Cruise Talk: SS American Racer of United States Lines

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Topic: SS American Racer of United States Lines

dmwnc1
Cruise Director
Member # 3785

posted 01-07-2011 09:43 AM

The tug Thomas Dann (front), along with the tug Walker (in back) towed the SS AMERICAN RACER through the Miraflores Locks this morning enroute to Brownsville TX for dismantling.

A picture of her from Shipspotting taken in 1976:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=401172

She even had her own Myspace account!
http://www.myspace.com/ssamericanracer

Here is a photo set that I found taken by a local as she departed San Francisco in mid-December:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daver6/sets/72157625518319728/

Webcam grabs from this morning taken by yours truly

[ 01-07-2011: Message edited by: dmwnc1 ]

Posts: 5650 | From: Clarksburg WV | Registered: Apr 2003 | IP: Logged

dmwnc1
Cruise Director
Member # 3785

posted 01-07-2011 09:44 AM

Posts: 5650 | From: Clarksburg WV | Registered: Apr 2003 | IP: Logged

lasuvidaboy
First Class Passenger
Member # 4527

posted 01-07-2011 02:18 PM

Thanks for sharing. Great looking ship.

Posts: 7653 | From: Hollywood Hills/L.A. | Registered: Mar 2004 | IP: Logged

dmwnc1
Cruise Director
Member # 3785

posted 01-08-2011 02:35 AM

THANKS! Definitely a classic. Her stern reminds me of the Queen Mary somewhat. For the first time I can ever remember since watching these, the tow didn't make it all the way through the canal transit and for some reason stopped around 4:15pm and anchored in Gatun Lake about 2 miles off of the locks. Hopefully I can catch a few more webcam grabs of her exiting the canal sometime today.

Posts: 5650 | From: Clarksburg WV | Registered: Apr 2003 | IP: Logged

dmwnc1
Cruise Director
Member # 3785

posted 01-08-2011 10:35 AM

More from this morning. After anchoring out overnight in Gatun Lake the AMERICAN RACER in tow heads for the Gatun Locks:

Posts: 5650 | From: Clarksburg WV | Registered: Apr 2003 | IP: Logged

dmwnc1
Cruise Director
Member # 3785

posted 01-13-2011 12:26 AM

After reading a bit of her interesting history it lead me to wonder were there any other remaining ships still in existence that were part of the United States Lines? Other than the obvious being the liner SS United States? With the SS American Racer and SS American Reliance now enroute to Brownsville for scrapping are these the last of the line other than the SSUS?

The S.S. American Racer was built at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock in Chester, Pa., in 1964.

It became part of a fleet involved trans-Atlantic container service started by United States Lines. The first to carry containers to Rotterdam, it and three sister ships operated a weekly service between the United States east coast and the Dutch port. It was used in the commercial trades its entire career, although briefly it served at the end of the Vietnam War.

In 1975, it joined nine other ships that helped evacuate thousands of Vietnamese refugees who left their country at the end of the Vietnam War. Because of the Paris Agreement’s prohibition of military forces, noncombat ships were chosen for the mission. At one point, the ship was under fire, but took no damage.

More threads of webcam grabs I have taken as other Ghost Fleet ships have passed through, the photosets were taken by a San Francisco 'local' as the ships were being cleaned and prepared for their final voyages:

POPE and PATRICK
Pier 70 USS General John Pope (AP-110) 5-2010 - a set on Flickr

Pier 70 USS General Edwin Patrick (T-AP) 4-2010 - a set on Flickr

Cruise Talk: Pope and Patrick...waiting

RIDER VICTORY
Pier 70 SS Rider Victory in Drydock 3-2010 - a set on Flickr

ASPPhotoGallery (RIDER VICTORY in tow Miraflores Locks - Album_ID 3446)

WINTHROP VICTORY
SS Windthrop Victory's last voyage 3-2010 - a set on Flickr

ASPPhotoGallery (WINTHROP VICTORY in tow Panama Canal - Album_ID 3442)

USNS MISSION SANTA YNEZ
Pier 70 USNS Mission Santa Ynez 4-2010 - a set on Flickr

USNS Mission Santa Ynez 3-2010 - a set on Flickr

Cruise Talk: USNS Mission Santa Ynez in Panama Canal

GETTYSBURG
Exxon Gettysburg at Pier 70 5-2010 - a set on Flickr

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3482_14.jpg

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3521_7.jpg

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3521_8.jpg

AMERICAN RACER
SS American Racer 12-2010 - a set on Flickr

Cruise Talk: SS American Racer of United States Lines

AMERICAN RELIANCE
In Panama Canal

TALUGA
USS Taluga at Pier 70 BEA Drydock 7-2010 - a set on Flickr

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3510_12.jpg

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3510_13.jpg

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3510_14.jpg

EARLHAM VICTORY
S.S. Earlham Victory at Pier 70 12-2009 - a set on Flickr

PAN AMERICAN VICTORY
USS Pan American Victory -the end is near- 11-2009 - a set on Flickr

SS DAWN
ex-African Dawn

[ 02-16-2011: Message edited by: dmwnc1 ]

Posts: 5650 | From: Clarksburg WV | Registered: Apr 2003 | IP: Logged

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