United States Lines:  A sales kit from 1979 issued by developer Richard Hadley to sell memberships to fund the recommissioning of the S.S. UNITED STATES. 

Hadley bought the superliner in the late 1970s with grand plans to make her into a modern cruise ship a la the FRANCE/NORWAY.  In this scheme, investors would buy memberships in the "UNITED STATES Cruising Society" which would entitle them to discounted voyages. 

A twenty-page deluxe brochure promotes Hadley's vision.  The opening page shows an American flag with the brightly painted ship emerging from behind an onion skin sheet.  "The Greatest Ship Ever Built" proclaims the headline.  The next few pages extol the history of the UNITED STATES and include a nice montage of vintage interior photos and a picture of the ship at launch.  The text spells out Hadley's plans - two outside swimming pools, a 22,000 square foot shopping center, restoration of the former First Class Dining Room and the addition of 5 more restaurants, and a reduction of passenger loads to accommodation all one class.  Sprinkled throughout are sample cabin photos. 

 
A shocker is a photo showing the proposed red, white, and blue livery, complete with a massive eagle near the bow that looks like it was plucked straight off a postal service truck.

More brochures are tucked in a back pocket.  A fold-out "Stateroom Plans" show lay-outs of eight cabins while the flip side contains six color photos of sample cabins.  While shot onboard, most furnishings look straight out of the hotel supply catalog.  It is jarring to see an original, circular Duck Suite table next to Holiday Inn-esque chrome and velour side chairs.  A separate sheet shows the lay-outs of the Commodore's and Admiral's suites. 

A fold-out brochure provides an overview of ports-to-be-visited and another view of the postal truck-esque UNITED STATES.

Alas, this scheme did not work.

Excellent condition.

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