Evening star., 1946-06-24
u. 5. Liner America
Being Readied for
September SaiIings
BY A. A. HoehIinq
Stor Siuff Correspondent

EARLY IN September the queen of
Our passenger liners, the S. S. Amer
lea, is scheduled to be back at sea
tofresume the role she had hardly
started when the war came along.
Workmen are swarming over the
largest merchant ship this Nation
has ever built to remove the last
vestiges of her wartime costumery
as the U. S. S. West Point, when
as a Navy operated transport she
carried about 100000 troops both
to and from battle zones.
Her real name was thus more
appropriate than the Navy's-for
for there is hardly community in
the United States which does not
have at least one war veteran who
can say, II sailed on her"
One of the greatest problems now
confronting the Maritime Commis-
sion, which is spending nearly
$7,000,000 on reconversion before
returning the 35,440-ton vessel to
the United States Lines, is the OBJ
tanning of furnishings. Here is a
part of that list: Three hundred
and ten thousand sheets, pillowcases,
tablecloths and napkins; $4,000
knives, forks and spoons; 10000
china plates, 10000 glasses, 1000
blankets and 5000 pieces of miscel-
laneous glassware.
A lot of the items will be un-
obtainable in time for sailing, or
only partially obtainable, although
in some cases Government surplus
property will serve the purpose
Strikes are holding up some deliv-
doors and door frames, completely
stalled by labor dispute in New
England.
The fittings which are arriving
are being stored, for the most part,
in warehouses of the Newport News
Shipbuilding g. Drydock Co., which
Is doing the conversion, for at the
moment the workmen are busy on
the heavy jobs.
They are swinging in bos'n chairs
over the sides, scraping off the
gray wartime paint, preparatory to
repainting her hull black and her
superStTucture white, as she was
before the war. Altogether 100000
square feet of paint will have to be
removed and 10000 square feet of
decking will have to be replaced.
Inside they are tearing up the
composition flooring put down by
the Navy, preparatory to laying
5000 square yards of carpet. They
are also replacing the bulkheads
removed to create dormitories, which
will eventually create ITS cabin class
cabins, 40 tourist class and 40
third-class cabins.
She will have space for about 1850
passengers, which is $50 less than
her prewar capacity, as additiona.
space Is being given to crews quar-
ters. Her crew will number $50.
Generally speaking she will look
the same as she did in 1899 when
she was completed. Some color
schemes inside may be different, but
10 per cent of the murals will be
restored.
She won't have to carry as much
food in peacetime, but during the
war one storeroom held so tons of
flour, 20 tons of sugar, 10 tons of
coffee and cases of fruits and vege-
tables ceiling high. The refrigera-
tors held $4,000 dozen eggs, ton
and half of cheese, tons of
cabbage and 10 tons of butter.
She could carry 5000 or more
troops at time, and she also num-
bered on her passenger lists women,
babies, refugees and prisoners. And
she never lost a passenger.
The Navy officially told her story
a year ago, of which these are but
\ few excerpts:
A Jap shell hit within $50 feet
OF the vessel when she fled from
falling Singapore Nazi tor
pedo streaked across her bow off
Rio de Janeiro in Milne Bay
she put up barrage against Jap
air attacks a great storm off
the Irish coast crushed her forward
gun platform like an eggshell.
1t is anticipated that she will
60 into the New York to England
service this fall and with her o.
knot speed she should make the
crossing in about days.