William Francis Gibbs
Encyclopedia
William Francis Gibbs was a renowned naval architect
who directed the mass production
of cargo ships for the United States during World War II
, including the famous Liberty ship
s, of which 2,751 were built. In partnership with his brother Frederic Herbert Gibbs, he designed the passenger liner SS United States
(1952).
Gibbs was born in Philadelphia to financier William Warren Gibbs and Frances Ayres (Johnson) Gibbs. He graduated from the DeLancey School in 1905, followed his own curriculum of science and engineering at Harvard University
, where he studied plans of British battleships in his dormitory room but left without degree, then attended Columbia Law School
1911-1913, receiving a Bachelor of Law and Master of Arts in economics. He practiced law for the next two years at his father's request.
In 1915, however, Gibbs and his brother began designs for a pair of gigantic 1,000-foot ocean liner
s, each capable of producing 180,000 horsepower
. In 1916 the brothers presented their plans to Adm. David W. Taylor
and Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels
. The response was encouraging, and the brothers then approached the International Mercantile Marine Company with the financial backing of J. P. Morgan
and the United States Navy
. Although a model was tested in the Navy's David Taylor Model Basin
, World War I
put an end to these early designs. Gibbs became the company's Chief of Construction in 1919.
In 1922 the Gibbs brothers started their own naval architecture
firm, Gibbs Brothers, Inc. (renamed Gibbs & Cox
in 1929). Their first major contract was to convert the former German liner Vaterland into the American luxury liner SS Leviathan
. When shipbuilders Blohm + Voss
asked over $1 million for the original plans, Gibbs decided to draw his own. Between 100 and 150 draftsmen documented the existing ship and designed its new layout. After rebuilding at Newport News
, the Leviathan ultimately became one of the era's most successful luxury liners.
The Gibbs designed a series of trim white-hulled ocean liners for the Matson Lines service to Hawaii, starting with the SS Malolo
in 1925 and continuing with the SS Monterey
and SS Mariposa
in 1931 and the SS Lurline
in 1932. The Grace Line contracted with Gibbs & Cox for four smaller 9,000 tonne ocean liners in 1930, receiving the Santa Rosa, Santa Paula, Santa Lucia, and Santa Elena in 1932. Gibbs & Cox also designed the SS America
for the United States Lines
, which was completed in 1940 after war had already broken out. All nine of these ships served as troopships in World War II
.
During the war, Gibbs & Cox created plans for thousands of American warships, including destroyer
s, LST landing craft, minesweeper
s, tanker
s, cruiser
s, liberty ship
s, etc. Some 74% of all American naval vessels built during the war were of Gibbs & Cox design.
After World War II, the Gibbs brothers again began design for a new 1,000-foot ocean liner. After five years of design and 28 months of construction, the SS United States
was launched. On her maiden voyage in 1952, she became the fastest ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean
, averaging 35.59 knots, and reducing the crossing time by 10 hours. Between 1952 and 1969, the SS United States completed 400 problem-free voyages. She was the largest liner ever built in the United States and the fastest liner built anywhere.
Gibbs died in New York City
. The Gibbs Brothers Medal
, awarded by the United States National Academy of Sciences
for outstanding contributions in the field of naval architecture and marine engineering, was established by a gift from Gibbs and his brother.
He was awarded the Franklin Institute
's Franklin Medal
in 1953.
William Gibbs is honored at the United States Merchant Marine Academy
at Kings Point, New York, by the naming of the Marine Engineering Building. The honor is shared with Robert Fulton
: Fulton-Gibbs Hall.
Naval architecture
Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
who directed the mass production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
of cargo ships for the United States during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, including the famous Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
s, of which 2,751 were built. In partnership with his brother Frederic Herbert Gibbs, he designed the passenger liner SS United States
SS United States
SS United States is a luxury passenger liner built in 1952 for the United States Lines designed to capture the trans-Atlantic speed record....
(1952).
Gibbs was born in Philadelphia to financier William Warren Gibbs and Frances Ayres (Johnson) Gibbs. He graduated from the DeLancey School in 1905, followed his own curriculum of science and engineering at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he studied plans of British battleships in his dormitory room but left without degree, then attended Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
1911-1913, receiving a Bachelor of Law and Master of Arts in economics. He practiced law for the next two years at his father's request.
In 1915, however, Gibbs and his brother began designs for a pair of gigantic 1,000-foot ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
s, each capable of producing 180,000 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
. In 1916 the brothers presented their plans to Adm. David W. Taylor
David W. Taylor
Rear Admiral David Watson Taylor, USN was a naval architect and engineer of the United States Navy. He served during World War I as Chief Constructor of the Navy, and Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair...
and Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels
Josephus Daniels
Josephus Daniels was a newspaper editor and publisher from North Carolina who was appointed by United States President Woodrow Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Navy during World War I...
. The response was encouraging, and the brothers then approached the International Mercantile Marine Company with the financial backing of J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
and the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Although a model was tested in the Navy's David Taylor Model Basin
David Taylor Model Basin
The David Taylor Model Basin is one of the largest ship model basins — test facilities for the development of ship design — in the world...
, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
put an end to these early designs. Gibbs became the company's Chief of Construction in 1919.
In 1922 the Gibbs brothers started their own naval architecture
Naval architecture
Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
firm, Gibbs Brothers, Inc. (renamed Gibbs & Cox
Gibbs & Cox
Gibbs & Cox is a U.S. naval architecture firm that specializes in designing surface warships. Founded in 1922 in New York City, Gibbs & Cox is now headquartered in Arlington, Virginia....
in 1929). Their first major contract was to convert the former German liner Vaterland into the American luxury liner SS Leviathan
SS Leviathan
SS Leviathan, originally built as SS Vaterland, was an ocean liner which regularly sailed the North Atlantic briefly in 1914 and from 1917 to 1934...
. When shipbuilders Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
asked over $1 million for the original plans, Gibbs decided to draw his own. Between 100 and 150 draftsmen documented the existing ship and designed its new layout. After rebuilding at Newport News
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
, the Leviathan ultimately became one of the era's most successful luxury liners.
The Gibbs designed a series of trim white-hulled ocean liners for the Matson Lines service to Hawaii, starting with the SS Malolo
SS Malolo
SS Malolo was an American Cruise liner built by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia in 1926 for the Matson Line. She was the first of a number of ships designed by William Francis Gibbs for the Matson Line. The Matson Line did much to develop tourism in the Hawaiian Islands...
in 1925 and continuing with the SS Monterey
SS Monterey
SS Monterey was a luxury ocean liner launched on 10 October 1931; one of four ships in the Matson Lines "White Fleet" which included , and . Monterey, the third of four Matson ships designed by William Francis Gibbs was identical to Mariposa and very similar to her sister ship Lurline...
and SS Mariposa
SS Mariposa
SS Mariposa was a luxury ocean liner launched in 1931; one of four ships in the Matson Lines "White Fleet" which included , and . It was later renamed the SS Homeric.-Career with Matson Lines:...
in 1931 and the SS Lurline
SS Lurline (1932)
SS Lurline was the third Matson Lines vessel to hold that name and the last of four fast and luxurious ocean liners that Matson built for the Hawaii and Australasia runs from the West Coast of the United States. Lurlines sister ships were , and...
in 1932. The Grace Line contracted with Gibbs & Cox for four smaller 9,000 tonne ocean liners in 1930, receiving the Santa Rosa, Santa Paula, Santa Lucia, and Santa Elena in 1932. Gibbs & Cox also designed the SS America
SS America (1940)
SS America was an ocean liner built in 1940 for the United States Lines and designed by the noted naval architect William Francis Gibbs. She carried many names in the 54 years between her construction and her 1994 wrecking, as she served as the SS America , the USS West Point, the SS Australis, the...
for the United States Lines
United States Lines
United States Lines was a transatlantic shipping company that operated cargo services from 1921 to 1989, and ocean liners until 1969—most famously the SS United States.-1920s:...
, which was completed in 1940 after war had already broken out. All nine of these ships served as troopships in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
During the war, Gibbs & Cox created plans for thousands of American warships, including destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s, LST landing craft, minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
s, tanker
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
s, cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s, liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
s, etc. Some 74% of all American naval vessels built during the war were of Gibbs & Cox design.
After World War II, the Gibbs brothers again began design for a new 1,000-foot ocean liner. After five years of design and 28 months of construction, the SS United States
SS United States
SS United States is a luxury passenger liner built in 1952 for the United States Lines designed to capture the trans-Atlantic speed record....
was launched. On her maiden voyage in 1952, she became the fastest ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, averaging 35.59 knots, and reducing the crossing time by 10 hours. Between 1952 and 1969, the SS United States completed 400 problem-free voyages. She was the largest liner ever built in the United States and the fastest liner built anywhere.
Gibbs died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The Gibbs Brothers Medal
Gibbs Brothers Medal
The Gibbs Brothers Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for "outstanding contributions in the field of naval architecture and marine engineering". It was established by a gift from William Francis Gibbs and Frederic H. Gibbs....
, awarded by the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
for outstanding contributions in the field of naval architecture and marine engineering, was established by a gift from Gibbs and his brother.
He was awarded the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
's Franklin Medal
Franklin Medal
The Franklin Medal was a science and engineering award presented by the Franklin Institute, of Philadelphia, PA, USA.-Laureates:*1915 - Thomas Alva Edison *1915 - Heike Kamerlingh Onnes *1916 - John J...
in 1953.
William Gibbs is honored at the United States Merchant Marine Academy
United States Merchant Marine Academy
The United States Merchant Marine Academy is one of the five United States Service academies...
at Kings Point, New York, by the naming of the Marine Engineering Building. The honor is shared with Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton
Robert Fulton was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat...
: Fulton-Gibbs Hall.