The awesome boats thread

Great news! America's flagship, the SS United States may actually sail again. Apparently Crystal Cruises are gong to do a feasibility study about rebuilding the ship to something they can use for around-the-word cruises. The proposal is to use the hull and fit it with a new superstructure, but keep the iconic smoke stacks. The ship will be based in New York, just like in old days.

A makeover of the ship could cost from $700 million to $800 million, according to Crystal?s chief executive, Edie Rodriguez, potentially a little less than building something similar from scratch. Under terms of the agreement, the company will cover the approximately $60,000-a-month cost of caring for the ship for nine months while it does a feasibility study.

[...]

Crystal will need to figure out how to renovate a ship built for a bygone era. A technological marvel of its age, the ship entered service in 1952 and sailed with three orchestras on board. It was also specially designed to be a fast troop carrier if needed.

The 2,000-passenger Big U, about as long as the Chrysler Building is tall, still holds the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic, which it set on its 1952 inaugural round trip between New York and Europe. Its top speed remained a secret for decades during the Cold War.

[...]

A concept rendering of the S.S. United States makeover shows a ship with its signature twin red, white and blue stacks and the same number of decks, a spokesman said, in contrast with the top-heavy silhouette of some modern cruise liners. The decks, however, are extended and expanded to accommodate rooms with balconies, something the original design never had. Crystal?s interest in refitting the ship, while quixotic, is not entirely without business logic.

[...]

Still, there are big challenges. It is a steam engine ship, (that?s the ?S.S.? in the name), and the geriatric equipment would have to be swapped out. The last time the ship moved under its own power was more than 40 years ago. Furthermore, some engineering areas contain toxic PCBs. It is a common problem for ships of the period, but one that means the Environmental Protection Agency will take an interest. Asked what might kill the deal, Ms. Rodriquez cited environmental obstacles that could be raised by the E.P.A. and gave an example familiar to any homeowner. A budget of $100,000 for an addition, she said, can balloon to $200,000 ?because you couldn?t get permits, because of the foundation.? That, she said, would be a ?showstopper.?

A render of what it might look like in the end:
04SHIP-superJumbo.jpg
 
Sadly I think it's as likely to happen as the Titanic II that has been in the pipeline since DiCaprio drowned in the movie.
 
A 400m container ship had some steering trouble a few days ago during very high tide, still sits on the side of the Elbe river waiting for the next very high tide...

 
I'm waiting for the day when the rudder fails on one of those huge container ships and blocks the whole of the river Elbe and the Hamburg seaport with it.
 
"seaport"
 
http://www.iflscience.com/environme...ame-antarctic-research-ship-after-online-vote
If you want something done properly, don?t ask the Internet.

?Boaty McBoatface? could be the new official name for a scientific research ship of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) after they opened an online vote to the public to suggest its name.

Along with suggestions such as ?Usain Boat,? ?Boatamus Prime,? ?It?s bloody cold here,? ?Ice Ice Baby,? and ?Notthetitanic,? Boaty McBoatface is currently the solid frontrunner. There are a few serious suggestions too, including ?David Attenborough? and ?Henry Worsley? ? the Antarctic explorer who passed away in January.

The winner will be announced next month, after voting finishes on April 16, 2016. However, don?t get your hopes up just yet, as the NERC says: ?An expert panel will review all suggestions before making the final decision.? That said, the NERC already seems to be jumping on the McBoatface bandwagon by tweeting #BoatyMcBoatface, along with their hashtag #NameOurShip.[...]
sadly the website is down, but Boaty McBoatface will have my vote once it?s back up again.
http://nameourship.nerc.ac.uk/
 
Is there a ship named after Ranulph Finnes yet?
 
Yes there is.
 
What, you mean like the "Queen Elisabeth 2"? :p
 
Technically that was the second ship named after the first Queen Elizabeth, so that doesn't count. Nitpicky, I know.
 
Go stand in the Narf corner! :p
 
Technically that was the second ship named after the first Queen Elizabeth, so that doesn't count. Nitpicky, I know.

And the first one wasn't named for the Virgin Queen of the 16th Century, but for Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who at the time of the ship's launch was Queen Consort to George VI.

I would stand in the narf corner but Mac is there already.
 
:heavyb:
 
Today marks the 104th anniversary of the maiden (and last) voyage of the RMS Titanic (the first two pictures are clickable for higher resolution).





Titanic_wreck_bow.jpg
 
Today in the old Olympiahafen I was minding my own business headed to our boat when this blue beauty sailed past :woot:

 
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