Captain James McNamara, contributor
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American 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.
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American 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.
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American 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…
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American 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…
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American 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…
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American 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…
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American 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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American Shipper
Maritime History Notes: America’s hospital ships
The Comfort and Mercy, now assisting America through the COVID-19 pandemic, started as crude oil tankers.
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American Shipper
Maritime History Notes: The multipurpose tanker Manhattan
Once America’s largest merchant ship, oil tanker, icebreaker and research vessel.
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American Shipper
Maritime History Notes: Four ships looking for a home
A handful of iconic American merchant ships have cloudy futures.
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