Built to be both luxury superliner and Cold War weapon, America’s flagship, the SS United States, was the fastest and safest ocean liner ever built.
Larger than the Titanic and faster than the Queen Mary, this marvel of American engineering smashed the trans-Atlantic speed record on her historic maiden voyage in 1952 – a record still stands.
As part of a year-long, 60th anniversary celebration of the vessel’s dramatic debut, the SS United States Conservancy has produced an exhibition of rare artifacts, artwork, and ephemera showcasing the lost-era of transatlantic sea travel. Revealing letters and photographs featuring the ship’s designers, officers, crew, and passengers will also be on display.
The exhibition, titled “The Ocean Liner United States: Celebrating the Past and Future of America’s Flagship,” opens Friday at the Forbes Galleries in New York and runs through Sept. 8. The SS United States exhibition will be free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
