"But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes.
He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes"

Those lyrics are from a song called "High Hopes" which was made popular by Frank Sinatra in the late 1950's. The song describes a number of scenarios where impossible odds are seemingly overcome through of a combination of positive attitude and perseverance.

During 1959, the year that song first became popular, the passenger liner SS United States - the flagship of the United States Lines - had been in service for seven years and was carrying thousands of passengers a week across the Atlantic in comfort and luxury.

At 990 feet in length, the SS United States was a technical marvel designed by legendary marine architect, William Francis Gibbs and when she entered service in 1952 she was the pride of the American merchant fleet. Her first passage from Ambrose Lighthouse to Bishops Rock smashed the record for fastest crossing of the Atlantic in 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes.

It has been more than 55 years since "High Hopes" first became a hit and while the song has faded from the public's memory and become part of a forgotten past, amazingly the SS United States is very much a part of the here and now.

For the past 18 years the once famous liner has been tied up at Pier 84 in South Philadelphia looking for a new life. The fact that a 53,000 ton ship built over 60 years ago is still around and is the centerpiece of several proposals for re-purposing the ship as a mixed-use permanently moored vessel on the New York waterfront is truly amazing and the direct result of the same combination of positive attitude and perseverance highlighted in the song.

Unfortunately, positive attitude and perseverance can only take a project so far. For the resurrection of the SS United States to come to fruition it will take millions of dollars of investment money and the cooperation of state and local authorities.

According to the SS United States Conservancy, the group that currently owns the SS United States, two detailed proposals have recently been submitted to New York City officials and they are now in talks regarding if and how next steps can emerge.

But time is short and it remains to be seen whether the Conservancy will be able to raise enough money to see their "high hopes" become reality.

In late September, the Conservancy announced that it will need to make a determination about the ship's future by the end of the month unless resources are found in short order to help cover the vessel's ongoing maintenance costs. Specifically, that means they will need to determine whether to sell or scrap the historic ship, unless they have entered into a funded option with a developer or have succeeded in attracting major new philanthropic support.

"We need someone with vision to step in and save the United States. We've made great strides in recent months, but what we need now is more time. This is an opportunity for a true hero to come forward and ensure the great potential of this project is realized. Discussions are underway with city and state officials to confirm that our plans meet regulatory guidelines and provide significant economic benefits, but the clock is ticking," said the Conservancy's Executive Director Susan Gibbs.

The ship has faced its end several times before. Most recently in 2011, the SS United States was just days away from being scrapped when a major gift to the Conservancy helped the grassroots organization purchase the vessel.

The Conservancy spends more than $60,000 per month to pay for the ship's dockage, insurance and maintenance costs at her current pier in Philadelphia. The organization is funded by private donations and has not received any government support.

On September 30th, the Conservancy announced that they had made progress and were within $2,072 from reaching a goal that would generate a matching fund grant of $100,000 from Jim Pollin who had donated $120,000 to the Conservancy this past June. At the time of that donation, Pollin had pledged to donate an additional $100,000 if the Conservancy succeeded in matching that amount through its fundraising efforts.

Then just this week the Conservancy announced that it had raised $122,165 from donors in 44 states in 17 countries in amounts spanning one dollar to ten thousand. In response, Jim Pollin upped the ante: "Our nation's flagship isn't just an historic vessel," Pollin said. "It also represents the people of a great and determined nation that once again have demonstrated they can rise to any challenge. In response to the generosity of so many supporters of the SS United States, I am proud to match their recent contributions with an additional donation of $120,000 to save this enduring symbol of our country."

The good news is that thanks to this fundraising success, the ship is safe for now. But the situation remains critical, and as the Conservancy continues to negotiate with New York developers, its hopes remain high that the vessel will soon be heading into drydock in anticipation of a star-spangled journey to a new port of call.

This came to my mind when I saw the following scene of 'Holy Motors' shot in what is left of the Samaritane in Paris:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ernst:
I still do not understand why there are no attempts to make her accesible to the public 'as she is' right now.[/URL]

---

There are so many reasons it is hard to answer.

First I guess is insurance considerations.

Second is the pier is a secure area.

Third has to do with regulatory issues because parts of the ship remain contaminated and will require remediation to clean before they can be opened to the public.

Fourth parts of the ship are not secure, plus there are no lights, heat, etc. aboard.

quote:

---

Originally posted by SSTRAVELER:
[QB]

There are so many reasons it is hard to answer.

[...]

Even if the insurance, pier, etc. issues could be resolved there would be a cost involved in running her as is. Do you think with nothing to see other than bare steel they could generate maybe $100, month to cover the operating and carry costs? What do you think, 1000 people a month?

---

I am fully aware of all these issues. Yes, it would cost many millions, she would have to undergo some (still extensive) renovation, the pier would have to be modified or she would have to be moved to another location. However, it's still more feasible that spending billions of dollars on a replica.

Her being a 'ruin' (I want to avoid the word wreck) is actually what makes her special. I am seriously convinced that more people would be interested in that than a replica of a '50ies linoleum liner' ' built atop her original remains.

'Modern Ruins' are actually 'the fasion' right now - e.g. see this website:

Abandoned America

Think about it this way: Would anyone seriously consider to rebuild the Parthenon in Athens or the Colosseum in Rome? I don't think so. Of course, at the same time a huge effort is made to maintain these sites in 'original condition' as ruins (!).

If it's not a permanent solution it might at least buy her some time AND make her known amongst younger people and people who are not interested in ships.

1000 visitors per months is BTW not that much - this would be only some 30 visitors by day. Also, not all costs have to be covered by ticket sales - most museums ot historic sites do not (have) achieve that - other ways of funding will always be required.

[ 10-10-2014: Message edited by: Ernst ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ernst:
[QB]I still do not understand why there are no attempts to make her accesible to the public 'as she is' right now. Ruins do have an appeal, finally many famous attractions are ruins....

---

When I spoke with them a few weeks ago I actually brought up a variation on this.

I was thinking that they might be able to get some money from universities that have naval architecture programs if they allowed groups of students to visit the ship. It certainly would provide the students with a different perspective than modeling hulls with CAD software.

The pier is private property well guarded, and to make a public access would require segregated parking, access, and do not forget the byzantine bureaucracy at Philadelphia City Hall.

I would love to see the BigU moved upstream to the Seaport museum along side of the USS Olympia, and Becuna.

Where the SSUS is now, has no mass transit access, but a mundane shopping mall across the street.

I give kudos to the Conservancy for all of their tireless efforts, whether I fully agree or not. The board of directors are not dummies.

On fundraising? I asked them to add in $30 events with snack food, since $100 plate black tie dinners is price resistant to many.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Frosty 4:
I would rather see a NEW SS United States be built. But built here in the US. Maybe one of the yards the Navy uses to build ships.
Putting $$$ in an old hulk just is beyond me .
Things have lifetimes. It's time has long past.
Scrap it and maybe use some of it's steel for a new ship. Makes more sense.
Frosty 4

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by desirod7:
I visited last year for a $50 donation. I had to wear hard toed shoes, given a flashlight. and carefully escorted and warned of obstructions of which were many. At the bridge I stated to walk out on the wings and was told to come back since they may break off.

---

Not sure who said that to you David since I know which group you were with and at least one of the guides that day. Your group must have been running late or something and they were just trying to move you along.

It is not true that the bridge wings "may break off" .... they are solid. People go out there all the time and it is a favorite spot to take pictures because you can see the massive funnels, upper works, etc. and get some good photo angles. So all I can guess is that someone wanted to speed things up so they made up that comment so people did not dawdle....

It is correct that people are asked to wear closed toe shoes so they do not stub their toes but people show up in sandals, etc. too for the tours. They also ask people to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants -- not shorts --- but a lot of people do not follow that advice either.

quote:

---

Originally posted by BMWM5:
The ship in her present shape is VERY dangerous. Access to the upper decks is only through a small and narrow circular stair case. Once the upper decks are reached a visitor has danger from all 4 sides. At the bottom protrusions which secured bulkheads and tables protrude everywhere. At the top dangling wires and metal fragments from the ceilings come at you from every direction. It's easy to get hurt if you don't watch your step.

---

BMW (sorry I don't know your name to address you properly)

When were you aboard? Who was your guide?

As I just replied to David this is a ship stripped to the steel, etc. but from what I know and hear it seems a little overly dramatic description -- especially if you follow the prescribed tour route.

The entrance is a B Deck crew area and for expediency they are using a crew service spiral staircase but it is by no means the only access point available. If they walked a little further forward on B Deck people could use another crew stairs or if they went further forward the Tourist Class stairway can be accessed.