Dear Friend of the SS United States:I wrote to you last fall about the need to extend the timeline of our Request for Proposals for redevelopment of the SS United States.  At that time, I held much hope that one of the potential real estate partners with whom we were negotiating would enter an agreement with the SS United States Conservancy to re-purpose the ship as a permanently moored mixed-use development.Unfortunately, this has not yet come to pass.  For various reasons, the potential partners we discussed our concept with have proved unable to advance in the project.  The reasons are not difficult to understand, given that we are still in a recovering economy.  They include capital shortfalls, competing interests, and regulatory hurdles.  Put simply, the scale and uniqueness of our concept have hindered our ability to enter a development contract.Our efforts over the past year have been guided and advanced by many very talented and committed people.  However, the fact remains that we do not yet have a signed deal and are entering a precarious situation.  While we have not given up hope and continue in the active search for a scenario that will save our great national flagship, we are rapidly running out of resources and cannot afford to keep the SS United States at her current berth indefinitely.The very positive side of the story is the fact that we have been building a large and diverse network in support of the ship and have amassed significant intelligence on how and where this project can occur.  Multiple feasibility and other studies have been conducted and word of our vision has reached high levels in the public and private sectors.  For these reasons, we must remain steadfast in pursuit of a deal.We have seen very dark days during the past nine years, including almost losing the ship to scrappers in 2010 before the miraculous intervention of Gerry Lenfest.  There is hope that similar support can emerge now but, as the old saying goes, "Hope is not a strategy."  We must continue to engage with supporters of the SS United States from across America and the world, with potential private sector partners, and with government officials who may be in a position to help.We have never felt more strongly that our great ship offers unparalleled opportunities, in the form of business and tax revenue generation, economic and community development options, much-needed hospitality, curatorial, and educational amenities, and even significant heat and electrical power creation.  It is now our task to deliver this message, loudly and clearly, to the people who can help make the SS United States a crown jewel in a metropolitan waterfront district.Please continue with us in the effort to save our ship.  We are at a major crossroads, having identified potential sites and financing arrangements, while painfully aware of our limited resources and dwindling time.  Let’s keep faith that the right scenario can and must emerge.As always, THANK YOU for your ongoing faith, support, and patriotism.  Let's save our ship.Respectfully,Dan McSweeneyManaging DirectorSS United States Redevelopment Project