Renderings and Reality

It's kind of fun to see a sketch of what's proposed and compare it to the finished product. I've several Frank Lloyd Wright calendars, and I'd rather see his sketches than the finished product. Don't get me wrong, the sketch and the resulting structures are both works of art, there's just something about the sketch.

I'm still in the early stages of researching Resorts at Sea, and I came across sketches of a trans-Pacific liner. One sketch was published right after World War II, the other in the late 1950s. I've seen both in other publications, but I enjoy finding the original source material. I'm a little weird that way.

These side views suggest -- to me -- a hybrid of the Normandie and Queen Elizabeth. The whaleback on the bow is definitely stolen from the former, and the placement of the twin stacks hint the Elizabeth or even the Nieuw Amsterdam.

This was to be American President Lines' President Washington. Though slightly smaller, her lines were heavily influenced by the United States, which stands to reason, as her designers were the same firm: Gibbs & Cox. Although Congress appropriated monies for her construction, President Eisenhower scrapped the project.

After losing a bid on eBay, it took several years to find this item again. This image is from a preliminary deck plan of American President Lines' President Hayes, President Adams, and President Jackson.

Look at how streamlined she is! Designed by George Sharp, this class is an enlarged version of the Delta Line trio from 1947. Alas, the Korean Conflict intervened, and they were taken over by the U.S. Navy., never to see commercial service. Here's how they ended up:

Those stacks are a little ungainly, but the intent is still there. Two of them have been scrapped. The last report of the third is of her being moored in the backwaters along the Gulf Coast. Alabama, I believe. But that was two years ago.