Conservancy President Susan Gibbs said in part, “With help from our supporters worldwide, we have brought the ship back into the public consciousness. She has again become a soaring symbol of her namesake nation. As our challenges mounted at the ship’s Philadelphia pier, we were determined to prevent her from being lost to history."
"While this is not the outcome we originally envisioned, the ship will have a future. This next chapter of the SS United States’ story will bring tens of thousands of people annually from around the world to experience her... Once the ship is deployed, more people will be able to visit and learn about her over the course of a year than have had that opportunity since she left seagoing service more than a half century ago," Gibbs added.
Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Paul Mixon expressed his optimism for the future of the ship and the forthcoming partnership with the Conservancy, saying: "What an opportunity we have, in partnership, to keep that legacy going... Okaloosa County understands the passion of the supporters and the historical significance of the SS United States."
Conservancy President Susan Gibbs and Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Paul Mixon memorialized an agreement between the two parties that will result in the SS United States’ conversion into the world’s largest artificial reef and the development of an innovative land-based museum experience commemorating and celebrating the history of the storied ocean liner.
The new museum is expected to incorporate significant components of the vessel including her funnels and her radar mast, among scores of other artifacts. The Conservancy will be seeking input and advice from our global community as the museum takes shape and will be releasing more information about the planning process in the coming months.
We anticipate that the SS United States will soon leave her Philadelphia pier in accordance with the federal court ruling issued in June. When this date is finalized by Okaloosa County's team, we will immediately notify our supporters. The ship will then be towed to Norfolk, Virginia, where she will undergo preparations and remediation. The Conservancy anticipates holding a send-off gathering in Philadelphia as well as several events for supporters while the vessel is docked in Norfolk before she is brought to Florida for deployment. We are also working on special viewing opportunities for our supporters to witness her departure from Philadelphia and her arrival in Hampton Roads. We will share details as soon as they are finalized.
The Conservancy understands that this transition for America's Flagship is challenging and emotionally fraught. We remain deeply grateful for our chapter chairs, advisory council, volunteers, and members from all over the world who have supported this effort so generously and who have worked so tirelessly on behalf of the SS United States. We are all part of this extraordinary ship's story, and we invite you to join us as we continue to celebrate and commemorate America's Flagship's legacy. As one of our longstanding members shared with us recently: "I expected to be sad and angry, but instead there is a sense of dignity, pride, respect and HOPE. She will live on with class. The reefing combined with aspects of her created/recreated as a museum will be a super way to honor her. Not an end, but another voyage."
Thank you for joining us on this voyage. As the ship's designer, William Francis Gibbs, would say in every toast he ever gave, "To everything you want doubled, to good health, and to the Big Ship!"
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