List of passenger ships built in the United States

As a result of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, only ships built and registered in the United States are permitted to sail solely between ports in the United States.[1][2] The Merchant Marine Act of 1928 would continue to incentivize and spur the construction of U.S. built ships through government loans, which would lead the International Mercantile Marine Company and along with other U.S. run shipping lines to order new ships through up through World War II.[2]

SS United States, the largest passenger ship built in the U.S.

The largest passenger liner built in the United States to date is the SS United States, completed in 1952.[3] The last large passenger liner to be completed in the United States was Moore-McCormack Lines' SS Argentina in 1958.[4]

The only US-built deep water passenger ships still in existence today are the SS United States (laid up), former converted cargo liner SS Medina (hotel ship), cargo/passenger liner NS Savannah (museum ship), and the partially US-built Pride of America (still in service). Today, only small coastal and river passenger ships are still built in the U.S. and fly the American flag.

Shipyards

The primary yards that were building passenger ships in the 20th century include:

List
U.S. Built Passenger Ships
Name Entered Service Line Built/Rebuilt For Shipyard Designer Status Notes
SS Morro Castle 1900 Ward Line William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia[10] Scrapped 1926 Laid down for Plant Line in 1899
SS Kroonland 1902 Red Star Line William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Scrapped 1927
SS Finland 1902 Red Star Line William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Scrapped 1928
SS Minnesota 1905 Great Northern Steamship Company Eastern Shipbuilding Co., New London, Connecticut Scrapped 1923
SS Dakota 1905 Great Northern Steamship Company Eastern Shipbuilding Co., New London, Connecticut[11] Wrecked & sank 1907
SS Saratoga 1907 Ward Line William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Scrapped 1939
1910s
SS Great Northern 1914 Great Northern Pacific Steam Ship Company William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Scrapped 1948
SS Northern Pacific 1915 Great Northern Pacific Steam Ship Company William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Burned and sank 1922
SS Oriente 1917 Ward Line William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Scrapped 1957 Renamed SS Siboney for Ward Line after World War I
SS Orizaba 1917 Ward Line William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Scrapped 1963 Commandeered by US Navy prior to launch for World War I, entered passenger service in 1920
1920s
SS President Roosevelt 1922 United States Line New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey Scrapped 1948
  • Originally built as a Harris-classattack transport towards the end of World War I, as Peninsula State, entered commercial service after her completion.
SS Coamo 1925 New York and Porto Rico Steamship Company Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Torpedoed & Sank 1942[12]
SS Malolo 1927 Matson Line[13] William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Gibbs & Cox[2] Scrapped 1977
SS Iroquois 1927 Clyde Steamship Line Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Scrapped 1981[14]
SS Shawnee July 1927 Clyde Steamship Line Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Burned 1949
SS Yarmouth September 1927 Eastern Steamship Line William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Theodore E. Ferris[15] Scrapped 1979[16]
SS Evangeline October 1927 Eastern Steamship Line William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia Theodore E. Ferris[15] Burned & Sank 1965
SS California 1928 Panama Pacific Lines Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Scrapped 1964
SS Virginia 1928 Panama Pacific Lines Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Scrapped 1964
SS Pennsylvania 1929 Panama Pacific Lines Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Scrapped 1964
1930s
SS Morro Castle 1930 Ward Line Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Theodore E. Ferris[2] Burned 1934
SS Oriente 1930 Ward Line Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Theodore E. Ferris[2] Scrapped 1957
SS President Hoover 1930 Dollar Steamship Lines Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Wrecked in storm 1937
SS Borinquen 1931 New York and Porto Rico Steamship Company Fore River Shipyard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts[18] Theodore E. Ferris Wrecked 1970
SS President Coolidge 1931 Dollar Steamship Lines Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Sunk by Mine 1942
SS St John 1932 Eastern Steamship Line Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Theodore E. Ferris[15] Scrapped 1959
SS Mariposa 1932 Matson Line Fore River Shipyard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts[19] Gibbs & Cox Scrapped 1974
SS Monterey 1932 Matson Line Fore River Shipyard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts[20] Gibbs & Cox Sank on way to Scrapyard 2000
SS Acadia 1932 Eastern Steamship Line Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Theodore E. Ferris[15] Sold 1955
SS Manhattan 1932 United States Lines New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey Scrapped 1965 Originally ordered for the Transatlantic Steamship Company
SS Santa Rosa 1932 Grace Line Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Kearny, NJ Gibbs & Cox Scrapped 1989
SS Santa Paula 1933 Grace Line Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Kearny, NJ Gibbs & Cox Scrapped 1971
SS Santa Lucia 1933 Grace Line Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Kearny, NJ Gibbs & Cox Torpedoed & Sank 1942
SS Lurline 1933 Matson Line Fore River Shipyard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts[19] Gibbs & Cox Scrapped 1987
SS Santa Elena 1933 Grace Line Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company Kearny, NJ Gibbs & Cox Torpedoed & Sank 1943[21]
SS Washington 1933 United States Lines New York Shipbuilding of Camden, New Jersey Scrapped 1965 Originally ordered for the Transatlantic Steamship Company
1940s
SS America 1940 United States Lines Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia[22][23] Gibbs & Cox Wrecked in Canary Islands 1994[22][24]
SS La Guardia 1944/1948 American Export Lines Scrapped in 2005 Converted from USS General W. P. Richardson (AP-118), a troopship that served with the United States Navy in World War II
SS President Cleveland 1947 American President Lines Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co, Alameda, California Scrapped in 1974 Originally ordered by the Maritime Commission during World War II, as one of the Admiral-class Type P2-SE2-R1 transport ships, completed instead as passenger ship.
SS President Wilson 1948 American President Lines Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co, Alameda, California Scrapped in 1984 Originally ordered by the Maritime Commission (MC hull 687) during World War II, as one of the Admiral W. S. Benson-class Type P2-SE2-R1 transport ships, completed instead as passenger ship.
1950s
SS Independence February 1951 American Export Lines Fore River Shipyard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts[26] Henry Dreyfuss[27] Wrecked on way to scrap yard 2011
SS Constitution June 1951 American Export Lines Fore River Shipyard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts[26] Henry Dreyfuss[27] Sank while under tow to shipbreakers, 1997
SS United States 1952 United States Lines Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia[28] Gibbs & Cox[29] Out of Service since 1969, Laid Up
SS Monterey 1952/1955 Matson Line Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co, at Sparrow's Point, Maryland[19] Scrapped 2006 Ordered by the U.S. Maritime Administration as cargo vessel SS Free State Mariner, completed 1952.[30] Converted to passenger ship by Matson Line in 1955.
SS Mariposa 1953/1955 Matson Line Fore River Shipyard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts Burned & Scrapped 1996 Ordered by the U.S. Maritime Administration as cargo vessel SS Pine Tree Mariner, completed 1953.[30] Converted to passenger ship by Matson Line in 1955.
SS Atlantic 1953/1958 American Export Lines Sun Ship Building & Dry Dock Co., in Chester, Pennsylvania Scrapped 1996 Built as “Break Bulk Cargo Ship” for the “US Maritime Commission” in 1953 as the Badger Mariner. Converted to passenger ship by American Export Line in 1958.
SS Santa Rosa June

1958

 Grace Line Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Gibbs & Cox Scrapped 2012
SS Santa Paula October 1958 Grace Line Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia Gibbs & Cox Bombed as Hotel ship 1990, Scrapped 2002
SS Brasil September 1958 Moore-McCormack Lines Ingalls Shipyards, Pascagoula, Mississippi[4] Scrapped 2004
SS Argentina December 1958 Moore-McCormack Lines Ingalls Shipyards, Pascagoula, Mississippi[4] Scrapped 2005 Last deep water passenger liner to be completed in the United States
2000s
Pride of America 2005 American Classic Voyages/NCL America Ingalls Shipyards, Pascagoula, Mississippi & Lloyd Werft, Bremerhaven, Germany In Service Ordered for American Classic Voyages[31]

References
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  11. "Vast Steamship Launched". The Boston Globe. February 6, 1904. p. 11.
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  25. Plowman, Peter (2006). The Chandris liners and celebrity cruises. Dural, N.S.W.: Rosenberg. ISBN 978-1-877058-47-9. OCLC 162119399.
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  28. Maxtone-Graham, John (2014). SS United States : Red, White & Blue Ribband, Forever (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-393-24170-9. OCLC 890377082.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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Bibliography
  • Harnack, Edwin P (1938) [1903]. All About Ships & Shipping (7th ed.). London: Faber and Faber. p. 549.
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