S.S. AMERICA, S.S. UNITED STATES sailing on the 'All American' team to Europe

Like many of today's great inventions, the microwave oven was a by-product of another technology. It was during a radar-related research project around 1946 that Dr. Percy Spencer, a self-taught engineer with the Raytheon Corporation, noticed something very unusual. He was testing a new vacuum tube called a magnetron, when he discovered that the candy bar in his pocket had melted. This intrigued Dr. Spencer, so he tried another experiment. This time he placed some popcorn kernels near the tube and, perhaps standing a little farther away, he watched with an inventive sparkle in his eye as the popcorn sputtered, cracked and popped all over his lab*. He had inadvertently invented the microwave oven.In 1947 the first commercial microwave ovens hit the market. Called a ' Radar Range' the first oven cost $ 5000, and was the size and weight of a refrigerator. By 1950 the price ( $1500) and size were down and the America was the first passenger ship to try the new contraption out. Jim Green was the AMERICA's storekeeper and he remembers Chef Otto Bismark using a microwave oven. On a ship, vegetables loose their freshness after four days. With the new "radar range" food could be frozen then quickly heated for fresher servings. Chef Bismark must of approved; the new S.S. United States would boast being equipped with the new "high tech' radar ranges.

Future Secretary of States Madeleine Albright and her family boarded the America in Southampton on November 5, 1948. Rough seas turned the trip into an ordeal, with the family remaining in their cabin, seasick. Madeleine was well enough to care for her brother and sister. "I just tried to get through it," was all that she cared to remember about the crossing to New York.

Former USS West Point crew member Ron Cooke recalls that the pool was used to store cigarettes. " I would ask for volunteers to haul cartons up to the canteen , never had any problems finding any. We would head down to the swimming pool where the cigarettes were stored. Had to keep any eye on them to make sure no cartons vanished on the way."

The stacks were to short. During builder's trials the entire play deck aft of the stack was covered with a black oily deposit. The stacks were increased 15 feet. This solved the problem for the most part. At slow speed soot deposits still found their way to the lower aft decks.