Mural Painting, <I>The Currents </I>
date: label: date made
content: 1952
label: SS United States built and launched
content: 1952
name: label: naval architect of SS United States
content: Gibbs, William Francis
label: painter
content: Wendell, Raymond John
notes: label: Description
content: These ten painted aluminum panels comprised a wall mural aboard the ocean liner SS <I>United States</I>. Called “The Currents,” the mural depicts the Atlantic Ocean with the direction of the ocean’s currents rendered in stylized, dimensional arrows. The continents are applied to the panels in gold leaf, while the ocean is painted in various shades of blue and green. Aboard the ship this mural was located on the starboard side of the first class observation lounge. “The Currents” and a companion mural called “The Winds” were painted by artist Raymond John Wendell.
label: Description
content: Designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs, the SS <I>United States</I> was created out of an unusually close connection to the federal government. During the Second World War, the U.S. Navy recognized that converted ocean liners were effective transports for conveying troops to far-flung war zones. After the war ended, the government pursued the building of a technologically advanced passenger vessel that could be converted to carry troops in the event of another global conflict. With significant federal funding and support, the SS <I>United States</I> was built and launched in 1952. Although it was never converted for wartime use, many of its design details remained classified into the 1970s.
label: Description
content: One of the most unusual features of the ship was the tremendous amount of aluminum and the lack of wood Gibbs specified for its construction. Determined to build a ship that was not only fast, but ultra-safe, Gibbs was especially concerned with fire prevention after several wartime catastrophes. One that haunted him was the story of the luxury liner RMS <I>Empress of Britain</I> that was attacked by a German bomber while transporting hundreds of soldiers on October 26, 1940. Sixty-four troops were killed in the resulting blaze, which was fueled by the ship’s lavish wood carvings, staircases, and paneled rooms.
label: Description
content: Two thousand tons of aluminum were used in the construction and outfitting of the SS <I>United States</I>, making the ship lighter and more fire-resistant than any vessel afloat. The furniture and artwork, including these panels, were all made of aluminum. Publicists for the ship claimed that the only wood on board was to be found in the galley’s chopping blocks and in the piano. Gibbs even tried to reduce this miniscule amount of wood, but Steinway & Sons allegedly refused to build an aluminum piano. To this day, the SS <I>United States</I> is considered the fastest and one of the safest ships ever put to sea.
place: label: depicted
content: Atlantic Ocean
topic: label: related event
content: Postwar United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
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content: Transportation
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content: On the Water exhibit
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content: Art
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: US department of Commerce, maritim Administration thru R.J. Blackwell, Asst. Sec. for Maritime Affairs
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.336767.154
label: catalog number
content: 336767.154
label: accession number
content: 1978.2219
objectType: label: Object Name
content: mural
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: gold leaf (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paint (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: aluminum (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: bottom panel: 79 3/8 in x 29 1/4 in x 3 in; 201.6125 cm x 74.295 cm x 7.62 cm
label: Measurements
content: top panel: 29 3/8 in x 26 1/4 in x 3 in; 74.6125 cm x 66.675 cm x 7.62 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall mural: 108 3/4 in x 146 1/4 in x 3 in; 276.225 cm x 371.475 cm x 7.62 cm