April 9, 2018

America's Flagship Wows U.S. Maritime Administrator and Kings Point Alumni

The SS United States was celebrated recently at a high-level gathering featuring U.S. Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby . Admiral Buzby leads MARAD, the U.S. Department of Transportation agency responsible for the nation's merchant marine. Conservancy Advisory Council member Captain Alex Keisch — a tireless advocate for the SS United States who served aboard the ship in 1966 as a cadet — helped to coordinate the fantastic tribute dinner for Buzby, at which the Administrator was presented with an original menu from America's Flagship.

From left: Former SS United States crewmember Dr. Ed Wood; U.S. Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby; Conservancy Advisory Council member Alex Keisch.

Conservancy Executive Director Susan Gibbs with U.S. Maritime Administrator Admiral Mark Buzby.

The well-attended event was hosted by the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation's Richmond and Piedmont chapters. A 1979 graduate of Kings Point, Admiral Buzby retired from the U.S. Navy in 2013 after 34 years of service and was sworn in as Maritime Administrator in August 2017.  Throughout the evening , there was much discussion of the importance of saving America's Flagship, and of her impact as a source of enduring inspiration for our nation's maritime industry.

The Conservancy would like to thank Captain Keisch for his steadfast support and initiative on behalf of America's Flagship; we are honored and buoyed by the great interest in the SS United States expressed by future, current and past members of the nation's merchant marine. CLICK HERE to learn more about the event .

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Second Legendary Cunard Liner Saved Next Up: SS United States ?

The Queen Elizabeth 2 is welcomed to her permanent berth at Port Rashid, Dubai. All images courtesy of QE2 Dubai .

The Conservancy has been closely following the impressive redevelopment of Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 into a floating entertainment, heritage and hotel destination in Dubai. If two legendary Cunard liners — the QE2 and Queen Mary — can be converted into landmark stationary developments, can the SS United States ' revitalization be far behind?

Last month, the iconic QE2 underwent extensive exterior refurbishment, and on March 30th made her celebrated final voyage to a permanent berth at the Port Rashid cruise terminal. CLICK HERE to find out more about the history and restoration of the QE2 , and to discover the incredible redevelopment potential of the SS United States .

A bar and entertainment space aboard the redeveloped Queen Elizabeth 2 , opening soon in Port Rashid, Dubai.

The ship's original portholes have been preserved in this renovated QE2 suite.

"The [SS United States ] is more than a superlative achievement of American engineering. She stands for dreaming big...and for the human ability to accomplish."  — Margaret Stack, Philadelphia, PA

A Poetic Journey: Salvaged SS United States China Crosses the Atlantic Once More

As the Conservancy works to secure the future of the nation's greatest and sole remaining ocean liner, we're also busy building the world's largest permanent collection of art, documents and artifacts from the SS United States . Recently, supporter Steph May from Hampshire, England, generously donated her own extraordinary collection of original "Grey Star" china fragments from the SS United States , carefully collected from the local beaches opposite Southampton's busy docks. We agree with Steph, who writes: "It would be quite poetic if items that had been in the sea for a long time eventually made it back to their original ship."

Original United States Lines "Grey Star" china from the SS United States, collected by Steph May. Photograph courtesy of Steph May.

CLICK HERE to see more images from Steph's incredible collection of salvaged china from the SS United States and other vessels, and HERE to learn more about the Conservancy's expansive curatorial efforts.

Big U Inspires New Design by Conservancy Chapter Co-Chair Mike Strasbaugh

America’s Flagship remains a marvel of American design and engineering, and continues to inspire a new generation of ocean liner enthusiasts and designers around the world. Southeast Conservancy Chapter Co-Chairman Mike Strasbaugh intensively studied the architectural details of the SS United States in order to design his own original vessel, the MV United States . His gorgeous ship design is the result of eleven years of hard work and meticulous refinement.

Detail in ship design by Southeast Conservancy Chapter Co-Chair Mike Strasbaugh. Courtesy of Mike Strasbaugh.

Strasbaugh tells us, "I look forward to the day the SS United States is brought back to life, her interiors slightly altered to bring her into a new life as the finest static attraction in this country.” CLICK HERE to discover the incredible detail in Strasbaugh's innovative design, and to learn more about his muse, the SS United States .

"[The SS United States ] was built at a time when 'made in America’ really meant something, and that is a legacy that cannot be lost.  — H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, Blue Riband Council

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