Project America
Artist rendering of The Project America
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Litton Ingalls, Lloyd Werft |
| Operators: |
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| Built: | 1999-2005 |
| In service: | NCL (2005–) |
| Planned: | 2 |
| Completed: | 1 (modified post build) |
| Cancelled: | 1 |
| Active: | 1 |
| General characteristics (as designed) | |
| Tonnage: | 72,000 GT |
| Length: | 840 ft (260 m) |
| Capacity: | 1,900 Passengers |
| General characteristics (built as Pride of America) | |
| Tonnage: | 81,000 GT |
| Length: | 920.6 ft (280.6 m) |
| Beam: | 105.6 ft (32.2 m) |
| Draught: | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Decks: | 15 |
| Capacity: | 2,146 passengers |
| Crew: | 900 |
Project America was the designation for a contract between American Classic Voyages (AMCV) and the Litton Ingalls Shipyard of Pascagoula, Mississippi. The contract was to build two cruise ships, with a gross tonnage of 72,000 each, with an option for a third vessel. The contract had the initial potential value of $1.4 billion U.S. dollars.
The intention of the project was to revitalise the U.S. passenger cruise shipbuilding industry. These ships were to be the largest cruise ships ever built in the U.S., with the first planned to enter service in early 2003. As points of nostalgia and history, Ingalls delivered the last American-built large cruise ships, Brasil and Argentina, in 1958.
John McNeece and his company were engaged by American Classic Voyages as their consultant architects whose role was to plan and design the interior architecture and design of the leading vessel in the series. Construction began in June, 2000 but the bankruptcy of AMCV in October, 2001 halted the project and left only the partially completed hull of the first ship, and parts and supplies for the second.
In late 2002, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) contracted Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, the owner of Ingalls, to buy all of the materials, equipment and work performed on the two Project America vessels. All of the materials were towed to Germany and the first ship was completed at Lloyd Werft Shipyard in Bremerhaven. The ship was lengthend as is now 81,000 GT plus additional exterior and interior changes were made. This ship was named the Pride of America and entered service in 2005.
The materials for the second Project America ship were utilised in the construction of the Pride of Hawaii (now named Norwegian Jade), at Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg. Pride of Hawaii entered service in 2006 and is approximately 12,000 GT larger than Pride of America.
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