Captain James McNamara, contributor
- Feb- 2021 -1 FebruaryAmerican Shipper
Maritime History Notes: Pioneering LNG carriers
Though maritime shipments of LNG are routine today, it was only 62 years ago that the first shipment of LNG occurred.
Read More » - Dec- 2020 -31 DecemberAmerican Shipper
Maritime History Notes: The evolution of car carriers
As cars gained popularity, ships were converted and built specifically for transporting vehicles overseas.
Read More » - Nov- 2020 -27 NovemberNews
Maritime History Notes: Tankers landed for Apollo program
Three laid-up Mission tankers were enlisted to help get a man on the moon.
Read More » - Oct- 2020 -27 OctoberAmerican Shipper
Maritime History Notes: ‘Jumboized’ T-2 tankers
How former World War II-built American tankers became the bulwark of international commercial oil transport in the 1950s and 1960s.
Read More » - Sep- 2020 -28 SeptemberAmerican Shipper
Maritime History Notes: Misdeclared cargo and the fabled Rock Island Line
Cargo misdeclaration may save a shipper money on freight rates, but this underhanded act threatens the lives of those who provide the transportation.
Read More » - Aug- 2020 -26 AugustAmerican Shipper
Maritime History Notes: Beirut blast echoes Texas City catastrophe
The recent death and destruction at the Port of Beirut from ammonium nitrate reminds us that continued carelessness with handling this substance dooms us to repeat history.
Read More » - Jul- 2020 -27 JulyAmerican Shipper
Maritime History Notes: When US intercoastal lumber trade floated fleets
By the start of the 1900s, about 40 U.S.-flag ships were operated by the country’s lumber titans, proving to the industry at the time that marine transport was more efficient…
Read More » - Jun- 2020 -26 JuneAmerican Shipper
Bay of Pigs invasion fleet was no match for Castro
The Cuban invasion force was to land under the cover of night to begin a counter-revolution against Cuba’s communist government, but the operation unraveled in hours as the invasion fleet…
Read More » - 10 JuneAmerican Shipper
Maritime History Notes: Ships of concrete
The U.S. government at the start of World War I looked to concrete vessel hulls to counter severe steel shortages when the country entered the war.
Read More » - Apr- 2020 -24 AprilAmerican Shipper
Maritime History Notes: Daniel K. Ludwig — father of the supertanker
American shipping magnate believed in efficiency and economies of scale in operating the world’s largest ships.
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