I first laid eyes on her in 2008. As our family journeyed down I-95 to Philadelphia to deposit the boys in Småland while navigating the furniture labyrinth at IKEA, I was surprised rounding a turn on Christopher Columbus Boulevard to see two two faded red, white, and blue smokestacks cutting a striking silhouette on a vessel that looked every bit as magnificent as the Titanic. In fact, she was bigger. Occupying 990 feet of Pier 82 in Philadelphia since 1996, she was 7 feet longer and stood an impressive 175 feet tall.
The S.S. United States' keel was laid on February 8th, 1950. A brilliant example of post-war engineering, she was the first major ocean liner to be built in dry dock and had a super structure composed entirely of aluminum. At 45,400 long tons she was over 40% lighter than the similarly sized Cunard queens prowling the North Atlantic. This weight advantage yielded an astonishing top speed of 38.3 knots (44 mph). She could almost go as fast in reverse (20 knots) as the Titanic could go forward. On her maiden voyage the S.S. United States captured the Blue Riband, an honor awarded for the fastest crossing of the North Atlantic. She was the first American ship in 100 years to hold the honor and retains it to this day.
Other history shared directly from the S.S. United States Conservancy website:
"Four U.S. presidents sailed aboard the SS United States: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Bill Clinton. (The youthful Clinton, fresh out of Georgetown, was on his way to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.)"
"The SS United States carried an impressive roster of luminaries on nearly every voyage. Famous passengers included Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Gary Cooper, Walter Cronkite, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor."
"A famous passenger of a different sort sailed aboard the SS United States in 1963: the Mona Lisa. Leonardo Da Vinci ’s masterpiece was traveling to the U.S. for special exhibitions in Washington and New York."
If you watched the news lately you might have caught a glimpse of her on the Atlantic. Freed from moorings for the first time in almost 30 years, she's being towed down the Eastern Seaboard before hooking around Florida for Mobile Bay, Alabama. Sadly, this journey is likely her last trip in the Atlantic. After years of fruitless conservation efforts the ship was evicted from Pier 82 with almost $300,000 in unpaid dock fees after a dispute between the conservation organization and the dock owner. She's headed to Mobile to have the top deck and more aluminum removed.
So why am I writing about the S.S. United States? To answer that question I need to share a little bit of another story. In 2015 my family received the gift of a lifetime with an assignment to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). Located in Mons, Belgium, the organization serves as military headquarters for NATO. Jenni and I always wanted a tour in Europe, so we were over the moon when we got the news. Things got even better when we were blessed to join four other American families living at Chateau de Rouveroy. Built in the late 1700s, the derelict property was purchased from and restored by our landlord, Mr. Guy Piette after a long period of neglect. Our family fell in love with Guy and the grounds of the chateau. Family dogs ran freely inside the gated walls. Our kids jumped on a trampoline under a massive 500-year old Chestnut tree and paddled around on a raft in the moat that surrounded the grounds. Guy and his wife Catherine shared (too) freely of their cellar and laughs rang out late as we drank red wine under Belgian sunsets that stretched to 10 pm in the summer. We came to know and love Guy and Catherine as family those precious years.
Over the decades many of the chateau’s adornments were ravaged while it was unoccupied. Guy told us of statues stolen and later spotted at markets; treasures chased for restoration but never found. One of the most striking transformations in our pictures today vs. paintings of yesteryear are the windows. I've seen early paintings of the chateau. It had magnificent French windows with many panes. If you scour the internet you'll read of an unfortunate remodeling that took place in the 1940s not while the chateau was unoccupied, but after German occupation. In the grand scheme of things it is one of the least offensive remnants of the brutal invasion wrought on the Belgians by a ruthless dictator.
The Belgians gave us so many gifts as visitors and Americans, but one of the most poignant was "Tanks in Town." The event is held every year and celebrates the liberation of Mons in 1944 when tanks from the U.S. 3rd Armored Division led by "Fish'n Chips" spearheaded a column that heralded the beginning of the end of German occupation. To this day Belgians (and other Europeans) dress as U.S. G.I.s and celebrate the sacrifices Allied Forces made to secure their freedom. It is a touching display of gratitude that has parallels all over the European continent, most famously in Normandy. It was during these events that the gravity of what it meant to Belgians that we would give our lives and treasure for their freedom really sunk in. Our sacrifice in World War II wasn't an abstract concept, book, or movie anymore, but an emotional embrace of our shared legacy, values, and what they secured for democracy. We didn't die for faceless and nameless people in a far away land. We fought for people like Guy and Catherine powerless against a crazed fascist with armies of occupation on the attack.
Which brings me back to the S.S. United States. A lesser known fact: she was designed from the outset to be converted to a troop transport should it be necessary. At 101 feet in width she was just narrow enough to fit through the Panama Canal and could carry 14,000 troops 10,000 miles without refueling. That might not seem impressive by today's standards, but at the time of her christening it was an important piece of capacity should the U.S. need to get troops to Europe to face-off against the U.S.S.R. and Warsaw Pact. This American triumph of engineering prowess was not only prestigious but backed an iron resolve to be there when our allies called. At the same time her keel was laid the very organization I served in came into being. In December 1950 General Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Seventy-five years later, the S.S. United States and our nation chart a different course. Ukraine, although not a member of NATO, was subject to a brutal invasion that left good people prey to the designs of a brutal dictator bent on seizing lands under the pretense of historical ties, national security, and kinship. For 3 years with U.S. and European support they have fought the invaders valiantly. The United States, its colors perhaps faded a bit like her namesake, nevertheless provided arms and a financial backstop against a relentless enemy conscripting its citizens into a "special military operation" they were powerless to protest under threat of imprisonment. But today, much like the S.S. United States, we have slipped our moorings and are being towed towards a destination from which there is likely no return.
The images of the S.S. United States journey down the coast have been nothing short of amazing. There's no smoke barreling from the funnels, but her stacks canted back on a low silhouette give the appearance of speed. She doesn't list under tow...a picture of stability and grace underway. From a distance she still exudes majesty and attracts eyeballs. No oceans seemingly too wide to cross or seas too rough to tame. She is yesterday's promise and ideals incarnate; a vision of our country's future; beautiful and strong enough to stamp our name on her with pride for all. Maybe that's why she's captured our nation's attention again as she haunts the coast at the end of a tether. But move closer and she isn't all she appears to be. Her faded paint belies decades of neglect and aging in the weather on Pier 82. I think there are similarities to the S.S. United States and my beloved country. Lately she has been battered by partisanship and had the internal workings that undergird her majesty removed; her compass thrown overboard. She is being towed to Mobile Bay for preparations before her ultimate fate is sealed. Eventually the S.S. United States will be towed onward towards her final destination; on the floor under 180 feet of water 20 miles off the coast of Destin, Florida; a burial at sea. She'll be the largest man made reef in the world. And maybe that's the last best use of her. As seas continue to warm we can expect coral bleaching to continue climbing. Fish and other creatures will need the habitat. Symbolically, our troops no longer need the fastest ride to help European allies. The current administration seems more focused on reclaiming the Panama Canal than supporting the alliances reliant on fast ships built to pass through it. Perhaps it is fitting that as European Allies continue to support Ukraine in the wake of a 3-year war against Russian invaders we'll send our namesake to a watery grave shortly after President Zelensky was unceremoniously dismissed from the Oval Office. Stripped of her internal finishes and anything of intrinsic value she'll have holes cut below her waterline and slip harmlessly below the surface. A once proud symbol of our nation, the S.S. United States reduced to the newest shipwreck on the floor of the Gulf of America. I served my country for 22 years in uniform; I still love it. I still love my fellow Americans, no matter their political persuasion. But I also love Guy and Catherine and other freedom loving people in Europe. I'd give my life to defend them. Guy is worth it. The Ukrainians are worth it. I hope we turn things around before we end up lost at sea as well.
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