Introduction
This exhibition about the experiences of a merchant seaman in World War II complements an earlier one in our series which tells the story of a school for merchant marine officers that operated at Fort Trumbull, New London, from 1939 to 1946. Officers and seamen studied many of the same subjects even though they occupied different strata in the merchant marine hierarchy.
The exhibition is drawn from an archive of documents and memorabilia preserved by the late Herman R. Pederson. They were given by his family to Rob Groves, a member of the New London Maritime Society, who offered it to the McGuire Library.
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Through its print collections, archival holdings, and digital exhibitions the McGuire Library seeks to locate New London's colorful maritime and naval history within the economic and social development of the United States.
A recent addition to the Library's archival holdings is the manuscript journal of the whaler Merrimac which sailed out of New London in 1844 and returned in 1847. Given to the Library in 2020, the journal has been digitally published in this series by Head Librarian Laurie Deredita, accompanied by transcriptions and commentary.
The Merrimac journal and our other presentations may be viewed by selecting "Browse Exhibits" at the top of these pages.
One of these, A Maritime Sampler, offers brief, illustrated descriptions of seventy representive titles in our collection of over 2,700 printed books.