Urges the President of the United States, the Executive Director of the Maritime Administration of the United States Department of Transportation and the Congress of the United States to purchase the SS United States from Okaloosa County, Florida, using funds transferred from the United States Department of Defense, designate it as a national landmark, restore it to its full working condition and name it the official flagship of our nation.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
A-Engrossed
Senate Joint Memorial 10
Ordered by the Senate May 23
Including Senate Amendments dated May 23
Sponsored by Senator ROBINSON; Senators ANDERSON, BONHAM, BROADMAN, FREDERICK, GELSER
BLOUIN, GOLDEN, HAYDEN, LINTHICUM, MCLANE, MEEK, NASH, REYNOLDS, SMITH DB, SOLLMAN,
STARR, THATCHER, WAGNER, WEBER
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability standards.
Digest: Asks the President, the MARAD and Congress to buy a certain ship, make it an official
U.S. landmark, fix it up and call it the official flagship of the U.S. (Flesch Readability Score: 60.7).
Urges the President of the United States, the Executive Director of the Maritime Administration
of the United States Department of Transportation and the Congress of the United States to pur-
chase the SS United States from Okaloosa County, Florida, using funds transferred from the
United States Department of Defense, designate it as a [ National Historic Landmark ] national
landmark, restore it to its full working condition and name it the official flagship of our nation.
JOINT MEMORIAL
To the President of the United States, the Executive Director of the Maritime Administration of the
United States Department of Transportation and the Senate and the House of Representatives
of the United States of America, in Congress assembled:
We, your memorialists, the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon, in legisla-
tive session assembled, respectfully represent as follows:
Whereas the SS United States, built in 1950 and 1951, was the flagship of the United States
Lines and is known with deep affection as “America’s Flagship”; and
Whereas as of 2025, the SS United States holds the Blue Riband award for the highest average
speed crossing the Atlantic Ocean in either direction, a record she set on her maiden voyage in July
1952; and
Whereas the SS United States was designed by American naval architect William Francis Gibbs
following the conclusion of World War II, during which conflict Gibbs and his company had designed
more than 70 percent of all American ships deployed; and
Whereas at 990 feet in length, the SS United States is the largest ocean liner ever built entirely
in this country; and
Whereas the SS United States is one of the most graceful ships ever constructed and remains
one of our nation’s finest engineering marvels, with groundbreaking innovations in steam propulsion,
hull form, fire safety and damage control; and
Whereas aside from the RMS Queen Mary, which has been permanently moored in Long Beach,
California, since December 1967, the SS United States is the only ocean liner still afloat that retains
the evocative multi-stack look associated with the most renowned ocean liners in history, including
such notable vessels as the RMS Titanic, the RMS Olympic, the RMS Lusitania and the SS
Normandie; and
NOTE: Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [ italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 4716
A-Eng. SJM 10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Whereas due to a lack of available funding to complete the restoration of the SS United States,
this vital example of American ingenuity is currently in Mobile, Alabama, in preparation for being
transported to Destin, Florida, where she is scheduled to be sunk off Florida’s Gulf Coast and be-
come part of the world’s largest artificial reef; and
Whereas this would be a tragic loss to our nation and its great history, forever robbing future
generations of the chance to experience the SS United States in her full glory; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:
That we, the members of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly, respectfully urge the President
of the United States, the Maritime Administration of the United States Department of Transporta-
tion and the Congress of the United States to purchase the SS United States from Okaloosa County,
Florida, using funds transferred from the United States Department of Defense, designate the SS
United States as a national landmark, restore the SS United States to its full working condition as
soon as is practicable and name the SS United States as the official flagship of our nation; and be
it further
Resolved, That a copy of this memorial shall be sent to the President of the United States, to
the Executive Director of the Maritime Administration of the United States Department of Trans-
portation, to the Senate Majority Leader, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and to
each member of the Oregon Congressional Delegation.
[2]