05 March 2014

SS United States


David Gambacorta has an article in the Philadelphia Daily News about the United States (the ship, not the country):
Christmas is coming a little early this year for local history buffs and nautical fanatics, when the SS United States becomes the focus of an engaging six-month exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum.
Best-selling British author and illustrator David Macaulay was recently at the Free Library of Philadelphia's central branch, at 19th and Vine streets, to discuss the ship, which will be featured heavily in a book by Macaulay that's expected to be released later this year.
The SS United States Conservancy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that has served as the ship's caretaker since 2011, hopes that the events will attract new interest in and support for the historic vessel, which has been docked in South Philadelphia since the mid-1990s. Susan Gibbs, the conservancy's executive director, said yesterday that the events are occurring at a "crucial time" in the life of the once-glorious ocean liner. "The ship's long-term status remains precarious," she said. "We're still searching for a permanent home for the SS United States. We just hope she's still with us when Macaulay's book hits the stands." Macaulay immigrated to the US on the ship when he was a child.
Gibbs said the exhibition, Charting a Course for America's Flagship, will feature a number of artifacts from the ship and an "idea pod" where attendees can share thoughts on how the ship could be repurposed.
It also will offer glimpses into the lives of local folks who had ties to the ship, including Gibbs' grandfather, William Francis Gibbs, who designed the SS United States. "The attempt is to bring the ship to life," she said. "We've been thrilled with the reception so far."
The conservancy purchased the SS United States with a $5.8 million donation from H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest, a chairman and co-owner of Interstate General Media, the parent company of the Philadelphia Daily News. The group has been scrambling since then to raise enough money to cover the steep costs of docking the ship on the waterfront, while simultaneously trying to find a developer willing to redevelop the vessel. "We're still working furiously behind the scenes to get something done," Gibbs said.
Rico says that Philadelphia should seriously look at the Long Beach, California solution; the city took the Queen Mary, gutted and refurbished it, and turned it into a huge tourist and party destination (at which, recently, Rico's father spent the night along with his Gentlemen Gourmets group and their wives), and is now making money with it:

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