May 7, 2018

SS United States Legacy Cruise Raises $100,000 to Help Save America’s Flagship

Jim Pollin of the Pollin Group presents a check for $100,000 to the Conservancy alongside a number of SS  United States  Legacy Cruise attendees. Photographs courtesy of Geisha Cumberbatch.

The SS United States Conservancy is proud to announce that the inaugural SS United States Legacy Cruise has raised $100,000 to help save America’s Flagship through cruise commissions and donations! In a surprise presentation aboard the Celebrity Summit during the cruise's opening reception, cruise industry executive and philanthropist Jim Pollin, owner of the Pollin Group and winner of the Conservancy’s National Flagship Champion Award, presented the generous check to the Conservancy.

“The Pollin Group wanted to help bring people together who are committed to keeping America’s Flagship afloat,” said Pollin, who last summer made a vital $150,000 donation to the Conservancy’s “We Are the United States” Campaign. “We decided to organize the first annual SS United States Legacy Cruise and donate all of the cruise commissions back to the Conservancy."

Pollin continued, "The interest in this journey, which retraces the SS United States’ historic route to Bermuda, has been overwhelming. We’ve shattered our fundraising goal!”  Read more about this incredible contribution HERE.

Cruise industry executive Jim Pollin with conservancy executive director Susan Gibbs.

The Legacy Cruise program features talks and presentations by key Conservancy staff members, prolific author-illustrator David Macaulay, film producer Mark B. Perry and maritime historian David Perry; screenings of the films "Bon Voyage," and "SS United States : Lady in Waiting"; and much more!

Check out the final program guide HERE and be sure to follow the Conservancy on Facebook and Twitter for coverage of these exciting events.

Help Us Save America's Flagship!

Images of the SS United States abound at the "William Francis Gibbs Interscholastic Engineering and Design Competition."

The SS United States remains an icon of American design and engineering , inspiring the next generation of young scientists and innovators.

The month, the legacy of the Big U's groundbreaking designer, William Francis Gibbs, was honored with the naming of a high school STEM competition: the " William Francis Gibbs Interscholastic Engineering and Design Competition ," held at Tenafly High School, New Jersey, on May 1st.

Student teams design and test their ship models using CAD drawings and prototypes. Photographs courtesy of Tom Basile.

The event featured ten competing high school teams from the New Jersey Interscholastic STEM League, each of whom was given various materials and two and a half hours to design and build a model ship, designed for speed. Students also heard from the Conservancy's Tom Basile, who spoke on the singular history and influence of the SS United States.

Read more about this exciting event HERE.

Now Available: Commemorate a Special Voyage with a Custom Arrival Map

The Conservancy is excited to share an exciting new commemorative item available in support of the SS United States! 

This great vessel was the gateway to the American dream for thousands of passengers and we're partnering with Jimaworks to offer exciting custom immigration maps, with 15% of the proceeds from sales donated to the Conservancy in direct support of our efforts to save the Big U.!

Learn more and place your order HERE.

Sample Jimaworks commemorative map featuring the 1952 maiden voyage of the SS United States .

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