[CW] KJEH SS UNITED STATES

[sbjohnston at aol.com]

In the mid-late 1980s, the SS UNITED STATES was tied up on the James River in Newport News, Virginia.  The contents of the ship had been auctioned off and it seemed to be just sitting there.  I often saw it as I drove to the WHA AM and FM transmitter site on Newport News Point.  

One early morning, after the overnight maintenance session on the transmitters, I went out the back door of the site for some fresh air and to look at the harbor in the dawn light.  I was surprised to see the SS UNITED STATES sitting right off the shore of our site, bow-on looming large in front of me!  
I could see no anchor chains going into the water, and I knew that location was very shallow, so it seemed like the ship was stuck in the mud.  No movement, no sign of life on the ship, no tug boats around - a "ghost" ship.  Seemed very odd.

I left the site to go home and get some sleep.  The next evening I watched a story on the TV news that that said the UNITED STATES had "gotten loose" from its mooring and floated down the river (maybe with the tide?) and gotten stuck.  
This incident always seemed very strange to me, and subsequently I've never been able to find out anything more about it.

Side-note: that location is the spot where the Monitor-Merrimac battle was fought during the Civil War.  When trenching for a new water line to the building we turned up a 6-pounder solid shot cannonball.  I like to think it was a stray shot from the battle.


Steve WD8DAS   

sbjohnston at aol.com   
http://www.wd8das.net/   http://af4k-crystals.com/   
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Mein Ohr ganz nah am Weltempfänger...


 

    On Sunday, October 20, 2024 at 05:11:52 PM HST, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. <n1ea at arrl.net> wrote:   

 It's a bittersweet day. 
The SS UNITED STATES/KJEH is ending its life. 
So here is a recording of that magnificent ship in it's prime. 
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SFEkrNvKlWw#bottom-sheet
73
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=30=  
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