As Mother's Day nears, the SS United States remains, like our mothers, a symbol of strength and a source of inspiration. According to one of her original engineers, the SS United States can be compared to a "woman of the world, sleek, sophisticated, and maybe a little ruthless." The nation's most famous ship that didn't sink waits with increasing impatience at a Philadelphia pier, her beauty, strength and will to survive intact.
We are now over a month into our SOS Campaign and have raised nearly $100,000 from our grassroots supporters from across the nation and around the world. We have been so tremendously heartened by your support but we are still short of our fundraising goal.
We ask for your help to spread the word about America's Flagship to friends, family and colleagues. Of course, if you haven't yet given to the campaign, any amount you can spare will go a long way toward saving our ship and launching our museum. Please click HERE to make a donation.
All five chapters of our new documentary film, SS United States: Made in America, are now available on line. If you missed our final chapter, you can view it HERE. We encourage you to arrange a screening of the full film at your library, local theater, community center or club.
This Mother's Day, honor your mother or grandmother with a special tribute on SavetheUnitedStates.org. Select and personalize a special portion of the ship to save and give the gift of history.
As a tribute to all our mothers, please help us save a strong maritime heroine - unbowed and unbroken.
Support our efforts now to
help rescue and restore the SS United States
Also in this Issue:
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 SS United States: Made in AmericaWatch All 5 Chapters Now! |
All five chapters of our film, SS United States: Made in America, are now online! We hope you'll share this powerful film with your friends, colleagues and family members. This documentary film is a great introduction to the historic importance of America's Flagship, and is a wonderful way to spread the word about her plight and potential. As our final chapter's title states - failure is not an option! |
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River Bend Spring Benefit Event Recap
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Photo on left: Conservancy Board member Bill Myhre (third from right) with other River Bend event attendees; Photo on right: Conservancy executive director Susan Gibbs with author James Bamford shown with fabulous SS United States prints donated by Conservancy supporters Kurt and Debra Pelkey who traveled from Maine to attend the event.
The Conservancy's spring fundraising event at the River Bend Golf and Country Club outside of Washington, DC on May 3 was a great success! We would like to extend a huge thanks to the fabulous Dean Edmonds, our event chair, and our planning committee: Kevin Billings, Matthew Bulley, Captain Alex Keisch, Rear Admiral (Ret) Malcolm MacKinnon, Bill Myhre, and Thomas Oakley. We would also like to thank Seth Levey, Chairman of the Conservancy's Washington DC Chapter, for the Chapter's leadership role. We are profoundly grateful for our generous event sponsors and contributors: Kevin Billings, Barrel Oak Winery, Mario Alvarez-Garcillan, Kurt and Debra Pelkey, Susan Gibbs and Ted Piccone, William Myhre and K & L Gates LLP, Eric Mensing and APL, and Captain Alex Keisch. Finally, a special thanks to intern Sarah Potter for her invaluable help and to "Jazzou" Jones for his extraordinary work on the piano. The event raised crucial funds for the Conservancy, and once again, we thank everyone involved for their generous support.
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Join Us for National Maritime Day Events on May 18
in Baltimore, MD and Cape May, NJ
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On Saturday, May 18, the Conservancy will participate in National Maritime Day events at the NS Savannah in Baltimore as part of National Maritime Day festivities. The Conservancy will offer presentations 10:00 am and 2:00 pm in the Eisenhower Room aboard the NS Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship and a National Historic Landmark. Twenty-eight companies will participate in the Maritime Expo and Career Day that will run between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Ceremonies beginning at 11 AM will include a wreath laying, bell ringing and color guard. The NS Savannah is docked at Canton Marine Terminal's Pier 13 at 4601 Newgate Street. For more information about the day's exciting events, visit CommunityLightship.org. Also on May 18, the Cape May County Library will be hosting a presentation, "SS United States: Damsel in Distress", at 1:00 pm. A presentation and showing of the full film SS United States: Made in America will be made at the Lower Cape Branch, 2600 Bayshore Rd. Villas, New Jersey. There will be displays from the Bayshore Discovery Project, Cape May County Maritime Museum, and the Library Collection. For more information contact the library at 609/886-8999. |
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Recent SOS Press Coverage
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More press this past week profiled efforts on behalf of the SS United States. NorthJersey.com gave a recap of Conservancy Advisory Council member and author Steven Ujifusa's presentation to Tenafly High School students on the SS United States, and the excellent Cruising the Past historic ships blog has covered our urgent and ongoing SOS Campaign. For a more complete list of our past press hits, please visit our website.
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The Conservancy Welcomes new
Advisory Council Members
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We are honored to announce that two more members have been appointed to the Conservancy's Advisory Council. We are so fortunate to have the benefit of their support and expertise.
Public relations specialist Delia Cruz is the daughter of beloved former SS United States crewmember Miguel Cruz and has a passion for the ship's preservation. Employed with IMG Media, she has worked closely with celebrity talents, including Billie Jean King, Donna de Varona (Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming), and many others, and has a strong background in events planning, video and print outreach, and public relations. She is also a commercial voice over artist and member of the Screen Actors Guild. She will be assisting the Conservancy in celebrity outreach - a crucial strategy as our SOS Campaign momentum builds.
Peter Knego is a widely published journalist, lecturer, photographer, videographer, collector and expert on ocean liners. He serves as contributing editor to MaritimeMatters.com and has been widely published in such outlets as USA Today, Travel Weekly, Porthole, Ships Monthly, and others. He has also documented the dismantling and salvage of a number of important vessels in Alang, India. He has produced the seven-volume video series, The World's Passenger Fleet. His recent article and photo gallery about the SS United States for USA Today receive a great deal of acclaim and can be viewed here.
Welcome aboard, Delia and Peter!
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Position Openings: Summer Internships and
Program Assistant (part-time)
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The Conservancy is now recruiting two summer interns as well as a part-time program assistant. All three positions offer great exposure to the nonprofit sector, historic preservation, media and communications, and museum planning. While no previous knowledge of historic ships is required, we are looking for applicants with excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to work independently as part of a geographically dispersed team. Click on the Summer Interns and Program Assistant links for more information. |
Ship Owner Profile: New Zealander Graeme Jupp
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The ranks of the SS United States Conservancy's dedicated followers continues to grow, with members now from all 50 states and 22 countries! Graeme Jupp from Wellington, New Zealand is one of our growing number of international supporters. Graeme wrote a stunning tribute to the SS United States, an excerpt of which is displayed below:
As a great fan of ocean liners, I have frequently asked myself what I believe is an obvious question: "Why wouldn't the proud nation of the United States want to save the ship which bears its name? She is that nation's flagship and a champion of a great era in maritime history. She was born in America, designed and built by Americans, and crewed by Americans throughout 17 years of distinguished and impeccable service. It is therefore fitting and appropriate that she is retained in America for past, present and future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
I encourage all United States citizens, and others throughout the world who love ocean liners, to actively support the efforts of the SS United States Conservancy. This is a unique opportunity to save the most technologically advanced, and likely the greatest, ocean liner of the twentieth century. Without a doubt, she is "quintessentially American."
Precious few ocean liners have been preserved: Queen Mary, Rotterdam, and (hopefully) Queen Elizabeth 2. Let's add the SS United States to this elite list. Long live the "Big U"!
Thank you for your support, Graeme, and thank you to all Conservancy members from around the world!
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Help us reach more people in our quest
to save America's Flagship.
Thanks to your support, we are now at over 8,400 followers on our Facebook page! Let's keep going! We need to reach as many people as possible. Be sure to like our page, follow us on Twitter, and encourage your friends, colleagues and family members to do the same!
 
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SS United States Conservancy
P.O. Box 32115
Washington, DC 20007
(888)-488-7787
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