SS United States About To Be Sold For Scrap

The buzz is growing that the SS United States, one of the most fabled ocean liners ever built, could be sold for scrap as early as this year. The SS United States Conservancy is telling its members it has learned the 57-year-old vessel -- the fastest passenger liner in history -- will soon be listed for sale and is "in grave danger" of being sold off for the melt value of its hull and fixtures.

The Conservancy notes ownership of the majestic, red-white-and-blue vessel recently was transferred from Norwegian Cruise Line (which purchased the ship in 2003) to a holding company controlled by NCL's parent company, Hong Kong-based Star Cruises.

The United States has languished at a dock in Philadelphia for almost a decade, but its hull reportedly still is in good shape. The interior, however, is almost entirely gutted and would need millions in restoration to make the vessel usable again.

Designed to double as a transport ship during wartime and built to rigid U.S. Navy standards (the ship was partially funded by the U.S. government), the United States smashed the trans-Atlantic speed record on her maiden voyage from New York to England in 1952 -- crossing the ocean in just three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes. By comparison, Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 now makes the crossing in about six days.

Alas, within a few years of the United States' launch, the blossoming age of jet travel had made the ship's famed speed irrelevant. It last sailed in 1969.

There have been many proposals for the United States over the year, ranging from reviving it as an ocean liner to turning it into a floating hotel or museum.