Peter, Thank you for posting this! You brought back memories of when I toured her over Halloween weekend in 1993 at Patriots Point, SC when I went with my then girlfriend to tour the College of Charleston to potentially transfer to. The footage you showed of her worn and weathered was exactly as I remember her. dark, dank, and many areas off limits to see. She was the first "Ocean Liner" I ever got to go on board and I was like a kid in a candy shop. My Girlfriend could have cared less. LOL. I ended up going to college at Towson in the Baltimore area as I grew up in Maryland. I was so thrilled when I heard the Savannah was there now. I also remember there used to be an OLD Passenger liner that was semi converted to a cruise ship that was docked near the harbor for the longest time. She sat there for decades it seems and I never really appreciated who she was or why she was there. My family all live in Maryland and I am determined to tour the SAVANNAH soon. My heart sank when you mentioned her 2025 cut off for permanent home or scrap/reefed fate. I missed out on my tour of the SS UNITED STATES on Sept 28th, 2024 and only got to see her from the street due to the pier closure due to the Pier/dockworkers strike. I don't want to miss this one too! and want to see her as close to restored as possible.
Very cool memories! You will be blown away when you go back on board. She is a marvel. Check their website as they give tours, I believe, monthly. You must be thinking of the SANTA ROSA, which was laid up in Baltimore for ages until she was bought and rebuilt by Regency Cruises. A miniature SS UNITED STATES without that power plant. Thanks so much for watching and posting. :)
@@midshipcinema You are right! It was the Santa Rosa! I can still image her sitting there all forlorn and lonely along that pier and you could see her clearly as you drove north on I95. THANK YOU! Keep up the good work! LOVE YOUR VIDS! Ocean Liners are the only stable "Ladies" I have in my life as I gave up on the real thing after college. ;)
I supported both the Seattle ferry Kalakala and the SS United States. I got to visit the ferry twice in Alaska and one in Seattle. Never got to visit the Big U. I’ve been on the Queen Mary twice, even staying the night. She is not American, but a beautiful piece of history anyway. The Big U was too far stripped to be a viable enterprise Much too sad to think about loosing the Savanna too.
Note that both NS Savannah and John W. Brown will be open for tours on Saturday, November 16, 2024. Here’s a video of me trying out the “Lamp Test” buttons on the Reactor Control Panel: th-cam.com/video/UMOFP8V8dLU/w-d-xo.html Here’s the Control Rod Group Selector controls, with a peek inside the Control Panel: th-cam.com/video/tkVEMNxQGtM/w-d-xo.html Here’s me demonstrating the Alarm Annunciators removed from the main panel: th-cam.com/video/HWiGii9RlMY/w-d-xo.html I hope to eventually get all 154 annunciators working, starting with the SCRAM Annunciator. Currently the Control Room is off-limits due to PCB contamination, most likely caused by me tracking dust from inside the console.
Peter another superb video of a ship I've never been aboard. Loved the part where the '62 Cadillac 4-window sedan in "Maize yellow"" is being unloaded....that right up my alley (I was a classic car dealer for 29 years) Cheers, Mark
Wonderful! I recall as a boy hearing about the ship's launching and hopeful "Atomic future", and still have very fond memories of the plastic model of the Savannah that I built in my youth. I was excited later to learn she served with American Export Lines, since I crossed the Atlantic myself three times on AEL liners as an "army brat." Thanks for preserving this bit of unique maritime history.
How on Earth could the US let her go for scrap or sinking. Couldn’t a national museam like Smithsonian set it up as a visitor attraction. It’s a one of a kind ship and extremely historically important both for technological and cultural reasons.
I had the wonderful opportunity to tour the Savannah back when it was docked in Charleston (1984). Long time ago. One thing I found interesting was the Polarized round windows that you could rotate to vary the clarity/light level through the porthole.
Toured the Savannah int he early '80's when I was a Navy MM Nuke on Subs. The reactor was still on-board and I had to report my potential exposure to my command. Would love to tour her again.
Thank you Peter for making this film. George Sharp was a genius navel architect. I first saw the Savannah on a episode of Johnny Guest in the 60’s . I’m so glad she is still here. Thanks again
Thank you, Peter. I was aboard the Savannah when she was moored in Charleston, SC. It is a beautiful, graceful ship. She was way ahead of her time. Are there any hats available?
Very interesting video thanks. They've done a good job of restoration. Its interesting that they used a babcock and wilcox reactor. My dad used to work for B and W in the UK on power stations, some nuclear, so it has a resonance for me. I got taken round a couple of power stations as a kid back when no safety kit was required. Just a kid being dragged round as he proudly pointed out all the awsome giant kit😊 those were the days, no hi viz, boots or pointless hard hat
Hi Peter, "tourist enter in normal, and exit radiated !! One man goes in, several men come out !!!" Where did that come from ?? tee hee She is beautifully restored. There aren't many Grand Dames who have been restored and are still viable for use. Hopefully she won't end up in some scrap site, Or sitting on the ocean floor as the World's First Nuclear Powered Artificial Reef somewhere. You get all the COOL JOBS !!
@@midshipcinema No but you could get a post card that would be mailed to you that was carried on the Savannah & posted on board. Think I still have it.
Thank you. Because the ship still had radioactive material until finally remedied, the Maritime Administration paid to keep the ship sound. Now the funding is expiring, so they need to find a home for her.
Wonderful film! I can't help but picture Gene Roddenberry touring the ship since the ECR, officers quarters and furnishings evoke the 1966 Star Trek television series. Makes me wonder if he had seen and toured the ship during its travels to the west coast.
Honestly, it would not be too far fetched that he was very aware of the ship while doing his research for the show but I guess we will never know for sure.
The engineering panels also seem to be the inspiration for the Enterprise engineering. I wonder what Scotty would say? We canna get more power; the uranium canna take more!
American Export Lines was her last commercial operator & ran her on their Mediterranean route. I recall her discharging in Norfolk late 1969 from the Med. Holds forward full of Turkish Tobacco, Greek and Italian foodstuffs, Portuguese Cork and more . Aft mostly US Government cargo. Many “POV’s “ personal owned vehicles belonging to American servicemen. All parked on passenger decks. Cabins facing the weather decks filled with small parcels including US Mail.
LOL, well, thank you. I just try to find alternates for the overused descriptives like "amazing" and "iconic", although I broke my own rule and used the latter once in this video to describe something that actually was iconic. :)
I absolutely loved it. hope the savannah is here to stay. also, where can one watch "The World's Passenger Fleet"? only part 9 is available on your website
I'm so happy to see NS Savannah being restored. I toured her countless times when I was in the Navy stationed in Charleston. Sadly, Patriots Point has a history of not caring for all of the ships it's entrusted with. Take the USS Clamagore (SS-343). What they allowed to happen to her is a disgrace.
That's unfortunate about PP. Earlier this year, we tendered from the Viking ship to the landing next to the YORKTOWN, which looked a bit rusty. I hope to get back to pay her a visit.
All three of those passenger classes you mentioned as other work of the naval architect (ANCON, BARRETT, and SANTA MAGEDELENA) all served as academy training ships. And, I think that behind the ex-EMPIRE STATE in your video from James River is the white/gray hull of the ex-USNS UPSHUR/ex-TV STATE OF MAINE.
Yes, they did! :) Actually, at that time, the STATE OF MAINE had been moved to Mobile where she was used as a fire training ship for the Coast Guard. I did get to visit her in Castine two years prior, just before they moved her.
@ my first tour of the school, she was there, my second visit was the day she was towed away and when I started that fall we had the PATRIOT STATE at the pier while Mass did some pier repairs. Now the STATE OF MAINE (ex-tanner) is in Philly for layup while the pier is enlarged to accommodate the new, purpose built ship.
Peter ... I don't know how you always manage to find such unique and one-of-a-kind vessels to preview! I'm having a dinner party next week. By any chance can you share the ingredient mix for an "Atomic cocktail?'
UPDATE TO BELOW: The SAVANNAH and the SSUS seem to have suffered eerily similar initial fates, but, this ship, unlike the SSUS, got the treatment she deserved eventually. One only wishes her "unrelated sister" had gotten similar love.
regarding her crew getting fired. I thought i saw where the nuclear engineers who came up with the procedures for running it were makeing less that the union bosses who were applying the procedures and rules and the engineers quit in protest. It would be interesting to see an in-depth video on the whole situation. sometimes it seems the path to a good paycheck is a nunion card rather than a good education. would nuclear powered cargo and passenger ships be common today if it weren't for that spat with the union? discuss
Interesting on the union issues. I know it was very complex because of her nuclear power but not completely unique. The US-owned lines had a lot of labor issues during that time. I think now with security issues, nuclear power would be a very difficult option with passenger ships, even if it were found to be safe and clean.
@@midshipcinema I wonder if with the new LFTRs and SMRs ship power coul become revolutionized again. regarding unions I have had engineer dreinds that got crap from union floor people once the union found out they were either contractors or engineers. I doubt issues will ever go away. would there be nuclear powered cargo and passenger ships today if it weren't for the spats with the union?
Enjoyable video and lovely restoration. However, an observation. Not sure how the original designer managed to botch the design by having the main lounge with absolutely zero external view over the bow but sticking a walk way between it and the exterior hull. It could have been a fantastic view and O don’t think I have ever seen such a mistake on a ship with their forward lounge in my life.
I understand what you are saying but this was actually a classic design found on most liners of that time. The enclosed promenade wrapped around the front of the ship, followed by an Observation Lounge. The QUEEN MARY, ANDREA DORIA, GRIPSHOLM, ROTTERDAM and many other ships had a similar design as they were built for crossings and not cruises and the forward part of the ship was subject to rough sea conditions. On modern cruise ships built for calm seas, the forwardmost space was often used as an observation lounge until they started putting huge showrooms up there.
Call me crazy Peter but I think this video presentation would also help guarantee the ship's preservation. Have you thought of working out a deal with the group restoring Savannah to sell this film as an official souvenir film about the ship? I ask because i think it woukd greatly benifit you and the ship itself.
That's incredibly kind of you. Thank you. They already are selling the two DVDs I mention at the very end of the video. Of course, if they have any use for this one, I'd be most happy for it to be used in a way to help find the ship a home. :)
@@midshipcinema yes, it was one of the reasons but crewing the ship with newbs, was another. I'd hazard to say, that's why "nuclear power" can't be played with by children. Nuclear reactors in general has been "stolen" from the people whom safely and securely operated it, for years. We still design and build nuclear powered ships that are secured and safely firewalled from any "bad actors". But alas nuclear power will always be that way until education is made free for all to partake as they see fit. Imagine a world full of trained nuclear engineers before they've even graduated from high school, one can certainly dream can't we ! That was the intended purpose of the Savanah, to teach people about the safe uses of nuclear power. But as I said earlier, TMI, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, stole its purpose from us, and has tought us that nuclear power shouldn't be treated as a toy, like we play with cell phones.Which is a very powerful tool for knowledge, or a ver dangerous weapon, to a bad actor. Maybe someday...........
This and the SS United States should be preserved! We have a Smithsonian run Air and space Museum, contact your congressional Representatives and suggest they make a Smithsonian Maratime Museum to protect our iconic ships!
At time 23:40 in this video, maybe the S.S. EL FARO bridge and wheelhouse can be seen in the background. She was laid up in Baltimore for years before her sinking in 2015.
@ I was a deck cadet with 12 passengers on the last voyage of American Export Lines S.S. Export Aide from US east coast thru Suez to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Yemen in 1979.
@@midshipcinema - Later the SS Constipation and SS Indigestion were on weekly rounds of the Hawaiian Islands in the mid 80s when I was officer on the AT&T Cable Ship CS Salernum (renamed CS Charles L. Brown) on Pier 2 in Honolulu and would see them dock astern of us near Aloha Tower. A classmate of mine was Captain of one of them and many of their deck department crewmembers would come work for us as the unlicensed Union was the same and our pay scale was higher than the Constitution and Independence.
This has to be one f the most beautiful ships I have ever seen a banana she only had a short service life it would be a crying shame to see her scrapped
@midshipcinema I commented before watching the whole video was stationed at Ft.Eustis VA in the same time period you took the inside video the Army would send Divers to check radiation readings from the hull. I was told the reactor room was full of concrete! Thanks for clarifying what happened there and no would never eat the fish just for fun.
So thrilled to see this. When I look at this, I see a ship that has substantial potential to become a museum ship without breaking the bank of the organization that takes on the job. I really hope to be able to see her with my own eyes someday.
Great video! But to me, a space where a reactor was isn't so interesting - having seen close up several actual reactors. (CP-5, ZPR-9, and others. Not so sure you can find much on those nowadays._
Thank you. For those who have not seen or had such an experience, which is most people, I think the reactor space will be a highlight of touring the ship.
@@midshipcinema I couldn't help but brag. Note that despite all those reactor visits, and working at 3 accelerators, I do not glow in the dark and never did. All that was a long time ago, before I decided academia was not for me and left for software development. (And I am being polite about academia)
another worthy ship to be saved - i was gutted to hear that SS United States will be lost only to be seen by divers as an artificial reef, i find it both disgusting and heartbreaking - what i find odder still is that these vessels cannot share an area such as near the Petty Island in Philly, just a thought, there is a set of 'births' that are obviously derelict now and over grown, what would it take to muster up some volunteers and clear the area so these ships can be visited, to have a themed museum park for all visitors - the thing that bugs me most is them having to be moved from present locations, possibly due to redevelopment of the piers etc, so in my mind the developers should pay to move them, as an attraction, where ever they end up, lets hope they create some revenue such as the New Jersey does
There have been so many deserving cases all over the world, but the truth is that ships cost millions to build, and their ongoing maintenance also costs millions. They have a finite design life, and as long as they are in the water they will continue to decay and need constant expenditure, far more than they typically can generate as tourist attractions, conference centres or hotels. A lot of them struggled to pay for themselves even in their heyday when they were continuously at sea moving thousands of tons of cargo and thousands of passengers on every trip. I'd like to think this one will make it, as she was a beauty and a pioneer in her day, and she has a chance as she's much smaller than most liners, but it won't be easy whoever takes her on.
@@midshipcinema i often think that officials in the city should stand up and say, we will assist you in saving this vessel and make an area available to you, at the end of the day, surely it creates revenue for the city, brings people in who need to stay somewhere, eat, visit and buy merchandise, keeps people employed and adds another attraction to the city - i just find so many people, managers and those at the top have zero marketing sense
@@davidjones332 sadly this is always the case, i used to look after static display aircraft, ex RAF fighters etc, they had an annual budget each year £500-£1000 - the F4 Phantom had many instruments missing from the cockpits and i guesstimated it might cost £1500 per cockpit, the directors nearly said no until i pointed out, its a one time extravagance, and you'll have people wanting and able to see inside, i never kept a real tally on things until i finished, i was £35 over my budget ok, so a ship is a little bigger, but you have to do things in bitesize, the classic is the work just completed on Texas, if at the end of the day, she becomes a risk to sinking, if you have a birth such as the disused overgrown ones i described, fill it in, land lock her, at least she may last a little longer, its not ideal and these things will eventually disappear i guess, volunteers is the answer
@@patchmack4469 I don't think Baltimore is interested but they are trying to find her another home. She is ready for visitors and there will even be an open house on November 16.
SSUS was kept up well until the Maritime Administration sold her. Her existence after that was fraught with various owners not having the funds to do what was needed to keep her viable.
Just like the USS Clamagore....as soon as drydocking was needed Patriot's Point got rid of the asset one way or the other. Nothing like allowing items to deteriorate you accepted or acquired in trust as a museum who "preserves" history.
Most unfortunate. I wonder if it was just a lack of proper funds. I don't think the weather there does any ship a favor with the rain, humidity, heat and cold.
Her crew was fired leaving the ship laid up for a year. Sounds like a bad management decision. Better to negotiate then leave a ship laid up for a year and having to train a new crew.
I would not say that the nuclear reactor stooped it viability. What stop the ships viability was that it was generally grossly uneconomical. It had a very small passenger capacity as well as a very small cargo capacity, even compare to other ships of that time. She was also really outdated becasue the concept of a mix cargo and cruse ship was gone by the time she exited demo services..... Well sort of. The negotiation about docking is also really a none issue. In reality for a ship in real reviewer service, it would dock in a set number of pre arrange docking harbors.
It’s a shame they couldn’t find an abandoned dock somewhere to buy that could berth both this great ship and the SS United States. That they can’t get kicked out of.
@midshipcinema 👨🏽💻 it's a curious marvel of its age. They were doing all kinds of crazy stuff in the 1950s. But a passenger / cargo ship really didn't make a lot of sense. And containers made it obsolete before it even went into service. And the need for nuclear trained personnel to run it, is a huge labor problem. All the other experiments with nuclear-powered ships have also fallen by the wayside. The one advantage is with the icebreakers. But that's pretty much an exclusive Russian thing.
Oh, interesting. I guess New York Shipbuilding Shipyard in Camden, NJ is actually located in Ecuador? And the people who built her were from one of Saturn's moons? Anything you say.
@@midshipcinema hello you are guessing erroneously , New York shipbuilding in Camden NJ it is not located in Ecuador. Note, Ecuador latitude 0 divide the American continent on geographical maps for the purpose of navigation, into North and South, placing Ecuador the political jurisdiction in the Norther and Souther America Hemisphere , Ecuador is in America, that is the reason USS Savannah it is not made in America ( Americus Vespucci named by the Kingdom of Spain ). saludos
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Peter, Thank you for posting this! You brought back memories of when I toured her over Halloween weekend in 1993 at Patriots Point, SC when I went with my then girlfriend to tour the College of Charleston to potentially transfer to. The footage you showed of her worn and weathered was exactly as I remember her. dark, dank, and many areas off limits to see. She was the first "Ocean Liner" I ever got to go on board and I was like a kid in a candy shop. My Girlfriend could have cared less. LOL. I ended up going to college at Towson in the Baltimore area as I grew up in Maryland. I was so thrilled when I heard the Savannah was there now. I also remember there used to be an OLD Passenger liner that was semi converted to a cruise ship that was docked near the harbor for the longest time. She sat there for decades it seems and I never really appreciated who she was or why she was there. My family all live in Maryland and I am determined to tour the SAVANNAH soon. My heart sank when you mentioned her 2025 cut off for permanent home or scrap/reefed fate. I missed out on my tour of the SS UNITED STATES on Sept 28th, 2024 and only got to see her from the street due to the pier closure due to the Pier/dockworkers strike. I don't want to miss this one too! and want to see her as close to restored as possible.
Very cool memories! You will be blown away when you go back on board. She is a marvel. Check their website as they give tours, I believe, monthly. You must be thinking of the SANTA ROSA, which was laid up in Baltimore for ages until she was bought and rebuilt by Regency Cruises. A miniature SS UNITED STATES without that power plant. Thanks so much for watching and posting. :)
@@midshipcinema You are right! It was the Santa Rosa! I can still image her sitting there all forlorn and lonely along that pier and you could see her clearly as you drove north on I95. THANK YOU! Keep up the good work! LOVE YOUR VIDS! Ocean Liners are the only stable "Ladies" I have in my life as I gave up on the real thing after college. ;)
I supported both the Seattle ferry Kalakala and the SS United States. I got to visit the ferry twice in Alaska and one in Seattle. Never got to visit the Big U. I’ve been on the Queen Mary twice, even staying the night. She is not American, but a beautiful piece of history anyway. The Big U was too far stripped to be a viable enterprise Much too sad to think about loosing the Savanna too.
I didn’t know the Savannah spent time in CHS. Very cool!
@@midshipcinema Well I did it! I have a confirmed RSVP for Saturday 11/16/2024 to tour the SAVANNAH for their open house. A 5 hour tour. Woo Hoo!
Note that both NS Savannah and John W. Brown will be open for tours on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
Here’s a video of me trying out the “Lamp Test” buttons on the Reactor Control Panel: th-cam.com/video/UMOFP8V8dLU/w-d-xo.html
Here’s the Control Rod Group Selector controls, with a peek inside the Control Panel: th-cam.com/video/tkVEMNxQGtM/w-d-xo.html
Here’s me demonstrating the Alarm Annunciators removed from the main panel: th-cam.com/video/HWiGii9RlMY/w-d-xo.html I hope to eventually get all 154 annunciators working, starting with the SCRAM Annunciator.
Currently the Control Room is off-limits due to PCB contamination, most likely caused by me tracking dust from inside the console.
Excellent! Two classics on one day. Thanks for sharing those videos. Very cool.
Excellent presentation. It must have taken many hours to produce this historic documentary. Thank you for doing such a fine educational piece.
Thank you. It was a pleasure to work on. :)
This was incredibly well curated. Wow! Thank you for putting in the effort
Thank you. I appreciate that. :)
Peter another superb video of a ship I've never been aboard. Loved the part where the '62 Cadillac 4-window sedan in "Maize yellow"" is being unloaded....that right up my alley (I was a classic car dealer for 29 years) Cheers, Mark
That's fantastic, thank you, Mark! I was so happy to have access to that classic footage. Thank you for your nice comment. :)
Nice lead in with the former Francis Scott Key Bridge buddy. Welcome to Baltimore.
Well, it was a significant event this year and one of the first things we say. Hope to get back and see more soon.
Fantastic. And so good to see your video getting the attention it deserves.
Such a gorgeous ship. Thank you for this in-depth look. I hope she can find a great home for more people to enjoy her history and beauty.
If only the SS United States had been given the same concern and consideration as the Savannah...
Savannah had the benefit of being owned by the Maritime Administration and the need to keep her safe until the reactor contents were safe to remove.
Wonderful! I recall as a boy hearing about the ship's launching and hopeful "Atomic future", and still have very fond memories of the plastic model of the Savannah that I built in my youth. I was excited later to learn she served with American Export Lines, since I crossed the Atlantic myself three times on AEL liners as an "army brat." Thanks for preserving this bit of unique maritime history.
Thank you! How nice that you bot to sail with AEL, too! :)
American export lines sounds a bit like James bond's universal exports😊
Thanks for this fine presentation of NS Savannah. She is one of the most beautiful ships ever built.
Thank you! And I completely agree! George Sharp's masterpiece. :)
Just another incredible video peter. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Greg! :)
Great video I was on the Savannah when she came to Dublin Port, Ireland in the 1960's my father and I joined the on board tour
Very cool! Thank you. :)
Wonderful video!! The first ship model I got was the Savannah
Very cool. I think I had the same one with the removable reactor. Thank you. :)
I am drooling over Bourdelle's dining room installation.
And you've topped yourself with this video!
Thank you, Wayne! I hope you can get out to see her!
Amazing and unprecedent footage !!! Thanks a lot my dear big brother. You are hero !!! 😃
Thank you, my brother in all things ship. I am honored. :)
How on Earth could the US let her go for scrap or sinking. Couldn’t a national museam like Smithsonian set it up as a visitor attraction. It’s a one of a kind ship and extremely historically important both for technological and cultural reasons.
Well, everything is disposable now. I hope that her reactor will be enough to make the case for a great attraction in a willing port.
I bought the model for this back in the late sixties! Wish I still had it! Great video! Cheers!
Thank you. Yes, I built that model, too, with its removable reactor. Made by Revell. :)
Wonderful and fascinating tour , I can remember the Savannah from the National Geographic in the 60’s which was fascinating to an English schoolboy .
Very cool. She was quite the sensation, despite not being commercially viable, which was never her intent.
I recall when SAVANNAH sailed up Narragansett bay in Rhode Island in July 1964. What a sight!
Wow, nice!
WoopWoop! Exceptional work as always.
Really splendid video, Peter! The shot of her at 1:16 is great!
Thank you. Every angle of her is stunning but agree especially on that one. :)
Awesome presentation, just wow!
I had the wonderful opportunity to tour the Savannah back when it was docked in Charleston (1984). Long time ago. One thing I found interesting was the Polarized round windows that you could rotate to vary the clarity/light level through the porthole.
Yes, they are brilliant! I should have shown them more up close but maybe next visit.
Awesome. I was on board her in 1986 when she was part of the Yorktown museum.
Nice. I would have loved to see her there.
Toured the Savannah int he early '80's when I was a Navy MM Nuke on Subs. The reactor was still on-board and I had to report my potential exposure to my command. Would love to tour her again.
If you are in Baltimore in the next year or so, check their website for tour dates.
The windows and the styling of the promenade deck is just incredible. Hope to see this ships continued preservation for many more years!
Couldn't agree more. Thank you.
Thanks! That was fun. I enjoyed it.
Thank you for watching. :)
Thank you Peter for making this film. George Sharp was a genius navel architect. I first saw the Savannah on a episode of Johnny Guest in the 60’s . I’m so glad she is still here. Thanks again
Gibbs was great but in many ways, Sharp was sharper. Thanks so much for watching and posting. :)
@@midshipcinema yep to bad the comet trio never entered service. They were stunning
Great tour. Thank you!
Thank you, Peter, for another great video.
Thank you for watching! :)
Thank you, Peter. I was aboard the Savannah when she was moored in Charleston, SC. It is a beautiful, graceful ship. She was way ahead of her time. Are there any hats available?
I think they do have hats in the gift shop. Should be on their website. Thank you, Barry. :)
Very interesting video thanks. They've done a good job of restoration.
Its interesting that they used a babcock and wilcox reactor. My dad used to work for B and W in the UK on power stations, some nuclear, so it has a resonance for me. I got taken round a couple of power stations as a kid back when no safety kit was required. Just a kid being dragged round as he proudly pointed out all the awsome giant kit😊 those were the days, no hi viz, boots or pointless hard hat
Thank you. I saw her at Patriots Point. I hope she finds a home. I wondered what happened to the yachts and models that were in her holds.
Thank you and me, too!
Fascinating story and nicely done video.
Agreed and thank you. :)
Wonderful documentary of a fine ship
Thank you for watching and taking the time to post.
Hi Peter, "tourist enter in normal, and exit radiated !! One man goes in, several men come out !!!" Where did that come from ?? tee hee
She is beautifully restored. There aren't many Grand Dames who have been restored and are still viable for use. Hopefully she won't end up in some scrap site,
Or sitting on the ocean floor as the World's First Nuclear Powered Artificial Reef somewhere. You get all the COOL JOBS !!
LOL, perfect! Thanks, Jeremy. :)
I remember visiting the Savannah with my parents in LA when I was a kid.
Wow, very cool! Did you take any photos of her?
@@midshipcinema No but you could get a post card that would be mailed to you that was carried on the Savannah & posted on board. Think I still have it.
Great video, thank you! Who paid for for all the restoration works must have cost millions?
Thank you. Because the ship still had radioactive material until finally remedied, the Maritime Administration paid to keep the ship sound. Now the funding is expiring, so they need to find a home for her.
Wonderful film! I can't help but picture Gene Roddenberry touring the ship since the ECR, officers quarters and furnishings evoke the 1966 Star Trek television series. Makes me wonder if he had seen and toured the ship during its travels to the west coast.
Honestly, it would not be too far fetched that he was very aware of the ship while doing his research for the show but I guess we will never know for sure.
The engineering panels also seem to be the inspiration for the Enterprise engineering. I wonder what Scotty would say? We canna get more power; the uranium canna take more!
American Export Lines was her last commercial operator & ran her on their Mediterranean route. I recall her discharging in Norfolk late 1969 from the Med. Holds forward full of Turkish Tobacco, Greek and Italian foodstuffs, Portuguese Cork and more . Aft mostly US Government cargo. Many “POV’s “ personal owned vehicles belonging to American servicemen. All parked on passenger decks. Cabins facing the weather decks filled with small parcels including US Mail.
Oh, wow, that is info you don't get to hear often. Thank you for sharing here. You were on board just before she was withdrawn.
My Pop took us to Philly to tour this ship. Don’t remember much, but that is was clean.
How cool! :)
You, sir, have a fabulously expansive vocabulary!
LOL, well, thank you. I just try to find alternates for the overused descriptives like "amazing" and "iconic", although I broke my own rule and used the latter once in this video to describe something that actually was iconic. :)
In the early 60s Mechanics Illustrated or its sister magazine did an article with plans to build a steam turbine powered model of the NSS Savannah.
I absolutely loved it. hope the savannah is here to stay.
also, where can one watch "The World's Passenger Fleet"?
only part 9 is available on your website
I'm so happy to see NS Savannah being restored. I toured her countless times when I was in the Navy stationed in Charleston. Sadly, Patriots Point has a history of not caring for all of the ships it's entrusted with. Take the USS Clamagore (SS-343). What they allowed to happen to her is a disgrace.
That's unfortunate about PP. Earlier this year, we tendered from the Viking ship to the landing next to the YORKTOWN, which looked a bit rusty. I hope to get back to pay her a visit.
Thanks!
good video Peter
Great tour! TY Algorithm!
Thank you, Patrick and algorigthm, too!
Beautiful ship! I sure wish the SS UNITED STATES could have been restored at this level of passion. Thanks for this great video!🙂
Thank you. Yes, I wish the SSUS had such resources available. Hopefully, there will be a better outcome for SAVANNAH. :)
How much did you contribute to the United States preservation?
Wooooow, what a surprise! This ship is so beautiful 😍😍😍
She is! CAP SAN DIEGO resembles her in a way.
@@midshipcinema the freighters from 50s and 60s often are more elegant than yachts 😀👌
All three of those passenger classes you mentioned as other work of the naval architect (ANCON, BARRETT, and SANTA MAGEDELENA) all served as academy training ships. And, I think that behind the ex-EMPIRE STATE in your video from James River is the white/gray hull of the ex-USNS UPSHUR/ex-TV STATE OF MAINE.
Yes, they did! :) Actually, at that time, the STATE OF MAINE had been moved to Mobile where she was used as a fire training ship for the Coast Guard. I did get to visit her in Castine two years prior, just before they moved her.
@ my first tour of the school, she was there, my second visit was the day she was towed away and when I started that fall we had the PATRIOT STATE at the pier while Mass did some pier repairs.
Now the STATE OF MAINE (ex-tanner) is in Philly for layup while the pier is enlarged to accommodate the new, purpose built ship.
Peter ... I don't know how you always manage to find such unique and one-of-a-kind vessels to preview!
I'm having a dinner party next week. By any chance can you share the ingredient mix for an "Atomic cocktail?'
Hey Grant! I think Vladimir Putin's agents have that market cornered. :)
I remember the stateroom portholes featured two panes of polarized glass. Rotating the inner glass darkened the view.
From the outside, she looks ready to sail away.
Yes! Hopefully to a new permanent home. :)
What a fascinating ship and story.
Her cruises were given glowing reviews.
Hah, yes!
I wonder if there ever was an encounter of the NS Savannah and the German nuclear powered cargo ship Otto Hahn
Good question. I have not seen it in any records of SAVANNAH's career.
The 50s and 60s was ship design aesthetics at its peak (except for warships).
I agree. :)
0:36 this ship was ahead of its time
Extremely so. :)
UPDATE TO BELOW: The SAVANNAH and the SSUS seem to have suffered eerily similar initial fates, but, this ship, unlike the SSUS, got the treatment she deserved eventually. One only wishes her "unrelated sister" had gotten similar love.
How can we assure kat the Savannah will survive and thrive.
Make more people aware of her.
regarding her crew getting fired. I thought i saw where the nuclear engineers who came up with the procedures for running it were makeing less that the union bosses who were applying the procedures and rules and the engineers quit in protest. It would be interesting to see an in-depth video on the whole situation. sometimes it seems the path to a good paycheck is a nunion card rather than a good education. would nuclear powered cargo and passenger ships be common today if it weren't for that spat with the union? discuss
Interesting on the union issues. I know it was very complex because of her nuclear power but not completely unique. The US-owned lines had a lot of labor issues during that time. I think now with security issues, nuclear power would be a very difficult option with passenger ships, even if it were found to be safe and clean.
@@midshipcinema I wonder if with the new LFTRs and SMRs ship power coul become revolutionized again. regarding unions I have had engineer dreinds that got crap from union floor people once the union found out they were either contractors or engineers. I doubt issues will ever go away. would there be nuclear powered cargo and passenger ships today if it weren't for the spats with the union?
Enjoyable video and lovely restoration. However, an observation. Not sure how the original designer managed to botch the design by having the main lounge with absolutely zero external view over the bow but sticking a walk way between it and the exterior hull. It could have been a fantastic view and O don’t think I have ever seen such a mistake on a ship with their forward lounge in my life.
I understand what you are saying but this was actually a classic design found on most liners of that time. The enclosed promenade wrapped around the front of the ship, followed by an Observation Lounge. The QUEEN MARY, ANDREA DORIA, GRIPSHOLM, ROTTERDAM and many other ships had a similar design as they were built for crossings and not cruises and the forward part of the ship was subject to rough sea conditions. On modern cruise ships built for calm seas, the forwardmost space was often used as an observation lounge until they started putting huge showrooms up there.
Call me crazy Peter but I think this video presentation would also help guarantee the ship's preservation.
Have you thought of working out a deal with the group restoring Savannah to sell this film as an official souvenir film about the ship?
I ask because i think it woukd greatly benifit you and the ship itself.
That's incredibly kind of you. Thank you. They already are selling the two DVDs I mention at the very end of the video. Of course, if they have any use for this one, I'd be most happy for it to be used in a way to help find the ship a home. :)
It sure makes you wonder why more ships can't be powered by the same power! A modern ship that didn't have to refuel for years.
I think security now is the biggest concern.
@@midshipcinema yes, it was one of the reasons but crewing the ship with newbs, was another.
I'd hazard to say, that's why "nuclear power" can't be played with by children. Nuclear reactors in general has been "stolen" from the people whom safely and securely operated it, for years. We still design and build nuclear powered ships that are secured and safely firewalled from any "bad actors". But alas nuclear power will always be that way until education is made free for all to partake as they see fit. Imagine a world full of trained nuclear engineers before they've even graduated from high school, one can certainly dream can't we ! That was the intended purpose of the Savanah, to teach people about the safe uses of nuclear power. But as I said earlier, TMI, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, stole its purpose from us, and has tought us that nuclear power shouldn't be treated as a toy, like we play with cell phones.Which is a very powerful tool for knowledge, or a ver dangerous weapon, to a bad actor.
Maybe someday...........
Amazing ship.
Yep, nothing like her. :)
This and the SS United States should be preserved!
We have a Smithsonian run Air and space Museum, contact your congressional Representatives and suggest they make a Smithsonian Maratime Museum to protect our iconic ships!
Agreed both should be preserved.
At time 23:40 in this video, maybe the S.S. EL FARO bridge and wheelhouse can be seen in the background. She was laid up in Baltimore for years before her sinking in 2015.
Oh, interesting! There were some fascinating 12 passenger freighters in several of those rafts, now all long gone.
@ I was a deck cadet with 12 passengers on the last voyage of American Export Lines S.S. Export Aide from US east coast thru Suez to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Yemen in 1979.
@@yankeexpress Oh, very cool! Loved AEL and their ships, especially that last Four Aces, CONNIE and INDY.
@@midshipcinema - Later the SS Constipation and SS Indigestion were on weekly rounds of the Hawaiian Islands in the mid 80s when I was officer on the AT&T Cable Ship CS Salernum (renamed CS Charles L. Brown) on Pier 2 in Honolulu and would see them dock astern of us near Aloha Tower. A classmate of mine was Captain of one of them and many of their deck department crewmembers would come work for us as the unlicensed Union was the same and our pay scale was higher than the Constitution and Independence.
This has to be one f the most beautiful ships I have ever seen a banana she only had a short service life it would be a crying shame to see her scrapped
Indeed a banana with all that exaggerated sheer. Hopefully, she has a bright future.
I have never seen the Savannah, but when I was at sea I saw the Norasia Susan.a containership. She was the ex Otto Hann.
Those German cargo ships were beautiful. Thanks, Peter. :)
Exceptional vieo on the SAVANNAH hopefully the city of SAVANNAH GA buys her
Thank you. I, too, hope so! She's ready and rarin' to go. They just need a berth and a plan.
I remember seeing her in San Francisco in the 60s
Wow, very cool. :)
I used to fish off this ship when it was in the James river reserve fleet in VA
Ohh, cool, but I hope you didn't eat the fish! :)
@midshipcinema I commented before watching the whole video was stationed at Ft.Eustis VA in the same time period you took the inside video the Army would send Divers to check radiation readings from the hull. I was told the reactor room was full of concrete! Thanks for clarifying what happened there and no would never eat the fish just for fun.
I toured Savannah in New Orleans in the 1960's.
Oh, how cool! She must have been quite the sensation. Thank you for posting. :)
Mariners museum ??
Hopefully someone saves this part of our history before they park it by the United States
Agreed. :)
So thrilled to see this. When I look at this, I see a ship that has substantial potential to become a museum ship without breaking the bank of the organization that takes on the job. I really hope to be able to see her with my own eyes someday.
She's basically turnkey ready. Just needs the right port.
Something very Clockwork Orange about NS Savannah.
I can see that but she was way ahead of that film, date-wise.
Clockwork Orange and Savannah both have a 1960s-vision-of-the-1990s quality.
Beautiful ship, wish passenger ships were still built like this.
Oh what a shame?! Some one, needs to take the time to restore this peice of history if at all possable!
At 10:00, no authenticity. Shallow people. At least ship is great.
Hired actors but that's they way they did and still do it.
Be still my heart!
Exactly, lol!
First we lose the Big U, and maybe the Savannah too in another year? Say it ain't so...
There's still some hope for SAVANNAH. Basically, she needs a berth, a tow and maintenance. The rest is done and she is ready to welcome visitors.
Great video! But to me, a space where a reactor was isn't so interesting - having seen close up several actual reactors. (CP-5, ZPR-9, and others. Not so sure you can find much on those nowadays._
Thank you. For those who have not seen or had such an experience, which is most people, I think the reactor space will be a highlight of touring the ship.
@@midshipcinema I couldn't help but brag. Note that despite all those reactor visits, and working at 3 accelerators, I do not glow in the dark and never did. All that was a long time ago, before I decided academia was not for me and left for software development. (And I am being polite about academia)
another worthy ship to be saved - i was gutted to hear that SS United States will be lost only to be seen by divers as an artificial reef, i find it both disgusting and heartbreaking - what i find odder still is that these vessels cannot share an area such as near the Petty Island in Philly, just a thought, there is a set of 'births' that are obviously derelict now and over grown, what would it take to muster up some volunteers and clear the area so these ships can be visited, to have a themed museum park for all visitors - the thing that bugs me most is them having to be moved from present locations, possibly due to redevelopment of the piers etc, so in my mind the developers should pay to move them, as an attraction, where ever they end up, lets hope they create some revenue such as the New Jersey does
It is very complicated. And I agree, she is extremely worthy and unlike so many ships, ready to be saved.
There have been so many deserving cases all over the world, but the truth is that ships cost millions to build, and their ongoing maintenance also costs millions. They have a finite design life, and as long as they are in the water they will continue to decay and need constant expenditure, far more than they typically can generate as tourist attractions, conference centres or hotels. A lot of them struggled to pay for themselves even in their heyday when they were continuously at sea moving thousands of tons of cargo and thousands of passengers on every trip. I'd like to think this one will make it, as she was a beauty and a pioneer in her day, and she has a chance as she's much smaller than most liners, but it won't be easy whoever takes her on.
@@midshipcinema i often think that officials in the city should stand up and say, we will assist you in saving this vessel and make an area available to you, at the end of the day, surely it creates revenue for the city, brings people in who need to stay somewhere, eat, visit and buy merchandise, keeps people employed and adds another attraction to the city - i just find so many people, managers and those at the top have zero marketing sense
@@davidjones332 sadly this is always the case, i used to look after static display aircraft, ex RAF fighters etc, they had an annual budget each year £500-£1000 - the F4 Phantom had many instruments missing from the cockpits and i guesstimated it might cost £1500 per cockpit, the directors nearly said no until i pointed out, its a one time extravagance, and you'll have people wanting and able to see inside, i never kept a real tally on things until i finished, i was £35 over my budget
ok, so a ship is a little bigger, but you have to do things in bitesize, the classic is the work just completed on Texas, if at the end of the day, she becomes a risk to sinking, if you have a birth such as the disused overgrown ones i described, fill it in, land lock her, at least she may last a little longer, its not ideal and these things will eventually disappear i guess, volunteers is the answer
@@patchmack4469 I don't think Baltimore is interested but they are trying to find her another home. She is ready for visitors and there will even be an open house on November 16.
Why couldn't the S.S. UNITED STATES have been kept up so well over 55 years?
SSUS was kept up well until the Maritime Administration sold her. Her existence after that was fraught with various owners not having the funds to do what was needed to keep her viable.
How did the ship have power for the lights when it was in the James River reserve fleet?
She had a diesel generator. Now, I believe, they use shore power.
I really hope savannah can be saved, we've already lost ss united states, we cant lose another ship
Agreed!
Just like the USS Clamagore....as soon as drydocking was needed Patriot's Point got rid of the asset one way or the other. Nothing like allowing items to deteriorate you accepted or acquired in trust as a museum who "preserves" history.
Most unfortunate. I wonder if it was just a lack of proper funds. I don't think the weather there does any ship a favor with the rain, humidity, heat and cold.
Great vid. Not 4k though.
The current footage is 4K but of course, the vintage stuff is not. :)
Her crew was fired leaving the ship laid up for a year. Sounds like a bad management decision. Better to negotiate then leave a ship laid up for a year and having to train a new crew.
I think it was a very complex story involving unions and labor disputes but it certainly was not good at the time.
I would not say that the nuclear reactor stooped it viability. What stop the ships viability was that it was generally grossly uneconomical. It had a very small passenger capacity as well as a very small cargo capacity, even compare to other ships of that time. She was also really outdated becasue the concept of a mix cargo and cruse ship was gone by the time she exited demo services..... Well sort of.
The negotiation about docking is also really a none issue. In reality for a ship in real reviewer service, it would dock in a set number of pre arrange docking harbors.
Agreed that all those factors were part of the problem. But again, she was never meant to be economical.
@@midshipcinema Exactly, she did the work she suppose to. Fairly well. External factors made it irrelevant.
Visited it as a little kid in the 60'ties when she was docked in the Antwerp port, allmost forgot about it but this video brings back great memories.
Oh, that must have been quite a day. Thank you for sharing that. :)
Are the steam engines permanently decommissioned?
They are intact but have nothing to propel them with after the removal of the reactor.
0:13 Baltimore is only a temporary home? Where is she headed?
Hopefully to a permanent home that appreciates her versus reefing or scrapping. The countdown is on...
It’s a shame they couldn’t find an abandoned dock somewhere to buy that could berth both this great ship and the SS United States. That they can’t get kicked out of.
Lets hope she does not end up like the SS United States. If I had lottery money I'd restore both.
Agreed. :)
Permanent home at the bottom of the sea.
Great video of a Technology dead end. Pretty ship, but a concept fail from day one.
Yes, perhaps, but they wanted to give it a try.
@midshipcinema 👨🏽💻 it's a curious marvel of its age. They were doing all kinds of crazy stuff in the 1950s. But a passenger / cargo ship really didn't make a lot of sense. And containers made it obsolete before it even went into service. And the need for nuclear trained personnel to run it, is a huge labor problem. All the other experiments with nuclear-powered ships have also fallen by the wayside. The one advantage is with the icebreakers. But that's pretty much an exclusive Russian thing.
This needs to be preserved 😍
I'm pretty sure the orange guy doesn't care too much about naval history, so please vote wisely, my American friends 💙
Voted as soon as I could, my friend! The orange man is no fan of classic liners. He long ago dismissed the UNITED STATES.
A vote for the leftist lunatics is not a good one
Savannah is not American made. Saludos
Oh, interesting. I guess New York Shipbuilding Shipyard in Camden, NJ is actually located in Ecuador? And the people who built her were from one of Saturn's moons? Anything you say.
@@midshipcinema hello you are guessing erroneously , New York shipbuilding in Camden NJ it is not located in Ecuador. Note, Ecuador latitude 0 divide the American continent on geographical maps for the purpose of navigation, into North and South, placing Ecuador the political jurisdiction in the Norther and Souther America Hemisphere , Ecuador is in America, that is the reason USS Savannah it is not made in America ( Americus Vespucci named by the Kingdom of Spain ). saludos
@@pavelavietor1 Wow, you have a lot of free time on your hands! Thank you for the enlightenment. :)