Transportation - Overview
Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.
In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.
"Transportation - Overview" showing 17 items.
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Rigged Model, Steamship George Law (Central America)
- Description
- The ocean steamer George Law was built in 1852/53 at New York, NY by William H. Webb for the United States Mail Steamship Company. Named after the company president, the Law measured 278 ft. long and 2,141 tons. It was built to sail the New York-Panama route for the California gold rush; on its return maiden voyage from Panama, it brought 465 passengers and $872,831 in gold to New York. Over more than 40 bi-monthly trips, the Law averaged slightly less than nine days per leg. In 1857, the ship went aground and returned to the Webb yard for a major overhaul.
- The Law’s name was changed to the Central America during the rebuilding, possibly to reflect its most common route and because George Law had sold his interest in the company. On the vessel’s second trip under the new name, it cleared Havana, Cuba for New York on 8 September 1857. Two days later, during a gale south of South Carolina, a bad leak was discovered and the main boilers had to be shut down. On the 12th, some passengers were rescued by passing ships, but the Central America sank that night with 425 passengers and $2,189,000 in gold bullion from the San Francisco Mint. The loss helped fuel the Panic of 1857, which sent the nation into an economic recession that lasted into the Civil War.
- In 1987 the wreck of the Central America was discovered in more than 8,000 feet of water depth, and treasure salvors recovered much of the gold bullion and coinage.
- date made
- 1961
- ship built
- 1852-1853
- ship sank
- 1857-09-12
- wreck discovered by treasure salvors
- 1987
- owned ship
- New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company
- designer
- Webb, William H.
- maker
- Webb, William H.
- Boucher-Lewis Precision Models, Inc.
- ID Number
- TR*318465
- catalog number
- 318465
- accession number
- 236170
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Rigged Model, Auxiliary Steamship Savannah
- Description
- The steamer Savannah holds pride of place in American history as the first steamboat to cross the Atlantic. Measuring 98’-6” and 320 tons, the little two-decker began as a sailing vessel at a New York shipyard. Local ship captain Moses Rogers and his partner William Scarbrough of Savannah, Ga. formed a Savannah-based steamship line, and Rogers had the shipyard convert the vessel to a 75-hp auxiliary steamer for a total cost of $66,000. It was luxuriously appointed, with 32 berths in 16 cabins, full-length mirrors, mahogany-lined public areas, and other amenities.
- On May 22, 1819 the Savannah cleared Savannah, Ga. under steam for Liverpool. It carried 25 cords of wood and 1,500 bushels of coal for fuel, but neither a single passenger nor any cargo. No one—not even the owners—trusted the new technology enough on the open ocean to invest their own money. On the 29-day passage to Liverpool, the Savannah operated its engines for about 100 hours, or 16% of the time. The rest was spent under sail.
- The failure to secure any paying cargo or passengers altered the company’s plans for transatlantic service. The steamer left Liverpool for Stockholm, Sweden on July 23, 1819, again unladen. Under steam 28% of the passage to Sweden, the Savannah became the first steamboat in the Baltic on August 13. Capt. Rogers declined an offer for the ship from Swedish King Charles XIV for $100,000 in hemp and iron, as well as an offer from Russian Tsar Alexander for an exclusive monopoly on steam navigation in the Black and Baltic Seas.
- The Savannah returned to Savannah in November 1819 and almost immediately sailed for Washington, DC. After two months in Washington, Rogers had failed to interest the U.S. Navy in his vessel, and it was sold to Capt. Nathan Holdridge of New York. He promptly removed the engine and began packet service between New York and Savannah. On its first voyage in October 1820, the Savannah sailed with 24 passengers and a full cargo hold. Ironically, four of its prior owners consigned cargo aboard the ill-fated vessel, now that it was an old-fashioned sailing ship. After a successful year as a packet, the Savannah wrecked at Fire Island, NY on November 5, 1821.
- In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated May 22 as National Maritime Day, in honor of the day that the Savannah hoisted anchor on its inaugural transatlantic passage. The Smithsonian has Savannah’s original logbook detailing that pioneering voyage.
- Date made
- 1961
- cleared Savannah, Georgia
- 1819-05-22
- sailed from Liverpool to Stockholm
- 1819-07-23
- sailed in the Baltic
- 1919-08-13
- returned to Savannah
- 1819-11
- sailed from New York to Savannah
- 1820-10
- wrecked at Fire Island
- 1821-11-05
- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt named May 22 as National Maritime Day in honor of the Savannah
- 1933-05-22
- ship captain and owner
- Rogers, Moses
- owner
- Scarbrough, William
- ship captain
- Holdridge, Nathan
- designated 05-22 as National Maritime Day in honor of the Savannah
- Roosevelt, Franklin Delano
- ID Number
- TR*319026
- catalog number
- 319026
- accession number
- 236167
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Rigged Model, Philadelphia Packet Ship Shenandoah
- Description
- The packet ship Shenandoah was built in 1840 by John Vaugn & Son at Philadelphia, Pa. for Thomas P. Cope & Son, better known as the Cope Line. Wealthy Philadelphia Quakers, the Copes transported about 60,000 passengers—mostly Irish immigrants—from Liverpool to Philadelphia from 1820-1870.
- Measuring 143’ long and 738 tons, the Shenandoah spent nearly its entire career on the Philadelphia–Liverpool passage. It made 14 voyages for the Cope Line from 1839-44. In 1845 it sailed for the Dunham & Dimon Liverpool Line out of NY, but the following year it returned to Philadelphia for the Black Diamond Line. By 1847 it served the New Line, clearing Philadelphia on the 1st of the month and leaving Liverpool five weeks later, on the 8th of the following month. In the late 1840s, it lost its popular captain to the new Collins ocean steamship Atlantic. Many of the old sailing packet companies lost their captains to the newer and faster transatlantic steamship lines. The Shenandoah was abandoned at sea in August 1854.
- Date made
- 1963
- original ship built
- 1840
- Cope Line operated
- 1820-1870
- sailed with the Cope Line
- 1839-1844
- sailed for the Dunham & Dimon Liverpool Line out of New York
- 1845
- sailed for the Black Diamond Line out of Philadelphia
- 1846
- sailed for the New LIne out of Philadelphia
- 1847
- abandoned at sea
- 1854-08
- shipbuilders
- John Vaugn & Son
- ship owners
- Thomas P. Cope & Son
- ID Number
- TR*322426
- catalog number
- 322426
- accession number
- 247838
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ship Model, Brig Diligente
- Description
- This model represents the brig Diligente, a two-masted sailing vessel used in the last days of the transatlantic slave trade. Begun in the sixteenth century, this trade was fueled by the demand for human labor in the New World. Enslaved people were forced to work in gold and silver mines as well as on plantations producing valuable crops like sugar, coffee, rice, cotton and tobacco. The ships that delivered cargoes of these products to European markets also carried millions of enslaved people from their African homelands to the Americas.
- By the early nineteenth century, several nations had outlawed the slave trade. As a result, slave ship owners regularly changed the names of their ships and sold them frequently in an attempt to remain active in the lucrative trade without getting noticed. Because accurate records of these ships are difficult to find, the date and place where the slaver brig Diligente was built cannot be confirmed. Still, it is thought to be American-built, as the ship’s design is similar to that of ships built along the east coast of the United States, specifically vessels built in Maryland.
- In the early 1800s, Lloyd’s of London auctioned off old slave ships, which allowed condemned ships like the Diligente to return to the slave trade. In 1837 Parliament outlawed this practice, making the Diligente one of the last slave ships to be sold by auction. On January 12, 1837, the HMS Scout captured the slaver along the coast of Africa. At this time, the Diligente was sailing under the Portuguese flag and used the name Paquete de Cabo Verde. It was condemned to Sierra Leone, where it was sold to an American named Lake. Records indicate that Lake resold the ship to Miguel Bentinotte, a known slave trader, for the price of 1,000 British pounds.
- After changing owners and names twice more, the Diligente soon re-entered the slave trade with a license from the Portuguese government, only to be captured by the HMS Pearl on April 24, 1838. The British government sent the nine crewmen to Portugal to be tried, while the Diligente was condemned to Bermuda. Although there is some indication that the Diligente was caught again in 1839 near Cuba, it was probably broken up after its arrival in the Caribbean.
- Date made
- 1960
- brig first used in the transatlantic slave trade
- 16th century
- slaver was captured
- 1837-01-12
- 1838-04-24
- 1839
- ID Number
- TR*318279
- catalog number
- 318297
- accession number
- 234478
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Rigged Model, Keel Boat Packet Barge
- Description
- Mainly sailing on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, keel boat barges were used to transport people and commodities. The earliest ones were powered manually rather than by sail or steam, only traveling 10 to 20 miles per day as the crew rowed, poled or hauled the keel boat along the river with tow lines. This model, dating to around 1810, would have been called an express boat, as it was able to travel faster than a traditional keel boat. It also could harness wind power with its sails, making the journeys up and downstream more quickly and efficiently.
- Often called “keelers,” keel boat pilots dedicated their careers to sailing on the rivers. Steering a keel boat was complex. Pilots had to have extensive knowledge of the ever-changing river, its currents, seasonal conditions, and flood patterns. For this reason, traditional keelers were ideal candidates to operate newer packet barges and steamships during the mid-19th century. By the 1830s, it was rare for someone to become a river pilot without prior experience.
- People living in isolated towns on upper river waters and tributary streams were dependent upon these barges. Because steamships were too big to travel in the shallower riverbeds, these packet barges—often painted bright red—were used to deliver manufactured goods, people, mail, and groceries to the town.
- Date made
- 1961
- ID Number
- TR*318826
- catalog number
- 318826
- accession number
- 236169
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Rigged Model, Packet Ship Ohio
- Description
- The packet ship Ohio was built at Philadelphia, PA in 1825 and measured 105’-6” on deck and 352 tons. Its ownership changed several times, beginning with C. Price & Morgan’s Philadelphia–New Orleans route in 1825. In 1830, the Russell Line bought the vessel, running it from New York to New Orleans. Eight years later, Hand’s Line purchased the Ohio and resumed its original Philadelphia–New Orleans route. Its later career is unknown.
- Packet ships derive their name from their original cargo—packets of mail. Unlike independent merchant vessels, packet companies maintained set schedules and routes, making it easier for merchants and industries to know when supplies would arrive and depart. The packet lines also received government subsidies for transporting the mails.
- Cotton production in the United States coincided with the upswing in coastal packet lines. By the mid-1800s, the United States was the world’s largest cotton producer. Most raw cotton came from the South, sailing out of New Orleans. During cotton’s off-season, the Ohio probably carried goods like lead, molasses, tobacco, flaxseed, and furs.
- Date made
- 1961
- ID Number
- TR*319025
- catalog number
- 319025
- accession number
- 236167
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Rigged Model, Massachusetts Privateer Rhodes
- Description
- Although the Salem, Massachusetts privateer Rhodes was less than 98 feet long, it had a crew of 90. Privateers needed large crews not only to intimidate their prey and hopefully make them surrender quickly, but also to overpower their enemies if a battle occurred. After a fight, the winner also needed to put a “prize” crew aboard to sail the captured vessel into port, where the ship and contents could be inventoried and sold. The auction proceeds were then distributed among the owners, the ship officers and the crew.
- The three-masted ship Rhodes was sharply built for speed and heavily armed, with 20 cannon. Despite these features, it was captured on a cruise in the West Indies by H.M.S. ship Prothé in February 1782. It was taken back to England, where its hull shape was drawn on paper to document how it might have obtained its speed. The Royal Navy then purchased it and renamed it H.M.S. Barbadoes.
- Date made
- 1962
- privateer captured
- 1782-02
- ID Number
- TR*320667
- catalog number
- 320667
- accession number
- 245900
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Rigged Model, Extreme Gold Rush Clipper Challenge
- Description
- The extreme clipper ship Challenge was built at New York by the famous shipbuilder William H. Webb. At its launch in May 1851, the $150,000 Challenge was the largest merchant ship ever built, measuring 227 feet in length by 42 feet in beam and 2006 tons. The high length:beam ratio of 5.4:1 was what made the three-decker an extreme clipper, and it set a few speed records over the course of its working life.
- The Challenge was expected to set a record on its maiden voyage, and Capt. Robert H. Waterman was offered a $10,000 bonus if he could drive the ship to San Francisco in under 90 days. He pushed his 60-man crew hard, but poor weather and a mutiny by 50 crewmen off Rio slowed the Challenge to a 108-day trip. The mutiny and the unrelated death of seven crew on that maiden voyage gave the ship a bad reputation. Capt. Waterman was relieved of his command after reaching San Francisco, but the next master had to pay a signing bonus of $200 to lure new crewmen aboard for a China trip. Another mutiny on this second leg of the maiden voyage occurred as well—testament to how driven these men were to sail hard and fast.
- Over the next decade as a China clipper, an additional mutiny, widespread crew illnesses, frequent dismastings and leaks, and other events cemented the bad reputation of the vessel. It was sold to its captain for $9,350 in 1861. The Challenge changed hands a few more times before sinking off the Brittany coast in February 1877.
- Date made
- 1965
- ship launched
- 1851-05
- ship sold
- 1861
- ship sank
- 1877-02
- designer
- Webb, William H.
- captained the ship on its maiden voyage
- Waterman, Robert H.
- maker
- Arthur G. Henning Inc.
- ID Number
- TR*326530
- catalog number
- 326530
- accession number
- 255036
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Ship Model, U.S. Lighthouse Service Tender, Greenbrier
- Description
- Built in 1924 in Charleston, West Virginia, the Greenbrier was meant to replace the Goldenrod (built in 1888) as a lighthouse tender on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. Although the plans for the Greenbrier were originally authorized in 1917, the ship’s contract was delayed twice. Finally, in September 1922 the keel for the 164-foot Greenbrier keel was laid.
- As part of the Lighthouse Service, tenders performed a variety of tasks. Their main work was to attend to the needs of American lighthouses and navigational buoys. Sometimes this entailed the provision of supplies, fuel, mail and transportation to remote coastal lighthouses; other times it meant towing a lightship (or floating lighthouse) into a bay or harbor.
- Lighthouse tenders were designed to work in a specific service region. Because the Greenbrier was built to aid lighthouses along the inland rivers, its design was similar to shallow-draft Mississippi River steamboats. The Greenbrier had two main steam engines, three coal-fired boilers and a stern paddle wheel. Like all vessels in the service, it flew the triangular Lighthouse Service flag, and had a polished brass, miniature lighthouse affixed to its bow, for ease of identification.
- The Greenbrier serviced the Ohio, Kanawha and upper Mississippi Rivers until September 1947. After its sale in April 1948, the Greenbrier’s name was changed to Mississippi; it worked as a private river boat until 1975.
- This model was built by Arthur G. Henning, Inc.
- Date made
- 1962
- ID Number
- TR*320154
- catalog number
- 320154
- accession number
- 241746
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Scow Schooner Milton
- Description
- The 102-foot three-masted scow schooner Milton was built by Ellsworth & Davidson at Milwaukee, Wis., in 1867. It spent 20 years hauling lumber on Lake Michigan, along with hundreds of other small boats nicknamed the “mosquito fleet.” Built to carry as much cargo as possible, many of these flat-bottom boats did not sail very well.
- The Milton collided with the ship W.H. Hinsdale at Milwaukee in December 1867, causing about $100 in damage to each vessel. It also ran aground twice during its career.
- On 8 September 1885, while transporting a cargo of cedar posts and cordwood, the Milton sank off Two Rivers, Wis., during an autumn storm. The entire crew of five men was lost—three of them brothers.
- Date made
- 1962
- Milton built
- 1867
- ID Number
- TR*321529
- catalog number
- 321529
- accession number
- 246222
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
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