SS United States ship in Southampton waters. She would be seen making her way up the English Channel to round the Needles into the Solent towards Southampton Water. Because the ship was a global pop-culture phenomenon in the 1950s, Bournemouth-based toy manufacturer GJ Hayter & Co. produced a highly popular jigsaw puzzle of the SS United States. Decades on, the SS United States' secret past remains a gripping chapter in maritime history. SS United States ship in Philadelphia (Image: Echo)As she prepares to sink beneath the waves of the Gulf of Mexico to support marine life and tourism, remember the Cold War ship that could once be seen from our shores.