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Blog Entry: #20

Date of Original Post: 4/19/10

SS United States Liner - How Can The Most Daring Leadership Technique Save A Dying American Icon?
by Joe DePalma

You may or may not know the NASA Space Shuttle program is due to be retired in 2010 to make way for a new spacecraft which will transport humans further and faster than ever before. After the retirement I'm not exactly sure what our government will do with the shuttles. With that statement I pose a question for you:

Do you think our government will keep an actual Shuttle on display for future generations of everyday Americans to learn from and enjoy? Or, do you think they will let the Shuttle sit outside rotting for the next forty years? Seems like a stupid question, right? That couldn't really happen; could it?

For argument sake lets say it did happen. Let's fast forward 40 years and that Space Shuttle has been sitting around unprotected outside. It looks like hell. It's barely a hint of its former self and it's a rust flake away from being dismantled for scrap. Would you want to see it preserved for its historical significance? “Yeah, why not you say?” Well now image that Space Shuttle is 1000 feet or so long, twelve or so stories tall, and an overall huge pain in the butt to preserve. Do you still think it's a good idea to salvage that piece of American history; even if it costs a ton of money?

It's an interesting question. How many headaches and how many millions of dollars is American history worth? Our U.S. government preservers countless artifacts from what it “means to be an American”. From locomotives to planes to feather pens all the way down to Fonzie's leather jacket from Happy Days. We have saved and continue to display them all; with a glaring exception that I want to talk about today… our Ocean Liners.

What if I were to tell you the largest ocean liner ever built entirely in the United States was near death. What if I were also to tell you that ocean liner is the fastest ever made by anyone in the world and it also had a cold war era engineering trick up its sleeve? Would all of that justify saving it?

That's the question the people at SS United States Conservancy or SOS “Save Our Ship” have found the answer to; and answer is YES. But they're running out time.

It all started back in the early 50's as post war American basked in the glory of having won the big one. On top of the mountain, Americans of the time used the ingenuity and experience that got them there to build a symbol of that victory. That symbol was the SS United States liner. She was America 's unofficial flagship.

The SS United States was born in 1952 when America wanted to rule the passenger seas with speed and confidence. Our ocean liner crushed the record for the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing in either direction on her maiden voyage. In fact in her day she could go faster in reverse than any ship today could go forward. The SS United State's speed was legendary. So much in fact that the Pentagon kept her true top speed a secret so the Soviets wouldn't find out. The reason for that is because the U.S. government picked up two thirds of the 70 million dollar cost to build the SS United States liner; which included a few military secrets. The most impressive of which was in just 48 hours she was able to completely transform from a 1,500 person passenger vessel to a transport for up to 15,000 U.S. soldiers and then travel for 10,000 miles without refueling. No other ship in the world could touch those numbers and that efficiency. Some say she was overbuilt. She even had two engine rooms just in case one was torpedoed. She was a true American; our flagship.

During the 1950's there was barely a corner of the world that was immune to America 's popularity. And they all wanted to travel on our new symbol of greatness the SS United States liner. Former President's Eisenhower and Truman, European Royalty, the Duke and Duchess of Winsor, as well as other global celebrities; all flocked to the decks of the SS United States. It was a grand time to be on the flagship of the mighty United States . However, a shift in technology was quickly coming from above in the form of commercial jet planes which would revolutionize travel and lead to the end of the ocean liner era.

The SS United States liner was retired from passenger activity in 1969. The same was the case with most of the classic liners which were still standing as the jets soared overhead in greater and greater numbers. However, unlike most of the classic liners whose retirement years consisted of scrap yards or dock fires, the SS United States liner has managed to keep herself upright and as dignified as possible for the past 40 years. But she's slipping away right under our noses.

That's right, after being towed around from dock to dock and having her interior gutted since 1969 she finally arrived in Philadelphia in 1996 to await her fate. And she's still patiently waiting 14 years later.

That's where the SS United States Conservancy comes in. The SS United States Conservancy wants to save this incredibly important artifact of American history and they need your help to generate awareness. That is why I'm writing this today. As a lover of American history and of classic ocean liners I want to have my voice heard.

Much like the Queen Mary Hotel and Museum on the west coast in Long Beach, California the SS United States Conservancy wants to have the liner brought back from the brink and turned into a living piece of history on the east coast before time closes the window.

They understand that the SS United States liner isn't just an old ocean liner. She's OUR Ocean Liner. She's our only completely American made contribution to the grand age of the classic Ocean Liners. She's one of us; and she's in need. She's our history.  She was the new kid on the block when it was built. She wasn't the biggest or the most luxurious, but she was the best constructed, fastest, and she had some secrets under the surface. Just like Americans themselves the SS United States was ready for whatever challenges confronted her.

I understand that private interests are important in situations like resurrecting the SS United States liner. I also believe it's not only our government's duty to step in and help the dying ship, but doing so is also in the best interests of the nation at this time.

You may say this all sounds nice, but it's really just a lot of silly hearted sentiment…but it is?  We're at a time in American history where we need a positive distraction.  At this delicate time we need to slip deeper into our American dreams if we want to awake with refreshed patriotism.  And the more you look into it the story of a resurrected SS United States is the perfect warm milk for such a sleep.

But wait, I can hear the critics say, “Won't resurrecting the SS United States cost too much?” To which I would calmly say, “Yeah, it will probably cost more or about the same as simply building a new ship.”

Then I just know they'll ask, “Wouldn't it stand to reason that spending that same money on education or something that is more directly traceable to the betterment of the people is a better idea? To which I would answer, “Possibly, but in the very long run a resurrected SS United States liner will be able to pay itself off and then some eventually.”

Finally even with that idea of a long term payoff I can still ultimately hear them declare, “The entire idea of resurrecting the SS Untied States doesn't make a whole lot of sense.” To which I'd say, “ EXCATLY!”

You see making sense doesn't always make the most sense.  In times like these when you're looking to capture the imagination of the people and rally them around an ideal such as HOPE and NATIONAL PRIDE; making bottom line sense isn't going to get you there.  You will need to dig deeper and do something bold and unreasonable.  You will need to take a calculated risk that people can identify with and relate to. It's a leadership technique that only the bravest of individuals dare to even try.

Now I ask you, what better risk is there than to rescue a symbol of American greatness from the depths of mismanagement and neglect; and restore it not only back to its original glory, but go beyond that to enhance its purpose and make it better than it was before?



Can you see how hardworking Americans will relate to this idea?  We're tired of bailouts, health care woes, and political leveraging.  We need something we can see, touch and marvel at.  We need something that is guaranteed to appreciate not only in dollars and cents, but in the ideas of what this country was founded on and what it sill stands for.

We need a NEW symbol for a NEW America … again.  We need something that will bridge the patriotic gap from a yesterday many Americans can still remember to a present that most Americans are trying to forget.

The SS United States encompasses everything we need and it's sitting right there in Philadelphia with a proverbial bow on its bow.  Let's do this right America .  Don't let this window to American glory slip away. The time to act is now.  If situations play out as they are lined up now we're probably going to see the SS United States Liner torn apart and scrapped on a third world shore.

Let's hire out of work construction workers and skilled young Americans to rebuild this twentieth century national treasure which has been neglected for too long. Let's create a National Monument for the SS United States liner on the East Coast where it belongs. This National Monument will be a window to a more romantic age for endless generations to come. But more importantly an SS United States National Monument will be a living metaphor to everyone that life is truly more about the journey than it is about the destination.

After all, yes the ship is simply a huge piece of rusting iron without care, feeling, or compassion for itself. Yet, I also can't help thinking about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in the same manor….aren't they just pieces of paper? Or do they stand in symbolism of something much greater?

SAVE THE SS UNITED STATES!

* To Learn More About Saving The SS United States Liner:
Go To: SS United States Conservancy

* Watch The Trailer For The Documentary Titled:
"SS United States - A Lady In Waiting"

*** Never heard of the SS United States?
Let's compare it to the famously tragic RMS Titanic:

* Year Completed:

RMS Titanic: 1912
SS United States : 1952

* Maximum Speed:

RMS Titanic: 23 knots (26 mph)
SS United States: 38 knots (44 mph)

* Length:

RMS Titanic: 883 Feet
SS United States : 990 Feet

* Tonnage (Size):

RMS Titanic 46,328
SS United States : 53,330

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