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"SS United States: An Operational Guide to America's Flagship" Book Signing & Speaking Engagement

  • IKEA 2206 South Christopher Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia, PA, 19148 United States (map)

Come join the SS United States Conservancy and author Stanton Daywalt at the Philadelphia Ikea Café overlooking the SS United States for a speaking engagement and book signing.

On Friday, October 20, an event will feature Stanton Daywalt, Hampton Roads Chapter co-chair and co-author of "SS United States: An Operational Guide to America's Flagship." The book was co-authored with F. Samuel Bauer and James K. Rindfleisch, a former caretaker of the vessel. Daywalt will co-host a book signing and speaking engagement with the Conservancy at the Philadelphia IKEA cafe, overlooking the SS United States at her berth.

The book-signing will go from 3:30pm to 6:30pm, with a lecture and discussion held at 5:00pm. Daywalt will also be available to sign pre-purchased copies of his book, before and after the program.

Due to IKEA’s policy that prohibits selling from 3rd parties on IKEA premises, the book must be pre-ordered. If you will be attending the event and wish to purchase the book in advance, you may do so via Venmo or check.

To order by check, please contact the author at  stanton.daywalt@gmail.com for details about where to mail the check. Checks will need to be received no later than October 14th. A copy will be reserved for you, which will be personally signed at the event. For every book purchased in connection with this event, 20% of sales will be donated to the SS United States Conservancy.

Venmo Link:  https://venmo.com/u/ToTheCoast12 (The purchase price is $45, please include “Philly Presale” with your order)

About the Book:

"SS United States: An Operational Guide to America's Flagship" chronicles the design, construction, and operation of the Newport News Shipyard-built SS United States. The ship was the dream of Philadelphia-born and renowned architect William Francis Gibbs. Using many materials taken from the ship itself, the authors detail the intricate interplay of safely operating a 990-foot-long vessel, providing the finest cuisine, entertainment, and personal services as well as running an oceangoing hotel. The book is richly illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs. In addition, included are personnel lists, performance and engineering data, transcripts of ship’s logs, and other documents that illustrate the massive undertaking and attention to detail that made this “America’s Flagship.”

Written by late Newport News native James K. Rindfleisch, retired CNU professor F. Samuel Bauer, and Virginia Beach native Stanton R. Daywalt, this book has been 25 years in the making. It's truly the first book about how the ship operated.