As we continue to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the SS United States’ maiden voyage, supporters of America’s Flagship recently gathered for “Heritage Weekend” hosted by the Conservancy’s Hampton Roads chapter. 

Festivities kicked off on Friday, April 8, at Christopher Newport University's Hoinkes Plaza where Hampton Roads Chapter co-chair Stanton Daywalt and other supporters, including New York chapter co-chairs Paul Stipkovich and Glenn Lappin, rang the SS United States' bell to open the weekend of events.

For those who don’t know, during the Guernsey's auction in 1984 the Big U’s bell was the most expensive item sold. It was purchased for $30,000 by Dr. Sarah E. Forbes, a Newport News physician, who also bought a large number of other items from the ship for her Windmill Point Restaurant, which opened 1987 in Nags Head, North Carolina.

Twenty years later, following the restaurant’s closing, Forbes donated a significant sum to the University for construction of a new science building and bell tower. Along with the financial gift, she gave the school the SS United States' bell to be used in the new tower.

After ringing the United States’ bell, supporters traveled to Parklawn Memorial Park in Hampton, Virginia, where Hampton Roads Chapter co-chair Elizabeth Fletcher held a moment of silence and offered a memorial prayer at Commodore Leroy Alexanderson's gravesite.  

Commodore Alexanderson’s career with United States Lines spanned more than two decades and included a number of leadership roles. He was Captain of the SS America in 1955 and in 1964, he was named Captain of the SS United States, the flagship of the United States Lines. Two years later, Alexanderson was appointed Commodore of the entire United States Lines Fleet, a role he served until his retirement.

Saturday morning dawned with excitement as more than 100 supporters assembled for the Conservancy’s first in-person program in more than two years. Conservancy President Susan Gibbs, granddaughter of the ship’s famed designer William Francis Gibbs, gave an overview of the Conservancy’s work and presented Blue Riband awards to Melissa Muchulsky, the wife of former crewmember and Conservancy Advisory Council member Joe Muchulsky who passed away earlier this year, and Debbie Rindfleisch, who accepted on behalf of her late husband, Jim Rindfleisch, a former caretaker of the SS United States.

The morning’s remarks were keynoted by former United States Maritime Administration Administrator Admiral Mark Buzby (Ret.), who gave a moving speech about the importance of the SS United States to maritime history and how an encounter with the ship inspired him personally early in his storied career.

Along with Admiral Buzby, the star of the event was Gene Berger’s 11-foot model of the SS United States. A 14-year passion project, Berger’s model painstakingly replicated the SS United States in extraordinary detail, complete with miniature seagulls on the funnel to hundreds of crew members and passengers enjoying the vessel’s outdoor spaces. CLICK HERE to see additional photos of Gene Berger’s SS United States.

Maritime historian Larry Driscoll and Captain Jim McNamara also provided riveting presentations on the ship’s unique features and historical importance. These were followed with afternoon sessions, including an immensely popular presentation by Keith Harper of Gibbs & Cox, which shared a 3-D walkthrough of the ship and discussion about new technologies that could be used to help save the SS United States.

 Alaina Noland of the Conservancy’s curatorial team provided a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our latest digital exhibition, “Transatlantic Trailblazers” and discussed the role women played in making the ship a reality and a success. Brian Abbott and Captain Jim McNamara tag-teamed on a fascinating presentation on the ship’s three masters, Commodores Harry Manning, John Anderson, and Leroy Alexanderson.

On behalf of the entire Conservancy community, we’d like to thank Stanton Daywalt, Elizabeth Fletcher and Hampton Roads Chapter for organizing a wonderful series of events to celebrate the First Lady of the Seas. Thanks to their hard work and the tremendous backing of our supporters, the event raised over $10,000 to help save America’s Flagship. We are also extremely grateful for the support of The Mariners’ Museum, which placed a number of rarely seen items on display and provided the perfect backdrop for the weekend.  We also thank videographer Bill Magee and photographer Kyle Ober, whose work we’ll soon be sharing on our social media pages and in future e-updates.  

Photos courtesy of Kyle Ober.