SS United States reaches Bishop Rock in three days, ten hours; Britain's fourteen-year Atlantic record is broken

By 1952, the Blue Riband for fastest Atlantic crossing had belonged to Britain's RMS Queen Mary for fourteen years. On July 3, the SS United States left New York Harbor on her maiden voyage under Commodore Harry Manning, and by July 7 had reached Bishop Rock off Cornwall in three days, ten hours, and forty minutes, a new eastbound record by more than ten hours. She then broke the westbound record on her return trip. No passenger liner has beaten either speed record since, though the raw record was later broken by non-passenger vessels like Virgin Atlantic Challenger II and Destriero…