To the Editor

How well I remember our national pride in the magnificent, sleek, powerful, exceedingly fast S.S. United States. Everything about her screamed American engineering and manufacturing at our best. Nine-hundred-ninety feet of her shining black hull and spotless white superstructure took people’s breaths. Still today she holds the transatlantic speed record for ocean liners. Such majesty!

But in 1969 the S.S. United States was taken out of service. Despite attempts to restore her to her former glory she suffered decades of neglect and decay. Now she is scheduled to be scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 20 miles offshore from Destin, Florida. She will find eternal rest on the seabed 180 feet below the waves she once raced across with such ease and grace. Sadly, she will attain a new record. She will become the world’s largest man-made reef. Is she also a dark omen?

Our beloved, mighty, still seaworthy United States of America sails on. We have occasionally gone wrong, but our moral compass always brought us back on course. Our legal system rudder always held us on the heading we selected. Our awesome, seemingly endless power comes from The Constitution and our reliable devotion, not only to its words, but to its spirit.

When the S.S. United States sinks beneath the waves and disappears forever, we must not let her sad demise become the portent for her namesake. Current problems are like aggressive barnacles befouling our hull. It will take great determined effort to remove them and put our ship of state aright.

We are not lounging passengers. We are the crew! We must remain vigilant and active. We must respond to the multiple sounding alarms.

We, the people, are the only ones who can do it. And we must!

John Chiles Jr.

Southern Shores

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