Description

SS CONSTITUTION HAWAII CRUISE SHIP

FULLY BUILT AND READY TO DISPLAY BOAT MODEL

Dimension approx.: 32.5″ (long) x 4.5″ (wide) x 11″ (high)
Aprox Scale 1/250
The model is already built. THIS IS NOT A MODEL SHIP KIT

The SS Constitution, launched on 16 September 1950 from Bethlehem Steel’s Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, was one of the most distinguished American ocean liners of the postwar era. Built as yard number 1619 and completed in June 1951, she was the sister ship to the SS Independence, both designed for American Export Lines to serve the company’s premier New York–Genoa–Naples–Gibraltar route. At 208 meters long, powered by two geared steam turbines capable of 23 knots, and fitted for nearly 1,000 passengers across First, Cabin, and Tourist classes, Constitution embodied the optimism and luxury of mid‑century American travel.

Her maiden voyage on 25 June 1951 introduced travelers to a ship that blended modern American design with traditional liner comfort. Through the 1950s and 1960s, Constitution sailed the Mediterranean and transatlantic routes, carrying leisure travelers, immigrants, and cargo as part of American Export Lines’ celebrated “Sunlane” service. She became known for her bright interiors, spacious decks, and relaxed atmosphere — a distinctly American alternative to the more formal European liners of the era.

As air travel reshaped the transatlantic market, Constitution adapted. In 1974, she was sold to Atlantic Far East Lines, and in 1980 she entered service with American Hawaii Cruises, beginning the chapter that would define her later life. Because she was U.S.-built, U.S.-flagged, and U.S.-crewed, Constitution could operate cruises entirely within Hawaii without calling at foreign ports — a rare privilege under the Passenger Services Act. Through the 1980s and early 1990s, she sailed for American Global Line and later returned to American Hawaii Cruises, offering island voyages that made her a beloved fixture in Hawaiian waters.

Her cultural footprint was unusually large for a commercial liner. Constitution appeared in several episodes of I Love Lucy, including the famous 1956 episode “Bon Voyage,” where Lucy Ricardo misses the ship and is lowered aboard by helicopter. That same year, Grace Kelly sailed on Constitution from New York to Monaco for her wedding to Prince Rainier, cementing the ship’s glamorous reputation. She also appeared in the film An Affair to Remember (1957) and in television series such as Naked City and Magnum, P.I., making her one of the most recognizable American liners on screen.

By the mid‑1990s, age and rising operating costs brought her long career to a close. Constitution was retired in 1995, ending more than four decades of service. Her final journey came in November 1997, when she was under tow to shipbreakers. Roughly 800 miles north of the Hawaiian Islands, she unexpectedly sank — her wreck still undiscovered beneath the Pacific.

Today, the SS Constitution is remembered as a quintessential American liner: elegant, versatile, and culturally iconic. From transatlantic luxury to Hawaiian cruising, from Hollywood appearances to royal voyages, she remains a symbol of mid‑century maritime glamour and one of the most storied passenger ships ever built in the United States.