> since I am the most maritime person on the
> site I'll help you here.

> The Jones Act a very old law in the USA
> requires that ships in the Coastal Trades
> i.e. one US port to another, be built in the
> US and have American
> (also Union crews).

> Hawaii is a US Coastal port of call even if
> it is 2800 miles from the nearest land mass.

> The debate about the law is long standing;
> has outlived its time etc. But as of now it
> is still the law of the land.

> What I wonder is who is going to build the
> replacement engine room for the ship. I have
> read that a turbin plant is more than double
> the operating cost of a modern large Diesel
> plant.

Not all crew members have to be in the Union I know a few who are working great jobs and not in any shipping union. Let me make this clear to someone said somthing about Norwegians buy 747's as I stated earlier the new owners of the S/s United States and Independece are Asian not Norwegian which is leading to the downfall of the company.
but

Long Live The American Merchant Marine! we are back and better then ever in the Passenger Industry, 23 ships and growing strong I should refrase that 3 ships at this time 2 more being constructed, and many small cuise vessels take tha Carnival America is back

A close friend of mine took a cruise on the Norway about 6 months ago. Not really knowing anything about the ship or its history (or caring), she was somewhat disappointed in the accomodations. Despite later refits, the Norway still retains a lot of the spartan nature of a '50s transatlantic liner. Many of the cabins are sparse and odd-shaped, there are few elevators, and outdoor recreation areas/pools are smaller and less elaborate. Perhaps the greatest inconvenience is that the Norway cannot dock at many of her tropical ports of call because her hull extends nearly 40' below the waterline, unlike the newer shallow-bottomed cruise ships. When she reaches a destination, Norway must be offloaded by two tenders carried on board, a process that takes several hours! Norway was rumored to have been retired by fall 2002, but I read somewhere today that there are plans being considered to operate her at least through 2010 despite her shortcomings. I hope it happens- she's certainly a classy looking ship.

> Not all crew members have to be in the Union
> I know a few who are working great jobs and
> not in any shipping union. Let me make this
> clear to someone said somthing about
> Norwegians buy 747's as I stated earlier the
> new owners of the S/s United States and
> Independece are Asian not Norwegian which is
> leading to the downfall of the company.
> but

> Long Live The American Merchant Marine! we
> are back and better then ever in the
> Passenger Industry, 23 ships and growing
> strong I should refrase that 3 ships at this
> time 2 more being constructed, and many
> small cuise vessels take tha Carnival
> America is back


davew833@yahoo.com