COURT HOUSE – As the SS United States embarked on its last voyage last month, to the coast of the Florida panhandle, where it will become the world’s largest artificial reef, a tugboat captain from Upper Township became a small part of the vaunted ship’s history.
Two other Cape May County residents, Carlo and Valerie Bové of North Wildwood, were already part of its story — they were among the passengers on the ship’s last transatlantic voyage, in 1969.
The United States, the largest passenger vessel ever built in this country, more than 100 feet longer than the Titanic and capable of carrying nearly 2,000 passengers, was maneuvered from it berth of nearly 30 years in Philadelphia on Feb. 19, through Delaware Bay on its way to the Gulf Coast. It was just west of the Florida Keys as of Friday, Feb. 28.
Tugboat Capt. Leo Iwasevic, who grew up in Cape May and lives with his wife and three daughters in Upper, helped maneuver the ship down the Delaware River and into the bay. His was one of five tugs on the job; the United States no longer can move under its own power.
“It was pretty cool to be a part of history,” Iwasevic said. “It certainly is a voyage that was filled with challenges and high expectations. There were so many people watching, drones and cameras everywhere, and I think everyone worked well together to bring the ship out so it can extend its legacy.”
Iwasevic, who has been with Moran Tug Boats of Philadelphia for 16 years, is captain of the Annabelle Dorothy Moran and has been involved in hundreds of jobs like this one. He said his powerful tug helped steer the United States from the back.
Another tugboat, the Vinik 6, was in front and would be pulling it to Mobile, Alabama, where workers will remove hazardous materials, including the fuel still sitting in its tanks, so the ship can be sunk safely.
“We had great weather, the right winds and currents, so it moved pretty quickly,” Iwasevic said, “and the design of the ship was conducive to it moving quickly. We did have to be sure the water was low to get under the bridges, but we cut it loose in the bay about 1:30 a.m. the first day.
“I’ve always been a fan of older ships, so it was pretty cool to be a part of history and moving the SS U.S.,” he said. “I think using it as an artificial reef is a cool way to extend its legacy, and I am looking forward to seeing dive photos once it’s in Florida.”
The United States, built in the early 1950s, is 990 feet long, about the size of five city blocks. The naval architect William Francis Gibbs designed it as a luxury ocean liner that could quickly be converted to a transport for 14,000 troops if needed in wartime.
The vessel broke the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage, crossing eastbound in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes at an average speed of more than 35 knots.
The ship served as an icon for the nation, transporting celebrities and immigrants throughout its career, and its design included innovations in steam propulsion, hull form, fire safety and damage control. Despite its record speeds, passenger counts declined in the mid-1960s due to the rise of transatlantic jet flights.
It was withdrawn from service in 1969 due to financial problems faced by its owners. All planned cruises were canceled, and the ship changed owners repeatedly for years. Every owner attempted to make the ship profitable, but it was aging and poorly maintained.
In 1984, its interior furnishings were sold at auction, and what remained of the interior was stripped to the bulkheads in 1994. In 1996, the United States was towed to Philadelphia.
While many lament that the ship won’t be restored, the Bovés look at the positive aspect.
The ship “will keep working. It’s been given a job,” Carlo Bové said, “and will be doing some good as a reef. I’m glad to see that they are putting it to work.”
The Bovés recall boarding the liner in 1969 with their five children – ages 6 to 12 – in tow, for a visit to the children’s maternal grandfather in England.
“The ship had a big swimming pool that my oldest son thought looked like a kitchen sink,” recalled Bové, who said it also offered “upscale meals in the dining room, beautiful theaters and lounges.”
Valerie Bové said, “The trip took five days to cross the ocean. We were in tourist class on the lower deck. We had two rooms because we had our five children with us, and they weren’t very big rooms. I remember the seas were very rough.”
According to memorabilia they saved from the trip, the transatlantic cruise cost about 90 English pounds per person, the equivalent of about $2,100 today. At the time of the trip, the couple owned and operated a small bakery in Rio Grande, where they made the bread and rolls for the Lobster House restaurant for about five years. After a busy summer, the family decided it was time to visit their English roots.
“I came to the U.S. in 1956, and while we wrote letters back and forth, I hadn’t been back there since I left,” Valerie said. “My mother had died, but I wasn’t able to return because the children were too young at that time.”
She met her husband at a dance hall in London when he was on furlough from the Army. Stationed in France, he “hitchhiked” on a small plane with a few other servicemen to London, where he found a military service club and enjoyed some R&R before eventually landing at the dance hall.
Growing up in South Philadelphia, Bové had enjoyed ballroom dancing, including the jitterbug. “Not too crazy, South Philly style,” he said about the jitterbug. “We started dancing, and this big bouncer came up to me and said jiving wasn’t allowed, Yankee. I told him we weren’t jiving, we were jitterbugging, but we slow-danced after that.
“It was almost love at first sight,” the 91-year-old added, chuckling.
“Once we met, he never left,” Valerie added.
Bové went back and forth to London from his station in France, and after his two-year stint in the Army, asked Valerie to marry him and join him in Philadelphia. They will celebrate 69 years of marriage this month.
About a year and a half later, the Bovés moved to North Wildwood, where he had worked summers as a teen. He’d work construction during the day and at a local bakery at night. “I had a lot of energy back then,” he said. “I needed a lot of energy with five kids.”
When they deemed their children old enough to travel, the couple decided to take a month and visit Valerie’s father in Kent, England.
The trip was rough. “I remember being at the bar one day and the bartender had to pull down the window shades,” Carlo said. “The ship was rocking so much that you would see the sky and then water. Everyone was getting sick.”
The family hadn’t cruised before, so it was a new experience for everyone. “The kids liked hamburgers, not really fancy food,” Valerie said, “and the closest thing to burgers was a Salisbury steak, which didn’t do it for them. When they served prime rib, the kids were like, what?”
They also recalled that their youngest child, Carmen, who was 6 at the time, “got lost” aboard the ship and was finally found in the first-class section. “You really couldn’t tell the difference between the classes, people were down to earth,” Carlo said.
It was a time when people dressed up when they traveled. First-class passengers were entitled to the best services and locations the ship had to offer, including the grand ballroom, the smoking room, first-class dining room and restaurants, observation lounge, main foyer, grand staircase and promenades. Most of these facilities were located amidship, distant from the vibrations and distractions of the engines and the outside.
Cabin class was aimed toward the American middle classes, striking a balance between the affordability of tourist class and the elegance of first class. Each cabin had four beds and a private bathroom, and the cabins were located primarily aft. While inferior to first class, passengers received service and had access to amenities that were historically reserved for the highest class on other ocean liners.. The food, pool and theater were shared with first-class passengers, making cabin class ideal for those who wanted the first-class experience without paying first-class rates.
Cheapest of all tickets, tourist-class cabins were located at the peripheries of the ship, where rocking and noise were most pronounced. In these small cabins each room contained two bunk beds and was simply furnished. The bathrooms were communal. Service from the crew was lacking compared to the other classes, as tourist-class passengers received the lowest priority.
Contact the reporter, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
