SS United States

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ss-united-states

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was SS United States built?1950-1951
2. What is the designer?William Francis Gibbs
3. What is the service years?1952-1969
4. What made the SS United States so fast?It had a special steam engine and a sleek hull that let it slice through the waves, making it the fastest ship of its time.
5. Why did the SS United States win the Blue Riband?Because it was the fastest ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, a title it kept for many years.

Naval Architect: An engineer specializing in the design and construction of ships and marine structures.
Blue Riband: A prestigious award historically given to the civilian passenger vessel that makes the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.
Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s.
Artificial Reef: Man-made structures deployed on the seafloor to enhance marine habitats and biodiversity.