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  • A Man and His Ship

  • America's Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the S.S. United States
  • Written by: Steven Ujifusa
  • Narrated by: Pete Larkin
  • Length: 13 hrs and 14 mins

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A Man and His Ship

Written by: Steven Ujifusa
Narrated by: Pete Larkin
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Publisher's Summary

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 40 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, of a truly remarkable journey on land and sea.

©2012 Steven Ujifusa (P)2012 Tantor

What the critics say

"In his debut, Ujifusa harks back to a time when men were men, and transatlantic ships were serious business.... Written with passion and thoroughness, this is a love letter to a bygone time and the ships that once ruled the seas." ( Publishers Weekly)

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