The SS United States
The SS United States was launched in 1952. She was the latest in post WWII technology and could reach speeds of 38 knots (44 mph). She was the brainchild of William Gibbs, who, in cooperation with the US government designed her hull narrow enough to go through the Panama Canal with a foot to spare on each side. She could carry 15,000 troops faster than any other transport afloat in air conditioned “semi” comfort. For this reason, the design of her propellers were a Cold War secret!
Gibbs had a deep dread of fire at sea and did everything he could to make the ship completely fireproof. It was reported that only two things aboard were made of wood: the grand piano and the butcher’s block.
The Steinway Company built the piano of “fireproof” mahogany, and to test it, the engineers doused it with gasoline and set it ablaze. It didn’t burn!
During the designer’s lifetime, there had been several instances of ships burning and great loss of life, the most noteworthy of which was the Morro Castle, which caught fire and went aground on the beach at Asbury Park, NJ in the late 1930s. This was only 14 miles down the shore from where I grew up, and people came from as far away as New York state, Connecticut and beyond to view the wreck.
Designed to be the fastest liner afloat, Gibbs used the best engineers he could find, including Elaine Kaplan, who designed the ship’s four propellers. She was the first woman to do such a job, which was traditionally done by men. Two of the propellers were four-bladed and two were five-bladed. Kaplan also designed a rudder that would be efficient at high speeds. (One of the problems with the Titanic was that her rudder was so small, she could not turn fast enough to avoid the iceberg.)
Ms. Kaplan would be followed 20 years later by another woman engineer at NASA, Mary Jackson, who designed the rocket nozzles that would put a man on the moon.
The four propellers, and advanced rudder were so versatile that once during a tugboat strike in New York harbor, the United States maneuvered out of her berth at the pier without the aid of tugboats. This was unheard of for a ship this size. You can imagine the tension between the bridge and engine room during this maneuver. Everything depended on clear communication and split-second timing. Although there was a local pilot on board, the captain was ultimately responsible for the safety of the ship and passengers.
During her maiden voyage she traversed the same route as the Queen Mary, then the fastest liner afloat and her main competitor. Departing much later than the Queen, her captain was ordered not to go within five miles of her. The captain decided he was going to retire after that voyage anyway, so with his usual bravado, he passed close aboard, within a mile or so of the Queen, at several knots faster. The Captain of the Queen gave her a salute with a mighty blast of her whistle and the Unites States responded, signaling the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. Her speed record has not been broken even today!
The United States sailed out of New York for most of her career, and I have been aboard her twice. Once in 1952, when my grandfather sailed to Europe aboard her. I was 10 years old, and my mother took my brother and me to see him off. All I remember is being in a living room (stateroom) while the “grown-ups” talked, and I was told to keep quiet (I had just wanted to see the grand piano and butcher’s block … I knew what living rooms looked like).
The other time was in the mid 1960s after she had been converted to a cruise ship. I was in college at the time and the parents of a friend were sailing on her. We went up to attend the “Bon Voyage” party (and get some free drinks). This time I did get to see the grand piano, but after the party was over, we stood on the pier amid the streaming confetti and horn toots from the tugboats. There was a great feeling of emptiness as the mighty ship pulled away and was gone. It was almost as if she had left a hole in the water!
By 1969, jet air travel had become more economically competitive and the great ocean liners were being retired, including the SS United States.
As I write this, the great ship is in deep trouble. She’s moored at a pier in Philadelphia, under an eviction notice. There are several proposals to save her including: turning her into a hotel/museum and conference center similar to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA., reviving her as a cruise ship for the Caribbean, and sinking her to become an artificial reef off Destin, FL. So far, the only offers to buy her come from scrappers who want to cut her up and melt her down for her steel. No one has come up with the financing for any of the other options, and the once proud ship still lies languishing at the pier in Philadelphia.
One thought comes to mind: Can you imagine sinking the Liberty Bell, or tearing down the Washington Monument or scrapping the Statue of Liberty?
For more information about her, check with the SS United States Conservancy at info@ssusc.org.
Photo: courtesy SS United States Conservancy
