Photo By Marcus Robbins | The Liner SS United States Departing, circa 1952.... read more read more
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The Liner SS United States was constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in the years of 1950-1952. As the flagship cruise liner of the nation, it boasted impressive statistics such as total bow length of 990 feet and a beam of 101.5 feet. Constructed at a cost of 78 million dollars the ship could produce an amazing 247,785 horsepower and was capable of exceeding 38 knots (44 MPH) so powerful it could outrun most battleships.
The U.S. Government worked in conjunction with the United States Lines to develop a "super ship" to be part Cold War weapon and part luxury ocean liner. The top-secret Pentagon project produced the fastest, safest and most advanced vessel ever constructed - the SS United States. The ship could be quickly converted into a troop carrier able to transport 15,000 military service members for 10,000 miles without refueling, and do it faster than any other ship before or since.
Due to its hidden military objective (though the SS United States was never ultimately employed for wartime purposes), the construction of the ship was shrouded in secrecy. The ship was the first major liner to be built in a dry dock, away from prying eyes, and was unveiled to the public already in the water, ensuring its knife-like hull and propellers couldn't be studied by foreign enemies.
After its maiden voyage and record-breaking transit across the Atlantic in July of 1952 the vessel comes to Dry Dock #8 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard by late November of 1952 to have the propellers pulled for inspection along with general hull observations conducted upon the top-secret underwater design.
This early work package must have held such importance that on November 19, 1952 we hold record that United States Lines, Inc. of New York, NY made a special deposit to the Disbursing Officer of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in the amount of $80,000 to cover the cost of said docking and supporting photography.
The following images show this famous ship within our Dry Dock #8 during and after that important observation period once again attesting to NNSY's motto - "Any Ship, Any Time, Anywhere".
| Date Taken: | 11.23.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.22.2022 09:33 |
| Story ID: | 433766 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,562 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Our Yard History: Docking the Liner SS United States, by Marcus Robbins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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