diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj b/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
index 3883f16742c..ff791863cd8 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
@@ -1145,9 +1145,6 @@
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\resbund.cpp">
 			</File>
-			<File
-				RelativePath=".\resbund_cnv.cpp">
-			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\unicode\resbund.h">
 				<FileConfiguration
@@ -1167,6 +1164,9 @@
 						Outputs="..\..\include\unicode\$(InputFileName)"/>
 				</FileConfiguration>
 			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\resbund_cnv.cpp">
+			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\ucat.c">
 			</File>
@@ -1453,9 +1453,6 @@
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\uniset.cpp">
 			</File>
-			<File
-				RelativePath=".\uniset_props.cpp">
-			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\unicode\uniset.h">
 				<FileConfiguration
@@ -1475,6 +1472,9 @@
 						Outputs="..\..\include\unicode\$(InputFileName)"/>
 				</FileConfiguration>
 			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\uniset_props.cpp">
+			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\uprops.c">
 			</File>
@@ -1733,15 +1733,6 @@
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\unistr.cpp">
 			</File>
-			<File
-				RelativePath=".\unistr_case.cpp">
-			</File>
-			<File
-				RelativePath=".\unistr_cnv.cpp">
-			</File>
-			<File
-				RelativePath=".\unistr_props.cpp">
-			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\unicode\unistr.h">
 				<FileConfiguration
@@ -1761,6 +1752,15 @@
 						Outputs="..\..\include\unicode\$(InputFileName)"/>
 				</FileConfiguration>
 			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\unistr_case.cpp">
+			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\unistr_cnv.cpp">
+			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\unistr_props.cpp">
+			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\unicode\urep.h">
 				<FileConfiguration
@@ -1783,6 +1783,9 @@
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\ustr_cnv.c">
 			</File>
+			<File
+				RelativePath=".\ustr_cnv.h">
+			</File>
 			<File
 				RelativePath=".\ustr_imp.h">
 			</File>
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/ucnv_bld.c b/icu4c/source/common/ucnv_bld.c
index 23b0be02c88..71276618736 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/ucnv_bld.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/ucnv_bld.c
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
 
 #include "unicode/udata.h"
 #include "unicode/ucnv.h"
-#include "unicode/ucnv_err.h"
 #include "unicode/uloc.h"
 #include "utracimp.h"
 #include "ucnv_io.h"
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@
 #include "cstring.h"
 #include "cmemory.h"
 #include "ucln_cmn.h"
-#include "ustr_imp.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 
 
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/unistr_cnv.cpp b/icu4c/source/common/unistr_cnv.cpp
index cd3b5e575d3..47b0cd15e5e 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/unistr_cnv.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/unistr_cnv.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "unicode/ustring.h"
 #include "unicode/unistr.h"
 #include "unicode/ucnv.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 #include "ustr_imp.h"
 
 U_NAMESPACE_BEGIN
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/ures_cnv.c b/icu4c/source/common/ures_cnv.c
index b7de00161a3..530222bc02f 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/ures_cnv.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/ures_cnv.c
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 #include "unicode/ustring.h"
 #include "unicode/ucnv.h"
 #include "unicode/ures.h"
-#include "ustr_imp.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 
 U_CAPI UResourceBundle * U_EXPORT2
 ures_openU(const UChar *myPath, 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/ustr_cnv.c b/icu4c/source/common/ustr_cnv.c
index 4c7dee11987..a0537e607c9 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/ustr_cnv.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/ustr_cnv.c
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 #include "cstring.h"
 #include "cmemory.h"
 #include "umutex.h"
-#include "ustr_imp.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 
 /* mutexed access to a shared default converter ----------------------------- */
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/ustr_cnv.h b/icu4c/source/common/ustr_cnv.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..942b4c64179
--- /dev/null
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/ustr_cnv.h
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/*  
+**********************************************************************
+*   Copyright (C) 1999-2004, International Business Machines
+*   Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
+**********************************************************************
+*   file name:  ustr_cnv.h
+*   encoding:   US-ASCII
+*   tab size:   8 (not used)
+*   indentation:4
+*
+*   created on: 2004Aug27
+*   created by: George Rhoten
+*/
+
+#ifndef USTR_CNV_IMP_H
+#define USTR_CNV_IMP_H
+
+#include "unicode/utypes.h"
+#include "unicode/ucnv.h"
+
+#if !UCONFIG_NO_CONVERSION
+
+/**
+ * Get the default converter. This is a commonly used converter
+ * that is used for the ustring and UnicodeString API.
+ * Remember to use the u_releaseDefaultConverter when you are done.
+ * @internal
+ */
+U_CAPI UConverter* U_EXPORT2
+u_getDefaultConverter(UErrorCode *status);
+
+
+/**
+ * Release the default converter to the converter cache.
+ * @internal
+ */
+U_CAPI void U_EXPORT2
+u_releaseDefaultConverter(UConverter *converter);
+
+#endif
+
+#endif
diff --git a/icu4c/source/io/ufmt_cmn.c b/icu4c/source/io/ufmt_cmn.c
index 12fc7cb87f9..855f1475b7e 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/io/ufmt_cmn.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/io/ufmt_cmn.c
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 #include "ufmt_cmn.h"
 #include "unicode/uchar.h"
 #include "unicode/ucnv.h"
-#include "ustr_imp.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 
 #define DIGIT_0     0x0030
 #define DIGIT_9     0x0039
diff --git a/icu4c/source/io/uscanf_p.c b/icu4c/source/io/uscanf_p.c
index ff979eee607..17e981387bc 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/io/uscanf_p.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/io/uscanf_p.c
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
 #include "locbund.h"
 
 #include "cmemory.h"
-#include "ustr_imp.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 
 /* flag characters for u_scanf */
 #define FLAG_ASTERISK 0x002A
diff --git a/icu4c/source/io/ustream.cpp b/icu4c/source/io/ustream.cpp
index 1bdc4a27d72..2a547ad47e4 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/io/ustream.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/io/ustream.cpp
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 #include "unicode/ustream.h"
 #include "unicode/ucnv.h"
 #include "unicode/uchar.h"
-#include "ustr_imp.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 #include <string.h>
 
 // console IO
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/cctest.c b/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/cctest.c
index fb4d607bddc..c7085a12b6a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/cctest.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/cintltst/cctest.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #include "unicode/ucnv_err.h"
 
 #include "cintltst.h"
-#include "ustr_imp.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 void TestDefaultConverterError(void); /* keep gcc happy */
 
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/iotest/iotest.cpp b/icu4c/source/test/iotest/iotest.cpp
index d8952e7191a..816efde2de8 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/iotest/iotest.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/iotest/iotest.cpp
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 #include "unicode/uchar.h"
 #include "unicode/unistr.h"
 #include "unicode/ustring.h"
-#include "ustr_imp.h"
+#include "ustr_cnv.h"
 #include "iotest.h"
 #include "unicode/tstdtmod.h"