Our year-long 70th anniversary celebration of the SS United States’ triumphant maiden voyage has been inspiring and energizing. We’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from people of all ages and from every corner of the globe.
For our "70th Anniversary Writing Contest" we received over fifty moving submissions, including tributes from people with personal connections to the vessel during her service career as well as from those who have only interacted with the ship since her retirement. We were deeply touched by the submissions and by how so many people remain captivated by the SS United States.
We are pleased to announce that we have selected two winners - Angela Harrison Eng and Julian Sukel.
Angela, who first saw the Big U at her berth in Norfolk following the ship being pulled from service, wrote in part, "As a kid, I felt that the giant, beautiful ship was a mystery. I’d asked my dad about it, but he said it was a retired passenger liner—nothing terribly mysterious. Yet every time we passed the ship on the way somewhere else, I wanted nothing more than to see what was inside. I wanted to touch and explore it. There was something about a locked up, abandoned ship that put my imagination into overdrive."
Julian struck on his passion for ocean liners, which he regularly shares on his Instagram account, saying, "The United States still has many forgotten stories to tell, and that’s why she desperately needs to be saved...even in her empty condition, she is still full of the life and memories of her decades past at sea. The “Big U” is a survivor, and I hope someday she’ll be restored to her former glory so that people will be able to experience her marvelous history."
We were energized and inspired by the number of eloquent submissions from former passengers, including some who immigrated to America aboard the SS United States, as well as from family members of former passengers and crew members. To celebrate these unique connections to our flagship, we will be planning a special ship visit and event in the spring. We will be sharing further details on this plans in the coming weeks.
In the coming months, we will also be announcing a second creative writing contest that will give supporters another opportunity to share their reflections on the SS United States. (All current submissions will be automatically entered into our next contest.) Stay tuned for more details.
