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“Big Sky Country,” Commissioned by United States Lines, March 1968, Holiday Magazine. 

Image courtesy of The Archives of Advertising, SS United States: A History in Advertising 1951-1968.

As jets gained the upper hand on the sea lanes, U.S. Lines fought to take back the air. The best way to see the sky, this ad reasoned, wasn’t from the cramped window of an airplane, but from the wide-open decks of an ocean liner. Moreover, by using the romantic language of the American West--”Big Sky Country”--the ad revived the old idea of a special connection between the SS United States and her namesake country, turning it into ammunition in the fight against the upstart airlines, a contest the ship would ultimately lose. 

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