S.S. United States, In Memoriam (1949-2024) | Channel Markers

In this episode, we get up to speed on the career of SS United States, from its beginning as a dream of naval architect William Francis Gibbs and her record-breaking year of 1952, through the glory years and all the way to the 2024 court decision that could bring her history as a ship to an abrupt end. Built in the early 1950s for United States Lines, she is the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the US. She still holds the coveted Blue Riband for the highest average speed by an ocean liner crossing the Atlantic in either direction, setting records for the eastbound and westbound trips on her maiden and first return voyages in 1952, respectively, unseating the majestic RMS Queen Mary. The United States was designed by American naval architect Gibbs, and in wartime could have been quickly converted into a high-speed troopship if required by the US Navy. For 17 years the ship served as an icon for the nation, America's flagship, transporting numerous dignitaries, officials, and celebrities throughout her career, until 1969. Her design included numerous innovations in propulsion, hull form, fire safety, and damage control, and in the 21st Century major companies and starry-eyed dreamers continued to explore both traditional and unusual ways to return her to service. Sadly, none of these ideas worked, and instead the ship has languished on the Philadelphia waterfront. As we write, her conservators are engaged in a legal battle for her future.

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Image Sources: US National Archives, US Naval Institute, Naval History & Heritage Command, World of Warships, and SS United States Conservancy

For further reading, please see Steven Ujifusa, A Man and His Ship: America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the S.S. United States (NY: Simon & Schuster, 2012).

Channel Markers, Ep. 8 | "And Gibbs Wept"