On the rocky shore of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, the bow of the SS American Star stands tall against the surf. When this photo was captured in 2004, a decade after the ship wrecked during a storm, her stern had already collapsed into the sea. The rest of the vessel would slowly follow, falling piece by piece until it vanished entirely by 2019.
So, how did American Star end up here?
It began in 1938, when the ship, originally named SS America, was laid down by Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs for United States Lines, she measured 723 feet overall and could carry 1,202 passengers. Two steam turbines propelled her at 22.5 knots. She launched in the James River in 1939, and was christened by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt with more than 30,000 spectators in attendance. The next day, Germany invaded Poland.
With the U.S. still neutral in the war, America made her maiden voyage to San Juan on August 10, 1940. But on May 28, 1941, while cruising to Saint Thomas, she was called into Navy service.
Renamed USS West Point (AP-23), the ship was refitted as a troop carrier, her windows sealed, hull painted gray and capacity increased to over 7,000. She transported nearly 350,000 troops across the globe during World War II, more than any other Navy troopship without a single loss.
After the war, America returned to civilian service with United States Lines, operating transatlantic routes. During 18 years of peacetime operation, she carried over 500,000 passengers and logged more than 2.8 million nautical miles. But high operating costs, competition from airlines and labor disputes led to her 1964 sale to Greece’s Chandris Group, which renamed her Australis and used her to ferry emigrants from England to Australia and New Zealand for the next 14 years.
From 1978 to 1992, the ship changed owners and names several times. She briefly served as a cruise ship and floating hotel before being laid up in Greece. In 1992, two Thai businessmen bought her for $2 million, intending to tow her to Phuket and convert her into a luxury hotel. They renamed her American Star and commissioned a Ukrainian tugboat to tow her 5,000 miles around the Cape of Good Hope and across the Indian Ocean. (She was barred from the Suez Canal due to her age).
On December 31, 1993, American Star departed Greece under tow. But soon after entering the Atlantic, her towlines snapped. Six crew members boarded to reconnect them, aided by two more tugboats, but the effort failed. On January 17, the crew was rescued by helicopter. The next day, American Star ran aground at Playa de Garcey. Within 48 hours, the ship broke in two. She was declared a total loss on July 6.
There she remained for decades, slowly succumbing to the surf. In 1997, her stern collapsed and sank. By 2006, most of the hull had collapsed. The starboard side gave way in 2007. By 2018, only the bow remained. In 2019, underwater footage confirmed the superstructure had fully disintegrated, the ship’s legacy now permanently resting beneath the sea.
July 2025
