When the only way to travel across the ocean was by ship, ocean liners were the reigning monarchs of the seas. In 1952, America completed their own crown jewel, the SS United States. She became famous for her speed, safety, and impeccable service; an icon of patriotic mid-century pride.;xNLx;;xNLx;After being taken out of service in 1969, she waited. While her rivals and running mates met their fates, the United States sat with an uncertain future and fell into obscurity.;xNLx;;xNLx;Since 2011, the SS United States Conservancy has owned the ship of state, helping her become an icon once again. Read her story, learn her significance, then help the cause at ssusc.org.
The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company is founded by Collis Porter Huntington on the lower peninsula in Virginia. It becomes a major shipbuilding and repair port for the East Coast. Hull #1 was a tugboat, Dorothy, now preserved on land by the company's main gate.
The Blue Riband was the award for the fastest westbound crossing for a passenger ship across the Atlantic. Due to differing voyage lengths, the award is based off average voyage speed. Before the SS United States, the last American ship that won the Blue Riband was the Baltic in 1854.
William Francis Gibbs, the designer of the SS United States, is born in Philadelphia.
6 days, 4 hours, 12 minutes. 19.22 knots. Cunard line. England.
6 days, 1 hour, 55 minutes. 19.56 knots. Cunard Line. England
5 days, 23 hours, 7 minutes. 19.95 knots. Inman Line. England.
5 days, 18 hours, 8 minutes. 20.1 knots. White Star Line. England.
5 days, 16 hours, 31 minutes. 20.35 knots. White Star Line. England.
5 days, 15 hours, 58 minutes. 20.48 knots. Inman Line. England.
5 days, 15 hours, 37 minutes. 21.12 knots. Cunard Line. England.
5 days, 8 hours, 38 minutes. 21.65 knots. Cunard Line. England.
The SS St. Louis is launched in Philadelphia. An 8-year-old William Francis Gibbs is in the crowd watching, beginning his interest in ships.
5 days, 20 hours, 0 minutes. 22.29 knots. Norddeutscher Lloyd. Germany. (While it took longer than the previous Riband holder, the Kaiser's journey was longer and the average speed was faster.)
5 days, 12 hours, 29 minutes. 23.06 knots. Hamburg Amerika Line. Germany.
5 days, 11 hours, 57 minutes. 23.09 knots. Norddeutscher Lloyd. Germany.
5 days, 11 hours, 54 minutes. 23.15 knots. Hamburg Amerika Line. Germany.
4 days, 19 hours, 52 minutes. 25.65 knots. Cunard Line. England.
4 days, 10 hours, 51 minutes. 26.06 knots. Cunard Line. England.
William Francis Gibbs attends Columbia Law School. After graduating, he tries his hand at real estate law. He soon quits and goes into to ship design.
Touted as "unsinkable," the RMS Titanic of the White Star Line sinks on her maiden voyage. Due to many lapses in safety, including not enough lifeboats, there is a great loss of life. As a result, there are many new safety measures put in place that still exist to this day.
William Francis Gibbs designs a 1,000-foot liner to smash the transatlantic record. Any plans are discontinued after the US enters WWI.
The German-built SS Vaterland was seized by the United States at their introduction into WWI after sitting in New York for a few years. Renamed the USS Leviathan, she was used as a troopship ferrying soldiers to and fro the Atlantic. After the war, the Gibbs Brothers helped design her refit for passenger service. A large portion of the work was done at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company yard.
United States Lines is founded on August 27, 1921.
William Francis and Frederic Herbert Gibbs form Gibbs Bros., a naval architecture firm.
SS Malolo, the first liner built from William Francis Gibbs' design, is launched. Gibbs designs her with advanced safety standards that raises the bar for all subsequently built liners. On her sea trials, she collides with the freighter SS Jacob Christiansen. Thanks to her safety features, she is able to not sink and limp back to New York City.
William Francis Gibbs marries Vera Cravath Larkin. Their wedding announcement in the New York Times was rather unusual: "Guests arriving at the home of Mrs. Cravath Larkin at 405 Park Avenue last night in response to invitations for dinner were informed that Mrs. Larkin had been secretly married during the day to William Francis Gibbs, marine engineer, and would not be present. The news was a complete surprise."
The Gibbs Bros. becomes Gibbs & Cox, when Daniel Cox joins the firm. He retires in 1943, but the name is kept.
4 days, 17 hours, 42 minutes. 27.83 knots. Norddeutscher Lloyd Line. Germany.
4 days, 17 hours, 6 minutes. 27.91 knots. Norddeutscher Lloyd Line. Germany.
The SS Manhattan, the first ship to be purpose-built for United States Lines, is launched.
4 days, 16 hours, 48 minutes. 27.92 knots. Norddeutscher Lloyd. Germany.
4 days, 13 hours, 58 minutes. 28.92 knots. Italia Line. Italy.
4 days, 3 hours, 2 minutes. 29.98 knots. Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. France.
The USS Mahan, first warship designed by William Francis Gibbs, is launched. Gibbs was instrumental in giving her higher-pressure boilers that increased her fuel efficiency. In 1944, she is sunk by friendly fire prevent the Japanese Navy from capturing her.
4 days, 0 hours, 27 minutes. 30.14 knots. Cunard-White Star Line. England.
3 days, 23 hours, 2 minutes. 30.58 knots. Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. France.
William Francis Gibbs designs a fireboat named Fire Fighter. She could pump 20,000 gallons of water per minute. The boat was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. In 2001, she helped during the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Towers. Finally retired in 2010, she is now used as a museum ship.
3 days, 21 hours, 48 minutes. 30.99 knots. Cunard-White Star Line. England.
Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth is launched. Due to fear of German bombings, she made a secret maiden voyage to New York in March 1940. She was converted into a troopship and helped out the war effort. She finally entered passenger liner service in 1946 and became a running mate to the Queen Mary. Both Queens are credited with shortening the war length. Their massive cost for transporting American troops across the Atlantic also inspired the US to create a superliner of their own.
The SS America, designed by Gibbs & Cox for United States Lines, is launched. Many of the same naval architects and engineers who worked on her would go on to help design the SS United States.
After less than two years of passenger service, the SS America is called to serve in the US Navy. She is renamed the USS West Point, and is converted into a troopship in 11 days. Her exterior is painted a camouflage gray.
While being refit as a troopship, the French liner Normandie catches fire at her New York pier on February 9th. Due to the amount of water that was sprayed into her, she capsizes the next day. After she is fully righted again in September 1943, plans are made to transform her into a aircraft carrier. These plans fall through when the cost is too expensive. She is scrapped in 1947. While the Normandie had an excellent fire system, it had been turned off during the conversion. The Normandie's fire disaster spurs William Francis Gibbs to seek better fire safety measures.
William Francis Gibbs is on the cover of TIME magazine. The article on him inside discusses him and his achievements in ship design. Almost 75% of the ships used for America in World War II are from his company.
Raytheon patents the microwave oven. The first liner to use microwaves was the SS United States.
William Francis Gibbs shows General John M. Franklin of United States Lines "Design 12201" (Later, the SS United States)
After a successful war career, the USS West Point returns to United States Lines to be converted back into the SS America. She carried approximately 450,000 soldiers across the seas.
Gibbs & Cox unveils the model of their planned superliner to go against the British Queens.
The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company wins the bid to build Gibbs & Cox's new superliner for $67,350,000 in 1,218 work days. The ship will be called hull number 488 until a name for the ocean liner is announced. Part of the cost is paid by government subsidy.
Hull Number 488 is formally announced to be named SS United States.
The keel of the SS United States is laid in Slip #10 at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia.
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