Stephen Bloom’s passion for ocean liners started as a child, after reading about the maiden voyage of another famous vessel, the Titanic. Bloom’s parents had traveled on board the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), and Stephen had cruised on the SS Norway (formerly the SS France). Fascinated with ships, Stephen Bloom’s first interaction with the SS United States came when he built a model of the Blue Riband holder during his youth.
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Of all the great ship designers, perhaps none is more inextricably linked to a single, exceptional vessel, than William Francis Gibbs and the SS United States. Yet to focus entirely on this culminating achievement, this manifestation of his ‘big ship’ ideal, is to miss out on the life of an extraordinary and complex man.
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Maiden voyage. Two words that conjure up a unique sense of excitement and anticipation. Add the prospect of a record-breaking passage on the most prestigious Transocean crossing of them all and it is easy to imagine the thrilling atmosphere that surrounded SS United States and adjacent Pier 86, on the morning of Thursday 3rd July 1952.
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In March 2020, people across the country and around the world were gripped by rising fears of an unknown, rapidly spreading disease called COVID-19. While the much of the world came to a screeching halt, and millions of Americans school and work days shifted to home, our nation’s first responders continued to serve and protect.
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Conservancy President Susan Gibbs, granddaughter of the ship’s famed designer William Francis Gibbs, presented the organization’s Blue Riband awards to Melissa Muchulsky, wife of former crewmember Joe Muchulsky, who passed away in January, and Debbie Rindfleisch, who accepted on behalf of her late husband, Jim Rindfleisch.
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