NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE BUYS ?UNITED STATES?

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE BUYS ôUNITED STATESö    Norwegian Cruise Line said it has acquired the legendary liner 'United States” from the Cantor Co., a New Jersey real estate developer, for an undisclosed sum.
   Moored in Philadelphia since 1996, with its interior stripped by salvors, the “United States” will have its hull and superstructure refurbished in American shipyards and then be outfitted overseas, Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement.
   The 990-foot vessel (110 feet longer than the Titanic), which has 17 decks and displaces 59,000 tons, set a transatlantic speed record of three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes on July 3, 1952, during its maiden voyage.
      Norwegian Cruise Lines has also acquired another classic liner, the “Independence,” which sailed in the Hawaiian trade until October 2001. The company purchased the vessel at federal auction.