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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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133 results for: Maritime

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Image of Teak cigarette box made from the ship,

Teak cigarette box made from the ship, "Queen of the Pacific," ca. 1935

The Queen of the Pacific was an iron-hulled, commercial passenger cargo steamer built in 1882 in Philadelphia for the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. She had three decks and two masts, and could carry over 300 passengers. For many years she operated as a shuttle between San Francisco and Seattle, and she was supposedly the first ship with electric lights in…
ID Number:1955.970.191
Date:Circa 1935
Image of Miniature lighthouse with wood from the Lone Tree in Gray's Harbor, 1921

Miniature lighthouse with wood from the Lone Tree in Gray's Harbor, 1921

The Lone Tree stood at the entrance to Gray's Harbor. Robert Gray took his bearings on this tree when entering the harbor on his voyage of discovery. The Lone Tree was shown as a landmark for mariners on all charts ever made of that area until 1921 when it was destroyed by high winds.
ID Number:1955.970.192
Date:1921
Image of Porthole salvaged from the Ryo Yei Maru and featuring a photograph of the vessel, 1921

Porthole salvaged from the Ryo Yei Maru and featuring a photograph of the vessel, 1921

The Ryo Yei Maru was a Japanese fishing vessel that experienced engine failure during a gale in December 1926 and subsequently drifted for nearly a year before it was found off the Washington coast near Cape Flattery in October 1927. The name of the boat roughly translates to "Good and Prosperous" but fate would determine otherwise for this doomed vessel.…
ID Number:1955.970.206
Date:1921
Image of Figurehead from the four-masted bark William T. Lewis built as the Robert Duncan in Scotland in 1891

Figurehead from the four-masted bark William T. Lewis built as the Robert Duncan in Scotland in 1891

This figurehead was originally made for a ship called the Robert Duncan and represented the bearded Mr. Duncan. When the ship came under the management of Hind Rolph it was renamed the William T. Lewis after the port captain. Lewis only had a mustache, so the figurehead was given a “shave” with a chisel and rasp. It was donated to…
ID Number:1955.970.228
Date:1891
Image of S.S. Portland ship's wheel, 1885

S.S. Portland ship's wheel, 1885

The S.S. Portland, built in 1885, launched the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897. For the next ten years, the steamship carried miners from Seattle to Alaska, and brought back more than a ton of gold. She wrecked in a 1910 blizzard off Alaska. The wheel and other parts of the ship were rescued by crew members before she sank.
ID Number:1955.970.258
Date:1885
Image of Smith Island Lighthouse 4th Order Fresnel Lens, 1884

Smith Island Lighthouse 4th Order Fresnel Lens, 1884

A Fresnel lens is a convex lens surrounded with bands of glass ground so that they have all the same focal point. This Fresnel lens was made in 1884 by Barbier and Fenestre in Paris for the Smith Island Lighthouse built by the Coast Guard in 1858. Smith Island is located at the junction of Rosario and Juan de Fuca…
ID Number:1955.970.292
Date:1884
Image of Brass sextant, 1853

Brass sextant, 1853

This brass sextant was made in England around 1853. A sextant helps determine latitude by measuring the altitude of celestial bodies above the sea horizon. A sextant also fixes a position at sea by measuring horizontal angles between landmarks. The calibrated arc on the arm of the sextant was originally 60, or one-sixth of a circle, hence the name. The…
ID Number:1955.970.347
Date:1853
Image of Wooden octant, ca.1800

Wooden octant, ca.1800

An octant helps determine latitude by measuring the altitude of celestial bodies above the sea horizon. This instrument also fixes a position at sea by measuring horizontal angles between landmarks. The calibrated arc on the arm of the octant was originally 45, or one-eighth of a circle, hence the name. The sextant works on the same principle as the octant,…
ID Number:1955.970.349
Date:Circa 1800
Image of Watercolor drawing of SS Beaver by Hewitt R. Jackson, 1963

Watercolor drawing of SS Beaver by Hewitt R. Jackson, 1963

Hewitt Jackson (1914-2007) was a seaman, marine draftsman, and artist. He is best known for his maritime drawings of ships that sailed the Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest. The MOHAI collection contains seven of Hewitt's works. This particular drawing features the SS Beaver which was the first steamship on the Northwest Coast. Originally built in 1835 in England, she sailed…
ID Number:1955.970.363
Date:1963
Image of Watercolor drawing,

Watercolor drawing, "Alki, November 13, 1851," of the schooner Exact by Hewitt R. Jackson, ca. 1963

Hewitt Jackson (1914-2007) was a seaman, marine draftsman, and artist. He is best known for his maritime drawings of ships that sailed the Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest. The MOHAI collection contains seven of Hewitt's works. This particular work depicts the schooner EXACT as it arrived at the future named "Alki" on Puget Sound carrying the Denny party and captained…
ID Number:1955.970.364
Date:Circa 1963
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