### New SSHSA Book On Liners INDEPENDENCE And CONSTITUTION

The Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc. is proud to announce the publication of a new book entitled SS Independence/SS Constitution: Great American Liners by William H. Miller.

Publication of this new book is designed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the maiden voyages of the liners Independence and Constitution. It is a joint publishing project of the Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc. and Purple Mountain Press of Fleischmanns, New York.

Independence and Constitution were the first important American passenger ships to be built following World War II. At the time, at 29,500 tons, they were the largest liners under the stars and stripes. Owned by American Export Lines, they initially operated between New York and the Mediterranean. When it became uneconomical to operate passenger ships under American registry, they were sold overseas, but made their way back to the American flag in 1980 and cruised the waters around the Hawaiian Islands for the next two decades.

Happily, Independence still operates in those waters and on June 30, 2001 author William H. Miller will be the featured speaker on an SSHSA-sponsored cruise aboard this historic vessel. The book is also being sold aboard Independence and vessels of the affiliated United States Lines. Miller is a well-known maritime historian, specializing in passenger liners. He has published numerous books in this field, and is in great demand as a cruise ship lecturer.

The book is a 116-page, soft-cover volume, featuring 122 illustrations and cover art by noted marine artists William H. Muller and Don Stoltenberg. It covers not only the story of these two classic liners, but also the operations of American Exports Lines' other passenger vessels, the Four Aces and La Guardia.

SS Independence/SS Constitution: Great American Liners is available for $22.50 plus $1.50 postage from the SSHSA Business Office, 300 Ray Drive, Suite #4, Providence RI 02906, or Click Here! to order from the Society's web store.