Crystal Cruises announced a plan to take over the maintenance costs of the storied ocean liner SS United States, once “America’s Flagship,” with the intention of conducting a nine-month feasibility study of a refit for seagoing service.
She was previously owned and maintained by Philadelphia’s S.S. United States Conservancy, which purchased her from NCL in 2011 when the line considered sale and scrapping. The Conservancy itself came close to scrapping the ship late last year, as it struggled to raise the $60,000 a month to keep her docked and mothballed. At the time, the organization’s hope was to continue her preservation while working with a developer to turn her into a floating mixed-use facility in New York City.
The United States still holds the record for fastest round trip transatlantic crossing (also known as the Blue Riband), set on her maiden voyage in 1952.
