SS United States to Have Permanent New York Berth

It was a luxurious ship in its day and record holder for the fastest Atlantic crossing by an ocean liner, and now the SS United States will have a permanent berth in New York, serving as a unique hotel destination and event venue. Now managed by a special conservancy, the famed ship will be relocated from Philadelphia and be part of the rebirth of Manhattan's Hudson River waterfront.

"The pride of a nation. The pinnacle of technological and artistic achievement. A monument to the American can-do spirit…The SS United States represents our common values, our strengths, and the epic scope and scale of our ambition," the Conservancy boasts. "Her story is our story, and today, unite to save and restore this irreplaceable icon to the glory and dignity she deserves."

Inspired by the great British ships Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the 990-foot vessel was commissioned in 1951 and was the largest ocean liner ever to be constructed entirely in the U.S. In her heyday, she attracted celebrity passengers, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Salvador Dalí, Duke Ellington, and Walt Disney, who featured the ship in the 1962 film Bon Voyage! Traveling all over the world, she became known as "America's Flagship."

The United States had the most powerful steam turbines of any merchant marine vessel at the time and could carry enough fuel and stores to steam non-stop for over 12,000 miles. On her maiden voyage, she broke the eastbound transatlantic speed record, held by the Queen Mary for the previous 14 years, by more than 10 hours. She also broke her rival's record on the return trip. Her $79.4 million construction cost was partially underwritten by the U.S. government because she had the capacity to transport troops if necessary during wartime, but she was never called upon for that task. With the advent of air travel, the esteemed ship fell upon hard times and went through numerous changes of ownership following her last voyage in 1969, all with a vision of restoring her previous glory. Because of her place in history, she was named to the National Register of Historic Places and a years-long effort to save her was launched.

File Photo

With the Conservancy's new plan, America's Flagship will become a waterfront magnet for tourism in the Big Apple with 1,000 rooms, food and beverage destinations, event venues, lots of public green space, and a world-class museum. A key element of the hotel will be one of the ship's funnels, with the top removed and exposed to the sky. This would act as a skylight, illuminating the hotel and event spaces. In addition, the plan also consists of rooms held in the lifeboat davits, a pool between the funnels, and an aft interior-exterior ballroom to provide spaces for both hotel and venue operations. Redevelopment of the ship, at Pier 76 near the Javits Center, will be the most complex project of its kind ever attempted. "The ship's rebirth will create an instant destination that will attract visitors the world over to her storied decks," the Conservancy said, adding that the project is expected to create over 5,700 jobs in the city.