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Champagne Glass, SS United States

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Object Details

Description
This champagne glass was among the 57,000 pieces of glassware furnished to the SS United States before its maiden voyage in 1952. Launched in 1952, the “Big U,” as the ship was affectionately called, was 990 feet long, about the length of five city blocks. On its maiden voyage, the ship broke the speed records for crossings in both directions and captured the Blue Riband trophy, an award for the ship making the fastest round trip passage on the North Atlantic. The time set by the United States on the westbound leg from New York to England was 3 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes, with an average speed of 34.51 knots, a record that remains unbroken.
The SS United States was built in Newport News, Virginia, and was the largest and fastest transatlantic passenger liner ever built in the country. The ship had 695 staterooms located on eight of the liner’s 12 decks. It could accommodate 1,972 passengers in first, cabin, or tourist class. Some 1,011 crew were required to run the ship and serve the passengers.
Credit Line
Transfer from US Department of Commerce, Maritime Administration (through R.J. Blackwell)
1952
ID Number
TR.335564.02A
catalog number
335564.2
accession number
1978.2219
Object Name
glass, champagne
Other Terms
glass, champagne; Maritime
Physical Description
glass (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 5 in x 3 3/4 in; 12.7 cm x 9.525 cm
Associated Place
Atlantic Ocean
Related Publication
On the Water online exhibition
Related Web Publication
http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
See more items in
Work and Industry: Maritime
Food
Transportation
On the Water exhibit
Exhibition
On the Water
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
related event
Postwar United States
Record ID
nmah_842139
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-5ac8-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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Glass champagne glass from S.S. United States
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