During World War II, the French liner SS Normandie had been seized by US authorities at New York and renamed USS Lafayette. In 1942, the liner caught fire while being converted to a troopship by the US Navy. After millions of gallons of water had been pumped into her in an attempt to extinguish the flames she capsized onto her port side and came to rest on the mud of the Hudson River at Pier 88, the site of the current New York Passenger Ship Terminal. As a result of this disaster the design for of the United States incorporated the most rigid U.S. Navy standards.[13] To minimize the risk of fire, the designers of United States used no wood in the ship's framing, accessories, decorations, or interior surfaces. Fittings, including all furniture and fabrics, were custom made in glass, metal, and spun glass fiber to ensure compliance with fireproofing guidelines set by the US Navy. Asbestos-laden paneling was used extensively in interior structures.[14] Specially commissioned artwork included pieces by fourteen artists, including Nathaniel Choate, muralist Austin M. Purves, Jr., and sculptor Gwen Lux. Although the galley did feature a butcher block, the clothes hangers in the luxury cabins were aluminum. The ballroom's grand piano was of a rare, fire-resistant wood species?although originally specified in aluminum?and accepted only after a demonstration in which gasoline was poured upon the wood and ignited, without the wood itself igniting.[15]
