Adopt-A-Ship
Purpose
The Adopt-A-Ship plan is to create in the minds of grade school children an appreciation of the importance of the American Merchant Marine.
This project was started by the Women’s Organization for the American Merchant Marine, Inc., in the mid 1930s, and was suspended during the war years and for some time thereafter. In 1954 it was revived and expanded. In 1961 the Women’s Organization for the American Merchant Marine changed its name to "Women’s Propeller Club of the United States".
Under the Plan, school children in grades 5 - 8 under the supervision of the teacher, Correspond with the master and officers of their "adopted" American merchant ship. This involves not only the children and their families, but also those who teach the younger
generation - the educators - particularly those located in the interior part of the country.
The first step in the "Adopt-A-Ship" plan is for The Propeller Club to contact steamship companies active in the American Merchant Marine and with their sanction, obtain the cooperation of their captains to join the program. The captain of designated vessels is then approached, and if he is sufficiently interested to take on the responsibility of answering the correspondence personally, or through his officers, his ship is "adopted" by a school. Correspondence from the ship is sent to the pupils in care of the teacher responsible for the project.
The schools on file are obtained mostly through the publicity the Plan has inspired. Teachers and pupils write to us of their interest and ask for a ship. No individual pupil is allowed to "adopt" a ship. The request must originate with the teacher, who must supervise class correspondence and develop the project to its fullest extent in classroom work.
The aim of the plan is to teach Young America - our boys and girls - the necessity of maintaining an adequate American Merchant Marine and to assist in the education of our citizens of tomorrow. In addition to its patriotic implications, the plan fosters an interest in geography, history, and composition. It affords the nautically-minded student in a land-locked city or town an outlet for his or her interest in the sea bringing home to the captain and his crew the pride that Young America takes in its seamen.
Once the preliminaries have been completed by the staff at the office of The International Propeller Club of the United States and the "adoption" duly recorded , the correspondence will begin.
The interest shown by the grade school classes has been most stimulating. On the occasions when classes can visit their adopted ships, the enthusiasm has repaid everyone concerned for all the effort and time put into the program. Teachers have incorporated the Adopt-A-Ship Plan into their classroom work.
One teacher, with twenty years of service, said, "This has been one of the finest experiences of my teaching career".
Since 1958, the Adopt-A-Ship Plan has been conducted by the International Headquarters of The Propeller Club of the United States. The publicity received brings in hundreds of requests for information.
This program is considered one of the best maritime public relations activities in the industry.
Schools in many states are participating and many steamship companies have entered wholeheartedly into the plan with each of their ships adopted by a grade school class.
Enrollment
Enrollment can be made by sending a brief letter application showing the letterhead of the school including address, zip and phone and fax numbers, number of students in the class, and the grade of the class. Teachers may also include their E-mail address as some ships may wish to correspond in that fashion.
Usually ships are available immediately at the start of each school year in September. However, if all ships have been assigned, the classroom will be placed on a waiting list.
Click here to see Adopt-A-Ship Participants
