In 1969 the ss United States made her last voyage, since then the more then 50 year old lady has been weathering away. Attempts have been made to bring the ship back into service and the ss United States Foundation has been establish to preserve the ship. Recently Norwegian Cruise Line announced that they bought the Big U with plans to convert her into a modern cruise ship.

How she will be converted? What will she look like? In this article you can find 3 concepts designed by 3 different persons. We had the same starting point, that of converting Big U in to a cruise ship. The beauty resides in the different approaches and outcomes of each concept. My thanks to Desirod Studios and Rob Scafidi for sharing their concepts.

 It is not easy to alter her, I wanted to keep her navy look and sturdy kind of appearance because that is her essence. Every little alteration could erase a bit of that essence.

I was inspired by the QE2 since she also made the alteration from liner to cruiser. To create the ultimate cruise experience I added large unobstructed lido decks for recreational purposes. To shelter these areas I added windshields. To create more inner spaces for dining options like a grill with an outside terrace, I have extended the overhanging promenade deck towards the aft end. To fulfil the need for privet verandas I installed a new deck altogether, housing the new cabins. Between the funnels I created an indoor/outdoor pool area. When installing a new diesel engine the forward funnel has

lost it is functional purpose so at the base of the funnel I placed an observation lounge. I added six tenders that could be used to drop-off passengers when the Big U can not reach the shore due to shallow waters.

As for her livery, I left the funnels in original nationalistic colors. For hull art I played around with some curved lines to create a bit of optical illusion of waves.

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 For my version of the SS United States, I took into account two considerations, the need to maintain the ship's original character, and to create a commercially viable cruise ship.

The ship's afterdeck will have to be reconfigured, The thing that struck me most about Big U's aft areas is how gracefully terraced they are, so I tried to create that same terraced effect with the new structure. It is not an copy of what was there before, but maintains the "liner-like" appearance. The extended aft superstructure creates additional outdoor dining and entertainment space, as well as areas for swimming pools, deck games, and sunbathing, while the interior of the aft extension provides space for a new, casual eatery. The design of the original enclosed promenade windows was

 replicated on the prom. deck extension in an attempt to blur the line between old and new.

The enlarged forward superstructure was don to make more efficient use of space, as the ship's foredeck is extremely long, and that open area is essentially a non-earner as far as generating profit. The extension has been rounded and terraced back to integrate it with the original structure. Windows used elsewhere on the ship were replicated in the forward extension, and the existing wrap-around promenades were continued around the new "face". The original bridge has been retained unchanged. The two extra decks, containing 162 modular balcony cabins are not a stylistic enhancement, but were done as a nod to the necessity of balconies in the

 US cruise market. Steps have been taken to minimize their impact on the overall profile. The aft end of the two new decks has been notched, and an observation lounge has been added around the base of the radar mast, both to break up the blockiness of the new cabins.

Since not much is known about NCL's future intentions, I assumed that the ship will be re-engined with modern diesels. I put her in Norway-style livery to coordinate with NCL's other classic liner, and because many of my changes were inspired by NCL's Norway conversion.

 This design is what I think William Frances Gibbs would have done if he knew the BigU was going to be a part time cruise ship. Balconies are QE2 style to blend into the superstructure. Promenade Deck is extended 100 feet to house a buffet area. A gymnasium is added to the Sun Deck. The changes made are subtle and evolutionary with the intent of not being able to tell the old from new apart except seeing them side by side or from someone who knows the ship well. The grey hull is specified for warm weather cruising.

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