Future Museum & Visitor Experience Plans

Once known and celebrated by millions, the SS United States is being transformed into the world’s largest underwater reef. The optimistic ideals and generosity of spirit she embodied — and her design and technological excellence — are as vital today as they were in 1952, the year of her record-breaking transatlantic crossing. The future museum will celebrate more than the world’s fastest and most powerful ocean liner. It will explore a broad sweep of American history, style, technical prowess, culture, and vision. It will reveal what was extraordinary about the SS United States and her namesake nation.

The Conservancy has initiated the design and development process guided by Thinc Design, one of the country’s premier museum and exhibit design firms. We also conducted a comprehensive museum and curatorial planning survey of our membership that explored a range of potential thematic and design elements. CLICK HERE to learn more about this work.

During this planning and construction period, the Conservancy will continue to expand our permanent collections, develop additional traveling and temporary exhibitions, expand its oral history initiative, and design educational modules that explore the role of the SS United States in the context of Cold War history, labor relations, maritime transportation, immigration, gender, race and ethnicity, and other themes.

Learn about our recent digital exhibitions by clicking HERE.

To become a founding museum supporter and help us make this inspiring museum a reality, click HERE.