View source for SS Constitution

{{Short description|Ocean liner}}
{{about|the ocean liner|the United States Navy frigate|USS Constitution|other ships|Constitution (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2022}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = S.S. Constitution, American Export Lines, by Tichnor Brothers, c. 1950s, from the Digital Commonwealth - 1 commonwealth 8g84mw21v.jpg
| Ship caption = SS ''Constitution'' in the 1950s
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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| Ship country = [[United States]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|United States|civil}}
| Ship name = *1951–1974: ''Constitution''
*1974–1982: ''Oceanic Constitution''
*1982–1997: ''Constitution''
| Ship 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
| Ship operator = 
| Ship registry = * 1951–1974: [[New York City|New York]], {{flag|United States}}
* 1980–1997: [[Honolulu]], {{flag|United States}}<ref name=FoF />
| Ship route = 
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = [[Bethlehem Steel Corporation]]'s [[Fore River Shipyard]], [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], [[Massachusetts]], US
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 1619<ref name=FoF>{{cite web |url=http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/constitution_1951.htm |title=T/S Constitution (1951) |accessdate=2010-01-24 |author=Micke Asklander |language=Swedish |work=Fakta om Fartyg }}</ref>
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 1950
| Ship launched = September 16, 1950<ref name=FoF />
| Ship completed = 1951
| Ship christened = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship maiden voyage = June 25, 1951<ref name=FoF />
| Ship in service = 1951
| Ship out of service = 1997
| Ship identification = {{IMO Number|5078882}}
| Ship fate = Sank while under tow to [[Ship breaking|shipbreakers]] on November 17, 1997
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Header caption = (as built)<ref name=FoF />
| Ship type = [[Ocean liner]]
| Ship tonnage = *{{GRT|23754}}
*{{NRT|11229}}
*{{DWT|7250|metric}}
| Ship length = {{convert|208.01|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|27.18|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship height = 
| Ship draft = {{convert|9.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship depth = 
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| Ship power = 2 × [[Bethlehem Steel Corporation]] [[steam turbine]]s; 40456 kW
| Ship propulsion = 
| Ship speed = {{convert|23|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship capacity = 1,000 passengers
| Ship crew = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Header caption = (after 1959 refit)<ref name=FoF />
| Ship type = [[Cruise ship]]
| Ship tonnage = {{GRT|23754|metric}}
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| Ship capacity = 395 passengers
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Header caption = (after 1974 refit)<ref name=FoF />
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| Ship capacity = 950 passengers
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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| Header caption = (after 1980 refit)<ref name=FoF />
| Ship tonnage = {{GRT|20221|metric}}
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| Ship capacity = 1,073 passengers
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|}

'''SS ''Constitution''''' was an [[ocean liner]] owned by [[American Export Lines]], sister ship of {{SS|Independence}}. Both were constructed in the United States and made their maiden voyages in 1951.

== History ==
{{see|SS Independence}}

[[File:Ss Constitution1953.jpg|thumb|left|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 Vessel Services Act of 1886|Passenger Services Act]] were able to cruise the Islands{{what|date=May 2024}} without sailing to a foreign port.
{{stack|
[[File:SS Constitution.jpg|thumb|SS ''Constitution'' in [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]]]]
[[File:Ss-constitution-hawaii-8-1986-a.jpg|thumb|SS ''Constitution'' in [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]], August 1986]]
[[File:Ss-constitution-hawaii-8-1986-b.jpg|thumb|SS ''Constitution'' in [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]], August 1986]]
}}
''Constitution'' was retired in 1995; while under tow to be scrapped, the liner sank {{convert|700|nmi|km}} north of the [[Hawaiian Islands]] on November 17, 1997. The exact location of the wreck has yet to be discovered.<ref name="ChicagoTribJan1998">{{cite news |last1=Klages |first1=Karen |date=18 January 1998 |title=SUNKEN CRUISE SHIP'S STASH RESURFACES AT AREA SHOP |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-01-18-9801180163-story.html |access-date=26 August 2022 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref>

== 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)|''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.<ref name="Model Ship Master details">{{cite web |url= https://www.modelshipmaster.com/products/ocean_liners/ss_constitution.htm |title= SS Constitution Cruise Ship |work = ModelShipMaster.com | date = |access-date=2025-02-14}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Wrecksite details">{{cite web |url= https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?169847 |title= SS Constitution |work = Wrecksite.com | date = December 27, 2011|access-date=2025-02-14}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|IMO 5078882}}
*[http://www.ssmaritime.com/ss-independence-constitution.htm History and photos of ''Constitution'' and ''Independence'']
*[http://magnum-mania.com/Pics/Screen_Caps_Season_Six_4.html#6.15 Photo page for ''Magnum, P.I.'' episode "All Thieves on Deck"]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inPAz7P-ctw First-hand travel experience near the end of Constitution's career]

{{Type P3 ships}}
{{1997 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constitution}}
[[Category:Type P3 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1950 ships]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ocean liners]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1997]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Cruise ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships of American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines]]