The Steamship Historical Society of America

At NEWSM in East Greenwich today. Stop by 9 to 3 today & tomorrow. Adults $15, kids 6-17 $7, 5 & under FREE. Our curator is presenting at 1:00 today.

Have you seen our two-part interview with Doug Tilden on the move from breakbulk cargo to containerization? Watch both parts at https://shiphistory.org/2025/08/28/containerization-with-doug-tilden/.

Tilden is a former VP of the United States Lines, South America, and later CEO of Marine Terminals. He spent the last five decades in the shipping industry, working his way up from being a dock clerk to serving as the top executive within a Global Fortune 100 corporation. In Part I, you will learn about the move from breakbulk cargo to the rise of containerization. In Part II, Doug discusses cost reduction in ocean shipping because of containerization and the evolution of container ships.

Image: Maersk liner in Tokyo harbor, Japan, photographed by Joseph F. Braun in1968. Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives.

See more digitized images from this collection at bit.ly/BraunBrothersCollection.

Come out & see us today at the NEW ENGLAND WIRELESS & STEAM MUSEUM. Our curator is presenting at 1:00.

The Steamship Historical Society of America will be attending the 35th Annual Antique Marine Engine Expo this year at the New England Wireless and Steam Museum at 1300 French Town Rd., East Greenwich, RI 02818.

Saturday & Sunday August 15 & 16 9 AM – 3 PM EST. Admission $15/adult.

The event boasts the largest all-marine engine show in the United States. Collectors from around the country will display nineteenth to mid-century marine engines including outboards, inboards, steam, diesel, as well as marine models.

Come stop by our table and say hi. Make sure you don’t miss our curator Jordan Berson’s presentation on Elmo Pickerill at 1:00 on Saturday. Pickerill was the chief radio operator aboard the SS Leviathan.

Can’t make it? You can see a video about Pickerill here: https://bit.ly/4wPyuZg

Sometimes it's the little things...

Special thanks to board member Nicholas Langhart for donating this display table. Curator Jordan Berson used it to create a display of some of the smaller items in our collection including medallions, paper weights and pins.

Included in the case are a variety of coins, medals, and other trinkets. Some were made to commemorate milestones such as ship launchings and maiden voyages, while others were for advertising or purely decorative. A sampling of medals now on display include but are not limited to:

VISTAFJORD inaugural Bermuda cruise,1973
Sea-Land's GALLOWAY maiden voyage (given to crew members), 1972
A coin minted by SSHSA commemorating the 100th anniversary of the launching of MOUNT WASHINGTON, 1972
Two oversized souvenir medals made of bronze alloy from QUEEN MARY’s propeller.
Littleton Ship Systems “First Launching” (which was Farrell Lines’ SS AUSTRAL ENVOY), 1971
Three in honor of new French Line ships ANTILLES, FRANCE, LAFAYETTE and LIBERTE
French Line 100th anniversary, 1955
The new Deutsche Atlantik Line passenger liner HANSEATIC, 1969
The ill-fated ‘Project America’ cruise ships that were to be built for the American Hawaii Cruises, 1999
Christening of Clipper Cruise Line's YORKTOWN CLIPPER, 1988
Christening of Viking Ocean Cruises' VIKING STAR, 2015
102 years of shipbuilding at Quincy, Massachusetts, 1986

One of the items we especially like is a pair of brass medallions crafted from the Queen Mary's propeller.

Each of these objects can now be found online at https://shiphistory.org/collections/.

The Steamship Historical Society of America will be attending the 35th Annual Antique Marine Engine Expo this year at the New England Wireless and Steam Museum at 1300 French Town Rd., East Greenwich, RI 02818.

Saturday & Sunday August 15 & 16 9 AM – 3 PM EST. Admission $15/adult.

The event boasts the largest all-marine engine show in the United States. Collectors from around the country will display nineteenth to mid-century marine engines including outboards, inboards, steam, diesel, as well as marine models.

Come stop by our table and say hi. Make sure you don’t miss our curator Jordan Berson’s presentation on Elmo Pickerill at 1:00 on Saturday. Pickerill was the chief radio operator aboard the SS Leviathan.

Can’t make it? You can see a video about Pickerill here: https://bit.ly/4wPyuZg

in 1969, Joseph F. Braun took these images of paddlewheel steamship KURORT RATHEN on the Elbe River, Dresden, East Germany. Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives.

Images: KURORT RATHEN on the Elbe River with bridge in the background. KURORT RATHEN with smokestake angled to allow passage under a bridge. View of decks, funnel and pilothouse. View of Elbe River off KURORT RATHEN and one of her lifeboats, and sitting passengers.

You can view more digitized images from this collection at bit.ly/BraunBrothersCollection. Learn more about other collections, find our Virtual Museum, and learn about research at https://shiphistory.org/collections/.

in 1940, the SS AMERICA began her maiden voyage as the new flagship for the United States Lines.

Images: SS AMERICA Novelty "Jumping Jack" Sailor Boy. Painted wooden souvenir figurine; kinetic toy sailor boy. String pulled at bottom creates "jumping jack" effect. Willie Tinnemeyer Collection, SSHSA Archives.

Photo by Dudley J. Berson showing United States Line's SS AMERICA at dock in New York. Digitized from 35mm slides. Summer, 1955. D. Jordan Berson Collection, SSHSA Archives.

Find more in our collections at https://shiphistory.org/collections/.

The POSEIDONIA, former City of Cork packet INNISFALLEN, is pictured at Patras, Greece, in 1971. Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives.

See more digitized images from this collection at bit.ly/BraunBrothersCollection.

We have much more that isn't yet digitized. If you're looking for something specific, our Archives Team can help! Visit https://shiphistory.org/collections/ to learn more and contact us.