On 2 March 2010 the SS United States Conservancy stated that the steamship United States was in imminent danger of being bought by scrappers. The vessel, which still holds the transatlantic speed record, may soon be destroyed. Bids for purchase of the ship by scrappers are being collected by NCL this month.

The current owners of the vessel, Genting Hong Kong (formerly Star Cruises Limited), through its subsidiary, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), listed the vessel for sale in February 2009 but have not announced a purchaser to date.

There has been acute interest in the ship by scrapping companies. While NCL  offered the Conservancy first right of refusal on a sale of the vessel in 2009, the Conservancy has not been in a financial position to purchase the ship outright. The organisation has been working to lay the groundwork for a public-private partnership that can save the ship and sustain her into the future.

The Conservancy understands that Genting and NCL are reluctant to continue covering the significant costs associated with maintaining the vessel in its current berth in Philadelphia and appreciates the good care the vessel has received since being purchased by NCL in 2003 with the stated intentions of returning the ship to seagoing service.

The Conservancy has begun discussions with NCL with the intent of covering some of the fees associated with maintaining the ship in Philadelphia as it finalises plans for turning the ship into a stationary attraction on a large metropolitan waterfront.

The Conservancy's new national campaign is Save Our Ship and offers a ‘Plank Owner' certificate for tax-deductible donations of at least $25 via its new donor website: http://www.ssusplankowner.org/.