Revell's S.S.United States.

Hio,

I know that interest in this is not great, which is a little odd considering how many have parents/ relatives who serve or have served in the Merchant Marine. 

6,500 +/- ships in the USN during WW2, not to mention hundreds in the Maritime Commission. About a dozen BBs, several times that CVs, less than 100 CA, CL, CBs, maybe a couple of hundred destroyers and a whole lot of "A" ships.

If you ever look at your private messages, which you don't, I can send you the link to the journal doc.

Bill

Hi " G";

       I just have to ask a simple question. Are the citizens here in The U.S.of A so preferably ignorant of our Civilian Maritime History that they don't Care. What is it??

If I could find the full story in the Library I probable be in-communicado for a week.

       That sounds like it's right up my alley. My grandpa on Dad's side missed P.Q.17 He had surgery to remove something on his face . I think he had a mole that interferred with his eye or something. 

        He needed to have this done. It interferred with his vision. He had to see good, after all he was the Chief Engineer!  

I came across that bit of information a while back when another member here made available a really remarkable set of pages from a handwritten diary of a relative that I really wish contained all of its pages.

Reading it several times 38 pages of cursive on yellow lined paper, it described a period of several months of this MM's service on an AO stationed at Hjalfjord in Iceland May- August 1942. Floating gas station. but he serviced and met the crew of many convoys coming through, including PQ-17 which of course at the time of his journal was still intact.

One of the Captains of an Auxiliary at another time there becames friends with our journalist, who spelled that officers name as Alexanderson. Out of curiousity, plus I've run down most of the names and ships mentioned- I learned about him.

He also described the overflight of Operation Bolero,in which Glacier Girl was "lost".

Of course the journal does not list convoy names, numbers or other operational details beyond the names of ships and crewmembers.

Bill

"G";

   Thank You for that. I didn't even know who the Captain was. If He could see his lady now he would Cry!

The last Commodore of the United States Lines was a guy by the name of Leroy Alexanderson. He also was captain of the S.S. United States.

A son of Swedish immigrants, he attended the New York Merchant Marine Academy, being commissioned in both the Naval Reserve and the Maritime Service.

He volunteered for active duty in the US Navy in 1938 and commanded APA-168 USS  Gage at Okinawa, landing elements of 6th Marines.

Hi Bugatti Fan!

        I don't think she's in what you call mothballs. If they don't do something soon she will have to go to the breakers, probably somewhere in Bangladesh or India! If that, I would hope she breaks from her tow on the outbound leg, and goes down as a still proud but scarred Blue Riband holder, Which she NEVER relinquished, to my knowledge.

       Last time I saw here she was rusty, forlorn looking and had a slight list to port. She deserves better. But what do we Americans care? We found a home for one of their Queens of the sea. But ours isn't good enough to save, What's with That??

        Oh! as far as scale I believe the REVELL model is like many of their liners, aqntwhere between 1/400-1/535, and 1/600. Either way they were like Airfix's products, Decent models of a very Niche type of ship!

       I have pictured her, Still with her Red ,White, and Blue stacks as a Hospital Ship, taking the wonders of Modern Medicine to countries by the Sea that do not have a shot at that kind of care, And YES, she could be called the H.S.S United States!

From a comment in one post it sounds as though the SS United States is still mothballed.

If so it is a real shame that it has not been turned into a floating hotel like the old Queen Mary in California or the QE2 in Dubai.

I have seen the Revell kit very well built at a show over here in the UK some time ago. Is the scale something like 1/600 like the Airfix liner kits?

Be Careful what you ask for Bill!

 I just got another Camera. Let's see if I can screw this one up!

Heck, email them to me and I will do it for you.

TB, you've got to start posting pictures!  Do you at least have a cell phone for pics?