World Ship Society Port of New York Branch

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World Ship Society Port of New York Branch

The World Ship Society - PONY Branch, founded in 1965, is affiliated with the British-based World Ship Society, an international maritime history organization.

We have a monthly newsletter, Zoom presentations, ship visits, group cruises and more! The several hundred members of the World Ship Society PONY Branch include cruise industry employees, maritime writers, history buffs, people who cruise, and those who enjoy getting together to share their common interest in ships.

07/13/2026

New York Harbor Marks America’s 250th Birthday with Sail4th 250

The Sail4th 250 celebration transformed New York Harbor into the centerpiece of America’s 250th anniversary observance over the July 4th weekend, bringing together the largest international gathering of tall ships and naval vessels ever assembled in U.S. waters. The festivities began on July 3rd with a Parade of Sail featuring Class B tall ships proceeding down the East River from the Hell Gate Bridge to Sandy Hook, NJ. The morning of July 4th opened with an International Naval Review, hosted by the U.S. Navy for only the seventh time in its history. More than 50 U.S. and foreign warships were reviewed by the Vice President of the United States from the deck of the destroyer USS FARRAGUT as it sailed through New York Harbor. Following the review, more than 40 tall ships representing 20 nations sailed in an impressive Parade of Sail from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge through the harbor, passing the Statue of Liberty before continuing north on the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge. At the same time, more than 150 military aircraft from the United States and allied nations flew overhead as part of an International Aerial Review. The festivities culminated that evening with a spectacular fireworks display over the harbor, while many of the visiting vessels remained berthed along the city's waterfront through July 7, offering free public tours. (Photos: Stuart Gewirtman)

07/05/2026

JUNE MEMBER PROGRAM:
THE LAST SHIPS FROM HAMBURG: SAVING RUSSIA'S JEWS ON THE EVE OF WORLD WAR I

From 1890 to 1921, 2.5 million Jews fled discrimination and violence in Eastern Europe. Many settled on the Lower East Side and today’s East Village. How such migration was possible is complicated. It would have been impossible except for the unusual collaboration of three titans of business: Jacob Schiff, managing partner of Kuhn, Loeb, and Co., Albert Ballin, managing director of the Hamburg-American Line, and J.P. Morgan, the mastermind of the International Mercantile Marine trust.

At our June 26, 2026 virtual member program, the PONY Branch once again welcomed historian Steven Ujifusa, whose work explores the intersection of American business, social, and maritime history. He discussed his third book, The Last Ships from Hamburg: Business, Rivalry, and the Race to Save Russia’s Jews on the Eve of World War I, which chronicles the wave of Eastern European Jewish immigration to America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Published by HarperCollins on November 21, 2023, the book was named one of the year’s best by Publishers Weekly. (Images: Steven Ujifusa)

05/26/2026

MAY MEMBER PROGRAM:
THE HISTORY OF THE D&C LAKE LINES AND THE FABULOUS LINERS OF THE GREAT LAKES

There was a time when the Detroit Waterfront was home to the fleets of several maritime transportation companies, like the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company, the Cleveland and Buffalo Transit Company, the Georgian Bay Lines and the Canada Steamship Lines. The ships of these organizations were large, comfortable, and efficiently carried passengers all over the Great Lakes. In addition, they operated cruises that allowed inhabitants of the states around the Great Lakes an opportunity to experience their region from a new, watery perspective. At our May 21, 2026 member program, we explored the fascinating world of steamship travel on the Great Lakes with author and architect Bruce Allen Kopytek – who shared the story of the companies, their crews, their passengers, and their ships, all of them marvels of the marine architect’s art. (Image: Bruce Kopytek)

05/08/2026

On May 7, 1915, the LUSITANIA was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland resulting in the loss of approximately 1,197 lives and contributing to the entry of the United States into World War I. Almost 17 years later to the day, the New York City pier that the LUSITANIA sailed from was destroyed by fire as covered in this post from the New York City Fire Museum.

05/03/2026

APRIL MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM:
QUEEN MARY IS IN THE HOUSE! - DISCOVER THE PRESERVATION OF THIS MONUMENTAL SHIP MODEL

For our April 30, 2026 virtual membership program, the PONY Branch welcomed Martina Caruso, Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the South Street Seaport Museum. Martina delivered an engaging multimedia presentation on the history and restoration of the Museum’s impressive 22‑foot‑long builder’s model of RMS QUEEN MARY, which once stood in the Great Hall of the Cunard Building at 25 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.

Drawing on never‑before‑shared videos and a compelling mix of historical, archival, and contemporary photographs, she explained the significance of builder’s models and detailed how this invaluable 1935 artifact was carefully packed and transported from its temporary loan aboard the actual QUEEN MARY in Long Beach, California, to its new, specially designed display case within the Museum’s newly renovated A.A. Thomson & Co. warehouse galleries. (Photos: Martina Caruso and South Street Seaport Museum)

04/20/2026

VALIANT LADY MAKES HER NEW YORK DEBUT

Virgin Voyages’ VALIANT LADY made her maiden arrival in New York on April 6, 2026, kicking off three planned Bermuda sailings—though the first was diverted to Saint John, New Brunswick due to weather. The 110,000 GT, 2,770‑passenger ship, launched in 2022, is shown here at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on April 16.

She departs April 25 for a transatlantic crossing to Portugal, Morocco, and Spain, then returns to New York in September for fall cruises to New England and Bermuda.

(Photos: Stuart Gewirtzman)

04/16/2026

NEW YORK WELCOMES TWO VISITING TALL SHIPS

So far this spring, New York City has welcomed the arrival of two notable tall ships. First to arrive was the 1927 Norwegian full‑rigged training ship SORLANDET, which tied up on February 25th adjacent to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum at Pier 86 North (Hudson) River on Manhattan’s west side. Today, the SORLANDET serves as the home of A+ World Academy, a university‑preparatory high school where up to 62 students in grades 11 and 12 live and learn while sailing to destinations around the world. During its stay, the SORLANDET was berthed alongside the museum’s retired British Airways Concorde G‑BOAD, holder of the fastest transatlantic crossing at 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds.

On April 10th, the STAD AMSTERDAM arrived at Pier 17 on the East River at the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan. Built in 2000 and modeled after the mid‑19th‑century frigate AMSTERDAM, this three‑masted clipper features fourteen passenger cabins and hosts business events, luxury cruises, and adventure sailing voyages.

The arrival of these two vessels offers a glimpse of what’s ahead this July, when dozens of tall ships from around the world will parade through New York Harbor for Sail4th 250 in celebration of America’s 250th birthday. (Photos: Stuart Gewirtzman)

03/30/2026

MARCH MEMBERSHIP MEETING:
25 YEARS OF NAUTIQUES - WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOT, WHAT’S CHANGED AND WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BRING

At our March 27, 2026 virtual membership meeting, the PONY Branch welcomed fellow member and ocean liner memorabilia dealer Don Leavitt. After careers in journalism and innkeeping, in 2001 Don purchased Nautiques and switched it from printed catalog to online sales. Looking back over 25 years of deck plans and ship china, interior brochures and agency posters, liner furniture and fixtures, Don shared his experiences in buying and selling millions of dollars’ worth of memorabilia. He also shared his insights on which items and ships are hot these days and which are not, as well as what to collect for the future. (Images: Don Leavitt)

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http://www.worldshipny.com/

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