Supporter Talking Points
The following talking points have been provided to enable our supporters across the country and around the
world to understand the Conservancy’s mission, accomplishments and our shared vision for saving, restoring
and reusing America’s Flagship – the SS United States. These points may be used to help guide your communication about the ship and its future. Feel free to rearrange and rework the language as you see fit and tailor it
to your audience or venue.
THE SS UNITED STATES: HISTORY & SIGNIFICANCE
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The SS United States is one of the greatest ships ever built. She is a priceless example of American innovation, craftsmanship and engineering.
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The SS United States is one of the last of the world’s great 20th century ocean liners.
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More than 100 feet longer than the Titanic — the United States was nearly 1000 feet long — or five city
blocks. Standing on her end, she would be nearly as tall as the Chrysler Building in New York. At 101 feet
wide, she was able to squeeze through the Panama Canal, a key requirement if the vessel was ever pressed
into Cold War service.
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Built as part of a top secret Pentagon program to construct the fastest ship in history, the SS United States
was part luxury liner and part Cold War guardian.
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As a troop carrier she could transport 15,000 troops more than 10,000 miles without refueling. While,
never deployed in armed conflict, she was put on stand-by during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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The ship’s propellers, reinforced hull and other aspects of her construction ensured that the nation’s flagship achieved unmatched safety and speed. In the words of her designer, William Francis Gibbs, “You can’t
set her on fire, you can’t sink her and you can’t catch her!”
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The SS United States embarked on her maiden voyage from New York City to Europe on July 3, 1952,
smashing the standing trans-Atlantic speed record in both directions and beginning a flawless 17-year
service career.
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The SS United States was capable of speeding passengers across the Atlantic faster than any ocean liner
before — or since. To this day, there is still debate over the ship’s top speed. The vessel achieved an astonishing 38.3 knots — 44.1 miles per hour — on her speed trials and reportedly has the potential to go even
faster. The ship could travel 20 knots in reverse, faster than most of today’s cruise ships can go forward.
The SS United States was faster than present day US naval vessels.
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Most people don’t realize that 60 years after the SS United States’ record-breaking maiden voyage, the
ship still holds title to the Blue Riband. No passenger liner has ever broken her west-bound trans-Atlantic
speed record.
THE SS UNITED STATES: HISTORY & SIGNIFIC ANCE (cont’d)
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The SS United States remains the largest passenger vessel constructed entirely in the United States.
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The SS United States was one of the safest passenger ships ever built, sporting a reinforced hull and a range
of practical and luxurious fittings made of fire-retardant fabrics and other materials.
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Wood was used very sparingly aboard the ship to minimize the risk of fire. The United States Lines insisted
that the only wood aboard was in the two grand pianos and the butcher blocks in the galleys. The pianos
were only allowed on board after William Francis Gibbs, the vessel’s designer, demanded that Theodore
Steinway build some baby grand pianos out of aluminum. Steinway’s mahogany pianos were permitted after
he offered to douse them in gasoline and ignite them to illustrate their fire-retardant qualities.
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Four U.S. presidents traveled aboard the SS United States during her time in service — Truman, Eisenhower,
Kennedy, and Bill Clinton — en route to England as a Rhodes Scholar.
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Countless celebrities, world leaders, diplomats and ordinary Americans sailed on her from 1952 until she
was laid up in 1969. Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Gary Cooper, Walter Cronkite, Salvador
Dali, Walt Disney, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe,
Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, and John Wayne were among the luminaries who travelled
aboard the ship.
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During her more than 800 Atlantic crossings, thousands of immigrants came to America sailing aboard this
shining symbol of American post-war innovation and strength.
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After being withdrawn from service in 1969, she was bought and sold several times and stripped of her fittings and furnishings, and eventually purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line / Genting Hong Kong in 2003
with the goal of returning the vessel to seagoing service as part of its US-flagged fleet. The financial crisis
of 2008 ended that plan.
ABOUT THE SS UNITED STATES CONSERVANCY
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The SS United States Conservancy is a national nonprofit organization founded in 2004 dedicated to
preserving the SS United States and the vessel’s legacy. On February 1, 2011, the SS United States Conservancy took ownership of the ship, thanks to pledges totaling $5.8 million from philanthropist H.F. “Gerry”
Lenfest. Without this dramatic intervention, the vessel would have been sold for scrap metal.
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The ship still remains moored in Philadelphia, structurally sound but cosmetically in a state of disrepair.
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The Conservancy’s goal is to restore and repurpose the vessel so future generations of Americans can learn
about the by-gone era of sea travel as well as the nation’s post-war technological innovation.
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With the assistance of private donors and corporate sponsors, the Conservancy is advancing a $1 million
fundraising campaign to support the vessel’s upkeep, initial restoration efforts, and museum planning and
curatorial programs, as it pursues a permanent home for the vessel as one of America’s premier historic
sites and tourist attractions.
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Through its SS United States Redevelopment Project, the Conservancy seeks partners to help restore and
redevelop 650,000 square feet of usable space that will bring new life to the decks of the ship. The concept
includes a mixed-use commercial and public development with a range of proposed revenue-generating
uses including, but not limited to, event space, restaurants, retail, and hotel.
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The Conservancy is launching a world-wide awareness and fundraising campaign to begin work on the exterior restoration and museum projects for the ship.
WHY WE MUST SAVE THE SS UNITED STATES
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The SS United States is one of the world’s last remaining ocean liners. It is a symbol of national pride that
deserves to be saved, protected and cherished for generations to come.
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Like the Statue of Liberty, Washington Monument, and Independence Hall — there’s only one SS United States.
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As Walter Cronkite — former Honorary Chair of the Conservancy’s Advisory Council said — “It would be
a crime against history” to permit this great vessel to be forgotten or destroyed.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
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The Conservancy needs your help to keep America’s flagship afloat and part of our present — rather than
a permanent part of our past.
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Please join the effort to Save the United States by visiting ssusc.org and making a contribution to this effort
of national and historical significance.
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Join our email list to stay up to date on the efforts to save the ship.
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Tell your friends, family and colleagues about the Conservancy’s mission and the enormous opportunity
that exists to return this symbol of American pride and power to its former glory.
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Set up a local chapter of the SS United States Conservancy and help spread the word about this irreplaceable piece of American history.
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Pitch a story about the United States to local media to help raise awareness.
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Organize a screening in your home or community of the Conservancy’s documentary films produced in partnership with Big Ship Films: SS United States: Lady in Waiting or SS United States: Made in America
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Like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/SSUSC), and follow us on Twitter (@SSUSC)
Copyright © 2013, SS United States Conservancy
ssusc.org • (888) 488-7787 • [email protected]