Dear SS United States Conservancy Friends and Supporters:

A hearty thank you to all who joined us for the Conservancy's recent Annual Meeting & Celebration in Philadelphia! We had a great day with over 120 participants and we're very pleased to provide those of you who couldn't attend with a short summary of the meeting.

The meeting was opened and chaired by Conservancy Board member Richard Rabbett, who summarized some of the Conservancy's current activities, which among them include:

The documentary film project. Conservancy Board member Mark Perry updated the gathering on the status of the Conservancy's forthcoming documentary film, Lady in Waiting, with an expected release of early 2008. The film is being produced by Big Ship Films and will feature amazing period footage culled from the Conservancy's own archives, as well as new footage shot recently aboard the ship including recent interviews with former crew and passengers. In addition to the 60 minutes of footage for airing, the Conservancy expects that the DVD release of the film will feature a full 90 minutes of exciting material that should thrill Big U fans!

Archives Project. The SS United States Conservancy has received a magnificent donation of paper materials from the estate of the late ocean liner memorabilia dealer, Ken Schultz. Ken was a pioneer in the area of maritime ephemera sales who sadly passed away in 2006. Conservancy Board member Richard Rabbett traveled to Ken's home to accept the collection which is comprised of approximately 36 legal-sized file cabinet drawers of material on each of the voyages of the ship during the final three years of her service career, from 1967-1969. In addition to files for specific voyages, there are many other interesting informational files, including officer's logs, dry-docking records, crew wage reports, entertainment contracts, who's who lists prepared for the senior officers, etc. This amazing collection of original paper is intact, just the way it was neatly filed decades ago by diligent SS United States crew members! The Conservancy intends to catalog its contents and assess the availability of materials for inclusion in several of the Conservancy's outreach projects.

SS United States Propeller Project. The Conservancy was contacted by the USS Intrepid Museum in New York City regarding the relocation of one of the propellers from the SS United States, which is currently situated in front of the USS Intrepid at Pier 86, formerly the home pier of the SS United States. In conjunction with the recent dry-docking of the USS Intrepid, a forthcoming rebuilding of Pier 86 necessitated the move of the Big U's 62,000 pound propeller from the site. The Conservancy was asked to assist with finding a home for this Big U treasure and Board member Charles Anderson, son of Commodore John Anderson, the SS United States' second captain, took the lead on investigating possible new venues to host this massive artifact. We are pleased to report that after a temporary move to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, the propeller will be relocated to Pier 88 along the North River, an active cruise ship pier which coincidentally is leased from the city by Norwegian Cruise Line. The SS United States had 2 sets of 4 propellers, one of which was in use, and a second "spare set" which was kept at the shipyard at Newport News and swapped out with the service set during the ship's annual dry-docking. The set that was on the ship at the end of her service career is still aboard, lashed up above on the aft deck. Who knows, the propeller at Pier 86 may have very well been on the ship during her record breaking maiden voyage to Europe in 1952! The Conservancy is very proud and pleased to have helped find a new home for this important American maritime treasure!

New SS United States exhibit aboard the Queen Mary. The Conservancy was invited by the RMS Queen Mary Foundation in Long Beach, California to mount a major new exhibit aboard the RMS Queen Mary commemorating holders of the Blue Riband. Naturally the SS United States is perfect for this since the Big U snatched the 14-year old speed record from the Queen Mary in 1952! The Conservancy will be working closely with the RMS Queen Mary Foundation to determine the scope of the SS United States exhibit and we are hoping to incorporate a number of materials from the Conservancy's archives into the display. We'll continue to update you on this project and share photos of the installation and celebration when the work is complete later this year!

Text Box: Faces of Philly (l-r, from top to bottom): Board member Richard Rabbett introduces the Conservancy's many accomplishments; President Susan Gibbs welcomes attendees; Board member John Milligan explains the beautiful lines of the Big U's extraordinary hull; Bill Lee presents a loving tribute to the SS America; Meeting participants enjoy the many informational sessions; Board member Greg Norris explores the SS United States years under the ownership of Richard Hadley; Author Steve Ujifusa explores Philadelphia urban planning and the SS United States' potential role in waterfront redevelopment; Steve Loveless of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Steamship Historical Society of America greets participants; NYC real estate consultant Michael Kramer and Steve Ujifusa address waterfront planning; former Big U passenger Robert "Hutch" Hutchings shares a personal anecdote with the audience.

 Philadelphia Meeting Presentations.

While NCL President and CEO Colin Veitch could not be with us in Philadelphia, he greeted the crowd with a brief video welcome and provided an overview of the evolution of NCL's American flagged service, touching even on their recent efforts to solidify the NCLA operation. Mr. Veitch commented about the potential for a rebuild of SS United States as an upscale cruise ship which could conceivably be re-engined to retain her storied position as the world's fastest ocean liner.

The Conservancy was delighted to be joined by Bill Lee, a former engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, who presented a tribute to the Big U's "sister" ship, the SS America. Bill delivered an informative and humorous overview of the ship's many different changes throughout the years, from liner, to troop ship, back to liner, up through her eventual sale from United States Lines, to her Chandris years and beyond.

Conservancy Board member and marine engineer John Milligan provided an overview of the unique hull design of the SS United States. John introduced the audience to the concept of "the brick," or taking as the starting point for a ship's eventual hull design, a block which displaces a certain amount of water, and how naval architects refine it to its final shape based on the type of vessel required. John compared and contrasted several different hull types as he led the audience toward the final design of the SS United States' legendary sleek hull and resulting historic speed achievements.

The meeting broke for a fantastic lunch in the Museum's 4th floor Spinnaker Room where participants were able to venture out onto the museum's outdoor terrace and enjoy a view of the SS United States' massive funnels further up the river.

The afternoon session opened with Conservancy Board member Greg Norris presenting an overview of the ship's years under owner Richard Hadley, who had grand plans to see the SS United States returned to active sea service as a time share vessel. Meeting attendees delighted in reviewing some of Mr. Hadley’s original refurbishment schematics from Greg's personal collection.

Author and historian Steve Ujifusa presented a case study of several classic liners that have been preserved as stationary attractions and spoke about the potential for the United States being converted into an urban waterfront attraction in Philadelphia.  Steve was joined by real estate consultant Michael Kramer who presented an historic overview of the New York piers, contrasting that with the modern state of the waterfront along the North River in Manhattan. Like Steve, Michael also addressed questions from participants on the logistics, political and otherwise, of implementing a large waterfront development in a major city like New York.

The meeting closed with session ended with a number of former passengers and crew sharing their personal experiences with the United States - always a crowd pleaser!

Following the close of the day's activities, guests adjourned to the nearby Chart House for a champagne toast to the Big Ship and an evening of relaxed conversation and reminiscences.

Congratulations to Jim MacFarlane--winner of the SS United States telephone raffle!

The Conservancy is delighted that the 2007 Philadelphia gathering was such a rousing success and that fully 50% of the attendees were new to an SS United States Conservancy event! The Conservancy would like to thank in particular: Norwegian Cruise Line, for graciously underwriting a portion of the cost of the evening reception, Independence Seaport Museum, Frog Commissary Catering, The Chart House Philadelphia, Bonnie Davis, Elizabeth Fletcher, Steve Swanson, Jody and Ava Henry, Carmen Balsama, Steve Ujifusa, Michael Kramer, Bill and Janie Lee, Atlantic Logistics, the estate of Ken Schultz (John Fritsch and Leonard Lamoureux), Dr. Erik Lam, Donald Stoltenberg, Laura Franklin Dunn, Robert Hutchings, Janette Gautier, Steve Loveless, Michael Wasiljov, Colin Veitch, and filmmaker Robert Radler.