Book Report - A Man and His Ship: the Story of the SS United States.
Book Report:
A Man and His Ship: the Story of the SS United States.
Just finished reading this book and I’m glad I did. The book traces the history of America’s Greatest Navel Architect and his quest to build the ship.
At the peak of his power, in the 1940s and 1950s, William Francis Gibbs was considered America’s best naval architect.
His quest to build the finest, fastest, most beautiful ocean liner of his time, the S.S. United States, was a topic of national fascination. When completed in 1952, the ship was hailed as a technological masterpiece at a time when “made in America” meant the best.
Gibbs was an American original, on par with John Roebling of the Brooklyn Bridge and Frank Lloyd Wright of Falling water. Forced to drop out of Harvard following his family’s sudden financial ruin, he overcame debilitating shyness and lack of formal training to become the visionary creator of some of the finest ships in history. He spent forty years dreaming of the ship that became the S.S. United States.
The amazing thing about the ships’ design was that it was SO ADVANCED that the design of the ship’s hull and propellers were considered a Military Secret and held from the public until 1977 a full 25 years after she was lunched.
The story of what many consider to be the greatest American ocean liner of all time. Originally designed to be a secret weapon in the cold war and was designed as a troop ship if needed.
Truly Amazing Read.
http://www.amazon.com/Man-His-Ship-Americas-Architect/dp/1451645074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348452250&sr=8-1&keywords=a+man+and+his+ship
Jake Groby