A story reported in the January 1976 issue of American Shipper tells of a prepaid shipment headed for Bordeaux, France, that ended up stuck in Jacksonville, Florida, causing the fertilizer cargo to rot.

snapshot of ports in 1991 reveals the importance of a new radio-frequency technology launch at the time, when a terminal in Honolulu first received the tech.

In an article published in 1992, American Shipper details the first use of barcodes for shipping Chrysler vehicles.

Pricing in ocean shipping was done much differently in the 1970s compared to today. To simplify things, a group of executives created a game around the concept for workers to play.

The famous Norwegian Cruise Line of today got its start transporting ice and coal between Norway and Great Britain. This article from American Shipper in 1975 describes the company’s beginnings and its success in the cruise industry at the time.

An article published in the July issue of American Shipper in 1975 tells the stories of two steamships when they ruled the seas. The stories are full of adventure, mishaps and big wins, giving a glimpse into the life of a sailor in the late 1880s.

Two ships in 1975 traveled between Mediterranean and U.S. ports on a fixed 14-day schedule. But they also caught attention because they were able to carry different types of cargo, including containers as well as liquids.

One shipment of grapefruit to Japan threatened the future of the Florida citrus industry after Caribbean fruit fly larvae were discovered. Japan enacted an embargo on all Florida citrus to protect its own citrus groves in the southern islands. The embargo was lifted after Florida’s sector worked tirelessly to eradicate the larvae.

In 1975, the shipping industry was grappling with the growth of rebating, an illegal strategy that could upend fair competition. Ultimately, one carrier created newspaper ads saying the practice had become the norm and another faced a lawsuit.

In 1975, a dredge capsized in the Miami Harbor with 3,600 barrels of oil onboard. But the fast-acting employees of the port allowed it to reopen within 11 hours and prevent what could have been an ecological disaster.

Growing interest in containerization drove speed and optimization in the transport industry and overtook previous methods of shipping over time. In 1975, United States Lines resumed containerized cargo service, reducing transit time between Savannah, Georgia, and Northern Europe to just eight days.

LASH carriers were the predecessors to today’s container ships. In 1974, soon after they hit the scene, a record number of the ships were built.

The second part of this account of Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones includes a dramatic battle on the seas and how Catherine the Great and Benjamin Franklin fit into the story.

Naval officer John Paul Jones’ story sounds like a scene from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” but the true story of the “Father of the American Navy” includes its share of amusing twists and turns.

In 1975, two identical ore/bulk/oil (O/B/O) ships underwent efficiency experiments. During one of these experiments, a new propeller concept broke midjourney, but the ship continued its duty with no changes in performance and the crew had no idea until it reached its destination.

A collision on the seas involving an American shipping company sparked a heated letter exchange about who was responsible. This fight surprisingly led to the mending of U.S. and China maritime trade.

American Shipper in May 1974 took a look at charges for the handling of freight, which were largely unrecorded if they existed at all before the Civil War.

A page from American Shipper’s archives exhibits how shippers felt in 1978 through an eye-catching speech.

Today, automation can mean launching a fleet of autonomous robots that can unload shipping containers without human intervention. In 1974, a remote-controlled “bow boat” was considered a major launch.

In 1977, news of the looming threat of a strike by a union of dockworkers was prevalent in the pages of American Shipper magazine. The publisher at the time ended the April issue that year with an opinion piece discussing the threat.