Numbers in brackets proceeding names indicate age. The evening of 21 August 1940 found the SS Anglo-Saxon steaming along peacefully having departed Newport, Wales days earlier. The tramp steamer carried 40 in crew. Among her crewmen were Robert Tapscott (19) … Continue reading
On 25 October 1941 an Atlanta-class cruiser, the USS Juneau, was launched in Kearny, New Jersey. In February of the next year she was commissioned. In command was Captain Lyman Swenson. Although Swenson didn’t have much of a home life … Continue reading
By the time of her final voyage in 1819, the Nantucket whaler Essex was an aged lady, but a very successful one. That was about to change. Her captain was George Pollard, a first mate from the previous voyage. On 12 … Continue reading
Built in 1899 and named the Pennsylvania the freighter was sold to the Minnesota Steamship Company and renamed the SS Mataafa. Throughout her career, which spanned from 1900 to 1965, the Mataafa suffered one mishap after another. The shipping season had been … Continue reading
