Sunlight and Steel: The Story of the SS Independence and the SS Constitution

This 144 page large-format paperback book has 175 illustrations - conceptual drawings, more than a dozen original photos of construction and sea trials, 25 photos of Grace Kelly en route to become Princess of Monaco, plus onboard shots of Harry Truman, May West, Ernest Hemingway, Anthony Quinn, Ronald Reagan, Tom Selleck and many other celebrities. Later chapters include construction photos of the conversion for service in Hawaii and the Independence today. The text traces the conception of the ships, the political climate surrounding their construction, the details of construction and sea trials, the maiden voyage, the glamorous 1950's, and the rebirth of the ships as Hawaii cruise vessels. Throughout, the book features not only archival research, but many interviews with those who built, sailed on, and, worked on these splendid ships. The design of the book has a friendly, informal, "scrapbook" style not seen before in books about ships.