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Susan Gibbs News

11 Mar 2020

Developer Seeking New Home for SS United States

(Photo;SS United States Conservancy)

A real estate development company is looking for a U.S. city to become the new home for one of America's most historic ocean liners.Having reached a deal with the ship’s nonprofit owner last year, RXR Realty has been developing a plan to restore the famed SS United States and this week issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) seeking a permanent waterfront location where America’s Flagship, once restored, will be able to relive its former glory.At the time of its launch in 1952…

08 May 2018

Fundraising Cruise Raises $100,000 to Help Save SS United States

(File photo courtesy of the SS United States Conservancy)

A fundraising cruise dedicated to saving America’s Flagship has raised $100,000 for the cause.Once America’s fastest and most glamorous ocean liner, the SS United States has spent years away from her former glory in an escalating state of disrepair, at dock in Philadelphia, out of commission and relying on donations to stay afloat and out of the scrapyard.This week a group dedicated to preserving the historic vessel has received a financial lifeline that will help to keep the…

18 Jul 2017

SS United States Thrown a Lifeline

SS United States sits out of commission in Philadelphia. (Photo: SS United States Conservancy)

Just days away from a verdict on its ultimate fate, the historic cruise liner SS United States has received a lifeline in the form of a $150,000 donation to a fundraising effort which aims to save “America’s flagship” and restore the storied vessel to its former glory. The $150,000 contribution from cruise industry executive Jim Pollin to the SS United States Conservancy's "We are the United States" campaign has enabled the national nonprofit organization to extend its fundraising and outreach effort through mid-September.

05 Aug 2016

SS United States Will Not Return to Service

SS United States sits out of commission in Philadelphia. (Photo: SS United States Conservancy)

A comprehensive technical feasibility study has determined the SS Unites States to be structurally sound, but a number of insurmountable obstacles will keep America’s Flagship from returning to seagoing service. In February, Crystal Cruises reached a deal with the SS United States Conservancy to restore what was once the world’s fastest, safest and largest passenger liner to a fully operational modern luxury cruise ship, pending the results of a technical feasibility study. Now…

24 Feb 2016

S.S. United States Historic Ship may get a Second Lease on Life

“We are ready to save history, full speed ahead” said Susan Gibbs (left). Gibbs and Edie Rodriguez, President and CEO of Crystal Cruises, announced plans to save the SS United States at a press conference in New York.  (Photo: Eric Haun)

Crystal Cruises has come to the rescue of the historic luxury liner SS United States, announcing plans for an exclusive purchase option agreement to begin work on returning America’s flagship to seagoing service, pending a technical feasibility study. Launched in 1952 as the fastest, largest and safest passenger liner in the world, “Big U” was regarded as an American symbol of elegance and technological prowess, capturing the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage and transporting more than one million passengers over her lifetime, including four U.S.

04 Feb 2016

SS United States to Sail Again

Rendering of the restored SS United States by Crystal Cruises (Image: Crystal Cruises)

Crystal Cruises has come to the rescue of historic luxury liner SS United States, today announcing an exclusive purchase option agreement to begin work on returning America’s flagship to service as the world’s fastest cruise ship. Once the world’s fastest, safest and largest passenger liner, the historic ship still holds the transatlantic speed record, yet it has spent years mothballed at dock holding off a looming trip to the scrapyard, having last sailed under her own power more than 40 years ago.

04 Sep 2014

SS United States Supporters Push for NY Return

The 'SS United States' - America's Flagship - is making her final push to return home to New York with a DAY OF ACTION on Thursday, 4, September in Manhattan that will also feature an announcement by a developer interested in re-purposing the historic ship into a major waterfront destination, says the SS United States Conservancy organization. The SS United States redevelopment will create more than 2000 jobs and generate significant revenue for the city. Volunteers will be handing out literature about the ship as part of an effort to engage Mayor DeBlasio and Governor Cuomo in the process of saving the nation's flagship. The Conservancy only has weeks to determine whether the vessel may need to be sold for scrap. Proceedings begin on Sept. 4. at 7-30 a.m.

25 Feb 2014

SS United States: Leading Lady to Damsel in Distress

This is now ... United States seen from S. Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia.

Once queen of the express liners, and the fastest, safest and biggest passenger liner in history, the SS United States today quietly awaits rescue from a pending cruise to the scrapyard. The Big Ship the Big U, the one that didn’t sink. The S.S. She is waiting for a rescue that may never come from an appointment with the scrap yard looming large on her summer schedule. And that would be a shame according to her many supporters, not the least of which was the late newsman and sailor, Walter Cronkite.

19 Feb 2014

Something Old, Something New ...

Greg Trauthwein

I must admit that exploring the historical nature of our business is one of my favorite endeavors, and this month we are pleased to continue our series of articles in celebration of our 75th anniversary. Patricia Keefe again graces our pages with her overview of the creation and fate of what is arguably the greatest if not most famous ship in the history of U.S. shipbuilding, the passenger liner SS United States. The SS United States is one of those ships that  has intricately interwoven itself into the culture of this industry…

17 Oct 2013

SS United States: When Washington Got Things Done

Susan Gibbs With Dedication Plaque

Susan Gibbs is the Executive Director of the SS United States Conservancy and granddaughter of William Francis Gibbs, designer of America’s Flagship. Here Ms. Gibbs shares her opinions on the intersection of U.S. politics and America’s historical flagship, SS United States, while addressing the American condition, past and future. With the government shutdown having sent Washington into a tailspin, validating Americans’ disdain for beltway politics, you can’t help but think about a time in our history when people believed government actually worked.

17 Apr 2012

SS United States Conservancy Names Landry to Advisory Council

Washington, D.C. – As the 60th anniversary of the SS United States’ launch and record-breaking maiden voyage nears, the SS United States Conservancy announced that cruise industry veteran Joyce Landry has been named to its Advisory Council. The CEO of Miami-based Landry & Kling Inc., she is widely recognized as an innovator in the cruise industry. Landry will lend her more than 30 years of experience to the Conservancy, as momentum builds to save and repurpose America’s flagship. “We are excited to have someone as experienced and influential in the cruise industry as Joyce Landry on our growing team,” said Susan Gibbs, Executive Director of the SS United States Conservancy. “Joyce has been at the forefront of using ships for a variety of purposes.

04 Jun 2003

America's Super Liner to Set Sail Once Again?

As a child, I often noticed a framed postcard that hung in the living room of my parents' home in Long Island. It was a simple silver rimmed frame with blue matting that showed back and front of the postcard — the front depicting a large ship with red, white and blue smokestacks — the back holding an autograph of former President Dwight Eisenhower (see photo below). For years, I passed this by as if it were of no significance. However, I would have never thought that one day I'd be writing about this framed postcard. The "large ship" to which I am referring is the United States Lines flagship, the S.S. United States, which my mother, Evelyn (Sullivan) Ciardiello, traveled on from New York to Europe in 1963 — 11 years after the vessel held its maiden voyage on July 3, 1952.