CSS Alabama, commanded by Captain Raphael Semmes, had spent nearly two years capturing and destroying 65 Northern merchant ships and whalers. There were seven different expeditionary raids from the Eastern Atlantic to the Java Sea and back near where the vessel had been built.

During World War I, a Navy vessel ‘sailed’ the concrete of New York City for three years. The only water it ever encountered was from the sky and the city’s municipal water supply. The battleship, nicknamed “USS Neversail” and the “Street Dreadnaught,” was officially christened USS Recruit.

In the catalog I noticed a Japanese pillar clock, called a shaku dokei, up for auction. While updating the value I noticed a name on the clock’s storage box—’C. E. Thorburn, USN’. Whenever I run across a name, especially one this unique, I immediately try to see if I can uncover the history of the original owner.

Through grant funding, The Mariners' is working to digitize and preserve a host of photo negatives, including the remarkable photographic work of John Frye, whose collection captures the heart of the menhaden fishing industry in Chesapeake Bay. Frye’s vivid notes and 7,000+ negatives offer a glimpse into the daily lives of Chesapeake Bay watermen in the 1960s-1980s. 

Discover the story behind a print titled “The Success wedged on a Rock, being at the same time between the fire of the Spanish Fort at Umata and a Ship in the Harbour.” Irony anyone?

This week “in the Land of Submarines” we’re focusing on documenting the Japanese submarine Nishimura 3746. Previously we talked about its history and our initial assessment of the hull. All this activity is in preparation of moving the sub onto a custom cradle and to a new home.

“Hidden Histories” is a Museum project designed to give names, agency, and interpretation of unidentified African Americans in our Collections through genealogical research and community engagement.