BUILDING NEW SUPERLINER UNITED STATES

[Music] this is the story of the superliner united states a story which began at a meeting with the maritime commission in march 1946 when general john m franklin president of the united states lines presented his company's proposal for a post-war program a program which included a new fast passenger liner for north atlantic service for which the united states lines would expend its own funds for the preliminary plans the commission was in accord with the idea and the firm of gibbs and cox naval architects was engaged the contract for the building of the ship was signed on april 7 1949 by general franklin vice chairman grenville mellon of the maritime commission and jb woodward jr president of the newport news shipbuilding and dry dock company known simply as hull number 488 the dream ship was begun at newport news a ship that was to be the nation's most spectacular bid for ocean-going supremacy how do you begin to build a 70 million dollar ship today you draw plans that meet the specifications of the united states navy for before the very first plate went into her keel she was designed to carry fourteen thousand troops as readily as she will accommodate her two thousand peacetime passengers she is the first luxury liner built from the ground up to conform to the navy's high standards [Music] into the ship went 1 million 500 000 rivets of steel and aluminum 2 200 major sub-assemblies constructed on shore materials from 800 companies from almost every state in the union this was the basic formula this was the pattern the prime requisites were speed power and passenger comfort whether tourists or military more than 183 000 pre-fabricated pieces went into construction of the hull alone [Music] while censorship forbids revealing details of her lower hull construction it is no secret that the new liner possesses structural strength and features for safety unknown in shipbuilding even a few short years ago [Music] this was the beginning the job of assembling the right parts at the right time a masterpiece of maritime logistics we also had the wealth of american skill of american industrial know-how sparked by the tradition of generations of american shipbuilders [Music] bit by bit hull 488 began to take on the shape and character of a ship piece by piece giant sub-assemblies weighing up to 200 000 pounds were brought down to the graving dock to be swung into position with the completion of her bow hull 488 would measure 990 feet from stem to stern her 101 foot beam just wide enough to permit her to squeeze through the panama canal workmen swinging high above the liners 12 main decks saw the sharp nose fitted into place just as planned and right on schedule [Music] then came steel plates for bulkheads five miles of plate more than six feet wide below the hull line plates of steel above the hull line plates and parts entirely of aluminum more aluminum than has ever gone into any single structure on land or sea [Music] pretty soon number 488 began to feel like a ship a ship that would be so fast and so easily handled she could outmaneuver anything afloat [Music] and these are the men building the dreamship a ship that would be completely air conditioned a ship from which a passenger in any class can call any telephone in the world without leaving his cabin a ship that has more new features than any ship that entered service in recent times a ship that will give every american another reason for pride in the accomplishments of his fellow workers and his country [Music] to protect her 60 000 feet of aluminum deck architects demanded a substance that would withstand the elements for six months a strip of neotecs lay on the shipyard's busiest roadway it stood the test sixty thousand feet of neotex went on to the decks the end of the year saw the fifty three thousand ton goliath half complete and while she features such luxuries as a swimming pool she's as grimly efficient a vessel as any man of war with her two huge aluminum funnels swung into place each 55 feet high number 488 stood a good 12 stories in the air an awakening giant dominating the virginia skyline now she was nearing the day when she would trade her number for a name the day when she would stand as a symbol of american engineering skill as a tribute to american industry and to the thousands of men and women in the hundreds of trades and most outstanding as a tribute to american shipbuilding every piece of furnishing down to the last bed and chair was built to conform to standards of fireproofing unknown in any other ship even the materials normally used in furniture and life preservers were ordered made with non-inflammable substance every square foot of material was laboratory tested bathroom mirrors had to be shatterproof for the electrical work a labyrinth of wiring one company alone supplied more than 200 miles of cable [Music] walls and ceilings are a lightweight incombustible material called maronite in fact someone said if you want to knock on wood you'll have to take it aboard with you it took two years to develop a fire retarding paint even the deck rails are made of highly polished lightweight aluminum and they remain cool as a cucumber with the hottest sun shining on them final stages of construction saw more than three thousand men working against time to bring the ship to completion on schedule and they did too a ship five city blocks long a ship so long standing on end she'd tower above 70-story rockefeller center [Music] on the dry bed of the graving dock workmen smashed their huge battering rams against the wooden supporting shores [Music] at 4 14 the afternoon of june 22 1951 the first waters of the muddy james rushed in to touch her keel hull number 488 was baptized into natural element stood 70 percent complete and unprecedented record in the history of any major passenger vessel at launching time when they turned over the engines for the first test of a huge quadruple propellers the question foremost in every mind was how powerful is she enough to supply power for an entire city when her screws churned the river waters for the first time they asked how efficient is her operation so efficient that she could transport an entire army division fourteen thousand men from san francisco to asia and return home without stopping for fuel fresh water or provisions on june 23 1951 at newport news virginia number 488 came into her own mrs tom connolly wife of our senior senator from texas sponsored the new super liner and pronounced the words i christen the united states [Music] 12 months later ready for her first trial at sea superliner united states cautiously poked away into the stream for her first trial run her destination hampton roads the virginia capes then out to the open sea how fast will she go what is her speed even the men who built her won't say on the bridge commodore harry manning dean of u.s skippers admits only that the new united states can do better than 30 knots that while she has every modern comfort the united states has been constructed primarily for power and speed her ports of call new york southampton england and hub france today in the new superliner united states new flagship of the united states lines the nation has not only a vital weapon of defense we have potentially the fastest and greatest luxury liner afloat america's bid for the supremacy of the seas you