The Spring issue of PowerShips is out now! Get your copy by joining the Steamship Historical Society of America or buying a single issue while they last. Here's a taste of what's inside:
The Interior Design of the 1819 Steamship Savannah
Many articles were written about the Savannah when it was built, but much of the information was about the elegant passenger quarters and was contradictory. Very little was written about the engine and paddle wheels, which were unique. Based on historical evidence - including detailed drawings - Richard Barns makes logical deductions to present a detailed description of the ship, focusing on the boilers, engine and paddle wheels.
French Line Flagship: The Liberte
It has been some 60 years since the French Line’s Liberte left New York on her final voyage with a tug and fireboat escort before sailing off to the shipbreakers. In "Lives of the Liners," William Miller tells us the 31-year story of this great and grand liner, at the time the third-largest liner afloat, which came to the French as the Europa of prewar North German Lloyd fame.
Notes on the Great Bitter Lake
When the Six-Day War broke out between Egypt and Israel in June 1967, 14 merchant ships were caught in the Great Bitter Lake. Though the war lasted just six days, imprisonment of these ships lasted almost eight years! This story is based on the notes of one of the captains, Capt. Brian McManus, as submitted by Donald Persson.
City of Erie vs. Tashmoo
Jerry Canavit presents a fast-paced account of one of steamboating’s greatest races: the new, fast sidewheel passenger steamer Tashmoo versus the powerful sidewheel passenger and deck freight steamer City of Erie. The highly promoted 95-mile Cleveland-to-Buffalo race was won by just 45 seconds. Read the article to find out who won.
And more!
We are continuing to build up the Ship History Center brick by brick thanks to the support of our members.
Memorial bricks now line the walls at our headquarters, but there's still time to get your request in before the next order goes out. Help us recognize the people, places and iconic vessels that have supported our organization throughout the last eight decades, and make sure the Ship History Center and SSHSA's impressive archive are around for generations to come.
Purchasing an inscribed brick is a timeless way to honor a ship, friend, family member or crewmate, past or present. Standard 4-by-8 inch bricks are $95, and a large 8-by-8 inch brick is $175, with logos $30 extra. Dozens of symbols are available, including all branches of the U.S. military anchors, atoms, boats (square rigger and yacht), fleur-de-lis, lighthouse, maple leaf, merchant marine, oars, ribbons (cancer awareness), SSHSA burgee and more.
By purchasing a brick, you are establishing your legacy at SSHSA and supporting the future of the organization. Proceeds will help sustain operations and grow membership. Click here to order your brick online, or call us at 401-463-3570. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far!
Following up on our presentation at the 11th Maritime Heritage Conference, we are in the process of mailing out informational packets about our education program to all Rhode Island high schools. Our goal is to find teachers to test our materials in their classroom and provide us with feedback. We are also nearing the deadline for the Stoltenberg Art Initiative, which will have art teachers test our lessons and primary sources with their students. Their students can then enter their artwork into a maritime art contest to win cash prizes.
If you or anyone you know is a teacher who would like to help us test our materials, email SSHSA Education Coordinator Aimee Bachari at steam@sshsa.org. Educators can also fill out our short 8 question survey on the website here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KXB5ZGH.
If you've visited the Ship History Center in the last year, you have probably noticed the impressive models of ocean liners such as the Leviathan and the Imperator. You may have also noticed, if you looked closely, that some of the models are in need of some repairs and cleaning. Thanks to a kind grant from the Champlin Foundation, that is finally going to happen.
The models in question are part of the George Hawley Collection, named for their builder who constructed them primarily out of paper. While some of the finer points like the masts, railings and other fixtures are made of wood and glue, the majority of the ship is simply cardboard, paper and poster board. But despite using materials that some might dismiss as disposable, these amazing works of art - some of which are 6 feet or more in length - are standing the test of time.
George Hawley was born 1912 in Baldwinsville, NY. He served in World War II in Japan and stayed there for several years after the war as an educator before heading home to teach math at Baldwinsville High. Though his career lay in numbers, he had originally wanted to be an architect. His artistic side was expressed by visiting museums and copying some of the works there, and also building models. In addition to ships, Hawley carefully researched and built models of theaters and other buildings.
The Hawley models came out of storage for the first time in over a decade when the Ship History Center opened in 2015. Due to the effects of time, fragility and several moves, the models require conservation on some of the smaller fixtures, such as masts, sails, anchors and lines. Fortunately, The Champlin Foundation recently awarded SSHSA with a grant for $19,500 which will be put toward proper display cases, light cleaning, and repairs for these unique models and 20 others that are part of our collection.
The Champlin Foundation has provided us with more than $115,000 since 2007 to assist us with projects like cleaning, restoring and digitizing images from our collection so they could be displayed online in our Image Porthole. Now they have helped preserve another inimitable collection that will be on display here at the Ship History Center for years to come.
© 2023 The Steamship Historical Society of America. SSHSA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
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