Steamship Historical Society

Happy Halloween from our crew to yours! These images were taken aboard the Italian Line's LEONARDO DA VINCI, December 1966. It was a Christmas cruise from NYC with one of the stops being Venezuela. SSHSA Archives.

#halloweencostume #halloween

Collections - Steamship Historical Society Learn about SSHSA's archives, collections, and maritime reference library and how to conduct research with us.

It has a manufacturer plate for J. Lechner, based in Geneva, in French: "au grand départ, articles de voyage" meaning "at the start, travel items."
Learn more about what we have in our archive and collections at shiphistory.org/collections/.

Stickers and stamps include a Cunard White Star stateroom sticker dated October 1939 and a round red H sticker; French train sticker; and US customs sticker. The interior is lined in fabric with three pockets.

This black flat lid suitcase with leather straps and two metal clasps with locks, and a single leather handle, c. 1930, is from the SSHSA Artifact Collection. Monogrammed initials "HOY" are on the sides.
#AmericanArchivesMonth

#OnThisDay in 1932, the French Line's NORMANDIE was launched.

Image: French Line poster with a stylized image of the NORMANDIE on a background of the French flag colors. The poster, advertises service on the Atlantic, Pacific & Mediterranean seas. Stephen Barrett Chase Collection, SSHSA Archives.

You can view more digitized images from this collection at bit.ly/BraunBrothersCollection.

It's #NationalCatDay! Here's an image by Joseph F. Braun of the excursion motorboat COPY CAT. She was built in Dubuque, Iowa, and designed by marine architect Dennis Trone. Her sister vessels were JONATHAN PADELFORD and BONNIE BELLE. Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives.

Find more posters from this collection at bit.ly/ChasePosters.

#americanarchivesmonth #posterart #maritimeart #otd #ThisDayInHistory #WWII

Image: Canadian Pacific Line poster for service to Canada and U.S.A, portraying the steamship EMPRESS OF BRITAIN with a tug in the foreground. This poster was designed by Kenneth Shoesmith, c. 1935. Stephen Barrett Chase Collection, SSHSA Archives.

#OnThisDay in 1940, the RMS Empress of Britain was torpedoed in the Atlantic by U-32 and sank about 70 miles off County Donegal, Ireland. This attack came after German planes had bombed the ship on October 26, and most of the passengers and crew had been safely evacuated.

Check out our list of spooky maritime events here conta.cc/4pSVKT2. Make sure you sign up for our free newsletters to stay up to date on all things #shiphistory!

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See more posters from this collection at bit.ly/ChasePosters.

#AmericanArchivesMonth #PosterDesign #maritimeart

It's starting to feel like fall. Who's ready to take an autumn cruise? This Royal Mail Line poster is advertising for autumn cruises on the ship ATLANTIS, c. 1935. It features a colorful scene w/ a small sailing vessel & gondolas. Stephen Barrett Chase Collection, SSHSA Archives.

YouTube video by Ship History SHIPS - Manhattan's Changing Waterfront and Harbor

You will also hear from Stuart Gewirtzman who serves on the Board of the World Ship Society - Port of NY Branch. Stuart will share photographs he took of Manhattan's waterfront and the ships you may see in the harbor today. Watch the film on our YouTube Channel & don't forget to like & subscribe!

Containers taking over from the breakbulk ships that were loaded and unloaded along the city’s waterfront. Long stretches were abandoned for years. Increases in air travel took over from point-to-point passenger ship travel and ocean liners were replaced by leisure travel aboard cruise ships.

YouTube video by Ship History SHIPS - Manhattan's Changing Waterfront and Harbor

Following on our episode about the move from breakbulk cargo to the container revolution, you'll hear from Ted Scull about his time working for Holland America Line from 1964 – 1966 in Sales Promotion. It was here that he witnessed the major changes to Manhattan's waterfront.

#OnThisDay in 1970, the Holland America Line's NIEUW AMSTERDAM was pictured leaving New York, accompanied by tugs. Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives.

Ocean Shipping and the Rise of Containerization with Doug Tilden - Steamship Historical Society Join us for a chat with Doug Tilden, former VP of United States Lines, South America, and later CEO of Marine Terminals. Doug spent the last five decades in the shipping industry, working his way up f...

Learn more about the move from breakbulk cargo to containerization in our two-part interview with Doug Tilden, former VP of United States Lines, at shiphistory.org/2025/08/28/c....

This large print on particle board with a glossy lacquer topcoat is a reproduced William James Aylward (1875-1956) painting of the cargo freighter PIONEER GEM of the American Pioneer Line (a subsidiary of United States Lines). SSHSA Art Collection.

#AmericanArchivesMonth #shipping #trade

Ports included on longer routes include Saint Martin; Bermuda; Martinique; Antigua; Saint Croix; Trinidad; Barbados; Guadeloupe; Curaçao; Cartagena, Colombia; Cristóbal, Panama; Kingston, Jamaica; and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Ephemera Collection, SSHSA Archives.

All routes departed from and returned to New York, New York, and include ports of San Juan, Puerto Rico and Saint Thomas.

It's groovy baby! Who wants to take a Caribbean trip? Check out this bright quatrefoil pamphlet listing Beachcomber Caribbean Cruise schedules for the 1968 season on INDEPENDENCE and CONSTITUTION.

#AmericanArchivesMonth #Ephemera

Ship History Radio - Steamship Historical Society Join the Steamship Historical Society of America for tales of ships that reshaped our history as the country transitioned from sail to steam and beyond. Using exclusive oral histories and primary reso...

The two discuss the ships impacted by the storm from its beginning, in the Caribbean, in Galveston, and to the Great Lakes and beyond. You can hear the full interview on our podcast Ship History Radio. Visit shiphistory.org/radio/ and subscribe to our YouTube channel ‪@ShipHistory.

You'll hear a clip from an interview with survivor Katharine Vedder Pauls from the Rosenberg Library detailing the horrors experienced in Galveston. Then, Education Director Aimee Bachari talks with PowerShips author Eric Pearson.

YouTube video by Ship History The Deadliest American Hurricane: Ships Impacted in the Caribbean, Galveston, and Great Lakes

Watch The Deadliest American Hurricane: Ships Impacted in the Caribbean, Galveston, and Great Lakes at www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8dW....

Learn about the worst natural disaster in American history when a Category 4 storm surge hit Galveston killing between 6,000 and 12,000 people.

The Maritime Art of William Gordon Muller, Memories from the Age of Steam - Steamship Historical Society William G. Muller's new publication, Memories from the Age of Steam, is a limited-edition legacy book capturing many of Muller's notable art pieces.

This limited-edition legacy book, created in cooperation w/ the Hudson River Maritime Museum, captures a lifetime of Muller’s notable art pieces, stories, & recollections of working aboard vessels of the Hudson River Day Line.

Learn more and order your own copy at shiphistory.org/product/mari....

The Steamship Historical Society of America is proud to present William G. Muller’s new publication: The Maritime Art of William Gordon Muller, Memories from the Age of Steam.

#OnThisDay in 1910, the RMS OLYMPIC was launched.

Image: Artist signed and numbered print of original painting by William G. Muller showing OLYMPIC, #105/950. : "Olympic Steams Out of New York Harbor in 1930." SSHSA Archives.

It pays to be a shipster! SSHSA members and World Ship Society members are pictured here at the Tom Ragan sponsored tour of The Wolfsonian Museum in Miami Beach, Florida, before boarding the Celebrity Summit to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the World Ship Society.

Today is #AskAnArchivistDay for #AmericanArchivesMonth. Share your questions in the comments!