Empire State II Records

File

Identifier: CA-RG1-0010

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Empire State II was used by the New York State Merchant Marine Academy (now SUNY Maritime College) as its training ship from 1946 until 1956. The ship was used to train young men for careers in the Merchant Marines and the Naval Reserves. Materials in this collection largely consist of administrative documents, cruise itineraries, Captain Alfred Olivet's personal and professional correspondence during cruise, and news articles.

Dates

1946 - 1956

Creator

State University of New York Maritime College (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Appointments to examine materials must be made in advance. Please e-mail library@sunymaritime.edu for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Conditions Governing Use

Reproductions may be provided to users to support research and scholarship. However, collection use is subject to all copyright laws. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Biographical / Historical

The Empire State II replaced the U.S.S. Empire State I in March 1946. Formerly the U.S.S. Hydrus, a Navy Artemis-Class Attack Cargo Ship, serving during World War II in the Pacific theater. On April 1, 1945 the Hydrus arrived in Okinawa, assisting in the Invasion of Okinawa under the command of Vice Admiral Kelly Turner. After the end of World War II, U.S.S. Hydrus assisted in Operation Magic Carpet, bringing soldiers serving in the Pacific theater back to the United States. The Hydrus received a battle star for her efforts in World War II.

During her tenure as training ship, she visited the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and both coasts of the United States. The Empire State II is the last training ship to sail through the Panama Canal during a training cruise as of 2025! After ten years serving as training ship for New York State Maritime Academy (Now SUNY Maritime College), the Empire State II left campus for the National Defense Reserve Fleet until 1964 when she was decommissioned for the last time and sold to be scrapped.

Extent

3.6 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

French

German

Spanish; Castilian

Hebrew

Additional Description

Arrangement

Materials are arranged in alphabetical order by subject/topic. If several files contain materials on the same subject these files are then arranged chronologically

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These materials were collected from various sources over the years, including faculty, staff, and alumni. Unfortunately, deeds of gift or transfer documentation has not been located for most of the items. Reproductions were also obtained by the librarian from other institutions and interspersed with original documents. See Processing Information for additional context.