The first step in a project to assess the condition of La Isabel, a Jábega boat, a traditional fishing trawler from Málaga, Spain. It was built in 1925 and came to The Mariners’ Museum and Park in 1933 not long after the Museum opened.

It’s incredibly rare, it’s from the US Navy, it’s a key piece of the origin story for the longest serving, most produced military sidearm in world (not American, WORLD) history… and it’s in the collection of your Mariners’ Museum and Park!

A recent inquiry from the Assistant Professor of Mediterranean History and Archaeology at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World brought a really cool assemblage of watercolors in our collection to my attention. The images were painted by Joseph Partridge, an artist turned Marine stationed aboard USS Warren between 1827 and 1830.

Remembering a Moby Dick read-a-thon and whaling display with a school group, a program that brought literature and history to life. Visitors got to listen to the book’s narrative while seeing authentic pieces from our Collection.

Introduction to Morgan Brittain, joining The Mariners’ Museum and Park team as a Graduate Assistant from the William & Mary American Studies PhD program.

Nishimura no. 3746, a Japanese midget submarine built in 1940. There were only four of these submarines ever built, only two of which were built by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and it is the only surviving example of its kind.

During the American Revolution the Americans had a fledgling Navy, made up of the small fleets that each state could muster together. These ships were not able to match the well-trained, battle-hardened British Navy, so the Americans turned to privateers to help in the fight.

Thomas Catlett Skinner’s office was a loft overlooking the dry dock at the Newport News shipyard. Frequently he would gather his tools and wander through the yard, stopping to observe and document the many scenes unfolding before him. 

Cataloging engravings from 16th and 17th century atlases and books requires intense detective work to accurately understand the image’s origin or the scene’s history.

A brief history of the Bronze Doors at The Mariners’ Museum and Park, commissioned in 1932. They once graced the main entrance and now are part of the collection.