A transatlantic of 301 meters in length. It is a figure that may not impose today when we talk about cruises, especially having moles such as the Oasis of the Seas of more than 316 meters or the Harmony of the Seas with its 362 meters, but if we go back to 1950, the thing changes. In the middle of the last century it is when the SS United States, an imposing transatlantic that did not go down in history as the Titanic, but it should.
Merits are not missing, but after a more than remarkable service, it was abandoned in a shipyard in which it was gradually oxidizing without anyone paying or attention. And so for almost 30 years … until now, since he will be given a deserved tribute at the bottom of the sea.
The other cold war missile. During the Cold War, countries like the United States invested a lot, a lot of money to improve their weapons. Specifically, its nuclear arsenal that, together with that of Russia, grew in an uncontrolled way. But other things had to be done and, in 1950, in the Newport News Shipbuilding shipyards in Virginia, the world’s largest transatlantic was being cooked: the SS United States.
A ship postcard
A Burrada. Its construction ended in 1952 and that was when the world knew an absolute beast of 301 meters in length, a 31 -meter sleeve and a displacement of more than 47,000 tons. The Titanic, as colossal as it was, measured 269 meters in length and a couple of meters less manga. Interestingly, he displaced practically the same tonnage, but the protagonist is now the American ship.
Not only was it the largest built in the United States: it also moved like a fish in the water. He had a cruise speed of 39 knots (about 59 km/h) and reached a surprising maximum speed of 38.38 knots (70.97 km/h). Its deposits allowed to travel more than 18,500 kilometers at a sustained speed of 64 km/h, which allowed rescue or long -distance missions to be carried out if there was any emergency. It was much faster than current cruises.
El Titanic II. Its construction cost about 78 million dollars, but there was a trick: the United States contributed 50 million because the ship could be used in military missions, moving up to 15,000 soldiers if the situation required it. It was never used for that purpose, but that the government entered the equation not only allowed to finance most of the ship, but also to improve construction materials.
On his inaugural trip in 1952 he showed what pasta he was made, getting the speed record in both directions when completing the trip in three days and ten hours. He continued to carry out passengers until 1969, being the pride of the United States during the Cold War.
Retirement without gallons. His iceberg, however, came in the late 60s. The rise of transatlantic commercial aviation caused no sense to invest money in the maintenance and operation of a ship so huge that it took much longer to bring passengers from one destination to another.
After just 17 years of service, he was removed from it and was lying from one port to another until, in 1996, he tied in the port of Philadelphia. Interestingly, in view of the whole world while their helmet was more and more oxidizing. Since then, it was tried to give a second life to the pride of the nation, which went through several owners, but attempts to turn it into a hotel or a floating museum did not prosper.
Posthumous Oscar. It was a sad ending for a symbol like this, but the SS United States Conservancy managed to get the ship and plan to remove it in the way it deserves. After 28 years, a few days ago he undertook his last trip helped by several tugs and, after a journey of about 3,000 kilometers, he reached the coast of Mobile, in Alabama.
Recreation of the SS United States for the Terrestrial Museum. The radar tower and other elements will be the originals
The plan, now, is to sink it at some point in 2026, and will be at the bottom of the sea where it will become a huge artificial reef that will delight the submarine. On the coast there will be a museum and visitors center where the story of a ship that marked a naval era will be remembered and was sadly left aside due to progress. Now, you can rest with dignity.
Imagenes | SSUSC, Chuck Homler D/B/A FOCUSONWILDLIFE
In WorldOfSoftware | The largest passenger ships in history, ordered in a fabulous infographic
