ss United States

[Bryan Portwig]

a simulated sinking united states artificial reef (1).jpgunited states artificial reef (2).jpg

[Art Wadsworth]

I show my American pride when talking about the Big U, but I must also be honest and face the facts about her. She was owned and operated by a company that lived on gov't subsidies. Designed with gov't subsidies and built with gov't subsidies. When the free lunch ran out, she was through. Big U is a good example of the idea that boats are holes in the water in which to shovel money.
She was built to Navy specification, firerooms and enginerooms separate. Idea was she'd be a possible war transport. I've seen Big U and sister America both drydocked at Norfolk Navy Yard -- subsidies at work. William Francis Gibbs, her designer, was a fanatic on fire protection. Asbestos everywhere and the ship was towed to Turkey in the 90's for removal. Only wood aboard was the butcher block and grand piano. Steinway refused to make an aluminum piano.

Details on her plant have never been published, supposedly defense secrets...Best guess is that the
plant is much like that of Midway class carriers. A 2nd Asst swore to me that he saw 41kts on the
trials. Who knows?

Watch this story closely, as it is far from being over. In true American fashion there is still time for
lawsuits, injunctions and other forms of sea lawyering. My own thought is that the honorable thing
would be to taker out off soundings and pull the plug. But then we all know that vessels on that
last tow often come to grief enroute to the knackers. Art from Baltimore

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Art
Thanks for that tale; always glad to get feed back from someone there, like our Rod who is always there to put us right on a few things.
Cheers Des

[corrientes]

The story of her construction and all about her designer. "A Man and His Ship" by Steven Ujifusa. Published by Simon and Schuster Paperbacks.
ISBN No:- 978-1-4516-4509-5

[Bryan Portwig]

thank you for your valued comments - in direct contrast with my own - but such is the joy of the maritime world we serve sail and speak on - the conservancy that had control over her have signed ownership to okalaasa ( spelling ? ) so they now control the destiny of her future - much as when buys a car or house or business i would think - my own believe is that the whole sorry saga of her future is like a storm in a tea cup - and its only those who know her history who are up in arms over her future - within a year of her ( sinking ) she will fade from memory and fall into the history books of maritime passenger ships and ocean linersartificial reef.jpg

[James Curry]

Likely to become the next talking point until the Queen Mary is towed out of Long Beach and becomes another reef for the Wealthy to dive on
Make a change from the Titanic, only thing a ship ever did was learn how to sink. Sorry Mr Bushmills may be responsibile for my flippant remarks, (Hic!!)

[Doug Hardie]

Likely to become the next talking point until the Queen Mary is towed out of Long Beach and becomes another reef for the Wealthy to dive on
Make a change from the Titanic, only thing a ship ever did was learn how to sink. Sorry Mr Bushmills may be responsibile for my flippant remarks, (Hic!!)

Hi James have you got a new Job promoting Bushmills over the much more sophisticated and smooth liquid product produced in Scotland! HaHa
Doug

[James Curry]

No Doug, just appreciate the smoothness of a triple distilled quality whiskey from the worlds oldest whiskey distillery. Nothing wrong with Scotch, I save that for those who do not know what a quality whisky is. You know when they ask is that bottle of Grants I see in there? Yes I was bought it for Christmas, never tell them which Christmas as it was a few years ago.

[happy daze john in oz]

Now James, what is wrong with a good Irish whiskey??

But most drinkers cannot tell the difference between the various blended whiskeys.

When we had the pubs 'Bells' was all the go, majority of drinkers would ask for it.
But what they got in our pubs, and I suspect many others was often the breweries one blend, about 80% of the 'Bells' cost.

[j.sabourn]

What about the Scots John ?thought their usual drink was an arf and an arf , one being a beer and the other a low flier. JS