Exploring the SS United States

[LaCroix]

Really great video of the old beauty rotting in dock. Still in pretty good shape, I'd say

There are efforts restoring it - hope they manage.

[Thanas]

There was an effort by German businessmen to buy her for use in the Ship museum in Bremerhaven, but they failed to get around the asbestos issue, which seems to be the main problem with her.

[Sea Skimmer]

All asbestos was stripped out of the upper decks two decades ago in the Ukraine. That's why all the interiors are totally and utterly gutted in those walkthroughs. In the quest for the most fireproof ship ever the stuff was used for basically everything that could be physically possibly molded out of. Including bedframes and window shutters and similar items. In the process of that happening and her long mooring in Turkey many of her original fittings which were not asbestos were also stolen. I'm not sure if the machinery asbestos is still in place or not, but in the US its still on many open to the public museum ships. Isn't exactly a hazard when its inside a boiler jacket.

Plots to turn her into floating or concreted apartments, hotels or condos come and go but nobody can get enough backing to make it happen. Right before the great recession Norwegian Cruiselines which owned her for a time was talking pretty gung ho to actually turn her back into a cruise ship for niche markets but I suspect that was never going to actually happen. It would just be too expensive to make that steam plant operational again or completely reengine her into a diesel electric.

The last plan I heard was one to turn part of her into a museum simply to try to make some money to keep up with her rather large berthing costs and await a more serious future. She's been on the edge of scrapping for a long time now.

[Thanas]

All asbestos was stripped out of the upper decks two decades ago in the Ukraine. That's why all the interiors are totally and utterly gutted in those walkthroughs. In the quest for the most fireproof ship ever the stuff was used for basically everything that could be physically possibly molded out of. Including bedframes and window shutters and similar items. In the process of that happening and her long mooring in Turkey many of her original fittings which were not asbestos were also stolen. I'm not sure if the machinery asbestos is still in place or not, but in the US its still on many open to the public museum ships. Isn't exactly a hazard when its inside a boiler jacket.

That's weird, looks like they just used those materials as an excuse then.