Ship Parts and Gear

The Seaport Museum holds a wide variety of historic ship parts and gear, such as ship bells, capstans, binnacles, wood paneling, nameboards, anchors, and more. These artifacts largely represent ships that are no longer extant, including Hudson River steamboats, working vessels of New York Harbor, and the great ocean liners of the 20th century, as well as artifacts currently installed on board our flagship Wavertree. Highlights include the ship wheel of the ocean liner SS Normandie, the famous ocean liner that burned at her West Side pier during World War II; wood paneling decoration from RMS Mauretania, originally installed near ceiling in first-class smoking room; and wood paneling from the 1865 steamboat SS Dean Richmond.