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Originally posted by Midshipcentury:
Historically speaking, the UNITED STATES is possibly the most important old liner left to save, but there is nothing left to preserve other than a shell with engines. AUGUSTUS is 90 percent intact and in good to excellent cosmetic condition. If I had to pick just one, she would be it. But it doesn't matter since neither is likely to see it past the next surge of metal prices.

Peter

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Originally posted by Midshipcentury:
Scrap prices don't have to return to last year's peak to make nearly every vintage, non-SOLAS compliant ship eligible for Alang sooner than later. In 40 years no one has figured out what to do with the UNITED STATES. She needs a benefactor that doesn't care if he loses a fortune restoring and maintaining her. As for the AUGUSTUS, she currently has one, Emilio Yap, that is in his 80s and unlikely to hold onto her much longer. Again, I've been on both ships in their present condition, would personally love to see them (and many other vintage pax ships saved) but know, instead, the grim reality. In my dreams, if I had the money and could select just one, it would be the AUGUSTUS. Next would be REGAL EMPRESS, then IVORY, MAXIM GORKIY, SAGA ROSE and OCEANIC. UNITED STATES is further down my own personal list, mainly because any restoration would be imitation while the others are far more intact with their original fittings, etc.

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The US with all respect was not that wonder ship that US Lines wanted us to believe. Yes she was the facets, and high tec then. But hardly luxurious and quite metallic. Here interiors where spartan in comparison to the America and others on the Atlantic. It was the major critic that I read in books. And many passengers returned to there favorite ships after trying US. To restore here and bring back some of all of here interiors would not be wise.

To give here an Nwe Amsterdam type of interior would be stupid, that was a '30's Dutch build liner and would rather be strange to copy those interiors a/b US. The best is to redesigned here interiors by today American interior designers. And give here a state of the art US interiors.

But to be real it would not happen.

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Originally posted by Maasdam:
The MS PHILIPPINES is an beauty I always loved the August sisters. Looking to those pictures she looks in a very good conditions, well here present interior is far from here Italian period. I agree with Peter that from AL the ships named in previous posts she is likely the one who is easiest to restore.

The US with all respect was not that wonder ship that US Lines wanted us to believe. Yes she was the facets, and high tec then. But hardly luxurious and quite metallic. Here interiors where spartan in comparison to the America and others on the Atlantic. It was the major critic that I read in books. And many passengers returned to there favorite ships after trying US. To restore here and bring back some of all of here interiors would not be wise.

To give here an Nwe Amsterdam type of interior would be stupid, that was a '30's Dutch build liner and would rather be strange to copy those interiors a/b US. The best is to redesigned here interiors by today American interior designers. And give here a state of the art US interiors.

But to be real it would not happen.

Greetings Ben.

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Ben,
When I stated that the Big U new interior could be at the level of the SS Niuew Amsterdam II, I never SAID that the interiors should be alike. I was implying that the interiors could be as beautiful as the Dutch oceanliner from a 1940-1950 American Art Deco perspective. At the same time, I stated that such an American Art deco charm was not going to happen. And the best that most could hope for is for the vessel to have modern interiors, combined with some of the original interior fittings of her old publics spaces.

The reason why the Big U had those Spartan interiors was because Mr. Gibbs had wanted the ship to be fire proof. In addition, he did not want the Big U to be a floating resort of the seas, like the Queen Mary. He wanted a ship that could go from Point A to Point B. Originally, the US Lines had wanted to make the Big U as beautiful as the SS America. But Mr. Gibbs was against it. Especially after the fire that destroyed the SS Normandie. So this was why Mr. Gibbs designed the ship the way it was because the spartan interior allowed for a fast conversion into a troopship, if a war was to break out. The SS United States was really a military vessel disquised as an oceanliner.

[ 01-08-2009: Message edited by: Redlinekid2 ]

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Originally posted by Redlinekid2:

So this was why Mr. Gibbs designed the ship the way it was because the spartan interior allowed for a fast conversion into a troopship, if a war was to break out. The SS United States was really a military vessel disquised as an oceanliner.
[ 01-08-2009: Message edited by: Redlinekid2 ]

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Except that when the Government suggested using her to carry troops to the Korean War, Gibbs fought tooth and nail to keep her from being used as a troopship!

So although she was the most important US liner ever built to save her she needs updating or changing to be worth saving.......

And the point then is ?