Dear Friend of the SS United States:
With the arrival of fall, we're pleased to provide this update on the SS
United States Conservancy's recent activities.
October marked the first anniversary of the SS United States Conservancy as
a new non-profit initiative in support of the SS United States. Our parent
organization, the SS United States Preservation Society, is now celebrating
its 13th year of incorporation. Our thanks go out to the many SS United
States enthusiasts who have been so supportive of our mission to preserve
this unique and remarkable vessel.
The SS United States Conservancy has initiated a television documentary
project about the Big U in collaboration with Emmy-award winning filmmaker
Robert Radler. We have produced a 15-minute promotional trailer
incorporating on-camera interviews with former crewmembers and Walter
Cronkite as well as striking vintage color footage.
NCL continues to conduct feasibility studies in hopes of returning the SS
United States to seagoing service. There are many components to this
complex planning process. In a previous update, the Conservancy detailed
NCL's efforts to assess the ship's hull condition by using a special robotic
mini-sub with lights, camera and grappling arms. Additional assessments are
now underway related to the ship's stability and damage control. At the
80th session of the International Maritime Organization's Maritime Safety
Committee in May 2005, new SOLAS regulations were approved pertaining to
subdivision and damage stability for passenger and cargo ships. These
provisions will go into effect in January of 2009 and are based on the
"probabilistic" method of determining damage stability based on computer
simulations. We all know about the SS United States' legendary safety and
stability features, but this is just one example of the many elements of
NCL's engineering assessment process!
The SS United States Conservancy was featured prominently in the October
issue of Ships Monthly. The magazine article, "Sign of a Brighter Future?"
contained a wonderful color photograph of the SS United States at
Philadelphia's Pier 82 as well as the large informational sign erected in
front of the ship by the Conservancy. The sign provides an overview of the
ship's rich history and features a color photo of the ship in her heyday.
The SS United States herself has also enjoyed prominent mention in several
articles recently, most notably appearing on the cover of Railfan & Railroad
Magazine's August 2005 issue detailing "Rails on the Philly Waterfront."
Several impressive photos of the liner are featured in the article, adding
scale to the relatively "small" freight locomotives buzzing about the pier
where the mighty SS United States is docked. Also, ocean liner and maritime
historian Bill Miller featured the Big U prominently is his recent
"Millergram," which is distributed to members of the Steamship Historical
Society. Mr. Miller also recently dedicated a portion of one lecture aboard
the Queen Mary 2 to discuss the incomparable history of the SS United
States. Additionally, the October 2005 issue of Marine Technology and SNAME
News (published by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers)
featured an article by naval architect William duBarry Thomas entitled, "The
Magnificent Obsession of William Francis Gibbs." Many of us were also
pleasantly surprised over the summer to see the Big U featured in a small
online Wachovia Visa ad--depicted being towed on a small boat trailer behind
a van no less!
--SS United States Conservancy Continued
Outreach Activities
The SS United States Conservancy is proud to have been invited to
participate in last month's gala dinner program of the prestigious
Philadelphia Club. The Philadelphia Club is the oldest gentleman's club in
the country and Conservancy President Susan Gibbs presented remarks to the
Club's distinguished members at this black tie function which showcased the
career of her grandfather and SS United States designer, William Francis
Gibbs-also a native Philadelphian. Susan was also the featured speaker at
the October 7 annual reunion of the crew of the USS Westpoint in Arlington,
Virginia. The Westpoint, of course, was the military's wartime name for the
SS America, also designed by William Francis Gibbs. Susan was joined at the
USS West Point Reunion Association gala by Bill Lee, who worked tirelessly
on the beautiful library dedicated to the SS America aboard NCL's new Pride
of America. Bill was honored by both NCL and the SS United States
Conservancy at last June's SS America library dedication ceremony in New
York Harbor. In November, the Conservancy's Philadelphia representative
Jeff Henry will speak to the Mainline (PA) Branch of the U.S. Power
Squadrons about the SS United States - the U.S. Power Squadrons is the
largest non-profit boating organization with over 60,000 members.
The Conservancy is delighted at the addition of two outstanding individuals
to its Board:
Joe served on the SS United States from 1955 to 1964 as a Photographer,
First Class Elevator Operator, Bellboy, and Waiter. He has amassed an
extraordinary collection of photographs of life aboard the ship and has been
widely quoted in the media about his career. Joe is currently the Executive
Director of the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board, a
twelve-county government agency.
Carl Weber is currently a Senior Print Producer at Foote, Cone & Belding,
one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, managing national and
international direct mail, print and outdoor ad campaigns for several
clients including Diet Coke, Kraft Foods, American Standard and DEX Media.
Carl enlisted in the United States Navy in June, 1984 and was the youngest
sailor to serve as supervisor of watch at Naval Communications Master
Station Atlantic. In 1988, Carl and his shipmates aboard the USS Coronado
earned combat ribbons following the largest sea battle since World War II
against Iranian ships and targets. Carl attributes his devotion to the SS
United States to a family vacation taken in Norfolk, Virginia in the summer
of 1977 when he first caught a glimpse of the ship and fell in love with her
sleek and powerful profile.
Now is the time to start planning for the holidays, and what better gift for
the SS United States or liner enthusiast than a fabulous 2006 SS United
States calendar or a unique collectible from the Conservancy's own Slop
Chest! Our exciting 2006 calendar was designed entirely by the SS United
States Conservancy and will feature many never before seen images of the
ship, its crew and passengers. This calendar is being published by Turner
Publishing and ordering information may be found through Turner's website
at: www.turnerpublishing.com or by calling
1-800-788-3350. A portion of the proceeds of the calendar's sale is being
graciously donated back to the SS United States Conservancy by Turner
Publishing. The calendar will ship in November.
The SS United States Slop Chest store offers an amazing assortment of SS
United States logo items specially created from original SS United States/
United States Lines ephemera. Not only will your purchases make a welcome
gift, but a portion of the proceeds support the SS United States
Conservancy's outreach programs. In our Slop Chest we are also proud to
offer high quality reproductions of an original piece of SS United States art by noted maritime artist Robert Semler entitled "Return to New York."
For yet more exciting SS United States gifts, please visit
www.oceanlinerlapelpins.com to
preview two very unique items: a beautiful cloisonné pin of the SS United
States and a high quality color T-shirt featuring an original color ship
schematic (elevation) of the Big U. The Conservancy thanks James Ducker of
Ocean Liner Lapel Pins for his outstanding design work on these two
fantastic items.
The SS United States Conservancy Slop Chest may be accessed at the
following link: www.cafepress.com/ssusconservancy Please help us to
continue our outreach on behalf of the SS United States by giving one of
these quality products as a gift to the Big U fan in your life!
We are pleased to announce that we are kicking off our "Steaming Ahead in
2006" campaign. We will soon be mailing print materials describing our
flagship membership program and we hope you will join our fight to preserve
the SS United States. With your support, we will continue to carry out
exciting SS United States outreach activities and expansion of our SS United
States archives. Every dollar we raise goes directly toward showcasing the
ship's amazing legacy and highlighting her most important asset-the people
who built her, sailed her and who strive to keep her alive for future
generations to enjoy. Please send us your full mailing and contact
information to ensure you are included in this important mailing.
We wish you the best for a pleasant fall and thank you again for your
ongoing support of our mission!
Sincerely,
SS United States Conservancy Executive Board
Bill DiBenedetto
Raleigh, NC
Susan Gibbs
Washington, DC
Greg Norris
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Richard Rabbett
Boston, MA
Mark Perry
Los Angeles, CA
Dan McSweeney
New York, NY
Richard April
Bangor, ME
Jeff Henry
Philadelphia, PA
John Milligan
Singapore
Carl Weber
New York, NY
Joe Rota
Lake George, NY
