Ss United States News

Reston, Va.-based Leidos said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire esteemed naval architecture and marine engineering firm Gibbs & Cox for $380 million in cash, as the defense, engineering and IT conglomerate looks to bolster its expertise as it competes for U.S. Navy unmanned systems contracts. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to closing conditions.Founded in 1922 in New York City, Gibbs & Cox has designed some of the world's most well-known vessels, including the WWII Liberty Ships and the stories ocean liner SS United States.

There are many hallmarks of great civilizations, but perhaps none so universal as their desire to push the boundaries of human achievement through innovation. A key source of American pride has always been our ability to dream big. When it comes to ships, there is no more powerful example of this than the SS United States.“America’s Flagship” was more than a symbol of our nation’s post-war strength and global reach. She remains a singular and unrivaled marine engineering and design achievement.Curiously…

For the Design issue Greg Trauthwein asked me to write about a favorite ship design. I have no favorite ship design, or should say there are simply too many that are truly worthy of mention. But when considering favorite designs, ship designers (and builders) do carry a strange curse. Unique among engineers (and artists, architects, and industrial designers) their creations only live for about 30 years. With very few exceptions, in their own life time, ship designers get to see the disassembly of most of their creations. I am not aware of any other creations that are so readily tossed aside.

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…

Hindsight, they say is 20/20, and in this regard renowned design house Gibbs & Cox has nine decades in the rear view mirror on which to lean. We recently caught up with Chris Deegan, President and CEO of Gibbs & Cox, celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2019, to discuss the organization’s rich history and promising future.When you took the top spot at Gibbs & Cox in 2016, what were your goals for the organization?As a company that designs everything from yachts to work boats to destroyers, I wanted to reassert G&C as the global leader in the naval architecture and marine engineering industry.

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…

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.

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…

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.

Last October, America's Flagship, the SS United States, was on the brink of being sold for scrap metal because the SS United States Conservancy, the national nonprofit historic preservation organization that owns the iconic vessel, was running short on funds to cover the ship's expenses. However, thanks to the pro bono counsel from Vedder Price shareholder, Francis X. Nolan III, and other firms and individuals, the iconic ocean liner has been given a second life. On  February 4, 2016, the Conservancy announced an agreement granting Crystal Cruises an exclusive purchase option.

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.

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division kicked off its 130th anniversary celebration January 28. Newport News, the sole designer, builder and refueler of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy submarines, will celebrate the anniversary throughout 2016 with commemorative videos and employee publications. More than 100 local businesses, museums, schools and civic leaders provided congratulatory video messages that will be released each week throughout the year.

A deal has been brokered to save the historic liner SS United States, with full details scheduled to be announced in New York City on Thursday, February 4, 2016. Once the queen of the express liners, and the fastest, safest and biggest passenger liner in history, the SS United States for years has quietly awaited rescue in Philadelphia. Built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. (now Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII) and designed by legendary  William Francis Gibbs (Gibbs & Cox, Inc.

Will the prestigious TransAtlantic speed and endurance record ever be broken? Should it? Twenty five years ago headlines around the world announced a new world record, the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, by a ship built in Australia. Incat Tasmania reports that June 23, 2015, marks 25 continuous years that Incat built fast ships have held the record for the fastest Transatlantic Crossing. On 23 June 1990 Hoverspeed Great Britain, a ship (Incat hull 025) built by Incat in Tasmania…

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.

When the RMS Titanic made its debut in 1912, the ship epitomized everything new and advanced about shipbuilding and construction. It was the largest ship of its day, a steel-jacketed vessel that featured cutting-edge safety measures such as 16 watertight compartments, 15 bulkheads and 11 remotely activated watertight doors. The ship had her own waterworks, an electrical power plant more powerful than the then typical city power plant, and two wireless telegraphs. It was a sight to behold and a technological marvel, cutting a course away from the wood and sails of the shipping past.

Once a top secret, the 60,000 pound propeller from the nation’s flagship may be scrapped to raise money for the preservation of the historic vessel. On board America’s Flagship the SS United States on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 from 11-11:30 a.m., the SS United States Conservancy will announce the result of its nationwide search for a donor to save one of the historic ship’s massive five-blade propellers. The press conference and presentation will be held in front of the 60,000lb propeller on the stern of the vessel, an area of the ship rarely seen by visitors and media.

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.

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…

This year Maritime Reporter & Engineering News celebrates its 75th Anniversary. Founded by  in 1939, the publication today reigns as the largest audited publication serving the global maritime industry, with a circulation of more than 35,000. While the publication, with its signature size and booming red logo, easily remains our most recognizable brand, unlike 1939 when it was the stand-alone information product of the company, today it is surrounded by a family of four print and more than a dozen online and electronic editorial products that cover everything on the commercial maritime…

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.

The 'SS United States' is sending out what may be its final distress call. The conservancy working to secure a home and purpose for the 990-foot-long ship tells the Associated Press that it could be sold for scrap within two months unless they can raise $500,000 immediately so they can continue negotiations with several parties. Money and time are running out for the historic ocean liner, which carried princes, presidents and celebrities across the Atlantic Ocean in the 1950s and 1960s. The historic trans-Atlantic liner has been berthed on the Philadelphia waterfront since 1996.

New interactive website to inform, raise resources, tells all about the historic ex Blue Riband holder S.S. According to organizers of the 'Save the United States Campaign' their new website blends social networking with historic preservation to raise awareness and resources for the cause of saving one of the nation’s most iconic national symbols. The groundbreaking interactive experience will create an online community committed to protecting a unique and inspiring expression of American pride and innovation.