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PowerShips8 • Summer, 2011
The SS UNITED STATES THE LAST QUEEN OF THE U.S. M
n The United States departed on most of her transatlantic voyages during the daylight hours, but in this evocative scene by longtime SSHSA member William G. Muller, the American flagship is making an evening cruise departure from New York in 1963. – Courtesy of William G. Muller, www.williamgmuller.com
www.powerships.com Summer, 2011 • 9
N JUNE 23, 1952, the new superliner United States sailed into her
home port.
New Yorkers lined parks and
streets along the Hudson river giving a boisterous welcome to the ship described
by Life magazine as “a proud present to the Nation on her anniversary of
independence.” From the skyscrapers and high apartment buildings, thousands more
cheered, waved, and tossed streamers.
An uproar of saluting toots, whistle blasts
and sirens from escorting boats and shore
factories filled the air. The slim, trim American beauty made her way up the
river, acknowledging the cheers with a
distinct bellowing baritone roar of her fog
horn. At sea it had a range of three miles.
In the confines of New York Harbor it rattled windows, scared small children
and sent dogs howling. Third Officer John Tucker manned the ship’s horn. “I was blowing enough so I had to listen to what
was being said on the bridge so as not to
interrupt an order.” SHE PROJECTED EVERYTHING that New
Yorkers love—beauty, attitude, style and charisma. Her well-proportioned 53,300 tons stretched along a sleek 990 feet hull, just short of the length of five city blocks. From her keel to the top of her tall red,
white and blue smokestacks, she stood
175 feet, the height of a 12-story building. The clipper bow and low-cut black hull
provided the appearance of a serious rac-
ing machine. Above the hull ran a snow
white, streamlined superstructure.
by Larry Driscoll
UNITED STATES U.S. MERCHANT MARINE
O
PA rT O N eThe Story of the Fastest
Liner from Design & Build
to Departure for Her
Historic maiden Voyage
PowerShips10 • Summer, 2011
n The United States begins to take shape at Shipway No. 10 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. – Newport News Shipbuilding photo.
www.powerships.com Summer, 2011 • 11
A Champion of a ShipTHERE WAS MORE TO THE SHIP THAN good looks; she also generated pride. Commodore Harry manning, the ship’s captain, summed it up, saying, “I stood there and saw the city rising out of the island and the fireboats and escort vessels. The whistles were blowing. I
was seeing the fruition of a dream of forty
years. We American seafarers always looked
out at the great ships of other nations. We
yearned for America to have a ship like that
— not for ourselves to command, necessarily, but for the country. I never believed we
would get one.”1
MANNING’S GREAT SHIP came about from the dream and determination of two men
also on the bridge that morning. Standing
six feet two, broad shouldered in a well-
cut suit, united states Lines CeO John “The General” Franklin beamed with pride, enjoying every minute of the warm
reception. He had fulfilled a dream inherited from his father – building an American
superliner capable of challenging British
and Europeans for the prize for speed on the
Atlantic Ocean, the Blue Riband.
OVER IN THE PORT SIDE of the wheelhouse, sitting in the skipper’s chair the ship’s creator and architect William Francis Gibbs maintained an outwardly
calm and taciturn appearance. In contrast
to Franklin he wore a rumpled blue suit,
brown fedora and an old raincoat. If he
felt any satisfaction at having designed
a passenger ship that would outrun
anything afloat, naval or merchant, no one knew it. Gibbs kept his emotions
tightly locked behind a deadpan façade.
OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS the captain, general, architect, and their new superliner
United States would make maritime history. They would show the world that Americans
could build and sail world-class ships.
The GeneralJOHN M. FRANKLIN EARNED THE RANK OF major general in World War II for his
services as head of Marine Operations in
the Army Transportation Corps. In 1946 he returned to civilian life, resuming his
role as CEO of United States Lines. The
frank, short-spoken and often brutally
direct Franklin ran the company in a no-
nonsense command and control military
style leading rank and file employees to refer to him as “The General.”FRANKLIN GREW UP in the shipping busi-
ness where his father, Philip, rose from shipping clerk to president of J.P. mor-gan’s shipping conglomerate, the Inter-national Mercantile Marine. One of the
subsidiaries included the White Star Line
and the Titanic. When the Titanic hit an iceberg, Philip Franklin was the front man
for the combine. The younger Franklin
would never forget his father’s anguish over the loss of life.
NEITHER THE DISASTER nor its impact on Phillip Franklin dissuaded his son from following him into the shipping
business. In 1936 he succeeded his father as president of United States
Lines, the American flag carrier on the North Atlantic. The relatively new and
popular Manhattan and Washington and an aging Leviathan provided service to and from Europe.
n Crowds of invited guests and shipyard workers gather for the naming ceremony on June 23, 1951.– Newport News Shipbuilding photo.
n An early artist’s rendering of the United States depicting her with an after mast, enclosed bridge wings, and a more rounded forward superstructure. – Jack Shaum Collection
PowerShips12 • Summer, 2011
A Quest to CompeteNEITHER OF THESE NEW SHIPS COULD compete in size, speed or glamour with
the superliners of the day. Displacing
slightly more than 24,000 tons, they were dwarfed by the 82,000-ton Normandie or 81,000-ton Queen Mary.IN 1939 he collaborated with Gibbs
in the construction of the 35,400-ton America. The new ship would be a prototype for the future superliner.
AFTER SERVING AS A TROOPSHIP in World War II, a refurbished America returned to passenger service in 1946. She proved to be a popular ship with
bookings far exceeding space. Franklin
concluded that passenger demand would
remain strong over the next twenty years
despite encroaching airline competition.
The company needed to order a new
ship. Or should he order two ships? Two
ships provided a safe practical profitable option. They would be “moderately” sized passenger ships, slightly larger than
the America. With the engineering and shipbuilding advances made in World
War II, the new ships could be as fast as
the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, yet more economical, requiring less fuel and manpower. With the speed of the Queens, the new ships would team up to provide
weekly service to and from Europe, a
distinct business advantage.
THE MORE DARING PROPOSAL involved building one large superliner, a ship with
the passenger capacity of the Queens
and a speed far exceeding that of the
Cunard liners.
Nothing but the BestNO LONGER CONTENT with building runner-up ocean liners, Franklin
discarded the practical approach; he wanted a ship that would be nothing less
than the “greatest ship in the world.” In the late 1940s big, luxurious and fast passenger ships were still national status
symbols and Franklin wanted one for
his company and his country. For U.S.
Lines, the new ship would be a move up
from the minor to the major leagues of
international shipping. For the country it
would restore to the American Merchant
Marine a level of prestige not seen since
n The United States at dusk lying alongside a berth at the Newport News shipyard. – Newport News Shipbuilding photo.
www.powerships.com Summer, 2011 • 13
the days of the sailing clipper ships. He viewed the new ship as nothing less than
a representation of the American way of
life, an arm of national defense and even
an instrument of foreign policy. He knew that profits would take the back seat. “We don’t believe that a great deal of money can be made out of building and
operating such a ship. We are anxious to
do it from a patriotic point of view.” 2
BIG DREAMS don’t come cheaply and with a staggering price tag of nearly $78
million, $625 million in 2010 dollars, Franklin quickly turned to the federal government for help and was welcomed
with open arms. This occurred despite
the efforts of the Cunard Line to
torpedo the project through back door
naval engineering in World War II landed
him on the cover of Time magazine. ON MARCH 5, 1946, Franklin outlined
his requirements to Gibbs and his brother Frederic, telling them, “We will have to rejuvenate our passenger
service. We must have an outstanding
ship that the public can get behind—a sort of mythical flagship of our fleet.” Franklin demanded that it be fast, at least 33 knots; of the same quality as the America; have accommodations for 2,000 passengers; and be able to make a round trip across the Atlantic
every two weeks. In addition,
the ship needed to meet U.S.
Navy specifications.
lobbying. Congress, the U.S. Maritime
Commission, and the u.s. Navy quickly signed on, agreeing to pick up 75 percent
of the cost. The money would come with
a significant stipulation; the ship’s design had to be suitable for quick conversion to a troopship.
The Architect
TO DESIGN THE FINEST SHIP AFLOAT, Franklin called on the best naval and
marine architects, the firm of Gibbs & Cox. Strangely enough, principal William
Francis Gibbs was not a naval architect.
However, a love of ships, skill and sheer determination made the self-taught Gibbs
the world’s foremost designer of naval and merchant ships. His contributions to
PowerShips14 • Summer, 2011
IT WAS A TALL ORDER for any naval architect. Gibbs told the General “he would go away and cogitate”—hardly necessary, considering that he had
dreamed of building such a ship for
at least 30 years and had worked on preliminary plans since 1943. GIBBS’ MOTIVATION for building what
he called “The big ship” was also patriotic. A firm believer in American free enterprise and know-how, he took
offense with the country’s inability to build and sail passenger ships that could
compete with superliners from England
and Europe.
Fast, Luxurious and BigGIBBS AND HIS TEAM QUICKLY WENT TO work on the challenge of creating a
luxury ocean liner that would be over
50,000 tons, with the swiftness of a speed-boat, and able to be quickly converted from luxury ship to a 14,000-person troopship. This would be a revolutionary
ship, breaking the mold of traditional
naval design, a Gibbs specialty. The big
challenges would be designing a new hull
to control roll and pitch, and harnessing
the tremendous power and torque while minimizing vibrations.
MASTERING the twin challenges of stability and high speed without vibrations had been
an elusive task. On westbound passages
into a heavy head sea, the Queen Mary would pitch, driving her bow down into the waves,
which would run up the forecastle and
crash into the promenade deck windows
— already boarded up for safety in heavy weather. On the return voyage, in a mild
following sea, she rolled with an awkward
gait. In heavy swells there were times when
passengers would wonder whether she’d right herself or carry on with the roll and capsize.
THE FRENCH LINER Normandie initially suffered from excessive vibration to the point
where water glasses were never more than
half-filled in the Café Grill, to prevent the saturation of tablecloths. The North Carolina and the Washington, the Navy’s new 35,000-ton high-speed battleships, had such severe
longitudinal vibrations that they couldn’t operate at full speed during sea trials.3
Blending Old and New Design ConceptsGIBBS SELECTED THE BASIC DESIGN FORMULA used for clipper sailing ships, combining
maximum driving power with the lightest
displacement and a long slim hull. For
driving power, he selected a compact steam
propulsion system that minimized weight
while providing shaft horsepower exceeding
any large vessel of the day. Into the hull
went every technological advance the Navy
could afford. To reduce friction, the hull
was welded rather than riveted, then sanded
by hand. To reduce weight, Gibbs used
aluminum for the superstructure.
THE NAVY HAD FINAL SAY on what went into the ship. In any luxury-versus-defense
dispute over design, defense won. Interiors
were fireproof and lightweight, with wood limited to the piano and butcher
block. even the orchestra leader’s batons were aluminum, prompting one cynical
reporter to ask how many ship fires were set off with orchestra batons. Despite
these limitations, the interior design team
of Anne urquart and Dorothy markwald managed to disguise the defense features
and create a ship that was more luxury
liner than troopship.
n The knife-like bow and sleek forward hull of the United States that helped make her the speed queen she was. – Newport News Shipbuilding photo.
www.powerships.com Summer, 2011 • 15
Shipbuilding CurmudgeonON APRIL 7, 1949 THE CONTRACT FOR THE construction of the United States went to the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry
Dock Company in Virginia. Gibbs would
oversee all phases of construction, com-
muting to Newport News from his New
York office. Describing himself as not ex-actly the chummy type, “underneath this dour exterior beats a heart of stone,” he said. Gibbs cultivated his role as the cur-
mudgeon with shipbuilders. Wearing dark
clothing, steel rimmed glasses and a spare
severe look, the somber Gibbs stalked
about the shipyard haunting the place
and earning the nickname of “undertak-er.” With his relentless attention to detail, demand for perfection and reputation for
being able to talk for five minutes using only four-letter words, Gibbs became the
scourge of the shipyard.
HE ENJOYED every minute of it. At one point, lying on the United States’ half-fin-ished deck, he remarked to a friend “boy, don’t we have fun.” BUT STILL, HE WORRIED. The extent to
which his designs were “pushing the enve-lope” weighed heavily on him. even as the
master, the one who’d made the toughest decision of them all—the ship’s dimen-sions—Gibbs could be found brooding around the half-built United States, his mind filled with the question, “Am I right?”4
Going to Sea for the First TimeTHE FIRST TEST OF HIS DESIGN CAME OVER five days that ended on June 10, 1952. In the official speed trials, the United States’ measured speed was 38.32 knots, or 44 land miles per hour at a trial displacement
of 39,900 tons. she also made 20 knots astern at full astern power during the
official trials. she did it without trouble-some vibrations. The razor-sharp bow
cut through heavy seas without splashing
water over the decks. Later, Gibbs would
get a kick out of showing visitors a film of the ship’s bow cutting through waves that ran as high as 50 feet. beaming, he would tell a visitor “Look at that! The only thing coming over the bow is spray—not a bit of green water!”5
EXCEPT for some overheated bearings that were corrected, the ship met and in
many instances exceeded specifications.THE SHIP’S SECOND TEST came at 6:02
A.M. on sunday, June 22, when she departed Newport News for her delivery
trip to New York. On board were 1,200 VIP passengers including the travel press. Passenger reviews were positive on seaworthiness and comfort. The interiors,
however, received mixed reviews.
Passing MusterSHIPPING NEWS REPORTERS LOVED ALL aspects of the United States, describing the interiors as modern, functional luxury,
befitting a superb sailing machine. Travel journalists looking for opulence
were more critical, finding the ship lacked warmth and graciousness. To
those expecting the baronial splendor of
European ships, the interior design team
of Dorothy markwald and Anne urquart were quick to point out that they were on an American ship where simplicity,
harmony and good taste prevailed. Gibbs
put it more bluntly “The United States is a ship, not an ancient inn with beams and
plaster walls.”ONE IMPORTANT PART drew passenger
attention, as described by maritime
historian Gordon r. Ghareeb. “One of the most original spaces designed was the
n The United States runs her sea trials off the Virginia coast prior to acceptance by United States Lines. – Newport News Shipbuilding photo.
PowerShips16 • Summer, 2011
INTERIORS:Renderings to Reality
This early large format brochure featured design
renderings that provide an interesting comparison
to photos of the same spaces
The Tourist Class
Smoking Room was a fine example of contemporary American interior design. – Everett E. Viez Collection, SSHSA Archives.
The First Class Dining Room The sculpture “Expressions of Freedom” on the arched wall was a well-known fixture that is only suggested in the sketch.
Images from Jack Shaum Collection except where noted.
www.powerships.com Summer, 2011 • 17
Tourist Class State Room Tourist Class staterooms included two lower beds and some, like this one, also had a Pullman-style upper berth that could fold into the bulkhead.
First Class State Room The photo from a later brochure gives a significantly different impression of the typical first class accommodation than does the sketch.
Cabin Class State Rooms advertised “all the comforts of home” and included private showers and facilities.
PowerShips18 • Summer, 2011
uniquely American Design n The interior decoration of the United States was uniquely American. (Above) A portion of the Navajo Lounge with its Native American motif. (Below) The clean mid-century modern decor of the Observation Lounge. – Everett E. Viez Collection, SSHSA Archives.
www.powerships.com Summer, 2011 • 19
cabin class dining room. Midnight blue
walls were relieved by backlit aluminum
sculptures portraying the seasons, stars
and constellations. The representation
of Taurus the Bull proved a twinge too
graphic for the sedate postwar code of
modesty that still dominated society.
It seemed that the prominent male
genitalia of the well-endowed aluminum
bovine caught the eye of several guests
… most notably George Horne, The New York Times’ shipping news editor, who took the matter of common decency all
the way up to William Francis Gibbs.
Overriding objections (from the artist
and decorators), the oblivious steer was unceremoniously emasculated, and
the severed appendage delivered to the
Times’ shipping news room affixed to a mahogany plaque.”6
IN NEW YORK CITY U.S. Lines hosted a series of VIP dinners and receptions. more than 70,000 New Yorkers stood in line to tour the ship—the largest crowd ever recorded for new ship visits. All
would go well, except for the rat that
scattered VIP dancers as it ran across the ballroom floor, and a burst high-pressure pipe that soaked some of the 20,000 visitors lucky enough to make it on board.
Racing for the Blue Riband GIBBS KNEW HE HAD DESIGNED A FAST SHIP, however the Queens’ top speed remained a secret. They were both capable of more
speed than the record Queen Mary set in 1938, an average crossing at 31.69 knots. Shipping circles in London believed the
Queen Mary could do 34 knots without a strain. The Queen Elizabeth had never challenged the Mary’s record run. Men who sailed aboard the Queen Elizabeth in her wartime days believed she bettered
35 knots. The Cunard Line advertised both ships as the “fastest ocean service in the world,” and the british, who were cheering for the home team, were
looking forward to the line mounting a
challenge to the American upstart. They
were encouraged by reports that the
Queen Elizabeth had reached 34 knots on a recent crossing and by a statement from
her Captain, Commander Cove, “That it would be a good idea to have his ship
make a ‘memorable voyage.’”7
IN A MEETING with Captain Manning and U.S. Lines executives a year before
the maiden voyage, Gibbs outlined his
racing strategy. “under no circumstances should you beat the record by very much.
Beat it by a reasonable amount, such as
32 knots,” he said, telling them to hold back until they (Cunard) come out with a faster ship, then beat her.8
A Record First Crossing?GIBBS’ OTHER CONCERN INVOLVED PUSHING the ship and crew too hard on the first crossing. “No attempt to operate at high speed should be made until the crew has
been thoroughly broken in,” he said.THE SCUTTLEBUTT circulating around
u.s. Lines headquarters at One Broadway concerned the similarities
between the maiden voyages of the Titanic and the United States. Each called for
n (Above) The Cabin Class Lounge included a dance floor for dancing to live music. (Below) Snow-white linen and specially created china and silver contributed to the air of elegance in the First Class Dining Room. – Everett E. Viez Collection, SSHSA Archives.
PowerShips20 • Summer, 2011
S.S. United States: Partial Deck Plan
www.powerships.com Summer, 2011 • 21
PowerShips22 • Summer, 2011
About the Author
LARRY DRISCOLL is a retired school administrator turned maritime author. Living in France in the 1950s he crossed the Atlantic as a passenger on the America and United States. Fond
memories of the great ships of the United States Lines led to the development of a web site http://united-states-lines.org/ and a book, S.S. America, U.S.S. West Point, S.S. Australis-The Many Lives of a
Great Ship. He is currently writing a book on the United States and invites anyone with information or stories on the ship to contact him at [email protected].
speed; each had her naval architects and owners’ families on board. Vincent Astor, U.S. Lines director, major stockholder
and maiden voyage passenger, had lost
his father on the Titanic. STILL HAUNTED by his father’s anguish
over the sinking of the Titanic and annoyed by staff comparisons of his
new ship to the ill-fated voyage, Franklin
called a meeting of key players two
days before the maiden voyage. In the
board room surrounded by company
officers, a secretary and a notary public, he asked Captain Manning and Chief
Engineer William Kaiser if the ship could
convincingly break the record eastbound
and westbound. The two could barely
contain their excitement and answered
with an exuberant “Yes, sir!” Then Franklin lowered the boom.
“I WANT to make one thing perfectly clear. The complete safety of the
passengers and the ship is our number
one priority. You will shut her down if you encounter heavy weather or
fog.”9 The secretary transcribed the conversation and signatures were
affixed. Documents were notarized and placed in the company vault. In the
event the ship encountered disaster,
Franklin’s instructions were to remove the transcript from the vault and make it
public. He would not allow u.s. Lines to be placed in an irresponsible position.10
July 3, 1952
IN THE EARLY MORNING OF JULY 3, WHITE-jacketed porters were busy waxing and
buffing, removing scuffmarks left by the 20,000 sightseers. AFTER THE MEETING with Franklin,
Chief Engineer Kaiser had his doubts
that the maiden voyage would be a record
breaker. Aside from the North Atlantic’s unpredictable weather, his 138-man crew’s preparation had been less than thorough.
“IT WAS NOT UNTIL JUNE 20 that United States Lines took over the ship [and] my
boys got a chance to try their own hand.
With thousands of valves, dials, gauges and
gadgets to learn in less than two weeks, the
gang was going to have no picnic.” His
boss, the superintending engineer, told him
to go easy, saying, “she’s designed for a scheduled 30 knots, bill.”11 CAPTAIN MANNING gave no indication
of beating the Queen Mary. “I have been instructed to keep the schedule. It is a
generally accepted principle to break a
ship in like a motorcar. The main thing is
safety.”12 PASSENGERS STARTED boarding at 8 A.M.
and by 10 A.M. the bon voyage parties were in full swing from bow to stern. The
good times were rolling in the Upper
Deck home of the Franklins, Gibbs, and
President Truman’s daughter margaret. society columnist Nan Hatton described the celebration as going down in the
social annals as one of the few occasions
when café society, the old guard and the international set all assembled to sip,
rub elbows and crane necks. The noises
generated by the popping of champagne
corks and photographers’ flashbulbs made it sound more like the fourth than the
third of July.”
SOURCES
1 The New York Times, July 13, 1952.2 The Herald Tribune, June 22 1952.3 Marine Technology, Vol 15, No. 2, April
1978.4 The Love Affair of William Francis Gibbs
by Austin Smith, Fortune, August 1957.5 Profile: The New Yorker, June 1964.6 A Woman’s Touch: The Seagoing Interiors of
Dorothy Marckwald, Gordon Ghareeb.7 The New York Times, July 4, 1952.8 The Big Ship, Frank O. Braynard, The
mariner’s museum, p. 82.9 Recollections of My Life by John
merryman Franklin, p. 76.10 Recollections of My Life by John
Merryman Franklin, p. 77.
11 Power for a Winner, by William Kaiser, p. 99.12 The Journal of Commerce, July 4, 1952.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc. wishes to thank H.E. Buttelmann, P.E., former President and CEO of Gibbs and Cox, who knows the ship intimately, for his review and valuable input on various technical matters.
PArT TWOFALL 2011 PowerShips Winning the Blue Riband
& The Glory Years of the 1950s
PArT THreeWINTER 2011 PowerShips Troubled Times: 1960s to Present Day efforts at Preservation & Hope for the Future
The Story of
the United States Continues...