The "Big U"
To anyone, like myself, who spent time in the North Atlantic lanes during the 1950's or 1960's, this old lady is probably a familiar, albeit in this case desolate, sight.
A six-month, $1 million engineering study of the SS United States concluded it is unfeasible to convert the 1950s ocean liner for modern passenger service, leading Crystal Cruises to back out of its option to refurbish the ship.
“Unfortunately, the hurdles that would face us when trying to bring a 65-year-old vessel up to modern safety, design and international regulatory compliance have proven just too great to clear in both a technically and commercially responsible manner,” said Edie Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Century City, Calif., based high-end cruise company...
The ship’s original four propellers were each driven by a Westinghouse turbine, fed from eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers. They gave the SS United States its top speed of 38.32 knots at 241,785 hp during sea trial, and record Atlantic crossing cruise speeds around 35 knots.
They only spent a million bucks to find out their plan sucks! These guy's should give our politicians some instruction...
Better days:
May she find an honorable berth for her senior years.
/fl