Sea History

06/16/2026

NMHS, in partnership with Sail4th 250, has created Maritime Nation, a new online space exploring the many ways oceans, rivers, lakes, ships, ports, and maritime communities have shaped the United States. It's a great resource... check it out!
Start exploring today: https://seahistory.org/maritime-nation/

Why celebrate America’s 250th birthday on the water?

Because America’s story has always been a maritime story.

NMHS, in partnership with Sail4th 250, has created Maritime Nation, a new online space exploring the many ways oceans, rivers, lakes, ships, ports, and maritime communities have shaped the United States.


Start exploring today: https://seahistory.org/maritime-nation/

06/11/2026

The summer issue of SEA HISTORY is out. In it you will find stories of shipwreck and rescue, of restoration and revival of a historic vessel harkening to the NY Harbor RR barges and showboat era, the NMHS–ASMA "Art of the Sea" exhibition and sale, and the rough start to the career of Great Britain's "Father of Hydrography," the story and relevance of the MV GLOBAL MARINER's world tour, and much more. On the cover is a shot of a square-riggers yards and crew in the midst of a fireworks display, representing the current and ongoing Sail 250 parades of sail in New Orleans, Norfolk, Baltimore, NYC, and Boston. Be sure to check out this issue's "Curator's Corner," featuring a historical photograph by Indrek Lepson, from his years serving as a rigger for the FALLS OF CLYDE (1969–1978) under the tutelage of master rigger Jack Dickerhoff. If you are not currently a member of NMHS and would like to get SEA HISTORY delivered straight to your mailbox each quarter, please JOIN US at www.seahistory.org. NMHS is not just about SEA HISTORY, of course, and you can read more about the organization and its mission on our website. What you can read for free is this issue's feature story, "The Wreck of the MENTOR" by Eric Jay Dolin, based on his new book of the same name. https://seahistory.org/in-the-pages-of-sea-history-195/

05/10/2026

As we get ready for the first Sail250 port (New Orleans, starting May 28th), we found this gem from 1975, "the road to '76."
"And that's the way it is..." —Walter Cronkite.

"CBS Evening News" delivers the day's most important stories, delivering context and depth to bring greater understanding to your world. Check local listings...

05/06/2026

Join us Thursday evening (7PM EST) for the NMHS monthly seminar. Tonight's presenter is artist Russ Kramer, whose painting, BIRTHPLACE OF THE US COAST GUARD, was recently dedicated at the Massachusetts State House. It was also the cover image on the Spring issue of SEA HISTORY (thanks Russ!). Russ is a phenomenal artist and a dynamic speaker. The presentation is free, but you'll need to register in advance. Not too late! Click the link below.

Russ Kramer's Coast Guard mural at the Massachusetts State House is the subject of our May First Thursday Seminar. Register to join live on Zoom.

04/10/2026

Pretty excited to share that the ARTEMIS II Mission Specialist in space at this very moment was the focus of an article we ran in SEA HISTORY in 2017, when she was reflecting on her experience in a sail training program aboard the Galveston barque ELISSA. Here is her quote from that article: “Many elements that are important in astronaut training—things like being part of an integrated crew, sharing a working and living space, self-sufficiency, and focus on technical performance while communicating effectively—are also important when working aboard a ship like the ELISSA. It is interesting to me to think about how skills relevant to one of the world’s earliest forms of exploration may be applicable to our current goals for space exploration.” —Christina Koch

You can read that article on pages 20–22 of SEA HISTORY 160, online at https://issuu.com/seahistory/docs/sh_160_autumn-2017/24. In the photo—below left—Christina Koch is on the right, in the gray t-shirt, along with NASA colleagues Mary Lawrence (at left) and Megan McArthur (middle). In the ARTEMIS II photo are Christina Koch (left), Reid Wiseman (seated in the middle), Victor Glover (standing, rear), and Jeremy Hansen (seated, right).

04/09/2026

Join us for tonight's NMHS monthly seminar (via Zoom.... free!). We'll be treated to a presentation by author/sailor/designer Will Sofrin, who will be discussing the topic of his latest book about the USCGC EAGLE. You'll see photos and footage rarely seen by the public and learn aspects of the storied barque's history you probably have never heard about. Again, it is free to all who want to participate, but you'll need to register first at https://seahistory.org/first-thursdays-seminar-series-uscg-cutter-eagle/. See you tonight!

Join NMHS for a First Thursdays seminar with Will Sofrin on the history of USCGC Eagle, also featured in the Spring 2026 issue of Sea History.

03/07/2026

NMHS members: expect the Spring issue of SEA HISTORY in your mailbox this week. In it is an excerpt from Will Sofrin's soon-to-be-released book on the history of the USCGC EAGLE. In this article, you can read about when USCG Commander Gordon McGowan first arrived in Bremerhaven, Germany, after the end of WW2 to take command of the Kriegsmarine training ship HORST WESSEL, and what it took for him to ready her for the transAtlantic in a region decimated by war. There are some rarely-seen photographs of this chapter in the storied ship's history you won't want to miss.

If you are not currently a member of the National Maritime Historical Society, you can purchase this issue at most Barnes & Noble bookstores, or—even better—JOIN NMHS! It is easy to do at https://seahistory.org/join-sea-history/. You'll get SEA HISTORY delivered straight to your mailbox 4X per year and be supporting our efforts to preserve and promote our maritime heritage. None of this happens for free, and if you enjoy reading about maritime history, we could use your support.

03/05/2026

Don't miss tonight's (FREE) online presentation by maritime historian and author Lincoln Paine at 7PM (ET). Lincoln's books include THE SEA AND CIVILIZATION: A MARITIME HISTORY OF THE WORLD; DOWN EAST: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF MARITIME MAINE; and SHIPS OF THE WORLD: AN HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA. He is a visiting scholar at the Center for Coastal and Oceans Law at the University of Maine School of Law and currently serves as president of NASOH, the North American Society for Oceanic History. He is even a former editor of SEA HISTORY! The seminar is free to all, but you have to register first. See link below for further information and to register.

Join NMHS for First Thursdays with maritime historian Lincoln Paine on Indigenous maritime enterprise and its role in shaping the United States.

02/02/2026

Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of the crew of the Gloucester fishing vessel LILY JEAN. Shipmates all.

01/12/2026

In the winter issue of SEA HISTORY, we ran an article on efforts in Camden, NJ, to expose local residents to the natural environment around them that they might not realize is so accessible and efforts to clean up local rivers and engage the city's youth in programs that take them out on the water... in boats they build themselves. John Brady sent us this YouTube short video discussing this very topic with Jim Cummings, the man who started these programs. Video is below. I will post a link to the article in the comments section.

Camden, New Jersey's Cooper River is an educational resource.