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| Photo from: SS United States Conservancy |
Nation’s flagship needs our help
By Susan Gibbs
With the U.S. Olympic Committee caught red-faced earlier this month for dressing our nation’s athletes in uniforms made in China, one harkens back to the day when “Made in America” was more than a nostalgic slogan. It is a sad commentary on the state of our nation that the USOCapparently didn’t think it would be at all embarrassing to shun American manufacturers when preparing Team USA to go for the gold.
Standing aboard the deck of the SS United States, however, one remembers what “Made in America” once meant to our nation and the world. Sixty years ago this month, America’s flagship shattered the trans-Atlantic speed record and became one of the great engineering achievements of her time. Back in 1952, people from every walk of life and firms from every state in the nation helped design, build and outfit the fastest and safest ship ever conceived. Her record has never been broken.
Larger than the Titanic, the SS United States was a military powerhouse disguised as a modern luxury liner. With a double hull nearly a thousand feet long, she could be quickly converted to carry 15,000 troops 10,000 miles without refueling. While only once placed on high alert, she never saw battle. Instead, she transported more than a million passengers, including four U.S. presidents, diplomats, military personnel, students, immigrants, movie stars and business moguls.
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