SS America: What Happened to America's Forgotten Flagship? 

I sailed aboard the America's inaugural Venture cruise out of N.Y. on June 30, 1978. There was chaos on the pier as hundreds of passengers were milling around, unable to board the ship. After about 2 hours, frazzled Venture Cruise Line personnel told everyone to board...all at once. Going up the gangplank I passed a woman leaving the ship. She told me to get off, the ship was a mess. We boarded anyway. I had booked a first-class room on the Sun Deck (S-8). We went to the room only to find it occupied. I went to the Purser's Office to complain only to find many other frustrated passengers who had no room. That began almost 12 hours aboard an overbooked ship, most of the time spent in line as the agents tried to fix an increasingly tense situation; open bars and increasing fatigue only fueled the fire. Finally, everyone had had enough & the Captain was forced to turn the ship around. At that point we opted to leave the ship. We were led down to "D" deck to a shell door at the waterline. We were at the end of the line and at 4 a.m., as the tender began to pull away, I leaped onto the tender with a suitcase in each hand. It was surreal. No one was "clamoring down rope ladders off Coney Island!" No one seemed to be in charge of the tender, and no one told us where they were taking us. I got a little concerned when I realized we were pulling away from Manhattan. We were deposited on Staten Island with no further instructions. I decided to walk down a dirt road to see if I could get an idea of where we were. Suddenly I noticed a bright light bouncing off what appeared to be a vehicle. Surreally, like some bizarre mirage (it was by now about 5 a.m.) I saw a line of shiny limousines. I walked up to the first one. The driver asked if I was from the "sinking" ship. At that point I said "yes." And with that, he drove us home! I never knew who the limos were for or who sent them. I never had to fight with them over a refund...they hadn't even bothered to cash my check!

I sailed on her as a passenger in January 1957 from Le Harve, France, to New York. A very rough voyage. Visiting our German Shepherd in the kennel under the aft funnel, we got a very good long view of the length of the ship. We were taking waves over the bridge. I actually got wet from the spray. One night we were hit by a rogue wave and I woke up laying on the bulkhead across the room from my bunk. Mom and dad were seated at the Captain's table for meals and he would not tell dad how far over the ship healed but did say he wasn't really sure it would roll back. A night to remember. Too bad she ended the way she did.

I was on that ship in July 1978 (its second and its final voyage to Nova Scotia) operated by Venture Cruise Lines of NY, with my folks and grandparents. I remember the huge 20+ foot seas, I was only 13 at the time, but there are things you never forget and this cruise was one of them...I ventured out of my stateroom and went to the ships casino and actually was plugging away quarters when appeared out of nowhere was my grandmother, and she said my dad was white as a ghost looking for me and then wham, its the only time my grandmother slapped me! Well after that things went down hill, I then roamed around with my father and we took many photos, trash everywhere, linens piled up, painting not finished, toilets clogged up, our porthole windows leaked a lot, there was no TV or Radio that worked, the phone in the room looked like it was 20 years old, nothing at all for kids to do, the swimming pool was filled with garbage, I actually got locked in my cabins bathroom for hours and was pounding on the door and a waiter walking by had heard me and he got the repair/engineering team to help and force the bathroom door open, the shower in the cabins bathroom had no hot water, things were very corroded and rusty everywhere, all eating times were delayed 1 to 2 hours, it was a shambles! We were lucky it did not sink. I was also on the front cover of the NY DAILY NEWS (July 9, 1978) when it arrived for its final time to the NY dock, I was the small boy next to two other ladies in which we all had our thumbs down and shouting! If the overhaul was done correctly, it would have been a smashing hit. You all wonder how I remembered these details, I wrote all these issues down on one of there brochures and kept it all these years! Now my goal is I have to find the photos! Lastly, my folks never got there hard earned monies back.

I was 7 when my family sailed from New York to Southampton in 1949 on the America. My grandmother made me two floor length gowns so I could attend the formal evening events. I remember my father in a tuxedo dancing cheek to cheek with my mother clad in variously Schapparelli or Dior to the Music of the Miles Davis Orchestra. Other children were probably in bed, but as long as I was well behaved I was allowed to drink ginger ale and stay up for the midnight buffets spread out on the deck that ran outside the ballroom. What fantasies those nights generated in me. How I longed to be old enough to dance with a man I adored keeping him close while the deck swayed under our feet. Do you want to know something unbelievable? I lived that dream in 1969 when I was a passenger on the United States, in love with an executive with the Company. I’m now 81, my sailing days are over, but oh those memories!

My mother-in-law emigrated to the United States from Ireland aboard the SS America in the 1950s, so your video was especially interesting to our family. Thank you for producing the history of this great ship.

I don't usually comment on youtube videos, in fact I cannot remember the last time I did... but on this I just had too. This whole series of films is nothing short of a masterpiece. I'm currently watching the series for maybe the forth of fifth time and I get the exact same feelings I got when I watched my very first episode. Your channel name may be Big Old Boats, but you show them as so much more than that. I really hope you keep on telling the stories of these amazing old machines, in the way that you do.

I always liked the SS America more than the SS United States. Her lines were just more pleasing and proportional. You did a fantastic job with this video. Absolutely one of the best tributes I’ve ever seen. Thank you!

Such a sad story. I don't know what it is about ships, but we're attached to them.

My uncle served on the S.S. America as Chief Steward from the late 50s until she was retired from service in the 60s. He turned down the opportunity to serve on the S.S. United States because he considered the America to be a more classic trans-Atlantic liner. He had returned to merchant service and oddly, was in Thailand delivering munitions for the U.S. Navy when the America wrecked in the Canary Islands. He had hoped that the ship would be returned to service but said that her destruction by the sea was a fitting end for a great ship that had suffered so much abuse and neglect.

An incredible sad end to a fine ship. I was privileged to sail in her in 1961 and it's a memory I will carry until I die. She truly deserved the title Flagship of the American Merchant Marine!

I remember as a kid sneaking on board the Australis (America) in Fremantle, Western Australia. She was simply beautiful and the interiors were fabulous. I have never forgotten that day.

My family sailed from Ireland to New York on the SS America in August, 1964. The memories are vivid. All good.

My aunt and uncle immigrated to Australia on the Australis, and returned on her a few years later. I went on board in Melbourne to see them off. The scenes of the streamers brought back so many memories. Saying goodbye to beloved relatives at an airport is nothing compared to the heartbreak of those streamers breaking as the ship pulls away from the dock. It’s a memory that will stay with me forever. I thought the last sentiment on the video was very true. We migrated on the Fairsea which had a less dramatic end and is remembered only by those who sailed on her. Great video.👍

My grandfather worked on her from 1939-1964,and occupied her to Greece while being handed over to her new owners (chandris) before sadly to him transferring to the big U he loved both ships and retired in 1970 ,after the big u was retired he had luck to be transferred to one of usl cargo ships but he hated the cargo ship life ,and soon retired,and would cruise on australis a few times ,last seeing her in 1980 as Italis and knew her time was limited,he told me many fascinating story’s of the old girl and said she looked very sad and he knew her time was limited before the scrappers force got her ,he did not know of her fate in 1994 till I told him and was deeply saddened to hear of it but glad she escaped the scrappers torch ,and passed away in 2016 ,I miss him a lot and he was a old sea man (:

It's nice to find out that the flags on her hull had a purpose, they always looked tacky to me.

The America ~ West Point served her Nation well during the long war years. My grandfather circumnavigated 18 times as her navigator during that time.

Great video. Your selection and editing of old film footage, voice-overs and music seems professional. You made SS America come alive once more, thanks.

Watched your previous vids and wondered, “I wonder if he’ll do a vid on the America?” And here it is. Would love to see a vid on the Morro Castle.

What a tragically sad story...this caught me at the end in ways that I never anticipated. I felt as if I was watching an elderly relative who had been cast adrift and passed away in an ignominious fashion...

Thank you for an excellent account of the S S America.i sailed on her from New York to Cobh ,October,1957,celebrating my 21 st birthday,and surviving one of the worst storms of the century? Betsy.

She was such a beautiful ship...

At the peak of her career the interiors were streamlined elegance but easy to live with. Now we have flying sardine cans . But we get there faster.

A Man And His Ship is a really good read that goes into a bit about William Gibbs and his career in ship design. I would recommend it.

I sailed on her June 1962. A trip I'll never forget. A porter said "we'll never fill it up", refering to the ocean when I asked where does the trash go!

I remember being a kid growing up in Halifax and the first ocean liner I can ever remember seeing was the SS America tied up at Pier 21. This would have been very soon before her being sold and then ultimately meeting her fate. I was completely fascinated and have enjoyed researching them ever since. I always looked forward to yearly visits by the QE2 and now the QM2, and have had the opportunity to see Rotterdam many times as well as Oriana. Of course, we get plenty of cruise ships nowadays, but nothing compares to the QM2 turning in the harbour. Really love your channel.

Ships are safe in harbor, but that's not what a ship is made for. I like how the America ended up. The final plan to turn her into some increasingly decrepit hotel is just a sad way to end her days. Just look at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. That ship is just rotting out. Still stunning, but becoming more like Stalin in his glass sarcophagus every day. The America wrote her own last act, and looked damn fine doing it.

I was on the SS America in 1958 when I was five years old. My mom and dad and two older brothers took a trip to Germany from NYC to visit family. I think the trip took one week each way. I have two menus and many pictures of my family taken onboard the ship. This was a very moving video for me. I never knew anything about the SS America until this very moment. I felt both proud and sad for her. Thank you very much for making this video. ❤️

Sailed on her February of ‘59 with my family from New York to Bremen Germany. Dad was Military and we lived in Munich for four years. Still have the ships menu’s and a post card. Great memories being aboard a beautifully magnificent ship. A happy time with family. 🇺🇸

i say the wreck in 2004 as a child, we still have pictures of it :)

Great work! Kudos to you!

I saw this Ship Multible times on the beach on Fuerteventura, you could drive directly to the beach with your car. Probably around 2004. Was an amazing sight

Wow!..I can't thank you enough for posting this rare footage of this country's first luxury passenger ship. Cheers!

Love love love this channel!!!!!!

A sad and tragic fate for a fine lady

I knew about her wreck but the story of her short time with Venture is crazy. What should I cover next?

HMAS Melbourne just went around hitting everything, didn't she?

Brilliant video, I went on a dirt bike trip around Fuertaventura in 2003 and as we came over the brow of a hill, there was the wreck of the SS America. What an amazing sight. I didn't know the history of the ship but this video explains it very well. Well done!

I had to write a paper on the SS America as an elementary school student in the middle 1960s. To see it now hurts.

The SS America’s sweeping lines were a drastic change from the SS Leviathan’s tall three funnel configuration and a new look on the forecastle and face of the ship. The new placement of the mast made her look like a ship from after the war. Her spoon stern was incorporated on the SS United States as well. The interiors were more charming than most liners at the time, and certainly the most pleasant 700-foot ship ever after the Mauretania was retired and scrapped. The SS Independence had just been launched a little after the SS United States, and her metacentric height looked too tall compared to her length. Great video, and I learned a lot about her. Also wonder why the SS United States was retired from service so early and not serve longer like the SS Independence/Oceanic Independence/Sea Luck I/Oceanic/Platinum II and the SS America/Australis/Westpoint/Noga/Alferdoss/American Star/Italis…that’s a lot of names.

The America is my favourite of the great ocean liners. She was a beautiful ship and had quite a remarkable career. I actually have bits and pieces from the America and have been to the island where she was finally wrecked.

I've watched multiple videos of yours and I have to say, I LOVE the presentation style. Its completely new and keeps me involved with the music, the scene changes, and mostly using video footage (when available of course). I subscribed

I think she definitely got a more dignified end than being scrapped. Even if people don't know the story, they know the haunting, iconic image of half of a glorious age luxury liner seemingly defying reality. She sat that way for much longer than seemed possible as well. Who knows if the floating hotel thing could have worked out, would have been nice if it did. Still, this was a better end than scrapping.

i had the pleasure of sailing on the SS AMERICA from south Hampton to new york in aug.of 1964. had my 17th birthday on board. unforgettable! JDR

Yet again another banger, it always makes me smile to see an upload from your channel! Keep up the fabulous work! :)

My mother was an American GI Bride. She went back to England to see her parents in 1949. I was two years old. We sailed on the. USS AMERICA FROM NEW YORK CITY to South Hampton Enland.

My Dad and his U. S. Army unit sailed to Europe aboard the America (then the USS West Point) in mid 1944. Returned home in July 1945 on the Queen Mary.

The America was a lovely ship! Shame her ended career ended in such a terrible way

That was an excellent episode. Thankyou.

Great job on the documentary. Thank you!

Yeah, I still would've liked if she were made larger and faster: didn't have to be as big as the Big U. But oh well. She was still a very fine and charming liner indeed, and it is especially sad that her life ended the way it did, seeing her get pounded to pieces completely abandoned. I just know that if someone with the knowhow and passion came around that she would have been saved. And yet, you delivered yet another bout of wisdom in your closing words. This is all the more reason why the United States must not meet anything but a good end. Lovely job once again.

Excellent video. You honestly have the potential to be the best in the genre. Can I make one small suggestion? I feel like the lofi music cheapens the video. A lot of RU-vid videos use it. Something with a more classic feel would be excellent. I often enjoy these type of videos for the sentimental feel and music plays a huge part in that feeling.

My dad immigrated to Australia from England in 1965 with his parents and siblings at like 2 years old on the australis. It sucks it's wrecked I only started looking into it a few years ago hoping to buy something from the ship

Sometimes a ship has just gone too far to rescue! Thank you for the video.

might be a stretch as there would be no video, but a video on Brunel's SS Great Eastern which was insane for it's time

Great video, can't wait to see more!

Thank you, this is a lovely description of her history and I learned a lot. I was on board as a three year old during the 1970 'minor galley fire'.

10:48 "1970's New York was apparently a bit of a hellhole." Gee. This is kind of familiar. It looks like 99% of upstate NY today.

I've really enjoyed these. They are very well done.

Great Ocenography. Love your style and historical references.

Another great video! You are a good story teller sir.

I love the vibe of these videos.

What a sad sad ending to what was at a time a great ship. This is why I feel it so important to save the Queen Mary, which it seems the city of Long Beach, California is finally starting to do. As for the SS United States, it just seems so far gone, rusting away and long ago having had her interiors completely gutted. Perhaps there is still a future for her? I’d like to hope so, but it doesn’t look bright at the moment.

I think she had a fitting end. The SS America, a war hero, an icon to post war wealth, died in the waves. Instead of sitting to rust and rot or be recycled like so many others.

We brought our 8 week old son on this marvel in 1962 from Bremerhaven. My husband was in his bunk the entire trip. The baby slept a lot. The movie, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane". Then it started rollin, rollin, rollin. I remember they wet down the table cloths. We even brought our car with us.

Love this video! where did you discover the archive material? Incredible!

My maternal grandfather sailed on her during WWII. As a memento he got a great aerial shot of her in her pre West Point livery.

The music is so good!!

Can’t not hear Sleeping Sun every time I see the wreck

Made me cry, actually

Exiting how she was the flagship, sad end too. Made me cry.

I only recently discovered your channel, I'm loving your content! Could we get a documentary about the Norge? I have seen very little about it online and it seems to be one of the most forgotten shipping disasters.

It is so sad to see her final images.... she worked so hard in her career.

Awesome video and content in general! Can you please do the United States? Surprisingly little info is out there about such an amazing ship.

This is a great wreck site to visit. There is still some visible. We did a bit on it too. Sometimes pieces of it come up for sale on the online auction site that starts with an e. It's pretty fun getting to the location too. The road isn't that great. Very cool still though. We enjoyed visiting it. By the way we like your channel. Especially the great lakes stories. One that might be interesting is the SS America which is sunk on the shore of Isle Royale. The bow is sticking out of the water and the stern is at about 85 feet. The grand staircase and a model T Ford car is still there to see if you can scuba dive.

Well done

Came to the US on this ship in thanksgiving week 1962.with my firstborn in my arms like so many before me..sailing past Miss Liberty etched in my memory forever

My father went to North Africa on this ship in WWII. It was named the West Point during the war.

One of the best films I've ever seen on the America, great job.

Well, a m8nor collission with HMAS Melbourne. The same Melbourne that collided with an Australian destroyer and a USN destroyer.

What ship do you plan on covering next

My favorite ship 💙

A beautiful ship in her heyday, however, a tragic loss at the end.

These are very interesting video essays. We have watched several now but were looking for one on the Lusitania. Is there one?

Yeah, about the 50 year mark, that's about when these ships start having major repair problems that can be hard to keep on top of.

A very sad ending for what was once a proud ship.

Great video though I must point out the image at 5:03 is the ballroom on the SS United States.

What a sad ending for such a once beautiful ship. I sailed on the Chandris lines Rhms Ellinis, formerly the Lurine, so she was a sister ship while ss America sailed as Australis. We loved our ship, and this is a sorry end to a grand old lady of the seas.

I sailed back from Australia to Southampton on her in 1974 with my parents and my brother I was 8 years old and have great memories we left Melbourne round to Sydney down to Auckland up to Fiji then to Acapulco through the Panama Canal then Florida then to Rotterdam then Southampton 6 weeks in total

Can your next video be on the Leviathan ?

As an Australian, I demand this video be renamed "Australis: What happened to Australia's Forgotten Flagship"?

I wish the ship could've been saved because novelty cruises could become popular like lets go back in time to visit the golden age of cruises thing also they should've dry docked her and refurbished her after going that long without proper maintenance but that clearly would've cost more money than the liner wanted to spend

Excellent account of a almost unbelievable story. I have to admit, to not having heard of this ship; and having those familiar Funnel 'Wing's' , I was fooled into thinking it was the 'United States', which I know, also had a sad ending of abandonment.

Put a nice bow on the end there bud. Never looked at it that way. Great vid

It's sad seeing such beautiful ships in decay.

Surf happened Ultimately.

What a travesty to such a beautiful old ship? the lasting shame to be broken in half, and left to rot and rust away on a beach!

Girls- I can't believe he didn't cry during Titanic! me- (Watches SS America slowly die)

“To the only slightly better, Staten Island” God, what a ROAST

If only gobs knew how unpopular white star lines was going to be

Idea for future video: MT Oceanos