page_title: SS America (1939)
section_title: Construction (1936–1939)
hierarchical_section_title: SS America (1939) / Construction (1936–1939)
caption_attribution_description: English: .Hull of the SS AMERICA under construction
context_page_description: SS America was an ocean liner and a cruise ship built in 1940 for the United States Lines and designed by the noted American naval architect William Francis Gibbs. She carried many names in the 54 years between her construction and her 1994 wreck:
  SS America; troop transport USS West Point; and SS Australis, Italis, Noga, Alferdoss, and American Star. She served most notably in passenger service as America and the Greek-flagged Australis.
  She was wrecked as the American Star at Playa de Garcey on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands on 18 January 1994. The wreck has deteriorated and collapsed into the sea. Only a small section of the bow remains visible during low tide.
context_section_description: America was laid down under the first Maritime Commission contract on 22 August 1938, at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.
  She was one of the few ocean liners, American or otherwise, that had her interiors designed by women—the New York firm Smyth, Urquhart & Marckwald. The ornate decor from liners of the past was forgone in favor of more contemporary and informal design.
  The aim was to provide an atmosphere of cheerfulness and sophisticated charm. 
  America was launched on 31 August 1939 and was sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of then-President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt. The liner entered service as the flagship of the United States Lines on 10 August 1940, when she commenced her maiden voyage.
caption: America under construction
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