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Seaport Museum News

13 Dec 2023

‘America’s Fireboat’ Heads to Quonset Point for Renovation Work

(Photo courtesy Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum)

Preservation efforts are underway to renovate an 85-year old vessel known as “America’s Fireboat”.Designed by noted naval architect William Francis Gibbs and built in 1938 at United Shipyards on Staten Island, the vessel Fire Fighter would go on to serve a long and storied career before being decommissioned and eventually transferred to The Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum in 2013.The iconic fireboat is undergoing extensive renovations to return the vessel to her original glory, the museum announced this week. Escorted by the U.S.

03 May 2023

MARAD Awards $20.8 Million in Grants to Small Shipyards

(Photo: All American Marine)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Wednesday announced $20.8 million in grant awards to 27 small shipyards in 20 states through the Small Shipyard Grant Program. The funds will help shipyards modernize, increase productivity, and expand local job opportunities while competing in the global marketplace.“Small shipyards strengthen America’s commercial fleet, bolster our economic security, and generate good jobs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are proud to support these shipyards reinforce their vital role in the U.S.

09 Dec 2020

Great Ships and The Ship Designer’s Curse

USS Iowa (BB-61) Fires a full broadside of nine 16/50 and six 5/38 guns during a target exercise near Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, 1 July 1984. Photographed by PHAN J. Alan Elliott. Note concussion effects on the water surface, and 16-inch gun barrels in varying degrees of recoil. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the the Department of Defense Still Media Collection.

For the Design issue Greg Trauthwein asked me to write about a favorite ship design. I have no favorite ship design, or should say there are simply too many that are truly worthy of mention. But when considering favorite designs, ship designers (and builders) do carry a strange curse. Unique among engineers (and artists, architects, and industrial designers) their creations only live for about 30 years. With very few exceptions, in their own life time, ship designers get to see the disassembly of most of their creations. I am not aware of any other creations that are so readily tossed aside.

13 Jul 2018

McAllister Christens Tug Pair in NYC

Photo Credit: trouty

There's nothing like New York City for a maritime event, and McAllister Towing and Transportation Co., Inc., one of the historic family-run companies serving the industry for more than 150 years, held a signature ceremony and party last night at Pier 16 in Manhattan with the christening of two tugboats, the Rosemary McAllister and the Capt. Brian A. McAllister, both ABS classed FiFi 1 with propulsion systems meeting EPA Tier 4 emission regulations: 3516E Tier IV Caterpillar engines…

26 Mar 2016

Remembering Peter Stanford

Peter Stanford, founding president of the South Street Seaport Museum passed away on Thursday morning, 24th March 2016. We have lost our founder. We have lost a passionate advocate for our work.We have lost a friend. I first met Peter Stanford when I joined the Seaport Museum as Waterfront Director. He was visiting to advocate for an exhibition on the ship Wavertree. He spoke enthusiastically about a particular model in the Museum's collection, asserting that it must be a part of the project. As the visit wrapped up, he eagerly queried me on my background. Peter was a persistent man, endlessly insisting that the apparently impossible could be achieved. And in that - and as long as he and Norma were involved - he was quite right.

21 Jan 2015

Scale Model of Queen Mary to Anchor Onboard Gallery

Photo: The Queen Mary

A scale model of the famed ocean liner Queen Mary, carved about 80 years ago from a 200-year-old white mahogany log and exact in every detail, will be the centerpiece of a new gallery on the ship that was the epitome of luxury travel in its heyday. The 1/45th scale model, 21 feet long and weighing nearly 1,000 pounds (454 kg) includes a figure of Sir Winston Churchill on the afterdeck. It will be moved on Wednesday from New York's South Street Seaport Museum, where is has been housed for decades…

07 Jun 2011

Lehman to Receive America and the Sea Award

Former Secretary of the Navy, historian, and author John F. Lehman has been named the recipient of the America and the Sea Award for 2011 by Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc. The America and the Sea Award recognizes an individual or organization whose contributions to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character. Lehman served as Secretary of the Navy from 1981-1987 and developed the “Lehman Doctrine,” a two-front response to a Soviet invasion of Europe. He will be honored for his service at a gala in New York City on October 18, 2011.

15 Mar 2011

Coast Guard Foundation To Welcome Uscg Barque Eagle

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that it will host a reception to welcome the U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle at the Independence Seaport Museum at Penn’s Landing on March 18, 2011, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The official kick-off and first stop of the Eagle’s 75th anniversary tour, the reception will raise awareness of the Coast Guard Foundation’s mission to serve the men and women of the Coast Guard…

15 Mar 2011

Coast Guard Foundation Welcomes USCG Barque Eagle to Philadelphia

Photo courtesy USCG

The Coast Guard Foundation announced that it will host a reception to welcome the U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle at the Independence Seaport Museum at Penn’s Landing on March 18, 2011, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The official kick-off and first stop of the Eagle’s 75th anniversary tour, the reception will raise awareness of the Coast Guard Foundation’s mission to serve the men and women of the Coast Guard, as well as its support for leadership and training of the country’s Coast Guard officers.

04 Feb 2011

Mystic Seaport, Herreshoff Marine Museums Collaborate

Mystic Seaport Museum and Herreshoff Marine Museum announced that they have entered into an agreement in which the Herreshoff Marine Museum and Mystic Seaport will become affiliated. Mystic Seaport and the Herreshoff Marine Museum are entering into a broad collaborative relationship because each museum’s mission, assets, programs and aspirations are complementary with the other. The agreement provides both Museums with new opportunities to tell the broad story of the American maritime landscape. Both Museums will continue to operate independently with their existing assets, but will serve as resources to the other as needed and as agreed.

20 May 2010

Crowley Scholarships for Williams-Mystic Students

Four students from very diverse backgrounds each got a chance to attend the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, thanks in part to Thomas B. Crowley Sr. scholarships. Crowley Maritime Corporation awarded scholarships to Virginia Steiner, Morgan Wilson, Hannah Holland and Caroline Crowell during the 2009-2010 academic year. Steiner, a history major from Mount Saint Mary College, currently works at the Mystic Seaport Museum as a historical interpreter, is a member of their demonstration squad and the Anchor Watch educational program. She also participates in Officer Candidate School for the United States Marine Corps. A native of Olalla, Wash., Crowell is a junior at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

23 Mar 2010

Aker Philadelphia Keel Laying, 11th Product Tanker

Photo courtesy Aker Philadelphia Shipyard

Aker Philadelphia Shipyard (Oslo: AKPS) held a ceremonial keel laying on March 15 for Ship 015, the 11th product tanker being built at the yard. This vessel will be sold to OSG America after delivery from Aker Philadelphia Shipyard and will have shuttle tanker features installed for use in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Shuttle tankers transport crude oil from deepwater areas where there are no available pipelines. Following long held shipbuilding tradition, coins were placed…

14 Aug 2009

SNAME Elects New Fellows

On June 1, 2009, the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers announced new additions to its rank of Fellows. The membership grade of Fellow is accorded to individuals who have contributed to significant achievements in naval architecture, marine and ocean engineering, and related fields in the form of advances in design, research, production, operation, education, and associated management. G. Russell Bowler: As the Chief Engineer/Vice President of the largest and most successful sailing yacht design company in America, Russell has served as the lead naval architect in numerous groundbreaking designs. Mr. Bowler introduced modern composite construction to the Round the World Race of 1985/86 with the outstanding success of the maxi-yacht UBS Switzerland.

12 Feb 2009

SCI Celebrates 175th Anniversary

In 2009, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) celebrates 175 years of service to the maritime community, assisting the world’s over 1 million mariners with programs and services. From early days as a small, grassroots mission of the Episcopal Church, SCI has grown to be the largest and most comprehensive mariner’s agency in North America. To celebrate the significant heritage, the Institute hosts several special events in 2009, giving insight into the unique work of SCI. “The organization remains committed to its mission and continued work on behalf of mariners,” said John McGrath, Senior Development Officer at SCI. McGrath says that the events planned for the Anniversary celebrate a record of achievement and also showcase the importance of maritime commerce to the world.

05 Apr 2004

Anyone Want to Restore a Tugboat?

You'd think it would be easy to start a tugboat museum. First, get an old tugboat. Clean-up some rust with a pad of coarse steel wool, slap-on a coat of paint, and presto, you're ready to sit in the booth and sell tickets. Everyone would applaud your efforts because, first, everyone loves tugboats and all they represent - solid construction and earnest purpose, hard work and benevolent contributions to civilization. And second, because old tugboats, all spiffied-up, are handsome sights, an alluring environmental decoration wherever they're found. And third, because the design of tugboats, like most of society's tools, has undergone great change, and the old ones are dying-off fast. You'd think everyone would support your labors at preserving a noble cultural heritage.

10 May 2004

What is in John Garner's Pocket

You don't really know a boat until she's hauled. Plying her trade on the water, her best half's submerged out of sight. We think we recognize her - "oh, there's Odin," or "Shelby Rose," or "Twintube" - but what are we seeing? The lines of the deckhouse, the shape and placement of the wheelhouse, the arrangement of the stacks? These are the parts known as the superstructure - "super," in this case, meaning simply "upon." It's a little like saying we recognize someone by his hat. The boat's defining structure starts at the main deck and goes downward from there. What little we see of it is low on the horizon. There's the deck's line, along with a smattering of bulwarks.

03 Aug 2000

OpSail 2000: Parade Of Tall Ships Graces New York’s Waters

Founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, Operation Sail (OpSail) has since found its way back to New York Harbor for significant events such as the Bicentennial celebration in 1976 and the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. MR/EN was invited to step aboard the historic Schooner Wavertree, prior to OpSail 2000. By Regina P. Stepping aboard the historic Schooner Wavertree docked at New York's South Street Seaport, one would feel instantly immersed by the constant whirring of drills, hammering and workers being pulled up onto the vessel's masthead. No, it's not a group of 19th Century shipbuilders, but a modern-day group of individuals, some of who are volunteers, working to prepare the historic Schooner for its OpSail appearance.

11 Jun 2002

WQIS honored by Flag Raised on Peking

The Water Quality Insurance Syndicate was recently honored by a small flag raising ceremony as its flag was hoisted high atop the Peking, a retired vessel permanentlydocked as part of the South Street Seaport Museum in lower Manhattan. the South Street Seaport museum. States, and is dedicated to providing the broadest coverage in marine pollution liability and creating the most responsive organization to serve the needs of its clients. powered only by wind. manufactured goods to South America and to return via Cape Horn with nitrate. and towed to her current home at Pier 16. as tall as an 18-story building, the Peking is one of the largest sailing vessels ever built and the largest preserved by a museum. The Peking is open to visitors of the museum daily from 10am to 6pm.

28 Aug 2007

Navy Secretary Receives Philadelphia Award

Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy, will receive the Commodore John Barry Distinguished Citizen Award at the annual Navy League Dinner to be held on August 28. Drexelbrook in Drexel Hill. Dr. annual budget in excess of $125b and almost 900,000 people. joining the administration of President George W. Systems sector. Previously, Dr. systems division of TRW. League. received in 1797 the first commission in the newly revived U.S. President George Washington. Museum, which plans a joint display with the Navy League. Barry Bridge of the Delaware River Port Authority bears his name.