Seriously, was the SS UNITED STATES a military ship or a passenger liner?
She was a passenger liner, built with defense measures (Navy Specifications) that allowed her to serve safely and effectively as a troopship if called upon. These “extras” added no less than $27-million to her building costs, in 1949. Features included incredible speed and range (the fastest ship in the world), special safety hull design, redundant (two nearly identical) engine/fire rooms, deck strengthening for gun platforms and navigational enhancements and more. Final build cost of the Big U = $70,373,000.00 (in 1949 dollars). At the time the Maritime Commission voted to “sell” the new ship to the United States Lines for $28,087,216, reflecting the estimated cost of a normal ship of the time. The difference between this $28-million figure and the $70-million figure was paid for by US Taxpayers – giving America the largest, safest and fastest superliner ever built in the US, and a troopship if ever needed. She was indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Trivia: During WWII – three United
