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PowerShips & Steamboat Bill
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PowerShips Spring 2018 | No. 305
America’s ‘Mini Liners’ of the 1930s
Even though the harsh Depression raged in the 1930, short trips along the East Coast on little luxury liners, “Mini Liners,” provided an ideal escape. In Lives of the Liners, William Miller takes us aboard the Clyde Mallory Lines Shawnee and Iroquois, which boasted luxurious salons, wonderful food and comfortable cabins.
Alcoa’s Combination Liners
Immediately after World War II, the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) put in service three distinctive cargo-passenger ships, originally unfinished Victory ships. Terry Tilton presents a detailed maritime history of Alcoa and these ships: Alcoa Cavalier, Alcoa Corsair and Alcoa Clipper.
Preana: Australia’s Oldest Operating Steam Vessel
In this restoration story, Jeff Rowe describes the 17 years of effort and dedication, led by Jim Butterworth, that went into bringing the magnificent 1896 steam yacht Preana, Australia’s oldest operating steam vessel, back to life. The Preana is docked in Hobart and operates as an exclusive charter and is currently for sale.
Ship Research, Part 3: Flags at Sea & Funnel Marks
In the third installment of his advice on ship research, James Shuttleworth shows you how information on signal flag codes, other ship flags and funnel marks can support your work. Maritime historians, model makers, collectors, maritime enthusiasts and museum curators will benefit greatly from a knowledge of sea flags.
The Ferry Binghamton: 1905-2017
William Fox offers a loving tribute to the ferry Binghamton (1905-2017). She served the Hoboken-Barclay Street commuter run across the Hudson River from 1905 to 1967 and was said to have steamed 200,000 miles and carried 125 million people during her career. She became a restaurant in the 1970s and was demolished in place in 2017.
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PowerShips Winter 2018 | No. 304
Hoboken’s Fifth Street Pier
On Fridays at 12 noon, Hoboken would “rattle” with the thunderous steam whistles of one of Holland America’s “Big Three” – Rotterdam, Statendam or Nieuw Amsterdam. In "Lives of the Liners," William Miller makes us feel like we’re there on the pier with him.
U-Boat Attacks on Allied Merchant Ships Off New England
Between January 12, 1942, and May 5, 1945, there were 72 German submarine patrols off the coast of New England. Eric Wiberg presents a history of this near-continuous assault by U-boats where, on average, every other submarine managed to sink an Allied ship.
Sailing (or Avoiding) The Exile’s Line to India
Laurence Miller helps bring the British colonial period to life in an article that features numerous images of British, French, Italian, and Dutch colonial liners.
Ship Research, Part 2
In the second installment of his advice on ship research, James Shuttleworth shows you how to use shipping registers and vessel documents to support your article.
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PowerShips Fall 2017 | No. 303
Sagafjord to Alaska
Carl J. Liba Sr. makes us feel like we’ve joined him for his 1987 Cunard Cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage on the MS Sagafjord. Over the course of July and August that year, Liba discovered that Cunard’s advertising slogan, “Getting There Is Half the Fun,” was actually an understatement.
The Peoples’ Captain: Kate McCue’s Journey to the Bridge
In September 2015, Celebrity Cruises made history when Kate McCue stepped onto the bridge as captain of the Summit and joined a growing number of steamship companies who have recently promoted women to the rank of master. Lorraine Coons introduces us to Captain Kate.
There’s Something About Mary
To celebrate the 50th year of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Tom Varney presents a detailed account of the 20 years he took to build his model of the Queen. Scaled at 3/32 inches to 1 foot, the model measures about eight feet long and one foot wide.
Might, Style & Splendor: Empress of Britain
In “Lives of the Liners,” William Miller chronicles the Empress of Britain, launched less than a year after the 1929 stock market crash. The beautiful, white-hulled Empress, built by the renowned John Brown shipyard on the Clyde, was Britain’s biggest liner in almost 20 years.
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PowerShips Summer 2017 | No. 302
An American Classic: Steamer Wilfred Sykes
Led by a stunning cover photo from Christopher Winters, Mark Shumaker offers a heartfelt history of the unassuming 67-year-old Wilfred Sykes, once the largest and fastest on the Great Lakes, which has survived economic ups and downs, mergers and acquisitions and the modernization of the fleet to earn its place as a classic.
Sailing to the East French Style: Cambodge, Laos & Viet-Nam
In “Lives of the Liners,” William Miller offers a brief history of the three combination passenger-cargo ships known as the Three Musketeers that Messageries Maritimes built in the early 1950s to replace aging, pre-war passenger ships.
British India to the Persian Gulf
Terry Tilton presents a comprehensive account of the British India Steam Navigation Company. Founded in 1856, British India became the largest company in the British merchant fleet and was the glue that held the far-flung British Empire together.
American Freighters
Jim Shaw presents a concise history of some of the final American breakbulk cargo ships of the post-war years and their operators, which included Lykes, American Export, Isbrandtsen, Farrell, Moore-McCormack, among others.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Spring 2017 | No. 301
Innovator: The Stunning Ile de France
In Lives of the Liners, William Miller offers a brief history of the French Line’s transatlantic “dreamboat,” the 43,100-grt Ile de France. Commissioned in the spring of 1927, she was one of the most important liners of the 20th century.
Queen Mary 2: Remastering of a Monarch
John Fostik gives us the details on the recent ambitious upgrade to the Queen Mary 2, which remains the only true ocean liner in operation and still the longest, widest, tallest and grandest ever built.
The M/V Tustumena: Navigating Treacherous Waters
Scott McDonald tells the story of his trip aboard the M/V Tustumena, a venerable ferry that sails through Area 3A, one of the most violent stretches of ocean in the western Gulf of Alaska.
Sunoco Shipyards, Part Two
William Preston concludes his account of Sunoco’s shipbuilding and shipping history, focusing on ships built after World War II, including the cargo vessel Adm. Wm. M. Callaghan, the icebreaking tanker Manhattan, and the CIA-backed Hughes Glomar Explorer.
Rotterdam’s Arctic Journey
While traveling from Rotterdam to Boston, Lorraine Coons and Alexander Varias trace the route of the Vikings on Holland America Line’s MS Rotterdam, and rediscover her noble predecessor, De Rotterdam.
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PowerShips Winter 2017 | No. 300
Captain Cobb’s Steamer
James Brown presents the story of Captain Nathan Cobb and his failed effort to start an American trans-Atlantic steam packet line in 1836. Cobb’s steamboat, the Despatch, featured a unique steam propulsion system designed by Phineas Bennet that was doomed from the start.
Icebound! The Story of the RMS Britannia at Boston
David Longshore presents a compelling account of February 1844 when, in the midst of one of the coldest winters in New England memory, hundreds of people from all walks of life came to the icebound Boston harbor to dig a 7-mile channel so the RMS Britannia could head out to sea.
Remembering the La Guardia
In Lives of the Liners, William Miller presents the extraordinary and varied career of the La Guardia, which began its days in the fall of 1944 as the U.S. troopship General W. P. Richardson and later designed to be adapted as a commercial liner in peacetime.
From Peonies to Pirates
Steven Duff presents the amazing story of Jane Shelley, a Chief Officer with the Maersk Line. Her ship is the Maersk Alabama, made famous by its hijacking in 2009 by Somali pirates and resulting movie, Captain Phillips. Shelley’s story is a true saga.
A 100-Year Story of the Motor Yacht Mar-Sue
In 1975, Butch Baxter bought an old, 65-foot, double-ender motor yacht named Mar-Sue II. He set a goal to keep the Mar-Sue going through her 100th birthday, a goal he achieved in April 2015. This is his story.
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PowerShips Fall 2016 | No. 299
Ode to the Pacific Princess
The Pacific Princess is gone now, reduced to rubble and scattered debris. But in Lives of the Liners, William Miller writes about the ship’s very special place in cruising history as the star of the television show "The Love Boat."
Knots, Liberties and Lollipop Ships
David Hendrickson offers a comprehensive history of the post-World War II cargo ships of the Alaska Steamship Company. December 2016 marks the 122nd anniversary of the founding of the company, which provided the principal sea link between Alaska and the lower 48 states.
The Ironclads: Trials and Tribulations
The introduction of ironclad ships in the U.S. Civil War spawned a new kind of warfare known as mechanical warfare. Steve Lund introduces us to those first technological marvels: the USS Merrimac (CSS Virginia), Monitor, New Ironsides, Galena and Keokuk.
Sunoco Shipbuilding, Part 1
William Preston gives a detailed account of the company’s shipbuilding and shipping history. Its primary product was tankers (281 tankers and 14 Liberty ships were built during WWII), but the company built many types of ships over its 70 years.
A History of Bahamian Mailboats
Capt. Eric T. Wiberg, Esq., provides an overview of mailboats, government-subsidized vessels that carry everything from people and pincushions to tractors and pickaxes between the islands of the Bahamas.
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PowerShips Summer 2016 | No. 298
Passenger Liners through the Golden Gate
Jim Shaw offers an engrossing account of the time when San Francisco was the premier port for passenger liners on the West Coast, when vessels such as Lurline, Canberra, Santa Maria and President Wilson sailed to and from Hawaii, Australia, South America and the Orient.
The Grand Saloon and Victorian Propriety
Doug Hart enlightens us with a delightful history of the major public rooms on 19th century British North Atlantic liners – Dining Saloon, Smoking Room, and Drawing Room – that separated the genteel from the vulgar.
Remembering Grace Line’s “M” Ships
Captain Manny Aschemeyer introduces us to the Santa Maria, Santa Mariana, Santa Magdalena and Santa Mercedes. Built for the Grace Line in the early 1960s, the ships were both beautiful and practical. Nothing like them had ever operated on the maritime scene before.
The Sinking of the Andrea Doria on July 26, 1956
In this issue’s Steamboat Bill Classic, originally published in Summer 2006, USNS Private William H. Thomas crew member Ernest R. Melby remembers what it was like to be one of the first ships to arrive on the scene and assist in the rescue. Edited by Don Leavitt.
Plus: The Stella Solaris, Cuba - 'So Near And Yet So Foreign,' and Freighter Trips in the Caribbean - 1930s.
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PowerShips Spring 2016 | No. 297
In this issue, we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary, featuring:
A Great Day for the Queen of Time
Queen Mary's Commodore Everette Hoard paints a picture of last year's wonderful celebration of the opening of a new model gallery on the ship, the first tangible step toward what is expected to grow into a 65,000-square-foot museum.
Tribute to a Queen
In an article originally published in Steamboat Bill in 1968, Frank Cronican Jr. offers a heartwarming tribute to the Queen Mary, one that features details of the ship's construction, an account of her maiden voyage, and a brief history of her travels during and after World War II.
The Insider's Guide to the Queen Mary
SSHSA Board Member Don Leavitt describes his recent awe-inspiring visit ot the Queen Mary, where he wandered through the ship with his mouth agape, expecting to awaken from a dream.
Plus - articles on the Hamburg, the Russian steam frigate Kamschatka, the SS Manco, the Hudson River Maritime Museum and more!
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PowerShips Fall 2015 | No. 295
In this issue:
The Late, Great Norway, Steel Ships at Pascagoula, Remembering the Eastland, Pilotage Aboard the Pacific Scout, Night Boat, 2015 SSHSA Award Winners, Museum Profile: National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, and more.
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PowerShips Summer 2015 | No. 294
In this issue: Steamboat Bill and Powerships: A Look Back Over 75 Years, Going to Sea with Cunard, Through the Lens of Byron Huart: Cruise Ships at New York, Remembering the Eastland, A Final Visit to Leonardo da Vinci, Museum Profile: The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax, and more.
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PowerShips Spring 2015 | No. 293
In this issue: Patris - The First Big Liner for Chandris, The Miracle That Was Prinsendam, The Russian Yacht Livadia, Eugene O'Neill's Fireman Yank in The Hairy Ape, Slow Boat to Europe, Museum Profile: Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Introducing SSHSA's New Headquarters: The Ship History Center, Steamboat Bill and PowerShips: A Look Back Over 75 Years, and more.
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PowerShips Winter 2015 | No. 292
In this issue:
Aboard the SS Rotterdam, Hoboken’s Pier B, Modelling the SS Catalina, U-Boats in the Bahamas, No Fire Bell in the Night, A Unique Maine Museum Flagship, 2014 SSHSA Award Winners, Museum Profile: Columbia River Maritime Museum, and more.
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PowerShips Fall 2014 | No. 291
In this issue*:
“The Shepard Steamship Company and its Ships,” “Five Brilliant Hours on the Princess Marguerite,” “The Three Royal Viking Line Sisters,” “The Concrete Wreck, “The SS George W. Elder,” “U-Boats in the Bahamas and Bermuda in WWII,” and more.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Summer 2014 | No. 290
In this issue*: "Farewell Saga Ruby," "The President Monroe of 1940," "Crossing the Line from Cruise Ships to Ocean Liners," "Onboard the Frances Barkley," "A Survivor’s Link to General Slocum Tragedy, "The Steamship Sir Walter Scott at age 114," and more.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Spring 2014 | No. 289
In this issue*: "Towboats in the Mist: The Knappton-Brix Story," The African Endeavour and African Enterprise," "Engine Order Telegraphs," "The Sinking of the SS Vestris," "The Tragedy of the Steamboat Swallow, and "The Final Voyage of the F.F. Oakes."
To order this issue please contact SSHSA at (401) 463-3570.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Winter 2014 | No. 288
In this issue*:
"The SSHSA Annual Awards 2013;" "Remembering the America of 1940;" "American Tank Ships; The Vessels of the Lake Okanagan Inland Marine Museum;" "The SS Nomadic: Last of the White Star Line;" "Postwar American Export Lines Freighters;" "The Yacht of Camelot: Bringing Back the Honey Fitz."
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
To order this issue please contact SSHSA at (401) 463-3570
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PowerShips Fall 2013 | No. 287
In this issue*:
Grace Line Special Issue featuring "The Quartet of 1932-33;" "The 52s: Combination Ships;" and "A Line a Day: A 1925 Voyage to South America Aboard a Grace Line Steamer." Plus, "Building Titanic II;" "Hip Hip Hooray for the Good Old Waverly;" "San Pablo: An Undersea Mystery off Pensacola;" "An Introduction to The Posner Maritime Art Collection."
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Summer 2013 | No. 286
"Lives of the Liners: The Bretagne/Brittany: Chandris Lines’ ‘Ship of Destiny’;" "Exporters: American Export Lines’ Freighters of 1939-1946;" "Having Fun at the Behind the FUN Tour;" "The History of a Civil War Transport: The Steamer Clara Poe;" "Retired Nantucket Lightships: A Trio Weathering All Storms;" "Navy’s Potomac Fleet: Transport for Naval Gun Manufacturing;" "The SS Servian: A Vessel of Many Names & Missions;" "Museum Profile: Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum;" and highlights from ShiPosium II.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Spring 2013 | No. 285
In this issue: "Lives of the Liners: Holland America’s Ryndam of 1951;" "Bogus Brochures, Counterfeit China, & Phony Posters: 10 Fake Ship Collectibles & 5 Ways to Protect Yourself;" "The Hudson River Day Line;""A Mediterranean Passage: Mediterranean Shipping as Viewed from a Greek Cargo Ship in the Early 1980s;" "Museum Profile: Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Connecticut - Museum of America & The Sea."
This issue is sold out. Please contact our office at info@sshsa.org for information on how to obtain a reprint.
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PowerShips Winter 2013 | No. 284
In this issue*: "SS Delphine: Still America’s Largest Steam Yacht;" "Lives of the Liners: “Aunt Tilly” & “The Flounder”;" "Marine Art in the World of Power Ships;" "The Return of the Keewatin;" "The Doctor Lykes in the Mediterranean in 1969;" and "Col. James M. Schoonmaker: Museum Ship."
Plus, get all the details on ShiPosium II and the Annual Conference in May 2013 in Long Beach, CA. Don't miss it!
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Fall 2012 | No. 283
In this issue*: "Lives of the Liners: Italy’s South American Sisters;" "Is There Gold in Your Closet: Collecting Ship Brochures;" "No Place for a Lady!: Journal of the Wife of a Steamboat Captain;" "Breaking the Glass Ceiling on the High Seas: Captain Inger Klein Olsen;" "Shipboard Radio Communications: From Spark-Gap CW to GMD SS;" and "The Jonah of Convoy PQ-17."
Plus more!
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Summer 2012 | No. 282
In this issue: "African Queen Celebrates Her 100th Birthday;" "How Safe are Cruise Ships in 2012;" "The One with the Most Cruises Wins: Ideas, Tips & Opportunities;" "Cruising the Wolfsonian Museum;" "Art-Space-Ship: The Factory Freezer Trawler Stubnitz;" "Breakbulkers by the Bay;" "Providence Steamboat Company;" and "ShiPosium and SSHSA Annual Meeting: A Resounding Success."
This issue is sold out. Please contact our office at info@sshsa.org for information on how to obtain a reprint.
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Steamboat Bill Collector's Set - White Star Line
For those interested in not only the Titanic but also the White Star Line, we are also offering a Collector's Set with three issues that contain articles on the infamous line that produced the doomed vessel.
The set includes the following:
Winter 1958, #68 - "The North Atlantic in the 1870s" by N.R.P. Bonsor
Winter 1962, #84 - "Fifty Years Ago on the North Atlantic" by Charles McCombs
Spring 1967, #101 - "Britannic - The Queen That Never Reigned" by John H. Shaum, Jr.
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Steamboat Bill Collector's Set - Titanic
As part of our recognition of the 100th anniversary of Titanic's sinking, we are offering a Collector's Set ofSteamboat Bill issues with intriguing articles on the Titanic. Dating back to 1972, thirteen years before Robert Ballard discovered her final resting place, these articles provide many viewpoints and stir up discussion on several aspects of this tragedy that has captivated the world for a century.
The set includes the following:
*Spring 1972, #121 - "Was Titanic Unsafe At Any Speed?" by Colin Carmichael
Spring 1981, #157 - "Search for Titanic" by Jack Shaum
Spring 1994, #209 - "Wireless and the Ships at Sea" by Henry G. Pettitt
Spring 2001, #237 - "Titanic-From a Different Angle" by Edwin L. Dunbaugh
*Winter 2006, #260 - "The Early Days of Wireless at Sea" by Louis C. Kleber
(*Issues are printed from scans due to short supply)
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PowerShips Spring 2012 | No. 281
In this issue*: Uncover the ugly truth behind the Titanic. In "The Final Board of Inquiry: The Cold Case Investigation into the Loss of the Steamship Titanic;" Commander Richard R. Paton, a former Coast Guard Investigation Officer, “officially investigates one of history's worst ship disasters and presents the results of his investigation to you, the jury.
See why financier J.P. Morgan’s attempts to control ocean traffic between Europe and the United States at the turn of the 20th century ended in failure, in Louis C. Kleber’s revealing story, "The Titanic Helps Sink the International Mercantile Marine Company."
Discover why the Titanic, Olympic and Britannic could be considered the first “green” vessels.
Learn about the wooden steam schooners that were built to service the lumber trade in the tiny dog-hole ports of coastal California and southern Oregon in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Read about the extraordinary discovery of the steamship SS Newcastle City, recently found lying on the ocean floor where she sank 121 years before.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Winter 2012 | No. 280
This issue* of PowerShips highlights "The Shanghai Incident" when the President Hoover found herself caught up in another war in Asia as the U.S. entered WWII. "The Other Scharnhorst" tells of the German liner 15 years after the end of WWI, known for its notable innovations. The cover story features the pioneering New York commuter steamboat Sylvan Dell. Also featured in this issue is an update on the steamship Shieldhall, and the final installment of Larry Driscoll's series on the SS United States, "Troublesome Times."
Full Color, 86 pages.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Fall 2011 | No. 279
This issue* features "Vessels of the Virginia Ferry Corporation, 1930-1956" by William L. Baxter and Part II of Larry Driscoll's The SS United States: The Last Queen of the Merchant Marine," as well as an interview with officers of the Ivory. Also, read about the Union Army's procurement of vessels during the Civil War, complete with spectacular photographs from the Civil War era. Catch up on what's going on in your region and read reviews of the latest maritime history books.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Summer 2011 | No. 278
This issue* includes the first installment of our in-depth look at the career of the liner United States. Also featured are cargo liners, Q-ships, the loss of the Cunard liner Oregon, and ongoing efforts to preserve the Spanish-American War-era cruiser Olympia.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Winter 2011 | No. 276
Issue #276* includes "Prides, Clippers, and Seabees: New Freighters for the Lykes Bros. Steamship Company;" "A Voyage to the Roof of the World" along Norway's rugged coast; and a history of one of the most famous American lightships, the Nantucket lightship LV-112.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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PowerShips Spring 2011 | No. 277
In Issue No. 277*, the cover story revisits the careers of two of the last deep-sea passenger liners built in the U.S. - the Argentina and Brasil. Also in Issue 277, the Boblo steamer Columbia returns to operation in Michigan; Maersk Line's latest container ship, Great Lakes steamship museums, the three Cunard Queens in NYC, the Mary Woods 2, and an update on the SS United States.
*Reprint only. All originals are sold out.
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