National nonprofit has built a global community around saving America’s Flagship

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) – Seventy years after her launch in Newport News, Virginia, and a quarter century as a fixture of Philadelphia’s waterfront, the SS United States is celebrating another milestone. This February marks ten years of tireless work on the part of the SS United States Conservancy to celebrate and save this iconic symbol of America.

Since taking title to the SS United States a decade ago, the national nonprofit organization has raised resources to keep the ship safely afloat and explore a range of possibilities for her redevelopment as a stationary mixed-used destination. The Conservancy has grown a global community of supporters from every state and more than 40 countries to help protect the fastest ocean liner in history and the largest built in the United States.

The Conservancy’s plans for the 990-foot-long ocean liner also include a unique ship-board museum dedicated to the vessel’s legacy and broader themes of American design, history and innovation.

"A decade ago, a small group came together to save this American symbol from imminent destruction," said Conservancy President, Susan Gibbs, granddaughter of the ship's famed designer, William Francis Gibbs. "Ten years on and the SS United States is no longer forgotten. Our historic flagship is now poised for revitalization as an enduring reminder of our nation's strength, resilience and common purpose."

Built in the famed Newport News shipyards in Virginia and launched in 1951, the SS United States is a singular engineering achievement. Widely known as America’s Flagship, she operated primarily along a transatlantic route, between New York and Europe for much of her service career, playing host to A-list celebrities, heads of state, tourists and immigrants.

The epitome of American post-war innovation and design, the SS United States captured the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage. She was designed as part of a top-secret Pentagon program during the Cold War, which stipulated it could be quickly converted from a luxury liner into a naval troopship in the event of a war, carrying 14,000 troops and traveling 10,000 nautical miles - almost halfway around the globe - without refueling.

“Ten years ago, a small group of patriots would not be deterred,” said former Pennsylvania District Court Judge Thomas Watkins, a member of the Conservancy’s board of directors. “What the Conservancy has done and what it continues to do is ensure this great ‘First Lady of the Seas’ will continue to be a window to our past, a present reminder of our potential and an inspiration for future generations.”

The Conservancy, which has received no government assistance, relies on a committed community of supporters, including the late Philadelphia philanthropist Gerry Lenfest, whose transformative gifts enabled the Conservancy to purchase the SS United States in 2011. Additional major donors have included cruise and events industry leader Jim Pollin, television writer-producer Mark B. Perry, former SS United States Deck Officer Richard O’Leary, and ship enthusiast Christie Peck. In addition, many firms have backed the Conservancy’s efforts, including William Francis Gibbs’ naval architecture and marine engineering firm, Gibbs & Cox, among others.

"As the Conservancy enters its second decade as stewards of SS United States, we are forging ahead and sharing the story of America's Flagship and working to see her permanently saved. We are grateful to Philadelphia, her home for the last 25 years, and Newport News, her birthplace, for their special roles in shaping the history of this unique maritime monument," Gibbs said.

United States Lines withdrew the ship from service in 1969 and she passed through a series of owners including Norwegian Cruise Line, before being purchased by the Conservancy. In December of 2019, the SS United States Conservancy entered into an option agreement with a prominent commercial real estate development firm, RXR Realty, which has been exploring options for the SS United States’ revitalization and permanent home.

During the past ten years, with the help of steadfast supporters from across the nation and around the world, the Conservancy can count among its accomplishments:

• Raising more than $12 million to purchase the SS United States and keeping her safely maintained for a decade, along with celebrating her legacy through curatorial, outreach and educational programs;

• Ensuring the ship's recognition as one of the nation's great symbols and technological masterpieces;

• Acquiring and cataloguing thousands of unique artifacts and artworks demonstrating the ship's innovative craftsmanship and superlative mid-century modern design;

• Curating public exhibitions showcasing the ship's storied history and contributions to engineering and naval architecture;

• Exploring a wide range of viable designs, locations and commercial adaptations for the ship's revitalization; and

• Establishing redevelopment partnerships with qualified investors, culminating in a current agreement with RXR Realty, which has been exploring concepts and identifying a range of additional potential uses for the ship tailored to the post-COVID economy and conducting outreach to potential development partners and tenants.

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