SS United States: Eternal
At 10 years old I touched the SS United States and she touched me back. In 1972, my Pop pulled up our boat between “America’s Flagship” and the aircraft carrier “John F. Kennedy” both berthed near their birthplace, Newport News Virginia. We had driven the hour and a half from our home in Richmond to cast our poles in the Chesapeake Bay: a not uncommon trip. My father knew schools of fish gathered around large hulls. In those pre 9/11 days, pulling up our modest Glasspar between the largest American-built vessels was not challenged. As I recall, my father caught a bunch. I caught ship fever. I was hooked more than our cooler full of perch. From July 3, 1952 on her maiden voyage to November 14, 1969 when she was withdrawn from service, SS United States was the Blue Riband holder for fastest liner crossing of the Atlantic, a record held to the present day and never to be challenged. The mid century modern masterpiece of legendary naval architect William Francis Gibbs, who made the ...