Events

Shanty Sing with Ship's Company Chanteymen

First time shanty singing and we had the best time. Will most assuredly return!! - Melissa T.

Monthly, 8-10 PM

Join Tall Ship Providence and Ship’s Company Chanteymen for a monthly shanty sing at The Pier Bar! Come dressed in your best pirate garb, grab a drink from The Pier Bar ,and sing along with traditional sea shanties! Request Ship’s Company to lead your favorite sea shanty, or volunteer to lead it yourself!

Tickets $10/person to cover the cost of the performers. Drinks not included.

Shanty Sing with Ship's Company

Sea Story Speaker Series

Thurs. November 13th, 7-8:30 PM

More Tons- Less Huns: Alexandria's Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation

When the United States entered World War I, the US Navy had already been engaged in a building program under the Naval Act of 1916. The merchant fleet, however, had shrunk over the years, with much of American cargo carried in foreign vessels until the Shipping Act of 1916 sought to turn the trend around. However, this was a peacetime Act. The wartime needs of a robust American merchant marine were a different matter, and this led to the rapid expansion of shipbuilding, particularly on the east coast.

On April 17, 1917, the United States Shipping Board created the Emergency Fleet Corporation, which was to oversee a program which would build “Men-carrying, Food-bearing, Munition-laden Ships.”
Eventually under the direction of businessman Charles A. Schwab, the hope of the Corporation was to increase American merchant tonnage from a production of only 250,000 tons per year to a fleet that measured over 9 million tons. In Alexandria, Virginia, a shipyard sprang up at Jones Point almost overnight. Known scam artist Charles Morse was the mover and shaker behind this operation.

In this presentation, historian Anna Holloway will bring to life a story of deception, city renewal, a slogan contest, luxurious parties, and much-needed ships.

Dr. Anna Gibson Holloway

Dr. Holloway is a maritime historian in Alexandria, Virginia as well as the chief historian for a federal agency in Washington DC. She was previously with the Histories Branch of the Naval History and Heritage Command as head of the Fleet History section where she oversaw the team that produces the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (aka DANFS). She has also served as the Maritime Historian for the National Park Service in Washington, DC where she administered the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act Program and assisted in the administration of the National Maritime Heritage Grant Program. Prior to federal service, she was curator of the award-winning USS Monitor Center and Vice President at The Mariners’ Museum for 14 years. She has also served as interpretive and volunteer sailing crew on the square riggers Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery at Jamestown Settlement.
Dr. Holloway holds undergraduate degrees from UNC-Greensboro and received her MA and PhD in history from the College of William & Mary. She is the co-author (with Jonathan White) of “Our Little Monitor” (Kent State University Press, 2018), along with multiple book chapters and articles in scholarly and mass media publications.

Tickets $15/person. Includes one drink at The Pier Bar.
Space is limited!

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Holiday Boat Parade of Lights Viewing Party

Sat. December 6th, 5-7 PM

Experience festive, exclusive, and premiere access to view Alexandria’s beloved Holiday Boat Parade of Lights from The Pier Bar at the Maritime Heritage Center. All ages welcome! Parade begins at 5:30pm.

Tickets $40/person. Includes food and refreshments. Alcoholic drinks available at a cash bar. Does not include access to Providence.

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