William Francis Gibbs

William Francis Gibbs was an American naval architect who founded the ship design firm Gibbs and Cox and became one of the most influential figures in twentieth century American shipbuilding. He is best known for designing SS United States, launched in 1952, which remains the fastest ocean liner ever built and still holds the transatlantic speed record for a passenger ship, the Blue Riband, which it won on its maiden voyage. Gibbs designed the liner with extensive attention to fire safety and structural strength, drawing on lessons from earlier maritime disasters, and the ship was also built with potential wartime troop transport conversion in mind. During the Second World War, Gibbs and Cox served as the primary design agent for the United States Maritime Commission, producing standardized designs including the Liberty ship, tens of thousands of which were built to sustain Allied shipping capacity during the war.