r/SSUnitedStates

[deleted]

Correction of deliberate misinformation being spread by the SS United States Preservation Foundation

Below is the link to a Facebook post that directly counters the lie being spread by the SS United States Preservation Foundation claiming that Okaloosa County is exploring or accepting scrap bids (they are not).

The link to the post is below, and for those who do not have Facebook the text of the post is below:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FMuxzrmj9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

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The facts surrounding the SS United States need to be brought back onto the rails of reality and away from the misinformation, selective narratives, and manufactured outrage being pushed to sabotage the reefing effort.

The remediation process is complete. Okaloosa County has publicly stated that it is awaiting final sign-offs from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA before proceeding further. The County has not stated that the ship is being scrapped. That narrative has been pushed by the SS United States Preservation Foundation and its members despite there being no official statement supporting it.

What was actually said during the County Board meeting matters.

When Commissioner Mixon asked about potential scrap value, Mr. Coffey stated clearly that without soliciting scrap bids — which the County is NOT doing — any number discussed could only be an estimate. Commissioner Mixon then asked about the value of additional items removed from the vessel that belong to the County. That discussion did not include the mast, propeller, funnels, builder’s plate, or the bars removed from the ship, all of which remain the property and responsibility of the Conservancy.

Anyone genuinely interested in facts instead of internet rumor should watch the commissioners’ comments themselves instead of relying on distorted secondhand claims. The comment can be found at this link at the 2:10:55 mark:

https://www.youtube.com/live/sxhd1D7axzg?feature=shared

If reefing permits are denied, then yes, the SS United States will likely be scrapped in Mobile at her current berth. That is reality. But claiming scrapping is already decided or secretly underway is false.

There is also continued confusion — some of it deliberate — about the legal and regulatory process. The SS United States is not treated like ordinary abandoned private property. Federal permits, environmental compliance requirements, and historic review processes are involved because that is how federal law works when dealing with a vessel of this size and significance. At the same time, there is no hidden legal mechanism that will suddenly force preservation or indefinitely delay the outcome. No law guarantees the ship will be saved simply because some people demand it.

Coleen Marine, Inc. deserves recognition, not dismissal, for the work completed aboard the ship. The remediation and reef preparation process was not careless or improvised. It was methodical, heavily regulated, and conducted under environmental oversight from start to finish. The contractor followed the applicable regulations and completed difficult technical work safely and professionally under constant public scrutiny.

Attempts by the SS United States Preservation Foundation’s Vice President (Steve Perry) and others to publicly undermine Coleen Marine’s competence at County meetings and elsewhere on social media, both publicly AND privately, ignore the obvious reality that the people physically working aboard the ship every day now possess as much direct operational familiarity with the SS United States as many of those criticizing them from podiums at county board meetings and comment sections on social media. Experience is measured by execution, not nostalgia. Coleen Marine carried out the assignment professionally and responsibly, and they deserve credit for their stewardship of the vessel during one of the most difficult periods in its history.

The situation is not complicated. The ship has been remediated. The County is awaiting final federal approvals. Reefing remains the active plan unless permits are denied. If permits are denied, the likely outcome is domestic scrapping in Mobile.

That is the present reality — not fantasy, not fearmongering, and not the misinformation campaign currently being waged to derail the project.

Found on a piece of luggage at a thrift store. Cool.

My family immigrated to the U.S. aboard the SS United States in August 1968. Here are some surviving tickets, menus, and onboard photos from the voyage.

We embarked in Southampton, UK, briefly stopped in Le Havre, France, and then crossed the Atlantic. About 3½ days later, after entering New York Harbor, passing beneath the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and sailing past the Statue of Liberty, we arrived amid the hustle and bustle of Pier 86 on the west side of Midtown Manhattan.

I was 9 years old at the time, and it was incredibly exciting for me to experience this magnificent ocean liner. I’ll never forget it.

I also remember being told by members of the onboard staff that these were likely the final years of this magnificent ship. At the time, we had a hard time believing that she might soon be decommissioned.

But only about a year later, the Boeing 747 entered service, and the SS United States was making her final voyages.