WE ARE THE UNITED STATES: Blog

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"First Lady of the Sea"

"First Lady of the Sea"

The SS United States was such a big deal that she had her own theme song! Even though the lyrics were accompanied by mahogany pianos -- not the aluminum ones the ship's designer had intended -- the ship's passengers belted out these lyrics on her record-breaking maiden voyage: Since Washington was headman of the Nation And Martha was first lady of the land. Americans with justified elation Have found First Ladies to be grand. There have always been first ladies of the Nat

SS UNITED STATES EXHIBIT: June 29th - August 20th in Brooklyn, NY

SS UNITED STATES EXHIBIT: June 29th - August 20th in Brooklyn, NY

The SSUS Conservancy’s New York Chapter is joining with the City Reliquary Museum to bring you "The United States: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," an exhibit celebrating America's Flagship's extraordinary career, and her relationship with the City of New York! The exhibit will run from June 29th to August 20th. A special opening event is planned for July 1st to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of SS United States' famous record-breaking Maiden Voyage. "The United States: Yest

William Francis Gibbs, the SS United States' Dedicated Designer (Part 2)

William Francis Gibbs, the SS United States' Dedicated Designer (Part 2)

The story of the SS United States has inspired dedicated supporters from across the country and around the world. One man's dedication to the ship was legendary. The ship's designer — my grandfather William Francis Gibbs — called the ship at the same time every day she was at sea to check on how she was doing. Every time the SS United States returned to New York after a transatlantic run, he would rush to her West 46th Street pier to watch as the tugs nestled her into her be

The SS United States: the Safest Ship Afloat

The SS United States: the Safest Ship Afloat

“You can’t set her on fire, you can’t sink her, and you can’t catch her!” Terrible tragedies befell a number of ocean liners in the 20th century, often resulting in significant injury and loss of life and grabbing international headlines. The sinking of these behemoths of the sea was always a very real possibility, most notably in 1912 when the famed RMS Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and fell to the ocean floor. Other ships, such as the SS Morro Castle, went up

WATCH: Gibbs & Cox's Amazing 3D Render of the SS United States

WATCH: Gibbs & Cox's Amazing 3D Render of the SS United States

We've got something very special to share with you today courtesy of the firm that brought America's Flagship into the world: Gibbs & Cox, Inc. Yowza! William Francis Gibbs himself would surely be proud of the way his proud old organization — founded all the way back in 1922 — continues to honor the legacy of the SS United States. In fact, despite its countless engineering projects Gibbs & Cox has taken on in the 65 years since her debut, the company still considers America's

Rehabilitating The SS United States: A Senior Thesis Design Project

Rehabilitating The SS United States: A Senior Thesis Design Project

For his senior thesis project for the Interior Design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Elvis Negron capitalized on his passion for ocean liners and chose the SS United States as his topic. Elvis reimagined the ship as a welcoming space where creative individuals of all backgrounds could gather in a type of coworking, idea-exchanging environment. The interior of the ship would feature a variety of spaces such as gathering spaces, exhibition galleries

She's America's Flagship, but She Has a Global Following

She's America's Flagship, but She Has a Global Following

The SS United States Conservancy not only has dedicated supporters from all 50 states; America's Flagship also enjoys support from 35 countries! The ship played a crucial role in connecting the US with the rest of the world. She transported students, diplomats, and the families of servicemen and women overseas, as well as foreign dignitaries, heads of state, and immigrants beginning new lives in the new world. The Conservancy has members in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belg

Newsweek's Glamour Girl

Newsweek's Glamour Girl

When the SS United States sailed across the cover of Newsweek magazine in 1952, she was called the "Fastest, Toughest & Most Beautiful". Newsweek's story began with breathless eyewitness reporting: "An offshore breeze tugged at the braided sleeves of a half-dozen men on the bridge of a great ocean liner this week as she threaded the white-flecked narrows and glided into New York harbor." (No women were allowed on the bridge or anywhere else on board during the ship's deliver

William Francis Gibbs, the SS United States' Dedicated Designer

William Francis Gibbs, the SS United States' Dedicated Designer

The SS United States Conservancy's "We Are the United States" campaign is an all-hands-on-deck effort to raise funds to help rescue and revitalize America's Flagship. It is also a celebration of how the SS United States invokes some of the nation's most enduring and inspiring values. One of these values is Dedication. The SS United States' designer — my grandfather, William Francis Gibbs — begin sketching the "Big Ship" in 1914. His goal was to create the fastest, safest and

A letter from Janet Riesman, SS United States passenger

A letter from Janet Riesman, SS United States passenger

"On September 22, 1967, I sailed on this grand ship from NYC to Southampton," writes Janet Riesman, one of the many passionate donors behind the Conservancy's efforts to save America's Flagship. As she continues: This time the efforts to save the United States must succeed! Every since I sailed on her I have loved her and been fascinated by her speed and elegance. I was student headed to England for graduate work. The day I sailed on Big U, the Queen Mary also departed NYC fo

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