REMEMBERING FORMER SS UNITED STATES CREWMEMBER, CONSERVANCY LEADER JOE MUCHULSKY

Muchulsky Began Working Aboard the Big U at 15 Years Old
Fair winds and following seas to Joe Muchulsky, co-chair of the Conservancy's Hampton Roads Chapter and member of the Conservancy's Advisory Council. 

Joe's long and distinguished maritime career began aboard the SS United States in 1967 as Assistant Linen Keeper, a job he later described as arduous. He went on to hold positions with the Military Sealift Command, the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, and the Mid-Atlantic Maritime Academy. 

Joe enthralled audiences with stories about the SS United States: storms at sea, encounters with celebrities, crewmembers' shenanigans and secret capers, playing drums with the Meyer Davis Orchestra, and more. Because Joe's father worked aboard the ship for her entire service career, Joe essentially grew up aboard the Big U. Through Joe's passion, energy, and story-telling, the SS United States retained its enduring vitality, motion, and historical importance, which we will draw on more than ever now that Joe has crossed the bar.
During the Conservancy's special officer and crew reunion in 2016, Joe (pictured here alongside his son, Joey) described a dazzling era of "service and glamor and sophistication" aboard the Big U. He added, "the SS United States was a power far greater than yourself. It taught me about life like I never experienced before.” 

On behalf of the Conservancy's board of directors, staff and world-wide network of supporters, we extend our deepest condolences to the Muchulsky family, Joe's many friends and colleagues, and all of his shipmates. We plan a special tribute to Joe at the Hampton Roads Chapter's gala events in Newport News on April 9th. For more information about the weekend's program and to register, click HERE. 


*Our thanks to Bill Magee for his documentation of this event and assembling this fabulous tribute video.
DIGITAL EXHIBITION TO CELEBRATE "TRANSATLANTIC TRAILBLAZERS" DURING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Constance Smith, Mira Jedwabnik Van Doren, Elaine Kaplan, Dorothy Marckwald
and Anne Urquhart Among Those To Be Highlighted
Announced last month, our upcoming digital exhibition, “Transatlantic Trailblazers,” will explore the many contributions that women made to the engineering, design, art, and decor of the SS United States. 

One of the women featured in our exhibition will be artist Constance Smith, whose murals and paintings could also be found aboard the SS America.

On the SS United States, Smith turned to one of her favorite subjects to decorate the much coveted First Class Suite - ducks! In this image, donated to the Conservancy by Darrin P. DeMay, Princess Irene hands Darrin an autographed postcard in the First Class Suite. In the background, you can see Constance Smith's detailed ducks on the wall done in fireproof aluminum leaf.

Stay tuned to learn more when “Transatlantic Trailblazers: The Women Behind the Art and Engineering of the SS United States” launches in March!
MORE FROM THE SS UNITED STATES CONSERVANCY
The Conservancy would like to thank all of our generous supporters from across the nation and around the world who donated to help save America’s Flagship as part of our 2021 annual appeal.

While we face new challenges, the SS United States has always turned adversity into opportunity and achievement.

The Conservancy is proud to offer these meticulously reproduced copies of the SS United States’ builder’s plaque. These gorgeous replicas, produced by the renowned yacht sign makers, Lumenautica Yacht Signs, would be a wonderful addition to any office wall or a lovely gift for your favorite Big U fan. The reproductions are offered in either a brushed or polished finish.

THE BIG U CONTINUES TO INSPIRE...

"When the ship would sail from Manhattan, the whistle would just reverberate and resonate under the West Side Highway, this steel structure, it was just an amazing sound. The cobblestones on the street would actually shake, vibrate, rather, from the frequency of the steam whistle." - former crew member Joe Muchulsky (2016)