SS United States Conservancy Scrapping Companies on board SS United States

March 2, 2010

Architectural Rendering of a restored SS United States as a stationary attraction courtesy of Frankie Campione of CREATE Architecture Planning & Design   Dear SS United States Conservancy Members and Supporters:     The SS United States Conservancy has learned that America's national flagship, the SS United States, may soon be destroyed.  The ship's current owners, Genting Hong Kong (formerly Star Cruises Limited), through its subsidiary, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), are currently collecting bids from scrappers.   The SS United States was a powerful Cold War weapon disguised as a luxury liner.  This great passenger ship transported many Americans to and from Europe and other destinations between 1952 and 1969.  She carried four U.S. presidents and countless military, diplomatic, and business leaders, celebrities and artists, and foreign heads of state, not to mention thousands of ordinary citizens and immigrants.  She still holds the world's speed record, set on her maiden voyage in 1952. The ship's current owners listed the vessel for sale in February, 2009. While NCL graciously offered the Conservancy first right of refusal on the vessel's sale, the Conservancy has not been in a financial position to purchase the ship outright.  However, the Conservancy has been working diligently to lay the groundwork for a public-private partnership to save and sustain the ship 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 its purchase in 2003 with the stated intention 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 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 so it can finalize plans for repurposing the ship as a stationary attraction at 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. (For more information, see below.)   "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."   Please help us save our national flagship!  We are truly down to the wire!     With our best wishes, The SS United States Conservancy's Board of Directors

URGENT!!!!!!!!

SAVE OUR SHIP

SS UNITED STATES

Dear Fellow Supporter of the SS United States:

As the SS United States Conservancy points out, the SS United States is truly down to the wire and is in dire need of our support.  I have been a supporter of the SS United States for over a decade.  This website and the late Mike Alexander's premier website SS-United-States.com remain focused on the preservation of our nation's flagship SS United States.  Mike Alexander, an avid supporter of the ship and the "voice of the SS United States" once told me to never give up on the ship and I intend to honor his request. 

I refuse to sit back and allow our national icon to be sold to the highest bidding scrapyard without one last effort to save her.  Our nation's flagship CAN be restored and turned into a stationary attraction.  All over the country, we have succeeded in turning numerous warships into viable maritime museums and attractions.  The SS United States needs to find its rightful place as a restored stationary attraction in a port city so that future generations can walk her decks, marvel at her massive funnels, and experience an American maritime engineering masterpiece firsthand.  The SS United States, with its red white and blue funnels is truly a symbol of our nation.  The ship should once again be made into a proud symbol of our great nation.

Due to the dire circumstances our flagship faces, I believe it is best to take this right to the top.  Below is a form letter that I encourage all supporters of this fine ship to copy into your word processor, edit, print out, sign and mail to President Barack Obama.  I would like him to receive hundreds and hundreds of letters of support for the SS United States.  Please feel free to edit it to your liking and to also send it to your Congressional representatives as that will ensure maximum exposure.  You can also contact the White House electronically by going to http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact.  If we each devote 20 minutes of our time, perhaps we can save the SS United States.

This is a time where all supporters of the SS United States need to truly come together.  Time is truly of the essence here, I appreciate the efforts of all those who choose to join me and write in support of saving the SS United States from the scrapyard.  Let's take this to the top and LONG LIVE THE SS UNITED STATES!!!!!

Sincerely,

Richard F. April
SS-United-States.net owner

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]
[YOUR CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE]

Mr. Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC  20500


[TODAY'S DATE]

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing to inform you that our nation's once-proud flagship, the SS UNITED STATES, a very historic 990 foot passenger liner is on the brink of being sent away to be destroyed.  The ship's current owners, Genting, Hong Kong (formerly Star Cruises, Limited), through its subsidiary Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), are currently collecting bids from scrappers. 

The SS UNITED STATES was a powerful Cold War weapon disguised as a luxury liner.  This great passenger ship transported many Americans to and from Europe and other destinations between 1952 and 1969.  She carried four U.S. presidents and countless military, diplomatic, and business leaders, celebrities and artists, and foreign heads of state, not to mention thousands of ordinary citizens and immigrants.  She still holds the world's speed record, set on her maiden voyage in July 1952.  The ship was designed by the renowned naval architect William Francis Gibbs of Gibbs & Cox, Inc.  William Francis Gibbs designed over 6,000 ships and over 74% of all World War II naval vessels were of Gibbs & Cox design.  The SS UNITED STATES was the crowning achievement of William Francis Gibbs and was the pinnacle of American maritime achievement.  The SS UNITED STATES, our nation's only flagship is truly an irreplaceable American icon and to this day remains a symbol of our nation's pride.

The SS UNITED STATES has been docked on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, PA since 1996.  The interiors have been stripped bare and the interior contents were auctioned off in 1984 but the ship itself and the major machinery remain intact.  The ship is a blank slate ready to be restored into a stationary attraction such as a maritime museum or a floating hotel and could easily become the centerpiece of any port city in the United States.  Restoring the ship would put hundreds or possibly thousands of people to work and provide a much-needed stimulus to our national economy.  In the future, the ship would provide many more jobs as the ship will need to be maintained and run by a dedicated staff on an ongoing basis.  As a potential tourist attraction, the ship would bring significant revenues to any port city in the United States.

Our nation has succeeded in turning numerous warships into viable stationary museums.  I support allocating Federal money to acquire the SS UNITED STATES from NCL as soon as possible so that we can restore the ship to stimulate the economy and to create more American jobs.  I think that it is our duty to ensure the preservation of the SS UNITED STATES for future generations, to restore our nation's flagship into a symbol of American pride.  Time is of the essence and if you are in favor of saving this national icon, thousands of supporters of our nation's flagship and many generations to come will appreciate your effort to save the SS UNITED STATES.  The ship should once again be made a proud symbol of our great nation.
 

Sincerely,


[YOUR NAME]

SS United States Video at Norfolk, 1984

by Wayne C. Forth, www.photoscenics.us

You can order a 1 hour video created by professional photographer Wayne C. Forth by visiting his website at www.photoscenics.us or www.photoscenics.net.  This is the best video I've seen to date of the SS United States' interiors.  The video was shot in 1984 just prior to the auction, and could be the last in-depth video created of the interiors of the ship before the artifacts and interiors were removed.  The video is available in VHS and DVD format, please specify to Wayne which format you prefer.  Videos are just $22.00 which includes domestic shipping.  Wayne will also be releasing a new DVD called "The SS United States Collection at Windmill Point."  As some of you may know the Windmill Point restaurant is now closed and Dr. Forbes is in the process of deciding what to do with her vast collection.  Wayne had an opportunity to videotape the entire collection before it is sent away.  Some of the items have been given to Mariner's Museum, the ship's bell is going to Christopher Newport University in Newport News.  When you contact Wayne, please mention you heard about his video from ss-united-states.net as I periodically receive a small commission from sales of his video to help pay for the costs of this website.

Keeping this website online requires me to pay a monthly webhosting fee and an annual fee to register the domain name.  This may not seem like much but over time these costs add up.  I am now accepting voluntary contributions to help cover these costs.  If you have enjoyed the content, please consider making a secure donation to the website through paypal.

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rich@ss-united-states.net

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