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RMS The Empress of Britain, Southampton 1935.

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SS Iberia at Bombay.

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Southern Railway Steamers as Hospital Ships Awaiting the Wounded at Dunkirk during World War II - Charles Pears

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Train Ferry Boat - Walter Thomas

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SS Normandie - exmortal

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#OnThisDay the SS Normandie caught fire in New York Harbor.

Image: French Line poster advertising “express luxury service” aboard the NORMANDIE and ILE de FRANCE, from Southampton to New York, c. 1935, Stephen Barrett Chase Collection, SSHSA Archives. #otd #ssnormandie (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLFeCTPnvaV/?igshid=pkcf4gtrpr0d

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It was called Operation Hannibal, an effort to evacuate German civilians from East Prussia in the closing days of World War II. In 1944, as the Red Army rolled across Easter Europe, German civilians fled in panic. After years of Nazi occupation and countless Nazi atrocities the Red Army was not inclined to be lenient with any Germans that it found, soldiers or civilians. Since all rail lines and roads to the west were cut, a seaborne evacuation was necessary and the German navy, the Kriegsmarine launched Operation Hannibal. Hundreds of ships were brought into service and one of the largest was the Wilhelm Gustloff. These ships would leave from ports in Poland heading west to German ports on the Baltic Sea.

The Gustloff was a pleasure craft displacing 25,000 tons and in peacetime it carried 2,000 passengers in luxury on cruises as far as the North Atlantic. On January 30, 1945, a bitterly cold winter night, a tragic maritime disaster occurred. As the Gustloff left port jammed with as many as 10,000 people, a Soviet submarine, S-13 was patrolling nearby and spotted the Gustloff. It was night and the boat captain, Captain Alexander Marinesko could not tell the nature of the ship but knew it had to be German. He fired four torpedoes and three hit the Gustloff. She went down in 44 minutes. The ice-cold water and slow rescue attempts doomed most of the people. Thousands of German civilians, wounded soldiers and members of the Women’s Naval Auxiliary perished. Estimates are that 9,600 died of the more than 10,000 aboard. Since then, there have been memorials and the wreck has been located at the bottom of the Baltic. This occurred at the end of World War II when many other things were going on and history has nearly forgotten the greatest maritime disaster in history.

Special thanks to member Michael A Eggleston for sharing this knowledge with us. You can learn more by reading his book Operation Hannibal: The World War II Evacuation of East Prussia and the Disaster at Sea. https://www.instagram.com/p/CLICdNLng2P/?igshid=drb9aj6eqrao

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#OnThisDay in 1913, Cunard Line’s RMS Aquitania was launched.

Image: Cunard poster advertising a joint service with LMS, or London Midland & Scottish Railway, c. 1928. The poster portrays the steamship Aquitania with a train alongside on tracks by the pier. Text reads: “The Highest Standard of Comfort in Rail and Ocean Travel.” Stephen Barrett Chase Collection, SSHSA Archives. (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/CN8BNNAH1Qj/?igshid=5elud0z8cp2f

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It’s #fridayfilmnight and tonight we are celebrating the 100 years of the United States Lines a little early! We couldn’t wait for the summer to start celebrating all things US Lines. So sit back, relax, grab your popcorn and tune in for The Superliner United States…At Your Service! Link in bio.

Remember to subscribe to our channel and feel free to start a conversation in the comment section on YouTube.

Image: United States Lines’ UNITED STATES (1952) with tugs at Southampton. Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives.

@ssusc @ssusc_nec @savingthessunitedstates (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/COBQR6dnbD4/?igshid=yxgd0ye3w9ir

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#OnThisDay in 1903, the RMS Carpathia made her maiden voyage. She would go on to help rescue survivors from the Titanic in 1912.

Images: Carpathia in port at New York. Group of survivors of the Titanic disaster aboard the Carpathia after being rescued, photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. https://www.instagram.com/p/COf5V-qHYFW/?igshid=1y05ibgkxayro

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#OnThisDay in 1960, the French Line’s SS France was launched. Images from the Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives: French Line’s FRANCE (1962).

A small crowd wave farewell to the FRANCE and her passengers as the ship leaves the French Line pier at West 52nd Street in New York, January 11, 1969. (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/COvcHy7ntnT/?igshid=1llf8ksn8eb3k

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You know what day it is! It’s #FridayFilmNight and tonight you will learn about the iconic SS Seeandbee, from its time working on the Great Lakes to its eventual decommissioning and everything in-between!! So grab your snacks and enjoy the show. Link in our bio.

Image: The Seeandbee at Mackinac Island. The Great Lakes Maritime Collection, Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library. (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPJQKWjn4mI/?utm_medium=tumblr

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It’s #FridayFilmNight so grab your popcorn, sit back and relax, and come along for a seven day cruise aboard the historic Britanis throughout the Caribbean. Click the link in our bio to watch.

If you like our video collection, please consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel at www.YouTube.com/c/shiphistoryImage: Britanis at Ocean Terminal, Hudson River, NY, July 1982. Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives. (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQRIgMhH_u1/?utm_medium=tumblr

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#OnThisDay In 1927, the Ile de France made her maiden voyage. Images: Partial view of ocean liner ILE de FRANCE featuring her funnels and two tugs, Hudson River, NY, March 1955. Braun Brothers Collection, SSHSA Archives. Cie. Gen. Transatlantique (French Line) poster portraying a deck scene at night. Text mentions the ships LIBERTE, ILE de FRANCE, and FLANDRE. The design is signed “J. Paget.” Stephen Barrett Chase Collection, SSHSA Archives. (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQb9zifnOwd/?utm_medium=tumblr

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It’s #FridayFilmNight, and tonight we’re taking a look back at the historic ships of the American Export Lines as well as the forgotten era in which they served. Click the link in our bio to watch.

Please remember to like and comment on the video. You can subscribe to our channel as well.

Image: American Export Lines ocean freighter EXEMPLAR, Edward O. Clark Collection, SSHSA Archives. (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRHb–xMLec/?utm_medium=tumblr

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We have over 1,500 images digitized from the Edward O. Clark Collection. Here is the steamer MAID OF THE MIST at Niagara Falls, Ontario. Edward O.Clark Collection, SSHSA Archives.

You can search our collections at https://sshsa.pastperfectonline.com/. (at The Steamship Historical Society of America) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR1ZjpAs18A/?utm_medium=tumblr