May 22, 2016 | ssusc.org

News Updates

Come on In, the Water's Fine!

The Past, Present and Future of the Big U

Celebrating Maritime Traditions

Salty, Sunny Fun Aboard the SS United States

From the archives of the SS United States Conservancy.

Save the Date for a Summer Gathering!

On July 30th, Frank Slate Brooks, advisory council member, Blue Riband Council supporter, and Southeastern Chapter co-chair, will be hosting a summer gathering at his home in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Photo courtesy of

Frank Slate Brooks -- do those signal flags at the back of the pool look familiar?

The evening event will feature outdoor showings of "Lady in Waiting," "Bon Voyage," and other film footage of the SS United States, as well as delicious appetizers and beverages, and plenty of memorabilia from the ship. Rooms will be set aside at local hotels for out-of-town guests.

More details coming soon...

Sharing the Ship's History and Prospects

On Wednesday, May 11th, Executive Director Susan Gibbs spoke to the Shipbuilding Industry Seminar at National Defense University's Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. Her talk touched on why her grandfather William Francis Gibbs considered the SS United States to be his crowning achievement, its place in the broader course of American maritime history, and what's ahead for the world's fastest ocean liner.

Executive Director Susan Gibbs with members of the Shipbuilding Industry Seminar.

Thanks to Bernard Link, his seminar mates, and the rest of the attendees for their enthusiasm and high level of interest in the story of the Big U! We hope you'll continue to follow her progress.

We're saving the SS United States and working to ensure
her legacy endures and inspires.
Please join us!

In Honor of National Maritime Day

Since 1933, the United States has celebrated National Maritime Day on May 22nd -- the date was chosen to commemorate the first steam-powered Atlantic crossing. It took the SS Savannah 29 days and 11 hours to make that historic voyage.

Like the SS United States, the Savannah, a hybrid sailing ship/sidewheel steamer, relied on innovative design to make her precedent-setting voyage. Sailors on vessels she passed along the way described her as "a proud monument of Yankee skill and enterprise" and "the happiest effort of mechanical genius that ever sailed the western sea."

The great American merchant-marine tradition, as exemplified by ships like the Savannah, inspired William Francis Gibbs to design the SS United States. In 1952, she made her own record-breaking Atlantic crossing in just three days, ten hours, and forty-two minutes.

Photo courtesy of Charles Anderson.

On this day, the Conservancy offers our gratitude to members of the maritime industry, past and present. In the words of William Francis Gibbs's favorite toast: "To all you want, doubled, and the big ship!"

A Peek Into Our Archives

Our curatorial staff is hard at work reviewing and cataloguing the items from the Mariners' Museum donation in preparation for digitization and display, like this brochure with illustrations of the SS United States' interior and exterior spaces.

From the archives of the SS United States Conservancy.

The above page highlights recreation activities on the ship, like shuffleboard, deck tennis, and (of course) swimming in the saltwater pool on the C deck with its famous signal flags spelling out: "Come on in, the water's fine!"

The swimming pool as it once was, image courtesy of Susan Gibbs.

Although the signal flags have been lost to time, glimpses of the pool's glory can still be seen.

The swimming pool in its current state, photo courtesy of Michael Wolfe.

Help spread awareness of America's Flagship.

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SS United States Conservancy

P.O. Box 32115

Washington, DC 20007

(888) 488-7787

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