Random Thoughts Thread

[trinacriabob]

II was sad to see this news, but it was to be expected.  The S.S. United States will not be having a traditional retirement home, as most beloved and historical ocean liners do.

Instead, she will be moving to the Florida Panhandle, where they will sink her to create the world's largest underwater reef.  There will be a visitor center and museum in Destin, from which she will be offshore.

For being 990 feet long, she doesn't weigh as much as that length would suggest.  She has a very low profile, which accentuates her oversized and rounded funnels.  This might have also helped her capacity for speed.  Converted into miles per hour, the S.S. United States sped across the Atlantic at about 41 mph to make the crossing in 3 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes.  That is insanely fast, so, the ship is the very last to earn the Blue Riband, with no other ocean liner winning it since.

I guess it's good that it isn't being scrapped.  However, this artificial reef solution is what penciled out.  She was the greatest of American ocean liners and had a historical designation ... plus, I can't go visit a sunken ship.

So, a sad Philadelphia turned out on the banks of the Delaware River to see the ship sail out after being moored there for about 30 years.