Using exclusive oral histories and primary resources straight from our extensive archives, we focus on the vessels, crew and passengers that revolutionized the way that we traveled, traded and immigrated. Steam ahead with us as we navigate the waters of America’s rich maritime heritage.
This program is generously funded by Ted Scull who also helps source interviews, research, and provides visual materials. You can view all the films below or click on the headings to see the theme pages that includes additional information, lesson plans, and more.
Join Education Director Aimee Bachari for Part I of a discussion on Japanese immigration to Hawai’i by steamship and the practice of picture brides with University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor of History and Ethnic Studies Dr. Kelli Nakamura. You’ll learn about how the American Civil War and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 fueled a need for sugar plantation workers in Hawai’i. You will also hear about the practice of picture brides, or arranged marriages where partners were selected by photos and personal recommendations of friends and family.
Learn about one man’s story escaping Czechoslovakia the day before the Nazi’s invaded. This anonymous interviewee talks with SSHSA Education Director Aimee Bachari and Former Board President Ted Scull and describes the process of leaving Europe for America during World War II. You will see primary source images from the SSHSA Archive as well as images from personal collections of the interviewee. Images and video in the public domain are also used.
Watch this oral history that details what it was like immigrating to America from Germany post-WWII on board the United States Line’s ship, the SS United States. In between a conversation with Brigitte Bentele and Education Director Aimee Bachari, you will see primary source photographs and posters from SSHSA Archives in addition to personal photographs provided by Brigitte.
This film details the history of Italian Immigration to the United States via steamship in the early 20th century, through the eyes of Gerardo D’Amico. Learn about the business of the immigrant trade and how changing laws and anti-immigration sentiment in America forced the steamship companies to focus more on pleasure cruising.
Join us on this segment of SHIPS where we team up with Rhode Island-based documentarian Mark Starr whose interviews and film help us learn women in the commercial fishing industry at Point Judith. Background about the port is provided by Dan Costa. You’ll hear from Jenn Fish, Mary O’Rourke, and Stesha Campbell about their experiences working in the fishing industry.
Join us for a chat with Doug Tilden, former VP of United States Lines, South America, and later CEO of Marine Terminals. Doug 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 of this series, you will learn about the move from breakbulk cargo to the rise of containerization.
Watch Part II with Doug Tilden and learn about the cost savings in the move from breakbulk cargo to the rise of containerization and the evolution of container ships.
You’ll hear from Ted Scull about his time working for Holland America Line from 1964 – 1966 in Sales Promotion. It was here that he witnessed the major changes to Manhattan’s waterfront. The Container Revolution was taking over from the breakbulk ships that were loaded and unloaded along the city’s waterfront. Long stretches were abandoned for years. Increases in air travel took over from point-to-point passenger ship travel and ocean liners were replaced by leisure travel aboard cruise ships. You will also hear from Stuart Gewirtzman who shares photographs he took of Manhattan’s waterfront and the ships you may see in the harbor today.
In this next episode of our program SHIPS , you will hear from interviewee Jim Shaw about how he and other passengers kept themselves busy on board during long voyages. Jim details the various deck games and provides historical context about how these games on ships have changed from the 1910s to the current offerings on cruise ships and everything in between.
In this episode of our program SHIPS, you will hear from interviewees Alan Zamchick, Ted Scull, and Charles Zuckerman about the ways they kept busy while at sea. Alan details what it was like as a child exploring the ship and having newfound freedom with his brother. Ted discusses two voyages and the infamous “Crossing the Line” ceremony. Charles talks about playing trivia, which many might not think of when discussing deck games and leisure at sea.
Watch the latest episode on ships as transport in SHIPS that features an oral history with Paul Klee. He discusses what it was like traveling via steamship to Europe at the age of 17 on board the student ship the SS Groote Beer. He details what the ship was like compared to the larger ocean liners and how exciting it was to travel alone as an adult for the first time among so many others students.
Watch this oral history with Theodore Scull. He discusses what it was like traveling via steamship to Europe at the age of 17 on board the SS Liberte of the French Line, traveling through Europe, and returning on the SS Flandre. Ted recalls what it was like on board, exploring other classes, and how he fell in love with this community at sea. He details his experiences traveling across Europe and how this trip influenced the rest of his life. Topics include travel, leisure on board, class differences, post-WWII Europe, and traveling through storms at sea.
Daniel F. Harrington recounts the gruesome tragedy that took place on February 11, 1907, one of New England’s worst maritime tragedies, when the Larchmont sank in icy waters off Watch Hill after a collision with the three-masted schooner Harry Knowlton. A former East Providence City Council Member, Harrington began writing on the subject and found the stories of the victims and survivors so interesting that he created an hour-long presentation on the topic and has been touring local libraries and historical societies. You’ll hear about murder, suicide, and 7 inches of ice coating the bodies that washed ashore on Block Island.
