> The S.S. United States, which was built in around 1952, was
> designed to be exceptionally fireproof.  It was said that the only
> wood in the ship was the chopping blocks in the kitchen and the
> sounding board in the piano.  It seems to me that this piano was
> something special in this regard.  Does anyone know anything about it?

I think that would be unlikely since the keyframe, keysticks, wippens,
hammer shanks and hammer mouldings would also have to be comprised of
flameproof material.

> One of the big German passenger airships -- perhaps the Hindenburg
> or Graf Zeppelin -- might have had an aluminum piano in it.

I think that was an aluminium plate.

Jon Page
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)