SS Constitution
Ocean liner
title: "SS Constitution" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["type-p3-ships", "ships-built-in-quincy,-massachusetts", "1950-ships", "passenger-ships-of-the-united-states", "ocean-liners", "maritime-incidents-in-1997", "shipwrecks-in-the-pacific-ocean", "cruise-ships-of-the-united-states", "ships-of-american-export-isbrandtsen-lines"] description: "Ocean liner" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Constitution" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Ocean liner ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox ship"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| section1 | {{Infobox ship/image |
| image | S.S. Constitution, American Export Lines, by Tichnor Brothers, c. 1950s, from the Digital Commonwealth - 1 commonwealth 8g84mw21v.jpg |
| image_caption | SS Constitution in the 1950s |
| section2 | {{Infobox ship/career |
| country | United States |
| flag | |
| name | *1951–1974: Constitution |
| owner | *1951–1974: American Export Lines |
| registry | * 1951–1974: New York, United States |
| * 1980–1997: Honolulu, <ref name | FoF / |
| builder | Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, US |
| yard_number | 1619 |
| laid_down | 1950 |
| launched | September 16, 1950 |
| completed | 1951 |
| maiden_voyage | June 25, 1951 |
| in_service | 1951 |
| out_of_service | 1997 |
| identification | |
| fate | Sank while under tow to shipbreakers on November 17, 1997 |
| section3 | {{Infobox ship/characteristics |
| header_caption | (as built) |
| type | Ocean liner |
| tonnage | * |
| length | 208.01 m |
| beam | 27.18 m |
| draft | 9.20 m |
| power | 2 × Bethlehem Steel Corporation steam turbines; 40456 kW |
| speed | 23 kn |
| capacity | 1,000 passengers |
| section4 | {{Infobox ship/characteristics |
| header_caption | (after 1959 refit) |
| type | Cruise ship |
| tonnage | |
| capacity | 395 passengers |
| section5 | {{Infobox ship/characteristics |
| header_caption | (after 1974 refit) |
| capacity | 950 passengers |
| section6 | {{Infobox ship/characteristics |
| header_caption | (after 1980 refit) |
| tonnage | |
| capacity | 1,073 passengers |
| :: |
|section1={{Infobox ship/image | image = S.S. Constitution, American Export Lines, by Tichnor Brothers, c. 1950s, from the Digital Commonwealth - 1 commonwealth 8g84mw21v.jpg | image_caption = SS Constitution in the 1950s
|section2={{Infobox ship/career | hide_header = | country = United States | flag = | name = *1951–1974: Constitution
- 1974–1982: Oceanic Constitution
- 1982–1997: Constitution | owner = *1951–1974: American Export Lines
- 1974–1979: Atlantic Far East Lines
- 1980–1982: American Hawaii Cruises
- 1982–1996: American Global Line
- 1996–1997: American Hawaii Cruises | operator = | registry = * 1951–1974: New York, United States
- 1980–1997: Honolulu, United States | route = | ordered = | builder = Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, US | original_cost = | yard_number = 1619 | way_number = | laid_down = 1950 | launched = September 16, 1950 | completed = 1951 | christened = | acquired = | maiden_voyage = June 25, 1951 | in_service = 1951 | out_of_service = 1997 | identification = | fate = Sank while under tow to shipbreakers on November 17, 1997 | notes =
|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics | hide_header = | header_caption = (as built) | type = Ocean liner | tonnage = *
| length = 208.01 m | beam = 27.18 m | height = | draft = 9.20 m | depth = | decks = | power = 2 × Bethlehem Steel Corporation steam turbines; 40456 kW | propulsion = | speed = 23 kn | capacity = 1,000 passengers | crew = | notes =
|section4={{Infobox ship/characteristics | hide_header = | header_caption = (after 1959 refit) | type = Cruise ship | tonnage = | displacement = | length = | beam = | height = | draft = | depth = | decks = | deck_clearance = | ramps = | power = | propulsion = | speed = | capacity = 395 passengers | crew = | notes =
|section5={{Infobox ship/characteristics | hide_header = | header_caption = (after 1974 refit) | tonnage = | displacement = | length = | beam = | height = | draft = | depth = | decks = | deck_clearance = | ramps = | power = | propulsion = | speed = | capacity = 950 passengers | crew = | notes =
|section6={{Infobox ship/characteristics | hide_header = | header_caption = (after 1980 refit) | tonnage = | displacement = | length = | beam = | height = | draft = | depth = | decks = | deck_clearance = | ramps = | power = | propulsion = | speed = | capacity = 1,073 passengers | crew = | notes =
'*SS *Constitution''''' was an ocean liner owned by American Export Lines, sister ship of . Both were constructed in the United States and made their maiden voyages in 1951.
History
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Ss_Constitution1953.jpg" caption="SS ''Constitution'' on a visit to [[Haifa]] on March 10, 1953"] ::
Commissioned in 1951, she started her long career sailing on the New York City-Genoa-Naples-Gibraltar route to Europe. Following service on American Export's "Sunlane" cruise to Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, the two ships sailed for American Hawaii Cruises and American Global Line for many years in the 1980s and 1990s. U.S. ships with U.S. crews meeting the criteria of the Passenger Services Act were able to cruise the Islands without sailing to a foreign port. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/SS_Constitution.jpg" caption="Hawaii"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Ss-constitution-hawaii-8-1986-a.jpg" caption="Hawaii]], August 1986"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Ss-constitution-hawaii-8-1986-b.jpg" caption="Hawaii]], August 1986"] ::
Constitution was retired in 1995; while under tow to be scrapped, the liner sank 800 miles (1300 km) north of the Hawaiian Islands on November 17, 1997. The exact location of the wreck has yet to be discovered.
In popular culture
Constitution was featured in several episodes of the situation comedy I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, starting with episode, "Bon Voyage," aired January 16, 1956. Lucy Ricardo missed the ship and had to be ferried by air by a then-novel helicopter.
American movie actress Grace Kelly sailed aboard Constitution from New York to Monaco for her wedding to Prince Rainier in 1956.
Constitution was featured in the 1957 film, An Affair to Remember starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Former President Harry S. Truman and his wife Bess sailed back to New York from Europe on the Constitution in the summer of 1958. The ship was also featured in the beginning and end of an episode of the Naked City TV series titled "No Naked Ladies in Front of Giovanni's House!" aired April 17, 1963. The ship also featured prominently in the Magnum, P.I. television series episode titled "All Thieves on Deck" aired January 30, 1986.
Sinking
The SS Constitution was retired from the American Hawaii Cruises fleet in 1995 and had fallen into disrepair by 1997. On November 17, 1997, the ship was being towed to a scrapping shipyard to be dismantled when it sank about 800 miles north of Hawaii.
References
References
- Micke Asklander. "T/S Constitution (1951)". Fakta om Fartyg.
- (18 January 1998). "SUNKEN CRUISE SHIP'S STASH RESURFACES AT AREA SHOP". [[Chicago Tribune]].
- "SS Constitution Cruise Ship". ModelShipMaster.com.
- (December 27, 2011). "SS Constitution". Wrecksite.com.
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