Month: February 2025
The SS United States Leaves Philadelphia After Nearly 30 Years
After nearly 30 years, the SS United States has left Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On February 19, 2025, “America’s Flagship” left her longtime berth aided by tugboats. She was maneuvered into the Delaware River and started the first leg of her last voyage. Over the next two weeks, the ship will be towed down to Mobile, Alabama…
The Captain’s Table Turns One!
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been one year since my first blog post! It seems like only yesterday. Though, it is quite bittersweet that this is also the day that the SS United States finally left Philadelphia on the first leg of her sad final voyage (but that’s a separate post). The last 12 months…
Day of Final Victory: Black Soldiers Aboard the Queen Mary
During World War II, the need to transport large numbers of Allied troops across the globe saw the world’s ocean liners being pressed into military service. Mighty ships like Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Île de France, and Aquitania were pressed into service. So were smaller liners like Laconia, Empress of Japan (renamed Empress of Scotland in 1942), Borinquen, and…
Breaking Barriers on the High Seas: The Inspiring Career of Captain Belinda Bennett
Belinda Bennett made history in January 2016 when Windstar Cruises promoted her to captain of MSY Wind Star. It was well earned. She’d begun her maritime career as a deck cadet at age 17 and worked on a variety of ships before joining Windstar Cruises as a second officer in 2005. Not only was Captain…