The end for the S.S. United States

[gunhilltrain]

Not sure if this is directly related to Lit, but ships have been part of fiction for a long time. The United States was the fastest ocean liner ever built. It was only in service for eigthteen years, but I suppose it was well-bullt if it still can float. It's designer, William Gibbs, knew about earlier disasters and he was obsessed with safety. I saw it once in Philadelphia, and it was impressive in a way that present-day cruise ships, although bigger, are not.

Any story ideas related to this ship? Many famous people sailed on it.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

While not actually on set the United States, I have a plot bunny (slowly growing to capybara size) involving six couples participating in a spicy game show, couples being filmed 24/7 on a luxury cruise.

WRT the United States, I’ve heard she still holds the record for fastest transatlantic crossing.

 

[QuillPig]

Sure feels that way.

Oh, you're talking about a literal boat.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I've been seeing the words 'the end', 'the S.S.' and 'United States' together in a lot of sentences on-line recently.

This is the first I'm hearing about a ship.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Cool history, she just showed up at the wrong time.
Unfortunately it's a struggle to keep the famous warship museums afloat, not enough money for something as relatively obscure as this ship.

 

[AllenWoody]

It will be an awesome artificial reef. Hopefully it will be dive-able before too many years.

 

[cadeauxxx]

She was a gorgeous ship back in her day. I've followed the story of the S.S. for a long time. It was sad to see her rusting away for so many years.

We have so much cool architecture in this country and stuff that's just sitting around rotting in decay.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Sure feels that way.

Oh, you're talking about a literal boat.

Usually vessels that size are called "ships." Except, no matter how big a submarine gets, it's still called a "boat." That goes back to the beginning of Word War I when they were quite small and were considered "auxiliary" craft. Then everyone (especially the British) was shocked at how amazingly effective they were.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I've been seeing the words 'the end', 'the S.S.' and 'United States' together in a lot of sentences on-line recently.

This is the first I'm hearing about a ship.

S.S. stands for "steam ship." Except, nowadays they don't use steam propulsion at all. Ships use Diesel engines to generate power for electric motors than actually turn the propellers.

Yes, Mike Brady is your go-to geek for anything maritime-related, but he really knows his stuff. This video is a bit tech-heavy.

 

[ElectricBlue]

S.S. stands for "steam ship." Except, nowadays they don't use steam propulsion at all. Ships use Diesel engines to generate power for electric motors than actually turn the propellers.

Yep, MV Ships Name

 

[VerbalAbuse]

S.S. stands for "steam ship." Except, nowadays they don't use steam propulsion at all. Ships use Diesel engines to generate power for electric motors than actually turn the propellers.

Yes, Mike Brady is your go-to geek for anything maritime-related, but he really knows his stuff. This video is a bit tech-heavy.

So it's not

Schutzstaffel​

?

 

[gunhilltrain]

So it's not

Schutzstaffel​

?

Yep, it's one of those abbreviations that have multiple meanings. Sometimes people use so many of them that I don't know what they're talking about and I have to look them up. E.g, I will sometimes have a note to readers that says TLC means Taxi and Limousine Commission, not "tender loving care."

 

[gunhilltrain]

Cool history, she just showed up at the wrong time.
Unfortunately it's a struggle to keep the famous warship museums afloat, not enough money for something as relatively obscure as this ship.

Warships have a better chance of surviving because people will pay to visit them. America has about seven battleships, some aircraft carriers, and other such vessels preserved. Even submarines. Somebody I know who visited one said those are not good places for claustrophobic people..

Passenger ships need some further purpose, which can be hard to find. There are maybe two big ones in the whole world. Anyway, Brady has a more accessible video about being built at the wrong time. I think he got started with this when he saw the 1997 version of Titanic.

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

This makes me incredibly sad.

 

[gunhilltrain]

While not actually on set the United States, I have a plot bunny (slowly growing to capybara size) involving six couples participating in a spicy game show, couples being filmed 24/7 on a luxury cruise.

WRT the United States, I’ve heard she still holds the record for fastest transatlantic crossing.

And she'll probably hold that record forever. There is no need for present-day cruise ships to go that fast now.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

This makes me incredibly sad.

In a way, but the alternative was, sooner or later, melting her down to make lawn mowers and razor blades. This way, people will be around her, in her, wondering about her, glorying in her for a long, long time.

 

[Actingup]

And she'll probably hold that record forever. There is no need for present-day cruise ships to go that fast now.

Kim Stanley Robinson's "Ministry For The Future" describes a world where eco-terrorists sabotage the aviation industry to the extent where more efficient, alternative options are preferred. Lots of airships in the novel, but I think literal ships are a better idea. No need to travel half-way across the world for a meeting anymore, but surely fast liners would be a way to support lengthy foreign travels.

 

[PapaRomantic]

As a born and raised citizen of the United States, I'm embarrassed that I knew nothing about this ship and her journey. Thanks for enlightening me!

 

[KyleR215]

Not sure if this is directly related to Lit, but ships have been part of fiction for a long time. The United States was the fastest ocean liner ever built. It was only in service for eigthteen years, but I suppose it was well-bullt if it still can float. It's designer, William Gibbs, knew about earlier disasters and he was obsessed with safety. I saw it once in Philadelphia, and it was impressive in a way that present-day cruise ships, although bigger, are not.

Any story ideas related to this ship? Many famous people sailed on it.

I don' have any story ideas about it. I did see this arrive as it came up the Delaware River. For almost 30 years I have seen it and passed by it as it was docked in Philly. The other day, I got to see it sail back down the Delaware as it passed under the Commodore Barry.

 

[KyleR215]

This makes me incredibly sad.

This ship has sat basically abandoned for decades. I thought for sure it would rot out before it ever moved. Lack of funding, lack of ideas on how it should and should be used, lack of interest is what caused its demise.

 

[Cacatua_Galerita]

S.S. stands for "steam ship."

RMS Titanic, DSV-0 Trieste, HMY Britannia, SS Edmund Fitzgerald, USS Enterprise, RRS Sir David Attenborough (mothership of the AUV, Boaty McBoatface). The prefix acronyms are listed here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_prefix

(Shameless self-promotion... ‘ST’ is the prefix for ‘Steam Tug’, so I made up ‘FT’, for ‘Fusion Tug’ in the title of my recent Sci-Fi story.)

 

[SinclairGroupLLP]

This ship has sat basically abandoned for decades. I thought for sure it would rot out before it ever moved. Lack of funding, lack of ideas on how it should and should be used, lack of interest is what caused its demise.

I have always found it frustrating, every time I've been past her, that they couldn't find one billionaire to drop twenty or thirty million into the ship to get her back to museum or hotel quality trim. Like others have noted, no other ship is ever going to take the Blue Riband from her.

Just makes me sad. So many famous and epic ships have ended up as reefs or as razor blades for want of the money to convert them to something new.

 

[AllenWoody]

I have always found it frustrating, every time I've been past her, that they couldn't find one billionaire to drop twenty or thirty million into the ship to get her back to museum or hotel quality trim. Like others have noted, no other ship is ever going to take the Blue Riband from her.

Just makes me sad. So many famous and epic ships have ended up as reefs or as razor blades for want of the money to convert them to something new.

I happen to think that being sunk as artificial reefs is a glorious end/new beginning for a ship. The ship continues on more or less in its current shape, provides a home for fish of all sorts (far faster than a coral reef can grow), generates eco tourism, and gives joy to divers. I'm not a penetration diver and I'm hoping they seal the ports and hatches so no one dies trying to get inside, but even being near a massive ship such as that on a dive is breathtaking.

 

[KyleR215]

I happen to think that being sunk as artificial reefs is a glorious end/new beginning for a ship. The ship continues on more or less in its current shape, provides a home for fish of all sorts (far faster than a coral reef can grow), generates eco tourism, and gives joy to divers. I'm not a penetration diver and I'm hoping they seal the ports and hatches so no one dies trying to get inside, but even being near a massive ship such as that on a dive is breathtaking.

Like a sailor whose life is lost while serving on a ship and having a burial at sea..... A burial at sea for a fine ship is a glorious ending

 

[gunhilltrain]

Kim Stanley Robinson's "Ministry For The Future" describes a world where eco-terrorists sabotage the aviation industry to the extent where more efficient, alternative options are preferred. Lots of airships in the novel, but I think literal ships are a better idea. No need to travel half-way across the world for a meeting anymore, but surely fast liners would be a way to support lengthy foreign travels.

I have read one novel called "The Bridge" where eco-terrorists basically destroy civilization, if I remember the plot correctly. But I doubt that will ever happen. True, it's harder to sabotage ships than planes. But once a technology is introduced, it's hard to imagine it not existing any longer. I'm so old that I find cell phones intrusive because anybody can reach me at any time. Especially bosses, but I'm retired! "I know you're on vacation, but we have this little problem here at the office."