February 11, 2016 | ssusc.org

News Updates

Executive Director Update

Global Media Coverage

#SSUSFullAhead T-Shirt Campaign

$50K Challenge Grant

Photos from February 4 Press Conference and Events

Saving History, Full Speed Ahead

Dear Conservancy Supporters:

It was my great honor to announce last week at Manhattan Cruise Terminal's Pier 88 that the SS United States Conservancy has entered into a formal option agreement with Crystal Cruises with the goal of returning America's Flagship to seagoing service. (A transcript of my remarks at the event can be found HERE. Photos can be found HERE and video coverage can be found HERE. The press release can be found HERE.)

Since the Conservancy stepped in and saved the SS United States

from certain scrapping five years ago, our roster of supporters has grown, creating a vocal and passionate global community determined to secure a new life for America's Flagship. Borrowing the words of the late Walter Cronkite, you all refused to allow a "crime against history." Your support gave us the lifeline we needed to keep the SS United States safely afloat while our redevelopment and curatorial efforts advanced. Now the Big U is making history once again.

Some of you have asked us, "What happens now? Will the Conservancy turn over the keys and shutter its doors?" The answer is, "Absolutely not!" We remain passionately committed to honoring, celebrating, and preserving the extraordinary legacy of America's Flagship. Our curatorial, educational, and outreach programs are moving forward, full speed ahead.

We have big plans: We will develop a flagship land-based museum for the general public focused on the SS United States' legacy, within the broader context of innovation and design. We will advise Crystal Cruises on historic preservation issues and also preserve shipboard artifacts that can't be utilized in the ship's renovation. These artifacts will be paired with treasures from our permanent collection and featured in future shipboard and land-based exhibitions. We remain committed to serving as stewards and curators of our permanent collection of SS United States art, artifacts, and archives which, thanks to you, continues to expand.

Many of you supported the SS United States during her darkest days, when most of the world had all but forgotten her. We remain forever grateful for your support and will honor your contributions as plans for the ship's revitalization advance. The Conservancy's original "plank owners", those early donors who stepped up and contributed to our very first campaign, will be honored, as promised, on a shipboard plaque. We will continue tending to our "virtual ship" at savetheunitedstates.org, where the inches you purchase and the stories and photos you share will be featured in a future interactive museum display. Other exciting initiatives will be announced in the coming months: please stay tuned!

With her heralded return to sea, some features of the SS United States may adapt to meet the travel, legal, and safety standards of current-day ocean transit. However, her spirit will endure and inspire as brightly as when she set forth on her record-breaking maiden voyage in 1952. We can't thank you enough for your continued support. It has enabled us to reach this momentous milestone. And it will fuel our journey forward.

Susan Gibbs

Executive Director

Executive Director Susan Gibbs thanks Conservancy supporters at the February 4 press conference. Photo courtesy of Kyle Ober.

Major Media Coverage of Plans to Return the SS United States to Sea

The Conservancy's announcement that it has entered into an option agreement with Crystal Cruises to bring the SS United States back into service - in tandem with its ongoing curatorial and historic preservation programs - received worldwide media attention.

National television coverage included the appearance of Conservancy Executive Director Susan Gibbs and Crystal Cruises President and CEO Edie Rodriguez on Fox and Friends and several stories on CBS News, including a piece on CBS This Morning.

Print stories ran in major outlets throughout the nation, including the National Geographic, The New York Times, Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and hundreds of others.

Many travel and maritime outlets covered the news, including Travel Weekly, Conde Nast Traveler, Maritime Matters, Maritime Professional, Travel Daily News, and Rudy Maxa's World with The Careys (February 6 podcast, first hour, 24:50).

The news about the SS United States' momentous milestone went global, with stories in many international outlets including The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, Toronto Sun, La Repubblica (Italy), and La Nacion (Argentina),

Many great blogs also covered the news. Have you written or read a blogpost about the ship's next chapter? Please share it with us! A few blog posts we particularly enjoyed include Travels with Anthony, Crystal Cruises, and Mark B. Perry's Hollywood Raconteur.

Crystal Cruises President & CEO Edie Rodriguez and Conservancy Executive Director Susan Gibbs appear on Fox and Friends, Feb 4, 2016.
Photo Courtesy of Tom Rodriguez

Press Coverage of SS United States Conservancy and Crystal Cruises Option Announcement; Manhattan Cruise Terminal Pier 88, Feb 4, 2016.
Photo Courtesy of Andrew Piccone

#SSUSFullAhead T-Shirt Campaign

In tandem with the SS United States Conservancy's option agreement with Crystal Cruises with the goal of returning the ship to seagoing service, we are pressing forward in raising funds for our $50,000 challenge grant. Please support America's Flagship by purchasing a new, limited-edition "History, Full Speed Ahead"

tee from the SS United States Conservancy! These ultra-soft cotton tees will help us raise matching funds for our $50,000 challenge grant.

This ash-colored, soft, cotton shirt is available in all sizes from youth XS through adult 4X for only $25 plus shipping. These shirts will only be produced if we can reach our goal of 200 shirts sold by the end of this month, so please help us spread the word!

For more information and to order your shirt today, visit

https://www.booster.com/ssusfullspeedahead

Thank you so much for your continued support of the SS

United States!

Challenge Grant - Happening Now!

The SS United States achieved a momentous milestone this week thanks to the Conservancy's steadfast supporters from across the country and around the world. You all threw us a crucial lifeline last fall, and now America's Flagship is poised to sail again. However, we remain passionately committed to advancing our historic preservation and curatorial mission: Saving History, Full Speed Ahead!

Our current Flagship Challenge Grant opportunity is more important than ever. An anonymous supporter has committed $50,000 to the Conservancy - but only if we can match it! These funds will help us build the Conservancy's permanent collection of SS United States' art and artifacts and help us continue our crucial historic preservation and curatorial efforts. If you are in a position to contribute to this challenge grant, we would be delighted to hear from you! Donations of any size can be made HERE. #SSUSFullAhead

Help spread awareness of America's Flagship.

Thanks to your support, we have over 15,900 "likes" on our Facebook page! Remember to follow us on all of our social media platforms and encourage your friends, colleagues, and family members to join you!

SS United States Conservancy

P.O. Box 32115

Washington, DC 20007

(888) 488-7787

ssusc.org