Purchase
America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the S.S. United States
Simon & Schuster
July 2012
On Sale: July 10, 2012
448 pages ISBN: 1451645074 EAN: 9781451645071 Kindle: B0061PLCGO Hardcover / e-Book
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction Biography
At the peak of his power, in the 1940s and 1950s, William
Francis Gibbs was considered America’s best naval architect. His quest to build the finest, fastest, most beautiful ocean
liner of his time, the S.S. United States, was a topic of
national fascination. When completed in 1952, the ship was
hailed as a technological masterpiece at a time when “made
in America” meant the best. Gibbs was an American original, on par with John Roebling of
the Brooklyn Bridge and Frank Lloyd Wright of Fallingwater.
Forced to drop out of Harvard following his family’s sudden
financial ruin, he overcame debilitating shyness and lack of
formal training to become the visionary creator of some of
the finest ships in history. He spent forty years dreaming
of the ship that became the S.S. United States. William Francis Gibbs was driven, relentless, and committed
to excellence. He loved his ship, the idea of it, and the
realization of it, and he devoted himself to making it the
epitome of luxury travel during the triumphant post–World
War II era. Biographer Steven Ujifusa brilliantly describes
the way Gibbs worked and how his vision transformed an
industry. A Man and His Ship is a tale of ingenuity and
enterprise, a truly remarkable journey on land and sea.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|