SS America was an ocean liner and cruise ship built in the United States in 1940 for the United States Lines and designed by the noted American naval architect William Francis Gibbs. It carried many names in the 54 years between its construction and its 1994 wreck: SS America ; troop transport USS West Point; and SS Australis, Italis, Noga, Alferdoss, and American Star. It served most notably in passenger service as America and the Greek-flagged Australis.
SS America in 1954
America under construction
America being converted to USS West Point in Norfolk Ship Yards. The carrier USS Hornet can be seen behind her.
Convoy WS-12 en route to Cape Town, 1941
United States Lines was the trade name of an organization of the United States Shipping Board (USSB), Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) created to operate German liners seized by the United States in 1917. The ships were owned by the USSB and all finances of the line were controlled by the EFC. Among the notable ships of this period was Leviathan, a contender for largest ship in the world for a time.
Princess Alice, later Princess Matoika, circa 1914–16
SS United States at sea in 1952
Econships American Nebraska and American Kentucky laid up in New York, 1987