Harrisburg, TX brought many firsts to the region: the 1st colonists, the 1st schooner exporting Texas cotton, the 1st steam sawmill, the 1st steamships and the 1st railroad. In 1823, Stephen F. Austin persuaded the Mexican government to name him empresario to promote development of maritime trade in Texas through colonization and the development of ports along the northern coast of Mexico.
The models on display at the Houston Maritime Museum never fail to enlighten, educate and entertain our visitors. These models continue to appeal to both children and adults as they bring maritime history to life by conjuring thoughts of the romance of the high seas in the days of the sailing ship, stirring reflections on the exploits of famous warships and highlighting the skills of the model builders who spent countless hours perfecting their every detail.
Scott Birtle and Maria Burns discuss maritime transportation and what is like being a ship broker in the maritime industry, and how their experiences and past jobs have gotten them to where they are today in the maritime industry.
The SS Ohio was an oil tanker built for the Texas Oil Company, (now Texaco). The ship was launched on 20 April 1940, and was later requisitioned by allied forces to re-supply the island fortress of Malta, during the Second World War.
Steve Nelson & Jason Tieman discuss what is like in the maritime industry to be a Houston Pilot and Director of Maritime Operations at PortVision, and how their previous maritime jobs and experiences have gotten them to where they are today in the maritime industry.
The Civil War history of Galveston is one of the last untold stories
from America’s bloodiest war, despite the fact that Galveston was a focal point of hostilities throughout the conflict. As other Southern ports fell to the Union, Galveston emerged as one of the Confederacy’s only lifelines to the outside world.
Loren Steffy is an acclaimed author and the business columnist for the Houston Chronicle. His latest book, “The Man Who Though Like a Ship,” commemorates his father, J. Richard “Dick” Steffy’s amazing contribution to the field of maritime archaeology. Dick Steffy, an electrician in a small, land-locked town in Pennsylvania armed only with a self taught understanding of ships volunteered for the job of piecing together 6,000 ancient sunken ship fragments
Shanna Castanie and Amy Arrowood discuss human resources and marine logistics in the maritime industry, and how their previous maritime jobs and experiences have gotten them to where they are today in the maritime industry.
Warships powered by the wind roamed the oceans during the “Golden Age of Sail,” from the Spanish Armada (1588) to the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). Initially troop transports commanded by army officers, warships evolved into vessels designed to conduct battles at sea. In the 16th Century, the sailing warship replaced the cathedral as the most complicated human creation the world had ever seen.
