USS United States, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and SS Italia were seen at one time or another.
The long Defunct Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co, and it's shipping company clients, caused my interest in ships of all kinds. My front porch, I had a clear view of #2 Drydock, and the South repair basin. I got to see some really neat and interesting ships more or less up close and personal, including Sea Train Car Ferrys, Navy destroyers and cruisers, I witnessed the Light Carrier Belleau Wood, the Heavy Cruiser Minneapolis, and the Light Cruiser Columbia scrapped, literally right before my eyes. Sun conducted an open house when the "modern" break-bulk carrier Mormac Pride, was ready for delivery to Moore McCormick Lines. Ship had accommodations for 12 passengers, and was in the US - South American trade.
They also built the USNS Comet, the first "Roll on - Roll Off" Ship for the Navy Department. (Both were laid up on the James River in 2006). Sun also converted the Supertanker S.S. Manhattan into an Icebreaker, so it could access Alaskan oil via the "Northwest Passage". Finally, they built the "Glomar Explorer" which was used to attempt to recover a sunken Soviet submarine in deep water Pacific. The story line was that it was ordered for a Howard Hughes underseas mining endeavor, but that was a front for the CIA).
Speaking of liners, Sun overhauled and converted the American Export Lines liner S.S. Atlantic to a Cruise ship, equipped with swimming pool and other amenities needed for the cruise trade. It was berthed next to the Mormac Pride, so I got a good look at it during the self guided tour.
While I was still working, (before 2008), I took a close look at the S.S. United States, stored at a pier in South Philadelphia. It was in very bad shape then, and I understand it is worse than that now, and still tied up at the same place. FWIW, it is too old and past its prime to be economically viable, and really should be sold for scrap.
SS Manhattan with Ice Breaker Bow. Original bow was retained and reinstalled after the demonstration voyage - Image from Wikipedia
American Export Lines - SS Atlantic, sporting what was then the largest swimming pool at sea! Circa 1962
Image from
http://ssmaritime.com.
MV Glomar Explorer aka USNS Hughes Glomar Explorer - Image from Smithsonian Magazine