Today was a sad day - a day which we hoped would not come.
From the start, we've all agreed to fight to save the ship so long as she was above the water. We've collectively spent thousands of hours dedicated to this effort, seen tremendous support from tens of thousands of individuals around the world, had multiple members of Congress, state representatives, and others publicly and privately fighting to save the most incredible US ocean liner ever built - A unanimous appeal from the NYC Council, secured berthing, and tremendous amounts of planning for a future in which the Big U continued to inspire generations to come - where she belonged, above the water.
That reality was stolen from future generations today - Okaloosa County, FL moved forward with deliberately sinking the Historically Registered SS United States on Veterans Day 2026.
While this outcome is upsetting, we want to take a moment to remind you all of the incredible realization of the elusive American Dream which the SS United States embodies. The Gibbs brothers defied all odds and spent the vast majority of their lives dedicated toward getting the super liner built. They weren't classically taught, they weren't born with a golden spoon - they simply envisioned a masterpiece and didn't stop until they could sail across the ocean aboard her.
There are great people who have fought for decades to save this ship. We don't all agree, we haven't all chased the same ends, and many of us come from distinctly different backgrounds, but the one thing that is true for all of us, is that a nearly 75 year old engineering marvel lovingly built by everyday Americans captured our hearts and minds.
We wish we could have changed the fate for the SS United States, but now we must all turn our attention to ensuring the spirit of the ship lives on. While we'll be continuing to look toward memorializing the wonderful old gal, we also want to take a moment to encourage you to channel your frustrations with her fate toward making sure other historic structures and ships aren't also lost to the sands of time.
Right now, all across the the world, there are battles to preserve pieces of our history - to highlight one particularly relevant fight, the N.S. Savannah Association needs help with a similarly storied vessel to the SS United States.
If you're unfamiliar with the N.S. Savannah, she was the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship, launched on July 21, 1959, as part of President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" initiative. She traveled 450,000 nautical miles, visited 77 ports, and was visited by 1.4 million people before being decommissioned in 1971. For more information on their efforts - and to help them secure a future for the Savannah that the SS United States wasn't granted, please visit the N.S. Savannah Association's website by clicking here.
[Note: We are in no way affiliated with the N.S.S.A.]
Finally, we want to take a moment to thank all of you for the support you have shown us.
None of us can be sure of what the future holds, but we're proud to have been surrounded by so many wonderful people who care so deeply about a ship which was constructed before the vast majority of us were even born.
We hope you'll take this opportunity to appreciate the historic things around you, regardless of the condition they may currently be in, and fight - no matter the odds or the outcome - to preserve them.
Always remember the SS United States and what she sailed for.
Godspeed, old girl.