S.S. Independence

The S.S. 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, S.S. Constitution, plied the route the opposite. She was launched by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation on June 3rd, 1950. On February 10, 1951, Independence departed from North River 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, the ship was refitted to accommodate 484 First Class, 350 Cabin Class, and 254 Tourist Class passengers.

In January 1974, the S.S. Independence was sold to the Atlantic Far East Line Inc., Monrovia, being part of the massive C.Y. Tung group. Independence was renamed S.S. Oceanic Independence and after a refit commenced cruising with a new passenger capacity of 950 passengers. August 4, 1974. S.S Oceanic Independence continued to cruise until being laid up in Hong Kong in January 1976. S.S Oceanic Independence remained laid up and was renamed S.S. Sea Luck I for a short time but soon after renamed S.S. Oceanic Independence once more. In 1980, C.Y. Tung transferred S.S. Oceanic Independence to their newly established, US based American Hawaii Cruises Incorporated.

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 Incorporated in 1982 and restored the original name S.S. Independence to the liner once again. In April of 1996, the ship became the last US built ocean liner to sail under the American flag. Celebrations were held on board during S.S. Independence's 1,000th voyage in August 1999. With the 2001 bankruptcy of American Hawaii Cruises, the owners of the American Hawaii Line, S.S. Independence became the property of the US Maritime Administration and sailed from Honolulu to San Francisco, arriving on November 8, 2001. In February 2003, S.S. Independence was sold at auction for US$4 million to Norwegian Cruise Line. In mid-2006, S.S. Independence was renamed S.S. Oceanic amid speculation that the veteran liner may be scrapped. Rumors had been swirling that the ship was ultimately destined for a scrapyard in India or Bangladesh, but had been stopped due to a complaint filed by the United States EPA that the ship was being towed to an overseas scrap yard. Global Marketing Systems, the last owner of S.S. Oceanic, was fined $518,500 for exporting the ship for scrap without prior removal of toxins such as asbestos and PCBs.

In 2009, S.S. Oceanic was illegally renamed S.S. Platinum II and departed Dubai for Alang, being towed by a tug Barakhoda. The tug apparently lost all power and setting the two vessels adrift some 25 km off AlangIn. In October 2009, a ship claiming to be S.S. Platinum-II was turned away from the Alang breaker yard in India when it was discovered the ship was actually the former Oceanic. Indian authorities alleged that it had been renamed and supplied with falsified papers in order to evade regulations on toxic materials. In a dramatic turn-around, the Ministry of Environment and Forests intervened and gave their approval, granting Platinum II permission to be beached at Alang's shipbreaking yard. After much controversy and with demands that the ship be returned to the U.S. for being illegally exported, S.S. Platinum II was abandoned at Gopnath in a region south of the Alang on the Gujarat coast. Although probably no more toxic than most ships built in the 1950s and 1960s, the vessel was deemed such for the minute amounts of radioactive materials found in the smoke detection systems and for the usual asbestos and PCBs contained in ships of that generation. In March 2010, the vessel's hull cracked (roughly at one third of the length from the stern) and the entire hull was lying at an angle of about 35 degrees. The ship was scrapped on the spot throughout the remainder of 2010 and the wreck was reportedly completely gone by January 2011.

• Length: 208.01 m (682 ft 4 in)
• Beam: 27.18 m (89 ft 1 in)
• Draft: 9.20 m (30 ft 1in)
• Propulsion: Two turbine steam engines, twin screw,
• Speed: 22 knots (25 Mph)
• Capacity: 23,719 tons
• Occupancy: 1,000 passengers

Bertha Klein (Born: 1892) was on board of this vessel in July of 1953 while traveling back from Naples, Italy on a tourist cruise line.