SS Independence

SS Independence was an American built passenger liner, which entered service in February 1951 for American Export Lines. Originally, she plied a New York-Mediterranean route, specializing in a high-end clientele, sailing one way while her sister ship, SS Constitution, plied the route the opposite. Starting in 1980 she sailed as a cruise ship. She was shortly joined by her similarly graceful counter sterned sibling, the pair sharing the Hawaiian islands together for the better part of two decades until their retirements.

Between 1974 and 1982 Independence sailed as Oceanic Independence for Atlantic Far East Lines and American Hawaii Cruises, before reverting to the original name. Independence was then operated by American Global Line between 1982 and 1996, and again American Hawaii Cruises until being laid up in San Francisco in 2001.

In 2006 the ship was renamed Oceanic and, after being mothballed for seven years, left San Francisco for Singapore on February 8, 2008. That destination was later changed to Dubai, and in 2009 the aged liner left there under tow as the Platinum II for the shipbreaking yards in Alang, India. After having been turned away from those scrap yards due to hazardous materials on board, the then 58-year-old ship was grounded off Alang. There, the rusting ship's hull broke in two aft of the smokestacks (making refloating impossible) and was scrapped on the spot.

Independence measured 683 feet (208 m) in length and 23,719 gross register tons under the US measurement system; under European measurement rules both ships would have been around 29,500 GRT. Capable of cruising at 26 knots, the liner accommodated 1,000 passengers, and was designed to accommodate 5,000 soldiers during wartime. According to Life magazine, "It will house passengers in Henry Dreyfuss-designed cabins, apartments, and 'penthouses,' keep their shipboard spirits up with branches of Fifth Avenue shops, handsome public rooms and bars decorated with old tattoo designs, collections of ships in bottles and Early American silver. Late American devices include 125 feet (38 m) of picture windows in the observation lounge, polarized glass in portholes to control light and glare, and bedside telephones from which a passenger can phone anyone within 5,000 miles."

SS Independence, 23,719 GRT, and the 23,754 GRT, SS Constitution were built by Bethlehem Steel Corporation in yard 1618 of its Fore River Shipyard in Quincy Massachusetts for the American Export Lines to operate on the US Mediterranean service. Launched on June 3, 1950 and completed January 1951, the new liner's first master was Captain Hugh Lee Switzer (1898–1991), former captain SS La Guardia, who held that post from 1951 to 1964. Both the Independence and the Constitution sported black hulls and American export lines funnel colors.

On February 10, 1951, Independence departed from North River Pier 84 at the foot of West 44th St in New York on a 53-day, 13,000 plus mile maiden voyage cruise to the Mediterranean during which the ship visited 22 ports in Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel, France, Gibraltar and Portugal before returning to New York on April 4. Independence's first regular non-cruise transatlantic sailing departed New York for Genoa on April 12 although that US-Italy service was later changed to run between New York and Naples. In 1959 both ships were sent to Newport News where their forward superstructure was moved 22 feet forward and lifted up by one deck in order to increase First Class passenger capacity by more than 100 berths and altered overall accommodations to 484 First Class, 350 Cabin Class, and 254 Tourist Class passengers. This reconstruction resulted in the loss of half of the glass-enclosed promenade deck and the added height forward. During their heyday, many movies were made on board with such stars as Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr and many others. They also carried high-profile passengers such as President Harry Truman, Alfred Hitchcock, Walt Disney, even King Saud. Both ships continued on the Mediterranean run, however, like most Trans-Atlantic liners of the day, passenger numbers dropped and the service was suspended in 1967.

In January 1974, both Independence and Constitution were sold to the Atlantic Far East Line Inc., Monrovia, being part of the massive C.Y. Tung group. Independence was renamed Oceanic Independence and after a refit commenced cruising with a new passenger capacity of 950 passengers. However, Constitution, renamed Oceanic Constitution, was laid up at Hong Kong on August 4, 1974. Oceanic Independence continued to cruise until being laid up as well at Hong Kong on January 17, 1976. In November that year there were rumors that the ship was to be sold to Shannon SA, of Panama, but this did not happen. Oceanic Independence remained laid up and was renamed Sea Luck I for a short time but soon after renamed Oceanic Independence once more.

As they were no longer American-flagged ships, C.Y. Tung was not able to operate them within American waters. In 1979, however, both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives approved their return to the States. In 1980 C.Y. Tung transferred Oceanic Independence to their newly established, US based American Hawaii Cruises Inc. After extensive repairs and a refit at the Kawasaki Dockyard Co. Ltd, Kobe Japan, Oceanic Independence was configured to accommodate 750 one class passengers and was listed as being 20,220 GRT. Oceanic Independence departed on a maiden cruise in June, 1980, operating 7-Day cruises around the Hawaiian Islands from Honolulu. On September 24, 1981, the cruise ship sustained minor damage off the coast of Nawiliwili, however passengers were safely taken ashore and flown home. After repairs in San Francisco the vessel returned to service. American Hawaii Cruises Inc became part of the American Global Line, Inc, in 1982 and restored the original name Independence to the liner once again.