Continuing on from Episode 19, today, you will hear from Captain William Robb who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and went to sea at 16. He served in the Merchant Navy for the United Kingdom during World War II. After the war, he married and came to the US to live and work in 1949. He had heard that the Port of Houston was seeking stevedoring superintendents, and he and his wife relocated to Texas that same year. He spent over 50 years working in the stevedoring business. Captain Bill passed away in 2013.

He spoke with Jason Theriot in 2006 as part of a series of oral histories on the Port of Houston for the Center for Public History's Houston History Project at the University of Houston. They talked about WWII, union troubles, and race and labor in the Port during the peak days of breakbulk cargo.

Jason interviewed individuals with a long history of working at the Port of Houston and on the Ship Channel. They worked as port captains, ship pilots, commissioners, and longshoremen. If you missed our last episode, go back and listen to episode 19 to learn about the interviews and the history of the Port of Houston and the Houston Ship Channel.

Learn more about Jason’s work at https://jasontheriot.com/ and find more information on his Oral History of the Port of Houston at https://jasontheriot.com/oral-history-of-the-port-of-houston/.

Find the Houston History Magazine’s issue on the 100 year anniversary of the Houston Ship Channel at https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/vol-12-no-1-port-final.pdf.

Check out the Center for Public History at the University of Houston at https://uh.edu/class/ctr-public-history/.

In honor of Black History Month, Education Director Aimee Bachari will be discussing race and labor on the Houston Ship Channel with Jason Theriot. Jason is an independent professional historian and consultant based in Houston, TX who specializes in historical research and writing services, focusing on energy, environment, business, and culture along the Gulf Coast.

Jason and Aimee both received their graduate degrees at the University of Houston and worked for with the Center for Public History's Houston History Project, which has an oral history program, publishes the Houston History magazine, and maintains an archive in the university's library where the oral histories are preserved.

Jason conducted a series of oral histories on the Port of Houston back in 2006 for the Houston History Project and interviewed individuals with a long history of working at the Port of Houston and on the Ship Channel. They worked as port captains, ship pilots, commissioners, and longshoremen.

After hearing from Jason, you'll hear segments of his oral history with Charles Mills, who spent fifty years in the maritime industry. Originally from Galveston, Texas, he joined the U.S. Merchant Marine in the late 1930s, served in an integrated unit, and sailed for Lykes Brothers Shipping. The Merchant Marines primarily transport cargo and passengers during peacetime, but in times of war, they serve as auxiliary to the U.S. Navy. At this time, all branches of the U.S. military were segregated. On July 26, 1948, when President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 mandating the desegregation of the U.S. military.

Learn more about Jason's work at https://jasontheriot.com/ and find more information on his Oral History of the Port of Houston at https://jasontheriot.com/oral-history-of-the-port-of-houston/.

Find the Houston History Magazine's issue on the 100 year anniversary of the Houston Ship Channel at https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/vol-12-no-1-port-final.pdf.

Check out the Center for Public History at the University of Houston at https://uh.edu/class/ctr-public-history/.

Learn more about the Steamship Historical Society at https://shiphistory.org/.

Join Education Director Aimee Bachari for a horror-filled interview with Daniel F. Harrington, who recounts the gruesome tragedy of the Larchmont Disaster. On February 11, 1907, in one of New England's worst maritime tragedies, the Larchmont sank in icy waters off Watch Hill after a collision with the three-masted schooner Harry Knowlton. A former East Providence City Council Member, Harrington began writing on the subject and found the stories of the victims and survivors so interesting that he created an hour-long presentation on the topic and has been touring local libraries and historical societies. Tune in to hear about the stories of murder, suicide, and 7 inches of ice coating the bodies that washed ashore on Block Island. Throughout the interview you'll hear references to parts of the story being "a Rhode Island thing." If you don't know what that means, think of the classic phrase 6 degrees of separation, but if you're from little Rhody, it's really about 2 degrees of separation. A good example of this is that after the interview I shared another RI story I did on my own family's immigration to America and he said, "D'Amico, I almost married a D'Amico!" We discovered that Daniel was a longtime friend of relatives on my mother's side! That's Rhode Island for you!!

Join Education Director Aimee Bachari for Part II of a discussion on Japanese immigration to Hawai'i by steamship and the practice of picture brides with University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor of History and Ethnic Studies Dr. Kelli Nakamura. In this episode, you'll learn about women's work on the plantation and the "double day." Dr. Nakamura also talks about domestic violence and racism in the context of the plantation and the broader Hawaiian community. Topics like World War II and internment are also discussed. To learn more about our organization, visit sshsa.org.

Join Education Director Aimee Bachari for Part I of a discussion on Japanese immigration to Hawai'i by steamship and the practice of picture brides with University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor of History and Ethnic Studies Dr. Kelli Nakamura. In this episode, you'll learn about how the American Civil War and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 fueled a need for sugar plantation workers in Hawai'i. You will also hear about the practice of picture brides, or arranged marriages where partners were selected by photos and personal recommendations of friends and family. To learn more about our organization, visit sshsa.org.

On May 7, 1915, Cunard Line's RMS Lusitania was struck by a torpedo from the German U-20 and sank in just 18 minutes off the south coast of Ireland. She was returning to Liverpool from New York with 1,959 passengers. Of those on board, only 761 survived. 1,198 people drowned including 128 U.S. citizens. Learn about the ship and why this event was pivotal to the course of World War I in our latest Ship History Radio podcast episode.

Join us for a chat with historian Jim Rees as he and SSHSA Education Director Aimee Bachari discuss the role that Arklow fisherman played in the rescue of passengers from the Lusitania sinking on this episode of Ship History Radio. Jim is the chairman of the Arklow Maritime Museum in County Wicklow, Ireland and shares the history and maritime heritage of Arklow, how this community museum came to be, and what visitors can see on display.

Learn about the role of lighthouses in maritime navigation and communication and how and why women held the federal position of lighthouse keepers in the nineteenth century. You will hear about Rhode Island's Ida Lewis, who is the most famous lighthouse keeper in the United States and how nineteenth century gender norms affected the way in which she was represented in the media with her position in the national spotlight.

Check out our Common Core Standards-aligned lesson plan on this topic at https://shiphistory.org/2023/10/19/idalewis/.

To learn more about our organization and education program visit shiphistory.org.

Join us for a conversation with Paul Klee, who took the student ship the SS Groote Beer to Europe when he was just 17 years old. Hear about the last days of travel from point to point and what it was like being a teenager on a ship surrounded by peers. You can learn more about this topic at shiphistory.org/ships. To learn more about our organization, visit sshsa.org.