This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first steamship to sail across the Atlantic.
National Maritime Day has been celebrated in our nation’s seaports on May 22 since 1933. The holiday recognizes the importance of the maritime industry and those who have served at sea in times of peace and war while thinking of the future of the industry.
This year will be extra special because 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the first steamship to sail across the Atlantic.
Steamship Savannah under power of both sail and steam as it embarks on its first voyage.
On May 22, 1819, the steamship S.S. Savannah commenced its first voyage from Savannah, Ga., to Liverpool, England. Prior to its departure, President James Monroe boarded the vessel for a short cruise. The voyage from the pier in Savannah to the anchorage in Liverpool was made in 29 days and four hours using both the ships sails and its steam engine.
On Dec. 8, 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower introduced the Atoms for Peace program at the United Nations in New York. He later proposed the showcase of the program to be the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship, which on completion in 1962 was named the N.S. Savannah.
First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christens the Savannah during the launching ceremony at Camden, N.J., on July 21, 1959.
Thus, on the 200th anniversary of the sailing of the first steamship, a two-day event is planned aboard the first nuclear ship, Savannah. At Pier 13 in the Port of Baltimore on May 18 and 19, the ship, including its engine room, will be open to the public for inspection. Two symposiums focusing on the origins of steam navigation and the two Savannahs will be held on the first day of the event, in addition to a meeting of the Steamship Historical Society of America. Across the pier from the Savannah is the Liberty ship John W. Brown, which also will be open for visitors and an evening reception.
Liberty ship John W. Brown seen at the last dry docking. On May 18, the ship will lay alongside Savannah at Pier 13 in the Port of Baltimore.
Throughout the weekend, Pier 13 will be bustling with exhibits brought by representatives of the port industry and Chesapeake Bay. There will be Lego displays, model ships, pilot launches, fireboats, Coast Guard cutters, police marine units, tugboats and other harbor craft. Radio-controlled model boats will be on display.
On May 19, representatives from the U.S. Maritime Administration and local officials will conduct a formal observance of National Maritime Day on board the Savannah starting at 10 a.m.
It should be quite a weekend for those who love the sea, Chesapeake Bay, steam power, ships, the maritime industry and our country.
McNamara, who is retired as president of the National Cargo Bureau, currently serves as historian of the Maritime Industry Museum at Fort Schuyler, N.Y., and remains active in the maritime industry.
