American Hawaii Cruises (1980-2001)
American Hawaii Cruises, AHC, was formed in 1979 and revived American-flag cruising around Hawaii. The company bought the laid up 1951-built liner OCEANIC INDEPENDENCE (ex INDEPENDENCE, American Export Isbrandsten) from C.Y. Tung's Atlantic Far East Line. A special act of congress was needed to return the US built ship to American registry. Refitted in Taiwan, and then Japan, she entered service on a slow steaming economical seven day interisland schedule in June of 1980.
As the venture was sucessful, the former sister ship of INDEPENDENCE was purchased. The 1951-built CONSTITUTION was refitted and began sailing a similar itinerary in June of 1982 following a gala christening by Princess Grace of Monaco that April. These two ships became the only American flagged ocean-going ships in the passenger trade.
Briefly, AHC also operated the 1958-built former Moore McCormack Liner BRASIL (later Holland America line's VOLENDAM) on seven day cruises out of Papeete, Taihiti, as the LIBERTE in 1986/7. Due to poor air lift, this venture was a failure and the LIBERTE was sold to present owners, Commodore Cruises, who are presently chartering her to World Explorer Cruises and the Seawise Foundation as the UNIVERSE EXPLORER.
In 1994 the INDEPENDENCE was extensively refitted at Newport News, VA. The CONSTITUTION was to follow, but after estimates for the work skyrocketed, she was laid up in Portland, Oregon in July 1995. Two years later, she was stripped of spare parts for her sister and sold for scrapping in India. She mysteriously sank on November 24, 1998 while under tow in the Pacific, 700 miles north and west of Hawaii enroute to the scrap yard in Japan.
AHC made the announcement that new US Built ships would be added to the fleet and Ingalls Shipyard at Pascagoula, MI has won the contract for two 1,900 passenger ships for service in hawaii in 2003. In the meantime, another ship was bought as a stop-gap until the first of the newbuilds is delivered.
On October 18, 2000 American Classic Voyages (parent company to Delta Queen Steamboat Cruises and American Hawaii Cruises) revived a famous name in American shipping -- United States Lines -- when it purchased Holland America's 1983-built NIEUW AMSTERDAM and renamed her the M.S. PATRIOT. USL acquired the ship for $114.5 million and the transfer occurred at sea, approximately 14 miles off Portand, Oregon. At the same moment she changed registry to Honolulu and now she sails under the U.S. flag.
A christening event on December 8, 2000 in Hawaii kicked off the new service beginning the following day. Under the "Project America" initiative, (which allowed this foreign flagged vessel to become US registered) the parent company American Classic Voyages Co. is constructing two 1,900-passenger ships scheduled to begin cruises around the Hawaiian Islands under the United States Lines name beginning in early 2003 and 2004. The two 72,000-ton vessels, under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding (a division of Litton Ship Systems, Pascagoula, Missippi) will be the largest ocean-going cruise ships ever built in a U.S. shipyard, and the first in more than 40 years.
In September 2001, American Classic Voyages Co. reached an agreement, endorsed by the U.S. Maritime Administration with the support of U.S. Secretary of Transportation, that would enable the uninterrupted construction of two 1,900-passenger cruise ships in the US. Rumoured to be named UNITED STATES and AMERICA the two vessels under grouped under the title "Project America" which is a pilot project aimed at reinvigorating U.S.-flag cruise ship construction and operation. The two ships were in the early stages of construction at Northrop Grumman's Ingalls Operations. The cruise ship delivery dates were extended by 12 months, to February 1, 2004, and February 1, 2005.
Sadly this was not to be, as on October 19, 2001, one year after United States Lines had been announced, American Classic Voyages, Inc. announced that it filed for bankruptcy court protection and would cease operating all but one ship. the SS INDEPENDENCE and MS PATRIOT stop sailing on Saturday, October 20 after completing their cruises. The Delta Queen Vessels AMERICAN QUEEN, MISSISSIPPI QUEEN, COLUMBIA QUEEN and CAPE MAY LIGHT were laid up within three days. Only the historic DELTA QUEEN, continued to operate its Mississippi River voyages.
American Classic claimed that half of its bookings had fallen off since the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001. Rumors the company was in financial trouble had circulated for for some time and Nasdaq officials halted trading in American Classic's shares after they reached a new low of 46 cents each.
AMCV hoped to work out a deal with Los Angeles based Northrop Grumman Corp., owner of the shipyard, and the U.S. Maritime Administration to keep the ship-building projects underway, however the project was suspended on October 25, and cancelled on November 1.
SS INDEPENDENCE now the property of the US Maritime Administration sailed past Pier 39 in San Francisco at 10:30 AM, November 8, 2001 into lay up at the former Alameda Naval Station adjacent to the museum ship HORNET while she prepares for longterm layup within the reserve fleet at Suisuin Bay possibly in February 2001.
S.S.INDEPENDENCE, S.S. CONSTITUTION, SS LIBERTE
United States Lines vessels:
References: AMERICAN PASSENGER SHIPS, Emmons; Passengers Liners American Style; William Miller