News

Red Alert: SS United States in Imminent Danger of Scrapping
Posted: March 2, 2010

All hands on deck: Legendary passenger ship SS United States in grave danger of being bought by ship scrappers, scrapping bids accepted this month

Conservancy launches national fundraising and awareness campaign: “Save Our Ship” at www.ssusplankowner.org

Walter Cronkite IV to join Conservancy Advisory Council

March 2, 2010 – The SS United States Conservancy has recently learned that America’s national flagship, the SS United States, is in imminent danger of being bought by scrappers. This great vessel, which still holds the trans-Atlantic speed record, may soon be destroyed. Bids for purchase of the ship by scrappers are being collected by NCL this month.

The current owners of the vessel, Genting Hong Kong (formerly Star Cruises Limited), through its subsidiary, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), listed the vessel for sale in February 2009 but have not announced a purchaser to date. There has been acute interest in the ship by scrapping companies. While NCL graciously offered the Conservancy first right of refusal on a sale of the vessel in 2009, the Conservancy has not been in a financial position to purchase the ship outright. The organization has been working diligently to lay the groundwork for a public-private partnership that can save the ship and sustain her for generations to come.

The Conservancy understands that Genting and NCL are reluctant to continue covering the significant costs associated with maintaining the vessel in its current berth in Philadelphia and appreciates the good care the vessel has received since being purchased by NCL in 2003 with the stated intentions of returning the ship to seagoing service. The Conservancy has maintained a positive working relationship with NCL over the past seven years and looks forward to an ongoing collaboration during this critical period.

The Conservancy has begun discussions with NCL with the intent of covering some of the fees associated with maintaining the ship in Philadelphia as it finalizes plans for repurposing the ship as a stationary attraction on a large metropolitan waterfront. The Conservancy’s new national campaign is titled “Save Our Ship” (SOS) and offers a “Plank Owner” certificate for tax-deductible donations of at least $25 via its new donor website: www.ssusplankowner.org .

“The Save Our Ship campaign shows the groundswell of public support for the SS United States we’ve seen throughout the nation,” said Conservancy Board President Susan Gibbs, whose grandfather, William Francis Gibbs, designed the vessel. “We’re modeling this campaign on the public subscription which saved the USS Constitution back in the 1920s through contributions of Americans from all walks of life. There’s a reason why this ship is still with us. She absolutely must be saved for future generations.”

The SS United States was a powerful Cold War weapon disguised as a luxury ocean liner. She sailed from New York to Europe and other destinations from 1952-1969, transporting four American presidents, countless foreign heads of state, A-list celebrities, military and business leaders, artists, and diplomats, not to mention ordinary citizens and many immigrants to America during her mishap-free 400 voyages.

Conservancy Board Member Mark Perry produced an award-winning American Public Television documentary on the SS United States in 2008. This film, SS United States: Lady in Waiting, will be screened at the National Academy Museum (1083 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street in Manhattan) on Thursday, March 11th, 7 p.m., followed by a reception and call to action. Registration is via the Conservancy website.

At the event, Walter Cronkite IV will join the Conservancy’s Advisory Council, on which his grandfather served as Honorary Chairman. Mr. Cronkite’s participation and support is emblematic of the Conservancy’s commitment to engaging a new generation of Americans about the importance of our national flagship.

All supporters are asked to visit the Conservancy’s site and register to receive updates about the Conservancy’s efforts to save the SS United States and to make a tax-deductible contribution to the SOS Campaign.

“This is both a patriotic and a practical effort,” said Conservancy Executive Director Dan McSweeney, whose father emigrated from Scotland to America to serve as a crewmember aboard the vessel. “We’re absolutely committed to saving one of the most important symbols of America in the 20th century, but we’re also talking about creating hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs when this ship is refurbished and becomes a stationary attraction in a large U.S. city. We must save this irreplaceable American icon and continue the process of establishing a public-private partnership to re-purpose her.”

About the SS United States Conservancy:

The SS United States Conservancy’s founding Board has compiled a long track record of accomplishments on behalf of the SS United States reaching back over twenty years. The Conservancy’s leadership has been interviewed by major media outlets, published books and articles on the SS United States, organized educational meetings on the ship’s history that have drawn hundreds of participants from across the country, produced award-winning websites, produced the award-winning documentary SS United States: Lady in Waiting, and engaged in ongoing outreach and advocacy on behalf of the ship’s preservation. The Conservancy emerged as an independent 501(c)3 organization from the SS United States Preservation Society, which was instrumental in placing the ship on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information contact: Dan McSweeney, Executive Director media@ssunitedstatesconservancy.org Tel: 202. 486. 1522