Dimensions: The SS United States is 990 feet long (5 city blocks), 101 feet wide, and 175 feet high (a 17 story building). The SS United States has the tallest funnels in the world, at 65 feet (a 6 story building). The ship is the largest liner ever to be designed and constructed in the United States. The SS United States is also the largest ship designed to pass through the Panama Canal, with only inches to spare.

Speed: The Big U was capable of attaining 44.7 knots, which equates to over 50 mph. Cruising speed was between 30 and 33 knots. The SS United States was the fastest ship afloat in her day, and is the fastest object of her size ever built. It is interesting to note that the SS United States was capable of traveling at 25 knots in reverse, roughly Titanic's forward top speed.

Propulsion: The ship was able to attain such a high rate of speed due to an unrivaled power-to-weight ratio. The SS United States was a quadruple screw vessel, powered by 4 Westinghouse steam turbines, rotating at 5240 rpm, which produced up to a combined 247,785 shaft horsepower (SHP). Today's nuclear powered aircraft carriers only produce slightly more power than this. Her oil-burning boilers could reach 1,200 degrees F, causing the turbines to spin faster than than any ship of her day. The Big U could steam for 10,000 miles without stopping to refuel. The SS United States was a mere 28 feet shorter than the Queen Mary, but due to the extensive usage of aluminum in her superstructure (2,000 tons) weighed only 53,290 tons, roughly 30,000 tons less than the Queen Mary. The SS United States was such a success that its hull and engine designs were placed in nearly all large naval battle ships, and the ship itself was the prototype for the first super aircraft carriers, the Forrestal class. On the Big U, the powerplant was slightly derated because boiler superheat temp was lowered from 1,000 degrees to about 925 in the interests of reliability/maintenance. The Carriers actually generated 5,000 to 10,000 SHP per shaft more than the Big U. The propulsion system was a closely guarded secret until the 1970s.

The SS United States is the fastest, sleekest ocean liner ever built, a giant gem of midcentury design and engineering, and in the brief time it spent on the high seas before the great liners were finally supplanted by jet flight, it truly became what its admirers now call it: "America's flagship." In its glory days it seemed hard to believe it would ever end like this: Moored permanently in a berth on the Philadelphia side of the Delaware River, cold and empty. That's where it's been for a long 14 years while a succession of owners have tried to figure out what to do with it. There's been talk of turning it into a casino, or a luxury dockside hotel; there's been talk of refitting it and sending it back out on the seas. But the clock is running down, and now it looks like the end may be approaching: The current owners, Genting Hong Kong, have begun to seriously solicit bids from scrappers. The SS United States Conservancy has mounted a last-ditch effort to raise public awareness about the dire straits in which this beautiful ship now finds itself. Take a look at the trailer for "SS United States: Lady In Waiting," a documentary produced by SSUSC board member Mark Perry, and if you're moved to help, contact the Conservancy.

Ten years ago during a visit to Philadelphia, I passed a large ship docked at a pier on the Delaware River. The ship looked like an ocean liner and though I sped by in a car, I noticed the faded name "United States" on the bow. I wondered, could it be the same revolutionary passenger liner that still holds an Atlantic speed record a half a century after its speedy voyage? As it turns out, it was.

March 16, 2009 – The Conservancy has learned that while the ship has officially been listed with a broker, her current owners say she’s not to be sold to non-U.S. entities or scrappers. Read on…
The current owner of the SS UNITED STATES has informed the SS United States Conservancy that important conditions have been imposed on the terms of the ship’s sale. Star Cruises, parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), has disclosed that the ship will only be sold to a U.S. buyer and will not be sold for scrap. The vessel has now officially been listed with the Florida-based ship brokerage, Southport Atlantic (contact ships@Southportatlantic.com) with these terms of sale in place. SS United States Conservancy board member Greg Norris met today with Southport Atlantic principals to discuss the Conservancy’s interest in ensuring a dignified future for our national flagship.