Sometimes Interesting

The SS America was an ocean liner completed in 1940 for the United States Lines and designed by the noted naval architect William Francis Gibbs. The America was laid down under the first Maritime Commission contract on August 22, 1938, at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.  She was one of the few ocean liners, American or otherwise, that had her interiors designed by women.  The America was launched on August 31, 1939 and was sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the President of the United States.  The America served her owners faithfully for 55 years until she was finally run aground in the Canary Islands in 1994.  To this day she sits there stranded, deteriorating. This is her story.

Designed to combat Cunard Lines’ Titanic, America entered service as the flagship of the United States Lines on August 22, 1940 when she commenced her maiden voyage.

Military Call-up

WWII saw the United States desperate for military transport. On May 28, 1941, America was called up to service by the United States Navy, while the ship was at Saint Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. She was ordered to return to Newport News to be handed over to the Navy. The SS America was moored at Norfolk, Virginia, and acquired by the Navy on June 1, 1941 to be used as a troop transport. The ship was renamed the USS West Point (AP-23, see below).

In 1945, West Point voyaged to Italian and French ports taking part of the initial “Magic Carpet” voyages, bringing home American troops from the European battlefronts. During her naval service she carried a total of over 350,000 troops of which was the largest capacity of any Navy troopship in service during World War II. On one voyage in 1944 she was able to transport 9,305 people. Additionally the troop transport carried, Red Cross workers, United Nations officials, children, civilians, prisoners of war, and U.S.O. entertainers.

She returned to the civilian sector and was retro-fitted back as a cruise line. In 1952 she was joined by a sister ship run by United States Lines, the USS United States. With the introduction of the larger and faster ship in 1952, America’s reign as queen of the US merchant marine was taken away from her. (SS America, foreground)

Post-US service: The Chandris Group
America was sold to the Greek-owned Chandris Group in 1964 and renamed “Australis“. At twenty-four, she was getting older and facing competition from newer, faster ships as well as the airplane. The postwar emigrant run from Europe to Australia had become a lucrative market for passenger ships in spite of the growing popularity of air travel. She was the last liner providing a regular service to Australia and New Zealand from Southampton until her final voyage which left on November 18, 1977. After arriving at Auckland, she was laid up at Timaru on December 23, 1977.

USS America’s embarassing years under Venture Cruises
Following a period of layup in Timaru, New Zealand, Australis was sold to Venture Cruises of New York. Under Venture Cruises ownership, the ship was renamed America once again in an attempt to capitalize on the ship’s heritage. America set sail on her first cruise on June 30, 1978. Her refit, however, had not been completed by the time of the sailing. The ship was filthy, with piles of soiled linens and worn mattresses, scattered piles of trash, and a scent of kitchen odors, engine oil, and plumbing backups.

In addition, water in overhead pipes leaked. Along with maintenance issues, attempts to spruce the ship up led to other problems, with too many layers of paint visible on the outer bulkheads, as well as the lifeboat davits and lifeboat gear. Additionally, the public rooms were carelessly repainted, with the America’s stainless steel trims now scarred with brush strokes. Many reported having discovered cockroaches and rats on the ship as well.  (Click thumbnails for larger images)

Due to overbooking and her state of incompletion, a number of passengers “mutinied”, forcing the captain to return to New York, having only barely passed the Statue of Liberty. 960 passengers were offloaded upon the ship’s arrival. On a second sailing that day, an additional 200 passengers left via tender at Staten Island.

America left for a five-day cruise to Nova Scotia on July 3, 1978. Upon arrival, she was met with $2.5 million in claims from passengers. Further issues saw the cancellation of all further sailings, and America was arrested on July 18, 1978 for non-payment of debts. America also received an inspection score of 6 out of a possible 100 points by the US Public Health Service. On August 28, 1978, America was ordered to be sold at auction by the United States district court.

Second turn at Chandris Lines:
Chandris Lines repurchased America from the US courts for $1,000,000 and renamed her Italis (“Italian Lady”). Chandris had the first funnel (stack) removed and Italis first operated under Chandris as a hotel ship from June 23 to July 20, 1979 when she was chartered for the OAU Conference held in Monrovia, Liberia. She then carried out three 14-night cruises from Genoa and Barcelona to Egypt, Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean beginning on July 28, 1979. At the end of this series of cruises she was finally laid up in Elefsina Bay, Piraeus on September 12, 1979. 

The Beginning of the End
The ship was then sold to Intercommerce Corporation in 1980, and was renamed SS Noga. Intercommerce’s intention was to convert the ship to a prison ship, to be anchored in Beirut, but this would never happen. In September 1984, the ship was sold to Silver Moon Ferries, and she was once again renamed, now carrying the name Alferdoss, which means “paradise” in Arabic. While under the ownership of Silver Moon Ferries, a rusted bilge pipe burst, which caused flooding in the engine room and some crew quarters. Due to the quickly-occurring list, her starboard anchor was raised and her port anchor was cut away, and she was quickly beached to prevent her from sinking. After being pumped out and repaired, she was returned to her original location.

In the late 1980s, the ship was sold for $2 million for scrapping. The scrap merchant made an initial deposit of $1 million, and began work. Following the demolition of the lifeboats and lifeboat davits, the scrappers defaulted on payments, and pulled out. The Alferdoss would sit, partially-disassembled in this state until 1993.

The Final Chapter: Wrecked at Fuerteventura
In February 1993, the ship was sold yet again, with the intention of being refitted to become a five-star hotel ship off Phuket, in Thailand. Drydocking at that time revealed that despite the years of neglect, her hull was still in remarkably good condition. In August she was renamed American Star, her propellers were removed and placed on the deck, the funnel and bridge were painted red, and ladders were welded to starboard. On New Year’s Eve 1993, American Star left Greece for the last time, towed by Ukrainian tugboat Neftegaz 67.

The one hundred day tow began; American Star and Neftegaz 67 entered a thunder storm in the Atlantic. The tow lines broke and six or more men were sent aboard American Star to reattach the emergency tow lines. This proved unsuccessful. Two other towboats were called to assist Neftegaz 67. On January 17, the crew aboard American Star was rescued by helicopter. The ship was left adrift. On January 18, the ship ran aground off the west coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.

While discussions of what to do were going on, the ship was left to nature with the forward part of the ship stuck aground on a sandbar. Within the first 48 hours of pounding surf of the Atlantic, the ship broke in two just past the funnel. The ship was declared a total loss on July 6, 1994. The stern section collapsed completely to port and sank in 1996, while the bow continued to remain intact.

In November 2005, the port side of the bow section collapsed, which caused the liner’s remains to assume a much sharper list and the funnel to detach and fall into the ocean. The collapse of the port side also caused the hull to begin to break up and by October 2006, the wreck had almost completely collapsed onto its port side.

In April 2007 the starboard side finally collapsed causing the wreck to break in half and fall into the sea. Throughout 2007 what little remained had been slowly disappearing beneath the waves. As of February 2010, only about 15 – 20 feet of the bow remains above the water.

2004:

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2009:

Overhead Satellite view & Map:  click here

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Another Sometimes-Interesting shipwreck article: The World Discoverer