In 1957, ten-year-old David Macaulay crossed from England to the United States with his family on the ocean liner SS United States, which had earned the Blue Riband for fastest transatlantic crossing on its first transatlantic journey in 1952. Here, Macaulay describes the early development of ocean liners powered by steam, and various ships that held the Blue Riband prior to the SS United States, before introducing ship designer William Francis Gibbs, who was determined to build a ship that could take the prize. Gibbs’s efforts were sidetracked by World War II, but after the war he designed and oversaw the building of the United States. The process is chronicled with keen detail culminating in a six-panel foldout showing a cutaway of the completed ship. Macaulay’s experience traveling on the ocean liner with his mother and two younger siblings adds another, vivid layer of human dimension to the story, and he captures a child’s eye view of the ship and its wonders. In addition to detailed drawings, there are black-and-white photos, including of the author’s family on their journey, incorporated into the end matter. (Ages 9–14)