From Ancient Seafarers to World War II: Lt. Denison's View
One of the few tangible remnants of the Maritime Officers School is this book by one of its instructors: America's Maritime History, by Lt. Archibald C. Denison, US Naval Reserve.
Lt. Denison was on "loan" from the Navy, giving lectures on maritime history considered essential for seamen who would soon become Merchant Marine officers.
Originally owned by Lucille Showalter, founding director of the New London Maritime Society, the book was among the first acquisitions for the library planned for the new Custom House Maritime Museum.
The range of subjects may be seen in the Table of Contents, from ancient times to the war that had been raging for more than three years at the time of its publication in 1944. Lt. Denison edited his lectures into a handy reference book for his students and for the general reader.
He does not hesitate to criticize national policymakers for the checkered history of the American Merchant Marine over the years, but is confident that the changes begun with the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, and later with the outbreak of war, will lead to victory as well as a rejuvenated Merchant Marine.
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Below: Chapter 10 praises the Coast Guard while later chapters explain the operations of the U.S. Navy working in tandem with the Merchant Marine.
The attractive line drawings at the beginning of the chapters were made by the author, the initials "ACD '43" visible in the lower right corner.
