SS United States: Made in America (Chapter 3)

[@Nitromessiah]

The fact that they let it be gutted and all her wares scattered to the wind - that - is what sank the ship. Right now it's just a shell, like a dead beetle.... guts are long gone.

[@mck020751]

My uncle was on this ship for 32 years and retired. He just passed away yeterday morning at the age of 93 years old. He told us plenty of stories about this great ship. So proud of him for being a member of it as a Merchant seaman. A great ship!!!!!

[@walterrudich2175]

The United States was in service for only 17 years.

[@mohammedjamal8439]

My grandfather was a sailor on that ship

[@elainewellington3172]

@@walterrudich2175 All I know he was a Merchant seaman for 32 yrs and this was the ship he retired from !!! What ship or ships he worked before that I don't know !!!

[@walterrudich2175]

@@elainewellington3172 so you learned something new. Good

[@USFanLovesMinHo]

What an absolute beauty she was. It breaks my heart when I see her at the dock in Philly, just rotting away.

[@conradotis318]

instaBlaster

[@dutchman7216]

That was a wonderful documentary about the SS United States, thank you.

[@glennevans5824]

I worked for United States Lines and it was a great place for a while and a lot of pride seeing those. Easels with the red whatever and blue

[@elainewellington3172]

My Uncle was a Merchant Seamen on that ship for 32 yrs and retired !!! Small world We family all the way round !!!

[@19LondBuch72]

What a great series of videos on this grand ship ! My family and I sailed on her (in first class no less) from New York to Southampton in 1964. Many fond memories I will never forget.

[@Mandamonster89]

42 knots holy shit!!!

[@USFanLovesMinHo]

The United States could do 20 knotts in reverse - Love It!!!

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

This ship is in PA. Seen many times driving by. Scrap yard it should go.

[@lasuvidaboy]

The Queen Mary 2 is shown at 3:06 and that ship is the fastest passenger ship in service today w/a top speed of 30 knots. The normal service speed of the ss United States was 28.5 knots which like allowed for a 4-5 day transatlantic crossing. The United States had plenty of reserve power in case the she was diverted or slowed for a large storm. The other postwar 5-day ships were the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and ss France of 1962. These were the fastest ocean liners in service. Most ships took 6-8 days to cross the Atlantic.

[@williamreid8067]

lasuvidaboy Iom Tt1957

[@Kaidhicksii]

The Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth were pre-war ships if you're considering WW2 (if you're considering WW1 then I get it, though throwing the France in there would once again not make much sense). Those two and then the QE2 after them maintained a 28.5 knot service speed. For the United States I've heard it was about 30-32 knots after the maiden voyage. As for QM2, you're exactly right. Allow me to also add that she too is a transatlantic liner just like the greats mentioned here and all the rest. Gave me pain when she was put in as a placeholder for today's cruise ships. 😂

[@captvictor]

Been on the QM2 for a round trips Trans-Atlantic ( 3 years apart) and it was wonderful.. The SS United States must have beed beyond magical...

[@mehmetokay7073]

Wasn't there an aluminum piano on the Hindenburg? In the Ocean Liner Museum in the South Street Seaport in NYC, there is a hand- written note on SS United States stationary from Joan Crawford to the Captain of the United States, asking him to slow the ship down because she is so seasick. The shallow draft of the liner, which enhanced her speed, also increased the likelihood of motion sickness. The United States was designed to continue under way even if a portion of her might be destroyed. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor were constant travelers in the SS United States during their '50s heyday.

[@Inpri]

Ironically, it was Gibs who doomed the ship. At first, USL wanted a combine cabin/tourist (second/third) class, but Gigs protested saying that if three classes was good enough for the Queens, it was good enough for the US. Then USL wanted to have total private plumbing (toilet, sink, shower) in all tourist/third class cabins. Again, Gibs protested. He said is low faring passengers were content on walking down a hall to go poop or pee or shower on the Queens, it was good enough for the US. By the 60's, when most former first class had abandoned the ships for jetliners, tourist passengers still could afford the ships. But they were now accustomed to motel rooms with private plumbing. The US didn't have that in tourist. Tourist passengers fled to either the aiirliners or to ships like the Rotterdam or the France where virtually all tourist/third had private plumbing.

[@Kaidhicksii]

Well hey: that was just the norm at the time. Nobody expected that the airlines would one day up and steal the transatlantic market any time soon, let alone do so practically overnight as was the case. Likewise, cruising was still not that big of a thing, not nearly as big as it is now and it certainly didn't start growing into what it is now until the 80s. Gibbs likely saw no reason to look ahead and take these and more into mind. Nobody really did until after the fact, with liners like the Rotterdam and France. And even then, the only liner that ultimately managed to put all the pieces together to be successful in the jet age was the QE2. That said, I do agree with you that if he had, the United States may have seen a longer career. Perhaps not the same amount of success, but she'd have still been sailing for a bit longer. I'm actually preparing to write a mini-series detailing some of the greatest what-ifs in ocean liner history. One of the scenarios that I'll be adding is that the United States, when the airliners killed off the ocean liner industry, would get a massive refit to continue in service as a cruise ship, later being seized by the Navy to serve in some of the conflicts America was facing. :D

[@marybabiec]

Save this ship Mary Babiec

[@ModMokkaMatti]

Where is your money? You can pay for it.

[@ronaldmiller2740]

THANK YOU FOR THIS BITTER SWEET VIDEO OF THIS GREAT OLD GEM FULL OF HISTORY!!! HOW THE HELL COULD ANY ONE OR EVERYONE LET THIS SHIP THAT HOLDS THE NAME OF OUR COUNTRY OF THE FREE THE SS UNITED STATES GET THIS AWFUL TREATMENT OF RUSTING AWAY.. THERE IS SO MUCH TALK ABOUT THESE STARS ABOARD THE SHIP AND THE GRAND FOOD ,EVENTS, REACHING HER TOP SPEEDS HOW GREAT .. LETS STOP FLAPPING OUR LIPS AND GET OUR HANDS A LITTLE DIRTY AND GET THIS SHIP LOOKING AS GRAND LIKE SHE WAS YEARS AGO.. SHE WONT BE A RUNNING OCEAN LINER AGAIN BUT CAN WE MAKE HER A HOTEL SITTING AT PORT SOME WHERE . THE QUEEN MARY IS STARTING TO MAKE REPAIRS TO BECOME A FLOATING HOTEL ONCE AGAIN.. MY DREAM WOULD TO SEE THESE TWO GREAT OLD SHIPS FROM THE PASS ,, THE ONLY TWO THAT REMAIN A FLOAT AND NOT SUNK TO THIS DAY AND TO PUT THEM TWO TOGETHER LOOKING LIKE TWO GREAT OLD SISTERS.. SOS SS . UNITED STATES!!!!!!!! VETERAN..

[@TheDutchPathFinder1]

Thumbs up if you are reading this in 2016. And if you miss the good old days....I was born in 1959, too young to know. But seeing this video I realize that the world is more deteriorated than this mighty ship.

[@LovesMike33]

👍I have a lot appreciation for this Ship even if I am quite Younger. I love Going On Cruises, and find this very fascinating.

[@Kaidhicksii]

Hello from 2022. You said it perfectly.

[@okhan5087]

Excellent Ocean Liner

[@Fandango541]

We really must try and save at least one truly remarkable piece of US history. There is still time to reject the American idea of newer is better and stop throwing away our own damn history! I went to the website and plan to join.

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

David Loehmann Hope you’ve got a spare billion laying around.

[@theothertoolbox]

The USSUS only was in service for about 17 years.

[@vstar152004]

Not very long

[@simonf8902]

While gorgeous, she was obsolete the day she sailed.

[@DM-iw2qt]

God. Please save the ship

[@marlinmr7]

12_30_2018 UPDATE: www.workboat.com/news/passenger-vessels/new-move-to-redevelop-reuse-ss-united-states/ Perhaps she may yet be saved as RXR Realty does appear to have the financial resources to save her! Hope! :-)

[@gabrielmiller668]

There is only one way to find out how fast can really go 😉 time to strech her engines and admire !... yea If only it was possible 😑 I really hope the big U will finally be restored to her former glory and let everyone know the age of great liners and the beauty of the fastest and greatest ocean liner ever built .... !!!

[@marchionejoe]

Chapter 3 shoing the history of one of the greatest ships ever built. The all American SS United States. Please help save this icon of America now berthed and rusting at a dock in Philadelphia.

[@increiblepelotudo]

"where's the wood?". That's what she said........ That old chestnut.

[@jacobmiller3460]

my grand father was a first oficer of the ss united states the real top speed was over 39 nots top speed he trip back to new york was 40 nots beraking the speep reckored

[@garystewart361]

Mark b Perry 1:30 “the English ships”? think you’ll find they’re Scottish!

[@Gardis72]

The SS United States will not sail again, and the admirers of this magnificent vessel should recognize, to bring her up to the maritime standards of today, would take impossible investment that no one is going to make. She shoud go the way of the nuclear carrier Enterprise - take her out of service, dismantle her, and reserve the memories in perpetuity. Farewell SS United States, fair winds, and following seas.

[@adamhauskins6407]

Gardis72 why not just sink it in normal diving waters?

[@ModMokkaMatti]

@@adamhauskins6407 Winner winner, chicken dinner - that's what's happening 🎉.

[@DM-iw2qt]

The ship should be saved. It is those charging docking fees stopping restorage of this ship.

[@100gang-post99]

It's so sad to think that it was bigger than the Titanic. In some idiots, sitt5 in a room. That probably never seen going to sink it sad And they should never have touched engine room nor the deck I wonder when the last time it was actually ran I could imagine that they're still a lot of oil left in that ship

[@GrantGreenham]

Please save her !

[@TIMBOWERMAN]

The US Flag showed 50 stars though they were talking about the 1950s, it should be 48

[@stevek8829]

The US flag had fifty stars in the fifties. Thanks for sharing.

[@kohl57]

Wrong. The 50-star flag was first raised... at Fort McHenry on 4 July 1960.

[@ModMokkaMatti]

We need to dispose of Hawaii and Alaska, too. They serve no purpose at this point, just like this rotting old ship that isn't all that attractive, and has consumed too much money for nothing in return.

[@ericthibodeaux5131]

I'm not sure asbestos was "American Brilliance" @2:12

[@SaschaS.]

Well, back than it was. :D Nobody knew that it was one of the most carcinogenic materials out there... until later

[@austinmatthews347]

i am not american i am english but i am astounded that one of our famous liners got saved in long beach yet us greatest liner is goint to the bottom of the sea shocking just shocking

[@jeromesevy1112]

While I acknowledge that the hull design of this ship was superior to the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth giving her the speed that she was able to achieve. To be fair also let's not forget that it was about 30k tons lighter than the Cunard's Queens. 83k tons vs 53k tons is a significant difference.

[@Kaidhicksii]

Yep, that was mentioned.

[@pamelaspooner7183]

Yes, and you felt it on rough seas. My family crossed twice on the original QE and once on the United States. The crossing in April was rough and severely affected all passengers. We hardly left the cabin for the middle 3 days. And the food was so different than that on the QE….more sophisticated’ I guess. That was a surprise. I remember choosing prosciutto and melon and definitely was not to my liking. My father was from a merchant marine family so had some critical remarks. He said watching the stern, the ship would travel laterally then dip down come back up then Slew to the other side and dip. I don’t think they realized how much smaller it was than the Queen when they booked the US trip.

[@georgecrowley6543]

Seems like we are following the same path that our once amazing namesake has had to endure. From the idea that anything is possible, and doing it, to rotting away on camera due to mismanagement and failing to agree on what to do next. At least she may provide life again under the waves. Ironic given her design to stay afloat.

[@govideo6706]

TITANIC: Struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm (ship's time) 14 April 1912 on her maiden voyage and sank 2 h 40 min later on 15 April 1912

[@Yassified3425]

0:27 boi wtf? Titanic had damaged 5 compartments and just a small part of the 6th so if thet Shipa would habe the same damage it would sink 100% proven and no modern ship could survive the impact

[@stevek8829]

The Titanic's bulkheads didn't go all the way up, maybe these do.

[@Kaidhicksii]

That is true; however, said small part of the 6th compartment was actually repaired. Of course, though, 5 was still too much. I left a reply in another comment above detailing this.

[@RaymondAmendolia]

Elon Musk could save her restore her and make her electric

[@cortlandpruitt6338]

Classy passengers...compare them to todays riff raff on Carnival and Princess ships.

[@Kaidhicksii]

Charlton Heston looks like Tom Brady. Gonna say that now before I forget it again. There is at least one guy I came across - I'm sure you've heard of him: kzbin.info/door/RMjtHZ71Ze_gHPCPJ6viyA - who estimated that, with her lightness, hull and propeller design and horsepower, that she could achieve 60 knots. About 70 mph. I'm perhaps the biggest speed junky you'll ever meet, but if Unity was actually capable of hitting those speeds, even I still have a hard time wrapping my head around how *RIDICULOUS* and *AWESOME* that is. :D

[@finnd8778]

pls people. DO NOT compare RMS TITANIC and SS UNITED STATES. because, Titanic was built in 1912 and the ship building is different. ss United states have MANY new TECHNOLOGY than titanic.

[@charliedavisthearchitect3874]

NO ITS NOT

[@Kaidhicksii]

Thank you. Titanic is my favorite ship - Unity is right behind in second - and I love them both, but I'm generally not a fan of Titanic being compared to literally every other ship built. It just feels like she's been reduced to a punching bag especially against ships built way after her, which are obviously superior to her in every way. Not to mention that she's the only ship the general public really know about, and what they do know about her are mostly myths and stuff from the phenomenal but highly distracting movie. Since we're on the topic I might as well say it. Titanic, when built, was a four-compartment ship. The ships built after, specifically in the Golden Age (30s-60s) were five-compartment ships. When Titanic hit the iceberg, five of her watertight compartments were breached (with a sixth slightly ruptured but otherwise not nearly as damaged; that was repaired before the still fatal flooding ultimately sent the ship down), which is an extraordinary amount of damage for any ship. The gentlemen in the video are right when they say that the United States would have survived that same hit, albeit by the skin of her teeth. But I'm not done. Immediately after Titanic sank, her two remaining sisters - Olympic and Britannic - were modified to have a double hull in addition to their already existing double bottom, their watertight compartments being raised all the way to the top of the hull, with the addition of a new one, bringing the number from 16 to 17 compartments, and even stronger pumps, with more of them being brought to the forward of the ships (as one of the flaws noted was that most of the pumps were in the rear and not as many forward). This saw the Olympic-class liners go from being 4-compartment vessels to *6-compartment vessels.* They were by no means weak ships, so I want to stop seeing that myth being tossed around. They were very strong ships: among the strongest ever built, and in the end, arguably stronger than many ships built since despite the advances in size and technology.

[@jamesdennis2004]

I whish I can help but I can't but if I could I would Dow it I love this ship maybe in the future I can help I hope

[@DavidWilliams-el4zt]

SS United States should be in the Navy Yard in Storage. Save her and Protect Her

[@daveboydell2896]

Now it's all about the top 1 %.

[@adamhauskins6407]

The queen mary two is a ocean liner, technically. And the ship could probably do 50 knots when carrying a minimal amount of weight

[@Kaidhicksii]

Ocean liner, yes. 50 knots, no, just no. XD

[@2right4words]

America Used to be all about being the Best...N0 Sagging, N0 Bagging.

[@stuartleetv]

Before Clinton and Hussein Obama

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

stuartleetv Oh yeah, those presidents who brought the country back from two Republican recessions.

[@Kaidhicksii]

@@crixxxxxxxxx Recessions caused by Democrats and then blamed on Republicans, once again caused today. You winning yet?

[@crixxxxxxxxx]

@@Kaidhicksii Recession of 1992 happened after 12 years of Republicans in power. Recession of 2008 happened after 8 years of Republicans in power. Neither was "caused by Democrats." Republicans always ruin the economy, and Democrats always have to clean up their mess.

[@adrianlarkins7259]

She is doomed. She is beyond any sort of repair even as a stationary hotel like the QM. Sad, very sad

[@SaschaS.]

It would 'just' take a billionaire and a whole bunch of special authorisations regarding SOLAS and she would be on her way again. ;)

[@veedub447]

Still has her beautiful lines, but I'm afraid it has been so stripped out and deteriorated as to have little value left as an historic relic.

[@brianhollenbeck8633]

😇👑🌏🌍🌎💚

[@simonf8902]

She could go 100 mph.

[@kgrusso]

You cut the bridge to soon!

[@lastjordangarage]

Somebody get to Trump he has respect for this country i am sure he would help.

[@ModMokkaMatti]

I hope you're kidding, because Trump only has interest in himself, nothing more, and it's always been that way.

[@lastjordangarage]

@@ModMokkaMatti You ant to kiss my....what...

[@DrogoBaggins987]

I'll believe 35kts and nothing more.

[@stevek8829]

At two thirds throttle. Top of 44 knots (50 mph) was a military secret.

[@LakeHowellDigitalVideo]

She recorded 38 knots during her sea trials without all her boilers being lit. That was well documented. Her hull was classified by the military through the 1980's -- which is why she was so difficult to sell throughout the 1960's and 1970's.

[@Toast0808]

On part of this video I find totally disingenuous is when they talk about about the speed of "modern cruise ships", then cut to footage of the QM2 which is an ocean liner and capable of 30 knots. Bad show, United States Conservancy.

[@Kaidhicksii]

Yeah. 😅

[@anubhavmitra8928]

Qm2 can travel at 32knots max.

[@capt.molyneaux7037]

Banal storytelling.....

[@marcelopepinho]

Turn down this Hell song

[@mikepierce1724]

I want to redo it make it a rehab and training boat .