Hard times for SS United States

Six decades after its first voyage across the Atlantic the most famous American ship, the SS United States, is need of an urgent "remake". If a solution isn't found anytime soon, the owners will have to sell this wonderful liner, which can accommodate 2200 passengers, and has served as a military vessel, for peanuts.

  It's as long as the Chrysler building and around 100 feet longer than the Titanic. On its decks movie stars took turns with musicians and kings. And it's one of the fastest ships of all time. It managed to set a transatlantic record of 3 days, 10 hours and 42 minutes.

  Six decades after its first voyage across the Atlantic the most famous American ship, the SS United States, is need of an urgent "remake". If a solution isn't found soon, the owners will have to sell this wonderful liner, which can accommodate 2200 passengers, and has served as a military vessel, for peanuts.

  Although its interior is devastated, the SS United States, which is based in Philadelphia, hasn't lost its once famous aura.

  The aim is to convert it into an entertainment center and a museum, but the renovation is going ahead at a painstakingly slow pace. Its monthly maintenance costs 80,000 $. Therefore, the SS United States Conservancy has launched a website via which visitors can sponsor a section of the ship with 1 $ per square inch.