May 4, 2019
David Macaulay first stepped aboard the Big U as a wide-eyed, 10-year-old British lad, headed for his new home in America. Today, he is a widely celebrated, award-winning author and illustrator, as well as longtime member of the Conservancy’s Advisory Council.

Renowned author-illustrator David Macaulay's forthcoming book,  Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast Ships, and a Journey to the New World,  offers an exquisite and intimate exploration of the legendary superliner. The long-awaited book will be released to the world on May 7th and can be pre-ordered HERE .

Kirkus gave the book a glowing review (and hence the publication can be forgiven for calling America's Flagship a "990-foot monster"). Big U fans will be particularly enthralled with the book's five-foot-long fold-out showing the ship's interiors in meticulous detail.
From the publisher:
David Macaulay, co-creator of the international bestseller  The Way Things Work , brings his signature curiosity and detailing to the story of the steamship in this meticulously researched and stunningly illustrated book.
Prior to the 1800s, ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean relied on the wind in their sails to make their journeys. But invention of steam power ushered in a new era of transportation that would change ocean travel forever: the steamship. 
Award-winning author-illustrator David Macaulay guides readers through the fascinating history that culminated in the building of the most advanced—and last—of these steamships: the SS United States . This book artfully explores the design and construction of the ship and the life of its designer and engineer, William Francis Gibbs.
Framed around the author's own experience steaming across the Atlantic on the very same SS United States ,  Crossing on Time  is a tour de force of the art of explanation and a touching and surprising childhood story.
This beautifully illustrated book will be released on May 7, 2019. Visit our website to read David Macaulay's letter to his readers, and to preorder your copy of Crossing on Time .
The Conservancy is absolutely thrilled about the imminent release of Crossing on Time . To celebrate this inspiring work, we've collaborated with author-illustrator David Macaulay on a brand new SS United States t-shirt design.
The shirt will only be available for a short time — please order yours today! 

Order your commemorative t-shirt by CLICKING HERE .

We are will be announcing additional events and opportunities to celebrate Crossing on Time  in New York and Philadelphia, including special opportunities for Conservancy members to join David Macaulay aboard the SS  United States ... please stay tuned!
Help Us Save America's Flagship!
From left to right: Joe Muchulsky, Alex Keisch, Keith Harper, Elizabeth Fletcher, Bill Fox, Mary Fox.
The Conservancy's Hampton Roads Chapter organized a wonderful gathering on April 12. Attendees enjoyed a pop-up display of some of the unique artifacts from the Conservancy's curatorial collection, and Conservancy executive director Susan Gibbs and Keith Harper, Vice President of the Design Group at Gibbs & Cox, gave updates on the Conservancy's SS United States redevelopment and museum planning progress.

An event highlight was when the Gibbs & Cox conference room went dark and the Conservancy's famous Charles Tissot panel was illuminated. This stunning panel from the ship's private first class dining room was acquired by the Conservancy from a private collector thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Mario Alvarez-Garcillan, Charles Anderson, Frank Slate Brooks, Bob Forbes, Susan Gibbs, Mark Perry and Carl Wesch, who spearheaded the effort.
The aluminum and crystal panel, designed by Charles Tissot for the SS United States , looked stunning when illuminated. The panel was acquired by the Conservancy thanks to generous donors.
The SS United States 's ties to Hampton Roads run deep, as the ship was built in the Newport News shipyard. At the gathering, Conservancy members — young and old, newcomers and old-timers — shared memories of the ship and expressed their hopes for her future. As longstanding Conservancy Advisory Council member and author Elizabeth Fletcher said at the event, "I'm very pleased to see so many young faces here. That tells me our ship is going to survive!"
Nearly 67 years after her maiden voyage, the SS United States continues to make an impact on people of all ages — including young supporters like Ryan Miller, who chose to portray the Big U's dedicated designer, William Francis Gibbs, for a recent school project.

The project in question included a living "wax museum," where students would begin to imitate their subjects once visitors placed a quarter into the display. Ryan, who also joined the Conservancy's Legacy Cruise last year, assembled his costume based on meticulous research on Gibbs, and the Conservancy was happy to share insights on Gibbs' idiosyncrasies and mannerisms that Ryan incorporated into his performance.

According to Ryan's parents, Scott and Amanda Miller, the project was a rousing success!

" Ryan had worked several months on the project and was absolutely ecstatic to play William Francis in front of the several hundred people that came to visit the show," he said. "He drew quite a crowd and was able to later share many facts of the Big U with those in attendance."
A portrait of the SS United States at night, painted by Ryan Miller for a previous school project.
Photograph courtesy of Amanda and Scott Miller.

See more photos of Ryan's project on our blog .

CLICK HERE to help us create an inspiring future for America's Flagship, for young supporters like Ryan Miller and for future generations.
"[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 (1930-2018)