pro•pul•sion: the force that moves something forward Meriam-Webster.com Ships transport people and cargo from one place to another. In many cases, it is easier and cheaper to move them…
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In the early evening of 27 July 1854, the American clipper ship Shooting Star was sailing toward Java, Indonesia, from the southwest. The sailors on deck noticed that the ocean’s…
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Deck Officer, US Merchant Marine Wes Heerssen is a deck officer in the United States Merchant Marine. He currently serves aboard a transAtlantic commercial roll-on/roll-off car carrier, or “Ro-Ro.” Ro-Ros…
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Lewis and Clarks’ Iron “Experiment” “…my greatest difficulty was the frame of the canoe, which could not be completed without my personal attention.” — Meriwether Lewis, 20 April 1803 Lewis…
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Did You Know?
The Age of Sail was said to be the domain of “wooden ships and iron men,” but sailing ships also had boys on their official crew lists.
Today, you have to be 14 years old before you can get a job in most states in the US, but in the Age of Sail both merchant ships and navy vessels signed on boys as young as seven years old as regular members of the crew.
What were these kids doing on board sailing ships?