A US Treasury fleet miraculously on

 Instead, a legitimate piece of American history, which many believe should be enshrined and venerated forever, came in dangerously close of the scrap metal yard, only to metaphorically sail away to safety once more.

A group of naturalists enthusiasts bought the United States for the sum of $ 5.8 million - enough money to ensure and maintain for at least 20 months the cruise ship that many called the most important nation, bold and beautiful maritime achievement.

The hulk rusty but still floating of a cruise ship (dare call a "cruise ship") has been described as everything from "the space program of the 1950s," to a "national treasure". In the lingering shadow of the second world war and the war cold gathering, the Navy has called famous naval architect William Francis Gibbs to build the Wolf in the fold of ultimate: one that can transport passengers paying 1,900 across the Atlantic in high style - transatlantic liner 990-foot opulent or, war, 14,000 soldiers 10,000 miles nonstop sailors.

For military, features missions warshiplike SS United States sported never before given on a passenger - characteristic ship who will never seen once more, as the redundant engines military so powerful that they have been classified for decades. Or the construction highly compartmentalized, sound-powered telephones and several management positions.

The ship is never pressed into military service, but it is powerful enough to smash the speed record transatlantic in 1952, making New York the United Kingdom in little more than three days, at an incredible average speed of 35.6 nodes (41 mph).

Should the record goes the other direction, too. Surprisingly, the record is still after all these years.

Unfortunately, another type of transatlantic travel, the sky instead of the seas, had already numbered SS United States days. The ship was abruptly fired from the service in 1969.

Since then, he spent in a variety of well-meaning but poorly funded by speculators, as countless of the resurrection of the ship plans were designed and then side just as quickly.

Ship's fittings were pledged to pay creditors. A group of owners had it towed to the Turkey and the Ukraine to cancel the architect Gibbs celebrates obsession fireproofing and clear the ship from its extensive asbestos. All historically important interior appointments of the ship were destroyed in the process.

In 1996, SS United States was towed to its location current in the South of Philadelphia, bound and left. Before that important security measures were placed around the ship, it was a sadistic South Philly pastime of firing on its Windows.

The most recent Asian ship owners owned Norwegian Cruise Line, remained the most ambitious plan for the ship - to restore the flagship of a new line, NCL America. Unfortunately, the NCL America market was never what its owners had hoped, and the costs of restoration to the SS United States if service proved to be too large. The only other option for the ship appeared to be the scrap yard.