Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum will be celebrating 90 years of National Maritime Day with a free museum weekend on May 20 and 21.

National Maritime Day, celebrated each year on May 22, commemorates the steamship Savannah’s voyage from Savannah, Georgia to Liverpool, England, marking the first successful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean with steam propulsion.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the resolution establishing National Maritime Day in 1933. The proclamation stated, Whereas on May 22, 1819, the steamship The Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia, on the first successful transoceanic voyage under steam propulsion, thus making a material contribution to the advancement of ocean transportation: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That May 22 of each year shall hereafter be designated and known as National Maritime Day.”

Ships of the Sea is home to a large model of the SS Savannah and is housed in the historic William Scarbrough House. William Scarbrough was one of the principal owners of the steamship Savannah and president of the Savannah Steamship Company.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase not only the significant history of the SS Savannah but the vast maritime history of Savannah as a whole,” said Ships of the Sea Executive Director Molly Taylor.