SS Exochorda was a 473-foot, 14,500-ton cargo liner in service with American Export Lines from 1948 to 1959. A member of the line's post-war quartet of ships, "4 Aces", Exochorda sailed regularly from New York on a Mediterranean route. Originally built in 1944 as the military attack transport USS Dauphin (APA-97), the ship was extensively refurbished prior to her service as a passenger-cargo liner. Following her service as a cruise liner, the vessel served as the floating dormitory ship SS Stevens for the students of Stevens Institute of Technology, a technological university, in Hoboken, NJ. At the end of her service life she was scrapped, in 1979.
SS Exochorda of the New "4 Aces," circa 1950
Brochure photo of SS Exochorda's nearly identical sister ship SS Excalibur, circa 1961, in the New "4 Aces."
SS Stevens, a 473-foot (144 m), 14,893-ton ship, served as a floating dormitory from 1968 to 1975 for about 150 students of Stevens Institute of Technology, a technological university, in Hoboken, New Jersey. Permanently moored on the scenic Hudson River at the foot of the campus across from New York City, this first collegiate floating dormitory became one of the best-known college landmarks in the country.
SS Stevens at Stevens Institute of Technology, Eighth Street Pier, Hoboken, NJ ca. 1970.
SS Stevens (lower left) docked on the Hudson River, across from New York City, being passed by RMS Queen Elizabeth in 1968. See Gallery for more photos.
Permanently moored in place, Stevens was accessible via the main gangplank (center), or lower gangplank (far left).
Deck Plan — click for larger image