|
The summer edition of the National Maritime Historical Society's Sea History magazine, out now, features an exclusive piece authored by Conservancy President Susan Gibbs about her grandfather's decades-long quest to design the greatest ocean liner to ever cross the Atlantic.
In the piece, Gibbs describes the momentous day her grandfather's dream ignited, writing, "Eight-year-old Willie Gibbs stared out the window of the horse-drawn coach as it rumbled down Philadelphia’s cobblestone streets toward the bank of the Delaware River. It was 12 November 1894, and the Gibbs family was heading to the William Cramp & Sons shipyard to watch the launch of the SS St Louis, billed as the largest and most spectacular ship ever built in America. Young Willie had been obsessing over every detail of the SS St Louis’s design and construction."
Gibbs then flash-forwarded 50 years later, writing: "In 1944, President Roosevelt’s War Shipping Administration unveiled a “bold and daring” plan for eleven top-of-the-line U.S. passenger ships, and subsequent legislation authorized government financing of up to a third of these ships’ construction costs... Gibbs began secretly updating his early designs for the Perfect Ship, first conceived in his parents’ guest room back in 1914. He assembled a small team and they incorporated many of the marine engineering and naval architecture innovations advanced during World War II and made her faster, safer, and stronger..."
William Francis Gibbs' story of drive and determination would ultimately produce a symbol of American pride, innovation and technological advancement that stands unrivaled even in our modern age. As Susan Gibbs writes at the conclusion of her piece, the "SS United States continues to embody the nation’s resilience, ambition, and sense of possibility. She also reminds us to never give up on our dreams."
Our thanks to Editor Deirdre O'Regan and the team at Sea History for allowing the Conservancy to share the story of the design and designer of America's Flagship with their readers.
CLICK HERE TO READ CONSERVANCY PRESIDENT SUSAN GIBBS' FULL ARTICLE IN SEA HISTORY.
| 
