but only if other contributors to do their part, Mr. Lenfest said in an interview last year.
Wall Street Journal
3/7 - Preservationists have a sinking feeling that the owners of the S.S. United States – the fastest ocean liner in the world – are trying to sell it for scrap.
The vessel's current owner, NCL Group, a unit of Genting Hong Kong, is collecting bids from scrap yards this month, according to the S.S. United States Conservancy, a nonprofit group trying to save the ship. The effort to preserve the historic ship was the subject of an article in The Wall Street Journal in September.
In a statement, an NCL spokeswoman said, "We continue to seek alternative arrangements with the intent of selling the vessel to a suitable buyer." The preservationists recently launched a "Save Our Ship" fund-raising drive at ssusplankowner.org. ("Plank owner" being the nautical term for a new vessel's first crew.)
Scrapping would be an ignominious end for a vessel that once traversed the Atlantic carrying British royalty, Hollywood big shots and three orchestras on board. The ship – so fast, its top speed was a Cold War state secret – still holds the record for the fastest westbound crossing of the Atlantic, nearly 60 years after setting it.
The steamship offered passenger service between New York and Europe for nearly two decades. It went out of service in 1969, as jet travel killed the passenger business of the classic ocean liners.
For years, the S.S. United States has been rusting away on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, across the street from an Ikea. It costs about $800,000 a year to keep the ship mothballed, according to NCL.
The NCL spokeswoman said, "We have continued discussions with the S.S. United States Conservancy, but to date, they have not made an offer to purchase the ship." NCL put the ship on the market about a year ago, after a failed plan to refit it and sail it around Hawaii.
The executive director of the Conservancy, Dan McSweeney, expressed optimism that a solution can be found that doesn't end at the scrap yard. "They've taken care of the ship very well thus far," he said of NCL. "There's a win-win here. We're confident we can work with them to save the ship and repurpose it successfully."
Among other things, the preservationists hope it could become a floating convention center or hotel, perhaps even reclaiming a spot on New York City's waterfront, its original home port. New York's West Side is already home to other unusual vehicles, including the Intrepid aircraft-carrier museum and a grounded Concorde jet.
In recent months, the Conservancy has met with neighborhood groups and urban-development officials in New York and Philadelphia. Late last year, Philadelphia's city council passed a resolution honoring the ship.
But resolutions don't buy steamships, so the Conservancy is looking for cash. To drum up support, it's screening a documentary about the ship, "Lady in Waiting," next week at the National Academy in New York. And it has lined up a pledge of $300,000 from Philadelphia philanthropist Gerry Lenfest toward the purchase price – but only if other contributors to do their part, Mr. Lenfest said in an interview last year.
Wall Street Journal
