S.S. United States

Step aboard the ‘completely air-conditioned’ S.S. United States!

This amazing cutaway diagram allows the audience to peer inside the workings of the largest and fastest ship ever built in America (at the time) – the appropriately named S.S. United States. Thirty-four separate features highlight passenger safety and comfort and the modern engineering design of the vessel; from its luxurious staterooms and cocktail lounges to the ‘non-sinkable’ lifeboats and navigation bridge – “the heart of the ship with almost miraculous navigational equipment.”

The hyperbole continues to the description on the right side of the image, which presents ‘fascinating facts’ about the ship. Additional photographs and text about ‘The World’s Fastest Luxury Liner’ are found on the verso. There’s also a map of the Atlantic Ocean showing the route of the S.S. United States as it won the Blue Riband Speed Trophy for the fastest Transatlantic crossing in 1952.

A neat little brochure issued to both reassure and tempt potential customers with the ‘latest and greatest’ in maritime transportation at a time of increasing pressure from commercial airlines. Drawn by Logan Reavis and published by the United States Lines (ship operator) around 1953.