 | | Graphic courtesy of Paul Stipkovich, Conservancy NY & Northern NJ Chapter Chair |
Season's Greetings 2013
We'd like to extend our heartfelt wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season and a huge thank-you for your support in 2013. Thanks to you, the SS United States is still afloat, and we still have a fighting chance to save her.
If you haven't yet renewed your Conservancy membership or contributed to our annual appeal, a secure donation link is provided below. We have lots of exciting plans for the new year - from mounting an incredible SS United States exhibition at Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum to (finally!) digitizing SS United States' passenger lists to continuing to keep "America's Flagship" in the media spotlight. Most importantly, we are working our hearts out to secure a permanent pier and finalize plans with development partners so that the ship can "earn her keep" and inspire and endure for generations to come.
George Bowden, an apprentice boy at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company who worked on the ship's construction, once told us, "The SS United States was the only ship I ever worked Christmas day on!" Bringing the ship into the world took a remarkable collective effort, and we remain deeply indebted to George Bowden and all of the other designers and builders who worked around the clock to bring us the glorious SS United States.
Happy holidays, and once again, thank you so much for your continued support!
Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now to
help rescue and restore the SS United States
Also in this Issue:
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Two More Goals Met, Thanks to You
|
We are so grateful and humbled by the amount of support we have received in recent months! Thanks to our members and "shipowners" at www.savetheunitedstates.org, we were able to meet and exceed two goals: raising funds to replace the flybridge banner, and exceeding our sales goal of our exclusive limited-edition David Macaulay "Ship" T-shirts!
Among the donors contributing to the Banner Fund are Carl Wesch and Paul Timmerman, who each donated a whopping $500, and Mario Alvarez-Garcill�n. Over 190 "Ship" shirts were sold, raising a total of $2,021! The proceeds from the Ship shirts combined with the Banner Fund donations will be enough to purchase a higher-quality banner that will last longer and stay vibrant in the harsh conditions above the bridge.
Thanks for your generous support in helping us to meet our goals! It's one of many small steps toward the SS United States's permanent restoration.
|
|
Celebrate a New Beginning in the New Year
| |
Our membership chapters help build local awareness of the SS United States and provide crucial support to the Conservancy. Chapters also hold member events to engage our members and celebrate our successes.
Our Philadelphia Chapter had originally planned to hold its year-end holiday celebration in mid-December. However, Mother Nature had other plans. Therefore, the Chapter has rescheduled their event to January to celebrate the beginning of a new year, with new opportunities for saving America's Flagship!
The Philadelphia Chapter has rescheduled this festive gathering with fellow SS United States supporters to Saturday, January 18, from 12:30 to 2pm at Champps Restaurant at 2100 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia, across from the ship.
Conservancy Executive Director Susan Gibbs will provide an update on the current status of the ship and the Conservancy's goals for the new year. Tickets are $30 (children under 18 free) and include lunch and soft drinks. Tickets must be purchased by Friday, January 10. To purchase your ticket, please click here. |
|
SS United States: Modeling the Future
|
 | |
SS United States postcard redux by JAGRAF/X
|
A number of SS United States Conservancy supporters are developing exciting scale models of the SS United States, both intricate 3D models requiring many hours of careful construction, as well as detailed digital renderings of the ship. Stay tuned for an exciting update on the amazing digital renderings being developed by Drexel University students that will be showcased at the Conservancy's forthcoming exhibition at Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum!
Recently, Ron and Heather Jagodinski sent us an example of the work they have been doing on the SS United States, which can be viewed with some of their other designs here. The graphic was created using a 3D computer model and augmented with Photoshop. "The SS United States was one of the most paramount designs produced in the 1950's," they comment. "The 'big deal' about the ship is all about its design. William Francis Gibbs intended the ship to be something of a greyhound - and a beautiful one at that." The Jagodinski's operate JAGRAF/X, which specializes in creating technical drawings and scale models of radio controlled sailboats. For more information, visit their blog site here. Michael Strasbaugh first heard about the SS United States in elementary school. Since then he has been fascinated with the ship, and his fascination as resulted in hours of creative work rendering a digital 1/8 scale reconstruction of Big U in addition to a 1/350 scale model for possible commercial use.
 | Section of digital model plans by Michael Strasbaugh
|
Strasbaugh dreams of seeing the ship sail the seas again. His yacht-sized hypothetical reconstruction could accommodate 35 passengers and 5 crew members and is an innovative proposal to fulfill this dream. The plans replicate many of Big U's key features: a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, four 21-person rafts, and a double hull and keel. Imagine having your own personal SS United States! If you are modeler and are interested in building your own SS United States scale model or have already completed one, please contact us! Send us an email and a photo of your 3D or digital project at comm@ssusc.org. |
|
Happy Birthday, from One Legend to Another
|
 | | Andreas Feininger Photo Collage, courtesy of Paul Stipkovich |
December 27th marks what would have been the 107th birthday of famed LIFE Magazine photographer Andreas Feininger. Feininger was educated as an architect, but eventually gave up architecture to devote his time to architectural and industrial photography. In 1943 he joined the staff of LIFE Magazine, and became famous for his photographs of New York, including his iconic shot of the SS United States set against the Manhattan skyline.
In addition to his pioneering photography, for which he was awarded the Robert Leavitt Award and the Infinity Lifetime Achievement Award, Feininger authored more than 30 books, including comprehensive manuals on photographic technique. He also was a columnist and contributed to a number of photography journals.
Feininger's photographs have been displayed throughout the world, and many reside in the permanent collections of museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and London's Victoria and Albert Museum.
|
SS United States 2014 Wall Calendar
| |
The Conservancy is pleased to announce the 2014 edition in our popular SS United States wall calendar series! Calendars will be available for pre-order after the holidays, and will ship in January.
Be sure to read our next e-Newsletter for pre-order information. Until that time, if you bought our 2013 calendar, make sure you flip the page - we did include a January 2014 spread!
|
A Thousand Times, Thank You...
| |
As we look forward to continued progress in 2014 on behalf of the SS United States, we'd like to thank you again for your generous support in so many ways. From raising awareness to making a financial contribution, everything you do brings us one step closer to saving America's Flagship.
Some of you have helped by becoming involved with a local Conservancy Chapter, others have donated time to help out at one of our rallies or events. Still others have spread the word through social media, blogs that you write, or by writing letters to public officials to garner support and help raise awareness of the plight of the Big U.
A number of supporters who are artistically-inclined have created products for sale, with some or all of the proceeds being donated to the ship. (You can find many of these items in our Shop and mentioned in our e-updates.) We've even had quite a few children showing an incredible enthusiasm to help make a difference in the future of the SS United States. (You can read their stories here.)
There are so very many ways to help save this historic Lady in Waiting, and we thank you for each and every way you have shown your support.
|
|
|
|
A Unique Gift Idea
| |
Are you looking for last-minute gift ideas? How about giving the gift of America's Flagship? Purchase and personalize your own unique section of the SS United States for your loved ones. The purchase can be personalized with a special tribute or photograph, and it will help us save the SS United States! Visit www.savetheunitedstates.org.
|
The support and enthusiasm of our fans is one of the many things that
keeps us in the fight to save the United States. Thank you!
Stay up to date with the latest news by following us on social media.
|
|
|
SS United States Conservancy
P.O. Box 32115
Washington, DC 20007
(888)-488-7787
|
|
|
|
|
|
