The SS United States, built by the United States Lines, was designed by American naval architect William Francis Gibbs with the dual purpose of serving as a luxury passenger liner in peacetime and as a troopship in wartime. Constructed entirely within the United States at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Virginia, almost 70% of the cost was covered by the government.

The ship featured a sleek hydrodynamic hull design, while much of its superstructure and funnels were constructed of lightweight aluminium. This meant the powerful steam turbines that drove four 18footdiameter propellers were capable of delivering a top speed of over 38 knots (almost 45 mph).

The SS United States embarked on its maiden voyage from New York to Le Havre, France, on July 3, 1952. During this journey, the liner broke the eastbound transatlantic speed record, which had been held by the RMS Queen Mary since 1938. The United States averaged a speed of 35.59 knots (about 41 miles per hour) during this crossing, completing the journey in three days, ten hours, and forty minutes.

The ship’s return voyage from Europe to New York also set a record. On its westbound journey, the SS United States crossed the Atlantic in three days, twelve hours, and twelve minutes, averaging a speed of 34.51 knots (about 39.7 miles per hour). This performance secured the Blue Riband, an accolade awarded to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic with the highest average speed. The SS United States remains the holder of this record, as the decline of transatlantic ocean liners due to the development of air travel means no other liner has surpassed its speed.