American Export Lines advert, 1958

A postcard of the Independence

The advert features the line's two flagship ocean liners, Constitution and Independence, which were sister ships.

The SS Constitution was commissioned in 1951. She sailed on the New York-Genoa-Naples and Gibraltar route to Europe. She was featured in several episodes of the television situation comedy I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, starting with episode 140, "Bon Voyage," which first aired on 1 December 1955. Lucy Ricardo missed the sailing of the ship and had to be ferried by air to the ship by the then-novel means of a helicopter.

Grace Kelly sailed aboard the SS Constitution from New York to Monaco for her wedding to Prince Rainier in 1956.

She was then featured in the 1957 film, An Affair to Remember starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. The ship was also featured prominently in the Magnum, P.I. television series, in the episode titled "All Thieves on Deck," which aired on 30 January 1986.

Following service on American Export's "Sunlane" cruise to Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, the two ships sailed for American Hawaii Cruises for several years in the 1980s and 1990s; because they were U.S. ships with U.S. crews, they were able to cruise the Islands without sailing to a foreign port.

SS Constitution was retired in 1995 and, while under tow to be scrapped on 17 November 1997, sank 700 nautical miles (1,300 km) north of the Hawaiian Islands.

SS Independence was likewise built in 1951 but lasted longer. Between 1974 and 1982 she sailed as Oceanic Independence for Atlantic Far East Lines and American Hawaii Cruises, after which she reverted to her original name. Independence was then operated by American Global Line between 1982 and 1996, and again American Hawaii Cruises until 2001 when she was laid up in San Francisco.

In 2006 the ship was renamed Oceanic and, after being mothballed for seven years, she left San Francisco for Singapore on 8 February 2008. The destination later changed to Dubai. In 2009 she was renamed Platinum II and left Dubai under tow for the shipbreaking yards in Alang, India. After having been turned away from the scrap yards due to hazardous materials she was grounded off Alang. Later her hull broke in two aft of the smokestacks, making refloating impossible. She will be scrapped on the spot.

American Export Lines, based in New York, was the leading US-flag shipping company between the US east coast and the Mediterranean from 1919 to 1977, offering both cargo ship and passenger ship services. The separate line Isbrandtsen Steamship Company which traded mainly in the Far East was merged with American Export Lines in 1964. The company declaring bankruptcy and was acquired by Farrell Lines, New York in 1977.

More info and pics of the two ships on this webpage