(Photo courtesy SS United States Conservancy)
There are many hallmarks of great civilizations, but perhaps none so universal as their desire to push the boundaries of human achievement through innovation. A key source of American pride has always been our ability to dream big. When it comes to ships, there is no more powerful example of this than the SS United States.
“America’s Flagship” was more than a symbol of our nation’s post-war strength and global reach. She remains a singular and unrivaled marine engineering and design achievement.
Curiously, one writer on the pages of this publication (Great Ships and the Ship Designer’s Curse, by Rik van Hemmen) recently felt compelled to claim that the vessel that bears her nation’s name was merely “an emotional fabrication,” “nothing special” and a “white elephant.” The writer also took a gratuitous shot at the ship’s designer William Francis Gibbs, the preeminent American naval architect of his time.