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“The Independence is definitely a product of the 1950s, an era that is on the edge of being preserved,” noted Mark Moore, an ocean liner aficionado. “We sometimes hate the past, but then suddenly want to save things from it. The Queen Mary barely made it back in the ‘60s and now I hope the Independence will be saved as well. She is a great symbol of American design, décor and engineering. Today, we have companies like Target and Restoration Hardware featuring the retro look, which is very big and very popular. The Independence should definitely become a docked attraction.” Retaining old ocean liners is expensive, often problematic and often offers little return. In 2008, the former Independence was towed to India, to be
deliberately run aground at Alang in India for scrapping. But she unintentionally ran aground in the outer bay, later broke in two and finally had to be demolished on the spot.

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She and her sister remain interesting and very appealing. "By 2010, these ships are absolutely beloved & always quick sellers for collectors and this includes their later American Hawaii days," noted ocean liner memorabilia dealer Brian Hawley. "But good items from the Independence & Constitution under American Export are actually quite hard to find. Recently, I found a very rare isometric deck plan for these sisters. It was an instant seller."

The End