"United States" Ocean liner

You can see the United States from I95 if you know where to look. Docked behind a Home Depot if I recall. In my hometown we have the NS Savannah rotting away in the harbor. She was the first nuclear merchant ship.
 
My senior photo seminar class is working right now to do a photo documentary of the ship. I'm heading up the project, actually. I hope we can really gain access for this project.

Phil Forrest
 
Getting into the United States

Getting into the United States

Phil, is there currently any access at all to the ship? I have wanted to get inside for years, but my impression is that there were never any public opportunities.

Best of luck in getting in! Now that the casino deal fell through (if there ever really was one), I hope that someone steps up to save her.

Historical note: fastest moving object of its size ever built.

Randy
 
Umm, I think it's the fastest non-military object of its size ever built...

I'm working right now to get the ship's conservancy society to allow us on board. No word yet about how much access we may be able to get.

Phil Forrest
 
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I think that's true.
It's powerplant was the same as U.S. carriers.
Rumour has it that the military were so impressed by the Queen Mary's role as a troop ship during WW2 that they decided to make the liner quick enough to be able to move large amounts of men around aqap
 
The powerplant is similar to the post WWII carriers as the ship was built in cooperation with the US Navy, to military fighting ship standards.

The faster ships I'm speaking of are the USS Enterprise and the fleet of Nimitz class carriers. No ship in the world can keep up to them over a few days' distance.

Phil Forrest
 
I would love to go take some photos of this as well! I have seen it on my IKEA trips and wondered about it.
I wouldn't be surprised however if they ultimately did not allow access due to safety/liability concerns associated with its age and current state.
 
The engineering spaces would be the most interesting, since it is fairly well stripped everywhere else. Last thing I saw on the old lady was a group that went into the engine room, and did it look claustrophobic. They didn't waste any space cramming those boilers in there.

When I was in the Navy, we used to go down to the International Piers in Norfolk where the United States was berthed, awaiting it's fate. We could not get on the dock, and if you took out a camera, they would chase you off.

PF
 
in the coast guard we called everything a boat that way when the pirates would ease-drop on the radio, they'd never expect a 110' cutter. ^_^
 
It is my undersstanding the some private investors bought the ship with plans to make a hotel but the asbestos was so prevelant that the ship is now sealed. It is such an environmental problem that they cannot even take it out and sink it. I'll be anxious to see if that's correct.

It is also my understanding that a 'boat' is small enough to be lifted and carried on a 'ship'. That's probably an old seaman's tale.

I served 4 years in the USN on a 'boat', that is on a (diesel) submarine. I have never heard a submarine refered to as a ship. Maybe the new, big, nukes are an exseption.
 
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