Inside The ABANDONED S.S United States
Vložit
- čas přidán 22. 07. 2021
- Today I'm boarding one of the most iconic ships of all time. Sitting idle and powerless in Philadelphia, the SS United States was once a symbol of pride for her country. A massive vessel that shattered records and even to this day holds the record for the fastest Atlantic ship crossing. Since she was taken out of service in the 1960's, she has passed through a series of owners while awaiting her rebirth All while her paint peels and her future uncertain. I'm taking a rare look inside this infamous ship to discover what remains, thoughtfully reminiscing about the past and looking to the future. I also got to sit down with Susan Gibbs, the person at the forefront of the effort to save her.
A special thanks to the SS United States Conservancy for making this video possible. Please check out their website to donate or keep up to date with their efforts -
www.ssusc.org/
My documentary - www.closedforstorm.com/
Patreon - / brightsunfilms
Join my discord - / discord
Twitter - / brightsunfilms
Instagram - / brightsunfilms
Joined by my friends from White Lake Productions -
tinyurl.com/3jf8r8cs
Archival Media Courtesy of SS United States Conservancy.
--------------
BrightSunFilms 2021
Presented in 4K - Zábava
My wife and I sailed on this great ship in 1959, shortly after we were married. Sailed from New York to France. Our room was one of the least expensive, up front in the bow and I think below the waterline. Bunk beds. We thought we were pretty clever and wanted to sneak to the first class area to watch a movie. Did so, Disappointed in that they showed the same movie the next day in our tourist class. The purpose of the trip was to visit my wife's father who lived in Germany. He returned to Germany after his wife (my wife's mother died.) She was raised by another couple who hid from her the information about her birth father until she was about 18 - 19.
After we were married we decided we had to visit her real father. Best way to get there at that time was by ship. So the SS United States. .
Had a great time visiting him. After in Germany for a short while I received my draft notice so back the the U. S. via the SS United States. Very stormy, no one allowed on deck as they were awash.
My lone physical memento from the ship is a clothes hanger, naturally made from stainless steel.
Nice history. At some point in the early 50's she was in Norfolk, my parents took me aboard, so I was told. I was small enough mom carried me. Many years later the ship was tied up in Norfolk awaiting her outcome ( 15 years or so ). I got a call from Mom they were going to move the ship to a floating drydock to inspect the hull before crossing the Atlantic one last time. Word was she was headed to Turkey to be gutted for scrap. They held a auction for parts and pieces. The staircase and some other notable artifacts ended up in a museum in the outer banks N.C....it's a restaurant with United States luxury liner as it's theme. One of the photos I took is in the museum.
she looks like a small titanic
@@StephenZ827 Unfortunately the Windmill Point restaurant which held the bar, the bell and other items from the ship closed some time ago and the land sold to a grocery chain. I'm not sure what happened to those items.
👍
What an amazing story! I wish our society was more like this
I had a cabin right inside the bow on the last voyage of this ship in 1969. Stood on the upper deck right below the bridge. I watched her plow through the freezing cold North Atlantic. Met the girl that got away and went on to study at the Freie Uni in Berlin. Memory says we stopped at Le Havre and Bremerhaven. Last time I ever travelled with a trunk. By coincidence ,I am now 81!
Wow, what a memory... Cheers!
Thanks for sharing ❤
The fact that your basic CZcams videos feel like a proper film is remarkable. Your framing, editing, ability to tell a story in pictures and stylizing is outstanding. This simple story was like a journey back and forth through time. Keep up the excellent work, Jake!
Not the American way, let’s save the Queen of the seas,time is of the essence!!.
Wish they would restore it. This classic ocean liner style is my favorite kind of ship. Beautiful beast
Agreed! This is exactly the kind of ship I would love to travel on one day.
My late mother loved that ship. She saved up her money and bought a first class ticket once back in the 1950s, I forget which direction. She got to sit at the captain’s table. We have a photo of her on board. I suppose I should chip in for preservation…
Thats awesome! You should upload the photo to a preservation site or something sometime to save it forever. And link it here of course XD.
This is good news to hear. If you have anything from your mothers travels on this ship the non profit conversancy is looking for items from when people traveled aboard her to add to their museum collection when RXR Realty group repurposes the ship for mixed use like the Queen Mary out in California. Hotel etc. ok
No BSF film is complete without mention of the 2008 recession.
@Duke Hugh Johnson You mean the recession that happened before he took office, under his predecessor’s watch?
@Duke Hugh Johnson it began when W. was president, not Obama, but there’s more to it than politics. much much more.
@Duke Hugh Johnson Recession began: December 2007. Obama inaugurated: January 2009. Two years off bud
@@travelsofmunch1476 only it totally didn't begin until late 2008.
@@randymagnum143 From Wikapedia: "The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline (recession) observed in national economies globally that occurred between 2007 and 2009. "
I have lived in Philadelphia all of my life and have always wondered what the inside looks like. I’m glad the youtube rabbit whole brought me here.
_hole_
As someone who sees this ship every time I go to the ikea basically next door, it’s kinda sad to see it in the state it’s in. I really hope some kind of miracle comes along and we get to see it in action again.
You're spot on there, it would take a monumental miracle to see her in action again. Getting a Union Pacific Big Boy to run again
was a whole lot easier and that's why it was done.
Some super-rich guy should invest in this!....a couple of b illion dollars means nothing to truly rich folks...I wish I could do that!
@@curbozerboomer1773 The reason why certain people are rich, is they don't invest their money in rusty tubs of scrap which are bottomless pits to waste cash on. Restore it and it will all need doing again in a few years.
@@PreservationEnthusiast Or because they're born into their wealth lol
@@CloneLoli Also true, but if you are born into it, you still have to keep it! It's very simple to fritter away a fortune on fast cars, gambling, and making donations to restore rusty old ships. They'll be rusty again in 10 years and your money will have gone down the toilet with nothing to show.
It’s sad to see big ships like this just rotting away
I agree
I think it would be too hard to maintain it with lack of tourists to want to to on a cruise in it over a modern bigger ship, also same as if it was a museum. It’s beautiful and it’s history is massive and I think it has lived a full life as far as machinery goes, maybe parts should be cut off and preserved
@@Oldsmobile69 think about how much trouble battleship Texas has had
A lot of people say that, no one wants to spend the money. It's better to just scrap the damn thing.
Does it still hold record for large passenger ship Atlantic crossing time????that alone should be a logical to have her restored..ave speed 40mph and it had more .USA is not he worlds supreme maritime power hasn't been for 45 to 50 years.
It's absolutely amazing how much manpower and planning went into this ship, only for it to slowly rust away and be forgotten.
Don’t worry Justin, ship happens.🚢
e
It really is unfortunate. As a Philly resident it sucks to see this ship so often and be reminded of it's decay.
Oh hey justin
wow, wtf, you're still around?
January 1960 I stepped off this ship for the first time in America. It's sad to see her in this condition, rusting, stripped, and rotting away. I'm grateful for the efforts to hopefully give her a future.
Living in Philly, you’ve done what I’ve always wished to do. Every single time I drive past her, I hope on hope that something is able to be done with her so that she doesn’t sit and decay any longer. Well done on the video. Great job!
Same. Up until 4 years ago I lived in Philly all my life but got out. It was sad driving past the ship and seeing it decay day by day like that.
I thought that was the same ship. It catches my eyes everytime I drive over the WW.
It’s ironic she sits in Philadelphia, the birthplace of the very first ship to bear the name United States, a frigate launched May 10, 1797 not far from where SS United States sits today.
Cool 🤓
@@casperhelix 9
About 20 years ago, I watched a documentary on TV about the S.S. United States. They had one of the Captains who sailed her, standing in front of the now deteriorating ship. After talking fondly about her glory years to the camera, he stood with tears in his eyes and a said “I wish they would tow her out and sink her to the bottom of the sea as a decent burial. I’d rather have that than to see her rotting away on the dock.”
That is a selfish wish...understandable for him, but this vessel belongs to the USA in spirit, at least.
@@curbozerboomer1773 Reefing would just cause it to rust in the Ocean and the steel would be wasted. It needs to be sliced with cutting torches and melted down to realise the scrap value.
@@PreservationEnthusiast all in due time.
@@fraudbuster5232 The Titanic is collapsing deck by deck now. It would be unsafe to dive on as a reef. So the useable time for a reefer ship would be less than 100 years. Far better to use the steel over and over again in new ships and construction.
@@PreservationEnthusiast you can not dive to the Titanic it requires a sub
It's truly sad when you realize just how much of our history is rotting away and forgotten about.
Wow this was fascinating! It’s very sad to see such a huge piece of history being neglected. Really hope that this project materializes with the restoration or reuse. Always interesting Jake! 🌞
I love how Susan, and probably the whole conservancy, is so optimistic about how the ship could be saved...but man, even I sitting at home just looking at it through Jake's footage, cannot fathom how you even think let alone start to restore or make anything out of something so historical but so faded and forgotten.
i think its just like susan said, it comes down money but its possible
You took the words out of my mouth
It would have to be a "passion project" rather than a cold economic calculation. Even as a stationary hotel/event space sort of place (which seems to be all they are hoping for at this point) it will cost well into 9 figures to clean it up and fit it out. It would probably cost close to a *billion* to make it sea-worthy and a cruise ship of any reasonable viability - and at that price point, it's easier to build a whole new ship that will hold more paying passengers than to retrofit this hull.
That being said, Bezos thinks he can find enough billionaires to pay for sub-orbital hops on his little pet project, so who knows...
Exactly , the restoration costs would be astronomic, and much of the artistry could not be done today.
@@MrJest2 Already a couple huge companies have invested Millions in research to refurbish her. It is Not out of the question. This was built with Government oversite at a US Naval Use Shipyard where Todays big navy Big nuclear ships are built and serviced.
It's crazy to think that so much history is there, but it's so close to fading away....
I did not think i would find you here.
I just got done watching your video of the P4 desktop.
send this ship to India Gujrat ship breaking yard we will cut the ship in pieces into small steel plates and recycle it environmentally friendly.
What's even crazier to think of is just how much human history is already gone forever. Things we never found out, and now never can again. There could be so much that we just don't know about...
@@batman-cw2hd yeah you'd like that, wouldn't you
As a USAF brat, 5th grader, I rode on it with my family. Bremerhaven to East Coast. Still have the passenger list. Sailed through a hellacious storm with mountainous seas.
I first saw the _United States_ in 2005 during a fifth-grade class trip to Philly. We went on a cruise of the Delaware River and sailed right behind the ship's stern. I'll always remember how huge she was; hope she gets to sail again someday.
I hope the RMS queen Mary will get to sail again
@@liamsadventures9712 Me too.
The amount of stuff removed from this ship is truly horrifying - I just can’t even comprehend how it could ever be put back into service or even shown to the public. Her only remaining impression of the era is purely from the exterior.
Also Gibbs was absolutely obsessed with fireproofing his ship, after many recent disasters on other vessels of the time. The lack of wood wasn’t purely for weight (indeed in many applications wood would have been lighter). This was frowned upon by some when it came to the ships somewhat colder and stark styling / decor - others felt that it worked and contributed to the general modern feel Of the ship vs. her contemporaries.
Elaborating on the props - the only way they could get the ship built with subsidy from the US government was if she had some value in wartime. She had to be easily converted into a fast transport (faster than any sub of the time) and as such her speed was paramount to the military as well - allowing her to leverage state of the art prop and power plant technologies.
The cavitation marks on the prop are from the surface friction forces of the water on metal literally causing the water to boil - it’s difficult to comprehend the amount of horsepower being exerted on those things!
Actually ONE of the SS United States’ FOUR props generated 14,000 more horsepower than the ENTIRE Titanic. That single prop you were touching lol. Tough to comprehend.
they needed funds to save it. they had no choice. alot of the stuff removed was ASBETOS.
i believe wood is now against regulations (except small things) on all ships due to fireproofing
Gibbs either forgot or never knew that aluminum burns at high temperature. The United States was the first liner with most interior structure above the waterline made of aluminum to save weight. One of the reasons she was so fast. However, if there was ever a fire and the aluminum started burning she would have gone up like a dry Christmas tree.
@@garymartin9777 I think you may be confusing aluminum with magnesium. Aluminum melts at a much lower temperature than steel does and would do that before it burned.
Fantastic insight
I'm a bit of a ship nerd, I don't think I ever clicked on a video this fast.
Do you watch Dracinifel? Not sure if you like war ships, but he does some great videos on them.
@@MrDmitriRavenoff I definitely do ;)
Me tooo ! In love with the history of ocean liners and ships !
Same here Fam and I am new 😹
Ship nerds unite!!!
Thanks for the memories... I travelled aboard in 1961 as well as the SS America. I was 11 years old and so excited to travel on the fastest liner in the world. I recognize many of the parts of the ship and visited her from ashore in Philly in 2012. Sad to see her like this, but it's a miracle she hasn't been scrapped, so who knows what the future will bring! Ever hopeful...
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!??! Omg! Your production value has just sky rocketed over the last few video! The drone shots, the music/sound, the coinciding flash backs, the adventure! Golly you have always been one of the best- i didn't realize how much better you could become! Congrats man!! Always been incredible- now even more impressive! Love it! Thanks for sharing your passions with us! 👏❤
Thank you!
“So how bad is the degradation?”
Jake: “Well, erm… it’s not great…”
Her hull is still actually in pretty good condition
Surprisingly, the hull it’s actually really sound, the fresh water she’s in playing no small part in that. Actually, iirc below the waterline she’s better off than Queen Mary is
For such a large vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 3 days and average over 40 mph is impressive!
Very impressive, and the Experimental Sub design of that era has speeds that are still classified by the US navy. look up USS Albacore.
Yes the hull design was used for naval ship prototypes.
40 knots isnt the same as 40 mph
@@TheT-90thatstaresintoyoursoulTrue - 40 knots = 46.03 mph. Top speed of the United States was 44.1 mph.
It is not impressive, it is expensive!
Even in such rough shape she remains classy. Such a beautiful historic vessel. I hope they save her.
I immigrated to the United States from England on this ship in 1963, sad to see it like this.
13:11 - That ain't "steel" son; _that propeller is 60,000 pounds of manganese bronze!_ :)
Feels so cool to at first talk about the ships history and abandonment to actually visit the ship in person!
Definitely does!
@@BrightSunFilms I Was Traveled With The SS United States Between 1953,54,1957,1960,1967 And 1968
Been a subscriber to this channel for a while now, from the UK originally but living in the Middle East.
I just happen to find myself in Philadelphia this weekend for work & drove past this ship today admittedly from a distance. It’s a shame it appears it’s still being left to rot.
Apparently, on march 20 the ship got a second chance, and now on Google earth there is no ship in pier 81, So I think it got the second chance it deserved
@@ItzBIULD It was certainly still there 2 months ago anyway
Under normal conditions, the ship would have been scrapped some time about 1980 - maybe 1990. The biggest hurdles facing anyone trying to restore her are cost and viability. After spending tons and tons of cash, how much would anyone have to pay to sail or stay on her for her to recoup the restoration costs?
Personally....I can't see it happening.
I remember that it had to be towed to Turkey (and back obviously) for all the asbestos to be removed.
Looking at it now, in this video.... so much stripped out....so much work needed to get her anywhere near her past glory.
(First class cabins....with "Portholes".... a bit odd, methinks.)
And all the time...the ship sits in the saltwater.... the metal is being lost. There will be no hull to save, the longer it sits idle.....
Needs to be in a dry dock....but that's "Real Estate"...involving monthly rental fees......... I think you need to cut your losses: The project is massive.
Just so sad for this fine liner to end her days like this: Yes, she has the Blue Ribbon....let her rest on her laurels.
Given the Greens and the whingers.... no one is going to beat her record in the future..... She is the last Fast Liner. The Blue Ribbon belongs to her.
(Yeah...I know... Richard Branson made a faster crossing of the Atlantic.... It doesn't count: It was not a liner.) (And I'm British!)
@@patagualianmostly7437 Unfortunately, so true. There are cruise ships galore, but only the Queen Mary 2 is a liner, and after her......
@@patagualianmostly7437 Although refitting everything would be difficult and expensive, it should be possible to repurpose the ship and turn her into some sort of mobile datacenter or some other useful purpose, like a humanitarian relief platform. The hull was made to resist torpedoes, after all.
I could make money as a freighter/ container or for making a movie
The Call of Chithulu
Or
Logging the 70th southern parallel
Make her crusie liner
The film notes the lack of wood as a weight saving measure. Actually, that was for fire prevention, she was meant to serve as a troop carrier in time of war, that's why she was so fast and why the Navy contributed, and as a result they used no wood inside, she even had a custom made piano that was aluminum!
The interior was all aluminum which burns nicely at high temperature. If a fire ever got started she would have burned to the waterline.
@@garymartin9777 Aluminium is one of the worst burning materials. It tends to just melt when exposed to heat, it's quite hard to make it actually burn.
@@CharlesFreck Yea I learned that. I was thinking of the HMS Sheffield which allegedly burned during the Falklands War because it had an aluminum superstructure. Turns out the media got it wrong and that wasn't the reason it burned. Thanks for the correction.
After the disaster they had with the USS Lafayette (aka the SS Normandie) during the Navy was obsessed with making it non-flammable.
History is free. Trying to bring the past to the present is expensive.
Without past there are not future.
If things were properly maintained from early on it wouldn't be so much of an issue.
History can be lost
@@Formulabruce lost. Only if we forget the Past. But thats rather impossible as Past is eternal in peoples memory. Also in works of Art..buildings..etc. Even in events that change the world or society. We are product of the past.
@@Formulabruce Then do us a favor and learn history. People got a world wide web of information at the palm of their hands now. Don't take it for granted.
Awesome video! I love the then and now video and pictures! Also, wow that drone footage!!
Thank you!
Such a Beautiful Video of an Even More Beautiful Location!
Being docked in Philadelphia has prolonged the ship's lifespan because the Delaware River is fresh rather than salt water. Exposure to the corrosive effects of salt water is highly destructive to ships' hulls, requiring frequent maintenance.
That is a good point. Philadelphia is a good place for a ship like this. I've only been there once but there's a lot of history. It would seem like a better area to have a Queen Mary type thing. Less maintenance as you said and a location that makes more sense. I can see it how the business opportunity here is actually better and I'm guessing if you raise enough through donations you could get an investor just based on that.
That's so true. The Queen Mary and the Russian sub docked next to her are both literally sinking from the holes created by the rust.
The water in the Delaware river comes direct from the Atlantic Ocean.
@@johnflanagan1397 Because of the river's flow the water by Philadelphia is fresh rather than salt. The salt/fresh line varies by season but is always around Wilmington.
Another consequence of fresh vs. salt water is that the larger ships on the Great Lakes, which can't pass through the Welland Canal and therefore never operate in salt water, have lifespans far in excess of any oceangoing ships. Some are over 100 years old.
Those gorgeous opening drones shots. I also love how you juxtapose the footage of the ship’s happy heyday to the depressing current state. Must have been a great explore. Excellent job as always sir.
Thanks!
@@BrightSunFilms Bright Sun Films I have a video suggestion it is about this abandoned military base called M.C.A.S. El Toro it is very interesting and I think it would make a good video.
great video bud. well done. even the music fits well
Thank you Jake your very humble and thank you for creating this very special edition to a beautiful ocean liner
When you showed that interview with that lovely lady it really moved me
All I can say is that the amount of work and commitment and dedication and love that went into creating this beauty only for it to get in this state but its thank to the lady and what she represents and stands for
Keep on doing what your doing Jake
Always fighting a war you can’t ever fully win with ships in the water, takes such an incredible effort and expense just to keep them afloat. Even the very popular and loved museum ships struggle with the cost, its a cruel calculus, especially if they’re just too big to get out of the elements. I always say never pass on a visit to a nearby ship- you never know when something will finally give out it’ll be gone forever.
Japan got it right with the mikasa, just filled in a dry dock type area with cement and viola, no more floating upkeep
@@TrinalHydra Concrete is terrible for ships and can corrode the steel worse than floating in water. The Mikasa is not a benchmark for ship preservation. Internally, she bares little resemblance to her original design, and the exterior restoration done in the 50's has lot of inaccuracies.
@@hanyoukimura while true, she's still there, still educating. I'll take that fate for the SSUS any day over the scrap yard.
@@309Blink there's a video about concrete for museum ships, it was a mistake, it destroys them and it's expensive to mantain.
as much as i love how enthusiastic they are about how the ship will find a buyer and be of use again, i just dont see it happening. the cost would be so astronomical it would probably be cheaper and easier to build an entirely new vessel.
One never knows... look up the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas. It was abandoned and derelict for decades after its closing, but it is now being restored to its former glory. No one believed that could happen. So, with that in mind, there's still hope for the ship!
@@CrankyBeach That sounds fabulous. Has anyone some sort of documentary on that?
With the ship just a basic shell, I have to agree. The money involved will not be found. Sad but true.
Completely agree. Can't compare to restoring an old building or something like that. Just the safety concerns of trying to take a decades old ship, designed to old standards, out to sea with passengers. Even as just a stationary ship, it's basically just a rotting hulk now.
Yeah, but the history of it and I believe it still holds the record for speed crossing the Atlantic.
Great film, beautifully weighted. Good luck to the project. Mind-blowingly expensive just to preserve as is, never-mind re-imagine in some way.
Great video, it’s such a shame to see her rusting away, I have driven by her so many times! Sometimes I stop for a look but I only can see her through the fence along the street…. I hope she has a bright future with someone that brings her back but respects her past :-)
I wish I could be more optimistic about her fate... I just don't see how the math can work. :(
Floating (ocean going) Casino, not restored but upscaled... Like a Titanic interior refit. That 1950s design was just not attractive. That 1950 "modern" look is so minimalist. I think it's why the "Beat Generation" was so beat.
Just a hole in the ocean where money goes to die .
I agree. There is no math that could eventually make a project like that profitable. It would be cheaper to build new. And that assumes it is not sea worthy again. It's hard to get something that old to the efficiency and safety standards of our current era. It's sadly just scrap metal at this point.
she wont make money in the short term. its not a project that is econimcally viable. the only reason to save it will be nastalgia but thats gonna cost $$$$
That ship could be turned around at a fairly reasonable cost... "IF" it was kept out of the hands of huge contractor firms. They over charge for everything, then pay their workers (people with the knowledge to do more than paperwork) like shit. But of course that will obviously be the way this project will sadly also go.
0:51 “A clean sweep” that’s why we have this broom in shot.
What I’m confused about is what it means in this context. I know that during WW2, American submarines that destroyed an entire convoy would return to port with a broom strapped to one of the periscopes. A tradition started by the USS Wahoo after they reported an entire convoy sunk (even though after the war they found out that one or more of the damaged Japanese ships actually survived). What puzzles me is that I doubt the United States was hitting up Soviet convoys lol
So that's what the brooms meant XD
@@sirboomsalot4902 The broom on the subs actually meant they had fired all their torpedoes and were returning empty. Why the narrator of the newsreel connected the two makes no sense; there is no connection. Just sappy 50's literary license.
"Abandoned" and "Bankrupt" from BSF is the best on CZcams. Can't get enough! Thank you for your content
You truly achieved a professional level of filming and editing. Contrats, I've been following your Channel since the First Episodes.
The thing about these permanently docked ships is that - apart from the preservation bit - they need to be brought into dry dock to be restored/preserved. During their ocean going days, they would regularly receive dry dock inspections but I feel their fates have been left to the hands of building experts rather than naval architects.
Well they need to receive some sort of anti corrosion method if they are going to stay in the water. It's possible, after all the USS Lexington manages to stay in the water and doesn't go into dry dock but it has a system in the water to prevent corrosion from forming under the water and receives regular cleaning above water. It has the benefit of being a regularly visted museum ship though.
Dry docks are unfathomably expensive to rent, I reckon there isn't the money to do that unfortunately.
The ship yards in philly are all fresh water. One reason the navy,s moth ball fleet was stored there along with other ships. My grandfather work there during WW2. Ships can last much longer store there than in brackish ports.
Could she be intentionally beached somewhere like when they break ships up? Or use explosives to excavate an inlet, sail her into the inlet, seal off the inlet and pump the water out.
@@R.-. Intentional beaching would actually be bad for her, the salts in the sand and exposure to the elements would disintegrate her in a few decades - the other idea is basically the same as dry docking. Personally, I think dry docking is the way to go. Once she’s out of water and the danger of sinking/capsize is out of the way they can start treating her like a building rather than a ship.
I was on this ship in 1956 when my grandparents sailed from Pier 86 NYC to Hamburg, Germany, on it. Just a mere 65 years ago. To this day as a little kid I've never forgotten the feeling of movement I got as the ship pulled out exactly at midnight and I felt like I was moving. Certainly amazing for me to see this ship today.
My wife in 1969 came over from the UK to the United States on this ship with her family.I believe she said it was the last voyage of this vessel. She was a young girl then. She was interviewed for a book about this ship. She described the ship as very nice and pleasant for the trip across the ocean.
As always a wonderful job telling a story on film!
I'm honored to have a cup and saucer from this magnificent ship. It's heartbreaking to witness the uncertain future of this priceless legend. 😥
I'm old enough to remember the hoopla when this ship was launched. Considering the current condition it is unrealistic to believe the ship can be restored and made a paying attraction due to the costs involved. This assumption is based on the many land based attractions which are less than half this ship's age which have been built, used, and are now abandoned for my previously stated economic reasons.
She’s actually in very good condition/ just aesthetically run down, however the “bones are good” the perfect blank canvas
@@JedWilson96 I agree with your description of the ship's condition. I can also relate to the feelings involved in seeing something as-is, and in wanting to restore "antique" and dilapidated mechanical constructions to their former glory. While I was still able, I restored antique cars, especially Ford Model A's. When that became too difficult for me, due to age and health problems, I turned to antique slot machines and other gambling and coin operated devices. I can no longer engage in those activities so I'm content with watching and enjoying the results of work by others.
@@OleGeezerCirca1941 i worked on cruise ships in the late 80s and my job was a slot technician. I now restore antique slot machines and love the history in both coin op and old liners too!
@@endlessriver2768 Thanks for the comment.
Well if they stopped trying to find one buyer to fix her up which will always fail due to overwhelming costs, they might just achieve it in full and much sooner if they divide her up in to individual section and sell franchising rights to each area of service.
Passenger cabins could be franchised to travel companies who are responsible for the renovation and maintenance of the cabins, the cinema could be franchised to a cinema company who will be expected to renovate that part of the ship and maintain it, the cargo hold could be franchised to shipping/exporting companies, the mall areas franchised to stores and food chains and they could apply this throughout the entire ship, only the actual working part of the ship then needs to be renovated such as the engine rooms, the fuel compartments and balasts and the bridge, either the conservancy or a cruise line could take that area on with no single organisation ever having to find the full cost of the entire renovation and upkeep.
Sailed on her in 1966 (11 years old), what a playground the whole ship was. Saw Texas across the river 3 times in the theater. Rode from LaHarve France to NYC. What an awesome song at the end, is that Nat King Cole?
I have so many neat crew items in my personal collection. I have signs from the dining rooms showing meal hours, one that says dining room is closed, cleaning staff sheets that were to be filled out when cabins cleaned. Engineering work pads for repairs to electrical, wiring, sound systems plumbing, lighting . Repair pads for the public rooms like upholstery, curtains, tablecloths and such. A sign showing the hours that hung at the ship’s laundry room. A sign from the baggage department, a sign from the ship’s travel office. 2 small signs from the chief steward if need clean linen. Debarkation forms and landing forms. Also a couple of forms that were to be filled out if worked overtime. Unused luggage tags, forms for the envelopes if put stuff in the purser’s safes. Everything is unused, none of the items are fill out. I have them protected in a binder now.
My parents immigrated from Switzerland to the USA aboard the S.S. United States back in 1964. Dad took pictures of their voyage with his 35mm camera on slide film. I truly need to put those photos into a digital format soon. They sailed into New York harbor where my dad photographed the New York city skyline which is far different from what we see today. I was born in 1966 and owe a great deal of gratitude to this ship for safely bringing my parents across the Atlantic to pursue their American dream.
For some reason I've loved this ship since I was a kid. A symbol of an era I will never see. I hope they save her.
Amazing documentary, I hope for a better future for this ship
How about taking her apart, driving her to Las Vegas, welding her back together and opening Casino SS United States.
Horrible idea
Wow! Such a great job on these! 🙏🏽👏🏽✊🏾
First lol
Some stay dry but this ship's felt the pain
Chocolate rainnn
You're either a clone or you have very similar subs to me since I see you everywhere.
From VINwiki to here I see you everywhere my brother
Sigh- it’s so sad to see how much of it has already been gutted.
The costs to restore the interior would be astronomical- and even then, it’s still not the ‘real’ interior.
Best case scenario for the ship is some kind of ‘Queen Mary’ style museum- and we all know how well that is going. 🙄
Wish there was an easy way to just park it in the desert somehow to slow the decay process.
Some have said that United States would be better suited as a museum and hotel than Queen Mary. United States was more sturdily constructed and with better materials.
Right on, Mark. There will never be enough money to restore this ship...even just a few vital parts of the ship like the entertainment areas, grand staircases, kitchens and so on. And their would be no way to do it as grand as the original. Like the Queen Mary, its hull will soon rust past the point of being able to save her and they will have to haul her to a deep part of the ocean and scuttle it or cut it up for scrap metal. In 1959, when I was eight years old, we took a trip from backwoods Montana to New York City where we toured the ship while it was docked. As a country boy on my first trip to the big city, that was quite an experience for me. It must have been on its last legs at that time as air travel had already taken over transAtlantic crossings. I feel bad for the lady as she probably knows in her heart that the ship's days are numbered.
@@thetman0068 the united states is in a decent structural condition, however the queen mary is falling apart
@@thetheatreorgan168 The QUEEN MARY is right now undergoing millions of dollars in repairs, and is slated to be re open to the public, this October !! 😀she is still absolutely magnificent inside.
Sailed from England to New York in about 1963 on USS United States. About halfway across, we had quite a storm, high waves and safety lines were rigged in corridors. Not too many folks in first-class dining, but my girlfriend (whose parents paid for the trip) and I were not sick and ate well. Ship did not slow down at all through the storm. You really could not enjoy the open deck because at a sailing speed of about 40 MPH, it was like standing up in a convertible at that speed.
Hey bro I know you probably won’t see this but you have good videos. Very interesting and eye catching visuals. Your facts are addicting to listen to and I enjoy the video editing. Really awesome job bro keep it up
You've outdone yourself with this one...You successfully conveyed the sadness of her condition, the hopes for her future, the pang of guilt for letting such a historic Americana rot away. She may be a glimmer of her former glory now but you can sense that she's not done yet. I hope the Conservancy is successful in its plans for her.
You've done a tremendous job bringing so many emotions to the screen, especially the pride and hope that Gibbs' granddaughter showed.
Thank you!
I've been on the SS Rotterdam many times, never realizing this could have been her fate as well. Hopefully the SS United States can live on! Glad we still have some original ocean liners left.
I have often seen short snippets of video of this ship when other ships were being discussed and assumed it was scrapped. Thank you for this great video
Great video, Jake!
Thanks!
5:17, Jake great shot and set up introducing Susan. You clearly saw how much of a resemblance there is between her and her grandfather and you captured that perfectly here.
It's a shame the ship wasn't preserved by the US Navy and maintained in operating condition for occasional special use as sort of a Royal Yacht. With all the money this nation has to allow its flagship to fall into such disrepair is a national embarrassment.
The entire county is a national embarrassment at the moment so I’m not surprised this was the fate for such a beautiful ship.
The US Navy does not preserve any ships are are not needed anymore. All museum ships are privately own and ran. The Navy has zero involvement in order to reduce liability and cost to them. Would you rather have a new sub or a museum ship that cost millions to maintain just to sit.
@@Wesrl With the exception of the USS Constitution, of course. It certainly isn't needed anymore but is still commissioned.
@@ivantrotlinsky6543 bro what? How
@@Wesrl UM... UM... May I suggest you look up the OLDEST Commissioned US Navy Vessel ??? , Yeah that one...
Real iconic views! Thanks!
Awesome production. My kind of history lesson
This was great but Closed for Storm was fantastic! I rented via Amazon Prime and it was so moving and so well done. Thank you and congratulations that you got this wonderful invite to tour the SS United States. I've seen it many times from the outside but never like this so thank you.
My parents sailed on this ship.I remember them talking about the speed and beauty of this ship.I hope they can save her.She was once a beautiful ship and I am glad the grandfather never say the decay.
What a great video. I sailed on this ship in 1969 from Belgium to NY. I was about 6 or 7 years old. I don't remember a lot but I do remember the swimming pool. I recently found our family's sailing documents and schedule of events, including some dinner menus.
Thank you so much for a wonderful story, if tinged a little in sadness.
What an amazing interview. I couldn’t help but get the feeling in the last 2 or 3 sentences they deep down she knows the fate for this vessel is likely scrap. I hope I’m wrong but just the way she sounded.
This video was very well done, cinematic, informative, and carefully put together. For the first time, I actually had a fleeting moment of "feeling" for the ship.
I really like how you showed areas of the ship in its glory referencing how it exists today. I built a model of the ship in the mid/late 60s as a little kid. It was either a Revell or Monogram model. There I was either in late 2005 or early 2006 standing in the IKEA parking lot on Columbus Blvd and seeing those faded stacks across the way at Pier 82. "I know that ship." Raced home and Googled it and sure enough, it had been moored there since 1996. I've contributed to the Conservancy a few times, but here we are in 2024. It's there still, rotting away.
Great aerial footage!
The no wood decks was designed for her to be fire proof. That's why so much Asbestos on her interiors.
I think the ship should be a national treasure and set up as a national park. She is a proud part of US history.
Unfortunately the interior is all aluminum. Aluminum burns at high temperatures. If a fire ever got started it would have roasted the lady to the water line.
@@garymartin9777
you again ?
The fact that this ship has been allowed to deteriorate to this state is a shame and an embarrassment for the USA.
Great video as always from you and BSF, Jake!
I drive past this ship regularly. Never knew the story behind it. Thanks for sharing!!
Excellent work!!!!!!
The interior's in way better shape than I was expecting, the structure looked pretty sound. Did you get a chance to go down to lower decks and engine room or are those off limits for now?
Another video's show the engine room briefly, most everything is still there but hopelessly outdated.
Despite being outdated; it was never ran at full throttle. Leaving my imagination to having the engine restored as is and ran full throttle to see if she could break her own record.
@@KiddBloo86 I saw a documentary some years ago, in which it was stated that the SS United States did indeed hold the blue ribbon, but only at the espense of the aircraft carrier engines she was fitted with which never reached full capacity afterwards, as they were essentially clapped out by their first, and only, fast run.
@@KiddBloo86 once she bsuted the queen mary, they didnt care
What interior? The interior is gone. It’s just structure remaining.
Here comes the bright sun once again and I say it’s definitely alright.
I like the mid century interior look in many of the old pics, reminds me of old pics of Las Vegas hotels. Clean, modern, classic.
We need to preserve this historic piece of art… She along with the Queen Mary, are such beauties from a different time
OMG another ship video. Thank you so much, these are my favorite videos from you☺️
Thank you!!
I remember the first time I saw this ship when I was a child. My family and I were crossing the bridge into Philadelphia and I had looked out my window to see these two massive Red smokestacks and a ship that looked very classy being black and white. Young me was in awe at the structure. This was around the year 2002 so she hadn't been sitting dock for that long and the exterior was in much better condition than it is now. I had asked my parents if we could visit the ship one day thinking it to be a museum like the train ones in Pennsylvania. It's a shame it sat for nearly 20 years in that one spot and it's even sadder how the vessel was treated after she was pulled in the late 60's.
Ms. Gibbs connection to and passion about the ship really comes through.
I came to the United States from Scotland on this ship in November 1955. I was 6 years old. My mother and my brother were seasick the whole time. I was not. I had the run of the ship. I had a person that took me around the whole ship. I even got to go in the wheelhouse! Vivid memories!
What an incredible experience! I love how you show the original footage of the ship compared to the present. I would I KILL to be able to sail on a true-blooded ocean liner one day
Contact Cunard. They have three in service.
@@noelt2238 I think he means an old fashioned ocean liner like this, The Queen Mary, Titanic, etc. Not the modern liners that resemble flats. If you know what I mean.
@@louiswright8282 QM2 is still a proper ocean liner. Sure its not QE2 or SS normandie but its the only operating ocean liner spec ship today.
@@VeryFamousActor Very true. I saw the QM2 sail into NY, and I was blown away. She's the last of the last.
Jeez, it's amazing it's even still floating. I love that you got to record it for posterity. I do not foresee it ever returning to service.
Do an Abandoned episode of the Canadian Disney stores, they’re closing everywhere in Canada this year
Just going to turn it in to another store, not a haunted house.
Who cares?
IMHO...
It's a "Damn Good' thing they Are!" The less there's to do with a place having,..."300+ Charged & Prosecuted," upper to lowly workers in Dis's "PEDOPHILE LAND"...the better off many "Helpless Young Children could be!"
I say this as a Canadian...nothing of value will be lost.
@@smokefree08 spirit of halloween
I sailed to England on this ship in August 1958 when I was six. It was magical. The hit songs at that time were "Volare" and the theme from the movie "The Vikings." Whenever I hear those tunes I'm thrown back to the week when the Atlantic was downright pacific and the sailing was sweet.
I get so excited when you drop a new film.. This one doesn't disappoint either! Thank you Jake Williams :)
I've stayed at the S.S. Rotterdam in 2019. It was soooo cool! I've never seen a ship like that with my own eyes. It would be so cool to see the S.S. United States transform into what the S.S. Rotterdam now is.
RMS Queen Mary isn't successful and is dying a slow death. We have one retired ocean liner hotel, we don't need two. We could however use another transatlantic liner as RMS Queen Mary 2 sells out fast and is the only option for transatlantic travel for people who hate to fly. (There are cargo ships but they are not practical from a timing perspective.....QM2 is only borderline practical because she's slow compared to the liners of the past). However, the problem is money.....restoring the ship would require a wealthy philanthropist....and there really aren't any of those around who don't have their own agendas. Elon Musk....the Koch brother....Bill Gates..don't see any of those interested in history.
The damage from the cavitation on the propeller is absolutely insane.
Nice Job. I'm fascinated with this ship. Always look for it when in the area. Got to view it dock side. There was a munsters movie (filmed in color BTW) where they travel to Europe to inquire about some inheritance. I remember 3 things about that movie, The plot, it was in color, and they sailed to Europe via the SS United States!