Sandies Meet The SS United States

Monday bright and early 3 Sandies left to see The SS United States arrive in Mobile. This was 240 mile visit and what a spectacular visit it was. Mark and Lorna S met me in Navarre.  We did the interstate for a while before taking to the two lane backroads. The weather was simply fantastic, roads outstanding.

 Well until we took the old tunnel into downtown Mobile. It was the final Monday of Mardi Gras and we arrived in between Parades. You got a feel for the mood when you noticed every stoplight had hula-hoops thrown around them. We had to wend our way between revelers, vendors and cops. Trying to find your way through the blocked streets, around piles of beads, cups etc was a feat. But we made it to the industrial area along the Mobile Ship Channel. We were some of the first folks there. Mark tried to pass himself as a member of the media so he could get into the dock area. Nope not happening Mark was politely turned around and escorted out. Like Smokey Yunick, famous NASCAR car builder, you to say “ If ya ain’t cheat’n ya ain’t try’n”.

While waiting, we met some of the folks who came to see The SS United States arrive like us. One guy had a radio tuned to the Tugs bringing the United States in, quite the conversations between all the Tugs.

Pretty soon the funnels appeared then parts of the ship began to show. You have no idea just how big it is she is  a hundred feet longer than The Oriskany , the carrier sunk off Pensacola as a reef. She is longer than the Titanic and still holds The Blue Riband. She crossed the Atlantic from New York to Southampton in 3 days 10 hours a record that still holds today. As she slowly came into view she looked incredible, faded and a bit battered. But you could see she was still The Queen of the Transatlantic Liners.

We will be going to see the SS United States, Saturday, March 29.  We had on the schedule Conecuh Sausage trip that day, but we pushed that trip into April. Leave here, go to Mobile, see The SS United States find lunch. Then go to the Gulf of Mexico Maritime Museum, which is a pretty cool place.

It was a great day to be a Sandie, getting  to see an American Icon. From Americas halcyon days of elegant crossing of the Atlantic. Especially poignant is the fact that she will be taken apart and sunk not too far from here.  Riding with Mark and Lorna is always a pleasure.  

This is a great video of the SS United States arriving in Mobile Bay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb4M9yV4etg