Have you noticed our Conservation crew treating the Leifr Eiriksson statue this summer? Work is now complete, so read along with us as we share how we cleaned and recoated him!

The Mariners' Library and Archives hold the largest maritime history collection in the Western Hemisphere. With its rich collections and international scope, the Library and Archives is a premier resource for maritime research.

For several years, we had a permitted wildlife sanctuary in the Park! Of the projects from the early years of the Park, our wildlife endeavor was the longest, lasting until almost 1950.

Something unusual occurred in the early morning darkness of January 31, 1863, when the Confederate ironclad rams, CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State, crossed the Charleston Bar and struck the Union ships guarding that blockade runners’ haven.

During WWII, many women answered the call of military service through enlistment into the WAVES. Marjorie Pollard was one of those women, and — despite widespread stigma about homosexuals in military service during the 1940s and 1950s— she may have also been part of the LGBTQ+ community.

During the Victorian period in England, a famous astronomer and mathematician named Janet Taylor (formerly Jane Ann Ionn), made her indelible mark in the male-dominated field of science and navigation

After the Battle of Hampton Roads, USS Monitor —“little ship that saved the nation” — seemed perfect. But this illusion was shattered after the James River Flotilla's defeat at Drewry's Bluff. Lt. William Jeffers wrote a detailed report lodging his complaints about the vessel, from intolerable ventilation to questionable design choices, leading to a harsh rebuke from inventor John Ericsson. 

The water connects all of us, even the aviators! Learn about a barnstorming aviator’s maritime connection.

Profound respect and undying gratitude are owed to the merchant mariners who operated these ships even when they knew the work could be extremely dangerous.