SS United States Conservancy
SS United States Conservancy Newsletter February 23, 2009
in this issue
:: Recent Media Coverage on SS United States
:: Former SS United States Pantry Man in Need
:: New Coalition to Save the SS United States in Formation
:: The Vultures are Circling: SS United States at Risk of Scrapping
SSUSC SOS Dear SS United States Conservancy Supporter:

Thank you so much for all of your emails, phone calls, and letters: We are so gratified to know that the historical significance of the SS UNITED STATES has not been forgotten.  To the contrary, dozens of you have sent letters to your local elected representatives and government officials urging support and protection of our national flagship.  Media from around the nation have picked up on the story and are following the ship's fortunes closely.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  With your support, persistence and dedication, we will save the SS UNITED STATES!

PLEASE HELP

You can help the Conservancy spread the word about the plight of the SS United States in a number of ways.  First, if you have a website, please provide a link to http://www.ssunitedstatesconservancy.org on your site.  Also, a direct link to our new blog page which is updated regularly with news would be helpful: http://www.ssunitedstatesconservancy.org/SSUS/blog.  For more ways to help, please visit our "Take Action" page on our website. 

 
Recent Media Coverage

To view more coverage, visit the SS United States Conservancy's SOS Blog.

CRUISE CRITIC - Dan Askin, assistant editor of cruisecritic.com, has added the SS United States to their website today,  Dan vows to stay on top of the story, and we'll continue to bring you further updates on our SOS Blog.
  
USA TODAY ran a feature item about the plight of the SS United States in its February 19, 2009 issue.  Written by Gene Sloan, it's entitled "Could the Legendary SS United States be Scrapped?"

As a follow up to the feature article about the SS United States in the June, 2008 issue, Popular Mechanics ran an item on their website about the ship's current plight. 

The Glen Falls New York Post Star ran a very nice profile of SS United States Conservancy board member and former crew member Joe Rota and his efforts on behalf of the SS United States.

KYW News Radio 1060 in Philadelphia ran two segments about the plight of the ship, featuring interviews with SS United States Conservancy board member Dan McSweeney.  To read the online article, click here.  To download and listen to the KYW segments in mp3 format, click the links here:  SEGMENT 1  SEGMENT 2.
Coalition to Save the
SS United States
Initial Planning Call on  February 24

SSUS Coalition Logo
Plans are in place for a conference call to discuss the establishment of a "Coalition to Save the SS UNITED STATES."   Wide participation is invited from individuals and organizations interested in helping to save our ntional flagship.  The call is scheduled for 8 PM EST on Tuesday, February 24.

Preliminary Call Agenda:  
 
-Introductions of call participants
-Assessing capabilities of the emerging Coalition
-Developing a course of action
-Developing a structure for managing the Coalition  
 
If you would like to participate, please forward the following information to Conservancy board member Dan McSweeney at
media@ssunitedstatesconservancy.org.  This information will be shared with all participants prior to the call.
 
1.  Your name and affiliation
2.  A two-sentence biographical statement
3.  A two-sentence synopsis of what you would like to do to support the ship. 
 
Upon forwarding this information you will receive a reply with the call-in information.  Please join us!
 
Former SS UNITED STATES Crew Member in Need

Miguel Cruz featured in Conservancy 2006 Calendar and Oral History Archives

SSUSC 2009 Calendar
Miguel Cruz (R) with the SS United States First Class Pantrymen in 1963 - photo courtesy of Miguel Cruz

Former SS UNITED STATES crew member Miguel Cruz was recently profiled in the New York Times' "Neediest Cases" column.  Miguel, now 90 years old, has suffered from a variety of recent health setbacks and requires in-home nursing care.  Mr. Cruz kindly contributed his oral history to the SS United States Archives Project and shared many memories of his days as a pantryman aboard the ship, including meeting Mickey Rooney, Bob Hope, Grace Kelly and John Crawford, who he described as "flaca" (skinny).  He expressed a sentiment about the SS UNITED STATES that many of us share: "I'm just happy that God put that ship on the water! 

Please read the New York Times story to learn how you can help Mr. Cruz. 
 
The Vultures are Already Circling
SS UNITED STATES at risk of scrapping

An organization called the Southern Cross Metal Recyclers has already posted a notice about the SS United States being for sale.  The tag for the article?  "Scrap metal."  The page the notice appears on?  "Scrap Metal News: Latest Scrap Metal and Recycling News."  Interestingly enough, it's dated Friday the 13th and  contains a link to the WHYY article.  We must all get involved in the fight to save our nation's flagship.  Please visit the Conservancy's website to find out how you can help.
 
SS United States Conservancy now on Facebook and MySpace

Please visit new pages dedicated to the Big U!

Many thanks to Rich April for developing a fabulous SS United States Conservancy presence on MySpace.

More kudos and gratitude to SS United States Conservancy member Mary Vilalba for establishing a wonderful and infromative SS United States Conservancy presence on Facebook.

We also send a hearty thanks to Brett Krasnov, Steve Ujifusa, and Jane Ellen Tolle for launching Facebook pages dedicated to the SS United States. 

Again, our thanks to all of our supporters, and please keep spreading the word!  To view these pages, you may have to joing Facebook or Myspace. 

 
 
As ever, thank you so much for your support of the SS UNITED STATES! 
 
Sincerely,
 

SS United States Conservancy