She began United States Military service under the name of USS West Point. She served for US troops from 1941 through 1946. 1946 was her last year in service for United States Line.
In 1964, she was sold to Chandris Group. She was then refitted and entered service as the SS Australis for around 14 years. In 1978, she took on the name SS America for that year.
Over the next 20 years, she took on other names. The names were SS Italis, SS Noga, and SS Alferdoss. She was sold yet again in 1993.
She was berthed in Phuket, Thailand. She was a Five-Star Hotel for most of 1993. She was then once again renamed the American Star. She then had her propellers removed, and her funnel and deck were re-painted red.
She left Thailand in December of 1993. Then a one hundred day tow began. She was tugged away by a Ukrainian tug, Neftegaz 67. Into the Atlantic Ocean, American Star and Neftegaz 67 encountered a thunder storm. During the storm, the tow lines snapped. About 6 men from the tug were sent to connect the emergency tow lines. It wasn't successful. Two tugs came to assist the Neftegaz 67. A helicopter rescued the crew of the American Star on January 17, 1994.
The ship drifted away, and struck a sandbar in the Canary Islands at Fuerteventura. After about 48 hours of sitting on the sandbar, she broke in two near the funnel. It was declared total loss in July of 1994.
To this day, the wreck lies in the Canary Islands. In 2005, her bow was still in tact. By 2006, it started to lean even further over toward the ocean. In 2007, she is just a heap of scrap metal lying in the Canary Islands. That is still the condition she's in now.
"SS America (1940)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, inc, 2010. Web. 13 May 2010.
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