Brownie Troop 74732 in Michigan used the SS United States as a topic for their latest Citizenship meeting, and while they were at it pitched in to help the Conservancy! They all had a chance to color the ship using the Conservancy's brand new coloring sheets (download it here!), and one of the scouts gave a presentation about Elaine Kaplan, the female engineer and mathematician who designed the ship's top secret propellers. Each scout collected money from their families so the troop could buy its own piece of the ship on SaveTheUnitedStates.org. As part of their citizenship activity, the scouts voted for which piece of the ship they wanted to purchase (part of the five-bladed propeller) and what color they wanted to paint their part of the ship (pink!). To see their piece of the ship, click here. (please be patient as the site loads)

SS United States Conservancy supporter Jim Palmer has written a very powerful article in Milwaukee Magazine.com entitled, "Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: For the Great SS United States, the Clock is Ticking."

His article begins:  "It was a gloomy, steel gray day, the kind of November late afternoon you'd expect on the Philadelphia waterfront. I parked my car and walked slowly toward the high chain link fence, topped with a foreboding section of barbed wire. I stood there for a long time, gazing, pondering, reminiscing..." 

To read the full article, click here. 

The next Philadelphia Chapter meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, November 10, from 10:30am to noon at the Independence Seaport Museum. For full details and a schedule of events, please click here.

And if you're in the neighborhood, stop by the SS United States Conservancy offices in Philadelphia! Just look for the ship on the sign... and feel free to step in to the lobby for a brochure, bookmark or a coloring page! Our address is 115 Chestnut St, Philadelphia PA 19106. Hope to see you soon!

World-renowned expert on nautical toys and SS United States Conservancy supporter Richard T. Claus has provided an overview of SS United States models.  Although the SS United States was active in a period following the great makers of toy boats (1900-1930), the ship's fame nonetheless inspired a number of toy replicas.  Claus, author of The Allure of Toy Ships : American & European Nautical Toys from the 19th and 20th Centuries, explains that the ship was most meticulously rendered by Japanese toy manufacturers.  The Conservancy hopes that the Big U continues to inspire children - and adults - for decades to come!

To read Claus's article, click here.