Ships of the Sea

Ships of the Sea Podcast host Molly Taylor interviews Lynn Brennan retired assistant port director for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Savannah, about her 33-year career and the port’s growth to nearly 6 million TEU.
 
Brennan explains CBP’s seaport responsibilities, working with importers, exporters, terminal operators, and enforcing rules for about 40 agencies, plus using technology and trusted-shipper programs to target high-risk cargo. She shares seizure stories involving counterfeit luxury goods and pharmaceuticals, dangerous consumer products (hoverboards, Aqua Dots), narcotics hidden in tuna cans, cement mixers, and wood, smuggled gold coins, endangered-species items like a tortoiseshell-inlaid piano, and a 1999 case of 132 smuggled Chinese immigrants.
 
Brennan outlines CBP career paths, CBP’s origins in 1789, the Savannah Custom House history, and her post-retirement volunteering and maritime networking through the Propeller Club and SERAC.
 
The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.
 
CONNECT WITH US:
Learn more about The Savannah Pilots Associations
A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media
 
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Welcome to Ships of the Sea
00:20 Meet Lynn Brennan
01:21 From Import Specialist Up
02:55 College and Career Pivot
05:06 What Port Directors Do
07:26 Inside Cargo Exams
08:10 Wild Seizure Stories
12:51 Stress and Mission Shift
13:44 Careers Across CBP
16:04 Tariffs and Classification
18:06 Customs History 1789
22:25 Tech and Trusted Trade
24:28 Supply Chain Trust
24:53 Human Smuggling Bust
26:53 Creative Drug Concealment
29:18 Endangered Piano Seizure
31:40 Savannah Customs House History
34:48 Tours and Modern CBP
36:51 Careers and Entry Paths
39:40 Life After Retirement
40:26 SERAC and Relationships
42:43 Museum Support Outro
 

Ships of the Seas podcast Host Molly Taylor interviews maritime archaeologist and Georgia Southern University history teacher Kurt Knoerl, who is moving to the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater to teach public, digital, maritime history.
 
Knoerl explains maritime archaeology as studying water-related sites—shipwrecks, wharves, shoreline and inundated sites—and describes student fieldwork in Savannah using mapping, GIS, and recording methods. He recounts entering the field after an archaeology elective, attending a Savannah conference, getting scuba certified, and studying at East Carolina University; he notes career paths via CRM firms and agencies like NOAA.
 
He emphasizes researching before diving, documenting sites before removal, and the high costs and risks of artifact conservation. Knoerl discusses his online Museum of Underwater Archaeology, salvage law and ethical concerns (including war graves and Titanic), permitting challenges, interest in Civil War wrecks like CSS Savannah, AI limitations in research, and sea-level rise threats to coastal heritage.
 
The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.
 
CONNECT WITH US:
Learn more about The Savannah Pilots Associations
A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media
 
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Podcast Welcome
00:51 What Maritime Archaeologists Do
01:37 Teaching In The Field
03:49 Finding The Career Path
04:55 Diving Requirements
06:46 Degrees And CRM Work
07:57 Favorite Finds And Sites
09:41 How Wrecks Are Documented
11:35 Conservation Costs And Risks
12:13 Museum Of Underwater Archaeology
14:33 Ownership Salvage And Laws
15:54 Shipwreck Ownership Battles
16:34 Titanic Museums Debate
17:51 Profit Versus Preservation
19:00 Wrecks as Gravesites
20:08 Why Context Matters
20:55 Maritime Archaeology Careers
22:03 Teaching Fieldwork Logistics
23:08 Sharing Finds With Public
24:31 Dream Savannah Wrecks
26:25 Advice for New Archaeologists
27:38 Technology and AI Challenges
30:54 Future Threat Sea Levels
31:38 Closing Thanks
 

Ships of the Sea Podcast host Molly Taylor interviews Trey Thompson, Master Pilot and President of the Savannah Pilots Association, about what harbor/river pilots do and how Savannah’s 20 pilots guide ships in and out of the Port of Savannah along a 35-mile channel using helm orders, buoys, and range markers.
 
Thompson describes training and licensing, the week-on/week-off schedule, dispatching and coordination with tugboats, docking pilots, and ship crews, and the growing use of larger container ships despite fewer ship calls. He emphasizes that the most dangerous part is boarding via Jacob’s ladder, recounting incidents including a ladder breaking and a serious injury from a heaving line, leading to helmet use.
 
They discuss simulations in Baltimore for larger ships and dredging studies, right whale regulations that reshaped pilot boats, the association’s 1864 formation, and plans to move the pilot base from Fort Pulaski to Lazaretto.
 
The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.
 
CONNECT WITH US:
Learn more about The Savannah Pilots Associations
A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media
 
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Welcome and Introductions
00:52 What Harbor Pilots Do
01:48 Learning the Savannah River
03:04 Schedules and Pilot Boats
05:00 Boarding Dangers and Safety
07:23 Trey’s Path to Piloting
08:02 Training and Multitasking
09:33 Docking Pilots and Tug Coordination
10:59 Weather Traffic and Holiday Ops
12:25 Bigger Ships Simulators and Dredging
14:32 Leadership and Whale Regulations
15:24 Whale Encounters
15:53 Community Leadership Roles
16:25 Pilot Staffing Numbers
17:07 Apprentices and COVID
17:54 Captains and Conferences
18:47 Right Whale Boat Rules
19:28 Rough Runs to Ships
20:12 Savannah Pilots History
21:00 Master Pilot Selection
22:28 Moving to Lazaretto Base
23:49 Funding and Wake Concerns
25:25 Future Bigger Ships
26:46 Closing and Support
 

Host Molly Taylor interviews Savannah maritime attorneys David Sipple and Colin McRae of HunterMaclean about admiralty/maritime law, explaining that admiralty concerns ships, shipping, and navigable waters, while “maritime” is broader and laws seek international uniformity.
 
They discuss key doctrines including the Jones Act for injured seamen and the Limitation of Liability Act, plus collision vs. allision and the narrow channel rule. Case stories include the African Neptune allision with Brunswick’s old Sidney Lanier Bridge causing 10 deaths, the Golden Ray ro-ro capsizing near St. Simons with four crew rescued after 36 hours, the Archangel G collision that cut a shrimp boat in half, and the Sun Sapphire allision with an LNG dock.
 
They describe P&I Clubs, shipboard investigations, Coast Guard inquiries, “magic pipe” pollution cases, stowaways, and the practice’s 24/7 demands and collegial network.
 
The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.
 
CONNECT WITH US:
A look inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media
 
CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS:
HunterMaclean
 
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Welcome and Guests
01:15 What Is Maritime Law
02:22 Key Maritime Statutes
04:17 Allision vs Collision
04:57 Bridge Disaster Lessons
07:04 How They Got Started
09:52 Admiralty Schools and Training
11:27 African Neptune Case
12:53 P&I Clubs Explained
14:43 Life Aboard Cargo Ships
17:33 Golden Ray Capsize
22:21 Salvage and Environmental Claims
26:28 Advice for New Maritime Lawyers
27:45 Archangel G Collision Story
29:50 Wheel Tied Off Crash
30:50 Lawsuit And Channel Rules
32:18 Danger Signal And Evidence
34:10 Coast Guard Oil Spill Call
36:33 Magic Pipe Pollution Cases
39:32 Bunkering And Big Spills
41:30 NRDA And Wildlife Costs
42:53 Territory And Inland Barges
44:54 LNG Dock Allision
48:22 First Onboard Fire
50:32 Lost At Sea In Brazil
52:08 Shipboard Meals And Culture
54:45 Stowaways And Repatriation
59:49 Maritime Lawyer Network
01:00:47 Museum Support Outro
 

Host Molly Taylor, Executive Director of the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, speaks with Myra Reynolds and Len James of the John S. James Company about what customs brokers and freight forwarders do, clearing imports with government agencies and arranging exports onto vessels.
 
Len, the family-business CFO and co-owner, describes growing up in the industry and how Savannah’s port ecosystem has changed since the 1980s. Myra recounts joining the company in 1977, becoming a licensed customs broker in 1986, and explains licensing, corporate permits, and the shift to remote filing, electronic documentation, and “single window” systems involving 47 agencies.
 
They discuss Georgia Ports Authority-led efficiency innovations (including COAT), post‑9/11 security targeting, inspections, radiation monitoring, and IPR enforcement, plus notable cases involving marijuana shipments and stolen vehicle exports. They also cover tariff-driven complexity, AI tools, national association lobbying, expanded customs port limits, recruitment challenges, and the breadth of commodities handled in Savannah.
 
The Ships of the Sea podcast is recorded on location at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, housed in the historic William Scarbrough House, an elegant example of early Greek Revival architecture in the South. Built in 1819 for William Scarbrough, a prominent shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company, the museum showcases a remarkable collection of ship models, paintings, and maritime antiques. In addition to its exquisite interior, the museum features the largest private gardens within Savannah’s historic district, designed to reflect a typical 19th-century parlor garden.
 
CONNECT WITH US:
A looking inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media
 
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Welcome to Ships of the Sea
00:20 Customs Broker Basics
00:56 Len’s Family Business Story
02:36 Warehouse Work Lessons
03:40 Myra’s Path Into Shipping
05:06 Becoming a Licensed Broker
07:01 Savannah Brokerage Landscape
07:32 National Permits and Remote Filing
09:11 Tech Shifts and COAT System
12:30 GPA Efficiency and Early Innovations
16:24 Single Window and Customs Origins
19:07 Duties Tariffs and Counterfeits
22:33 Security Targeting and Inspections
25:41 Myra’s Marijuana Case Files
28:12 Post 9/11 Broker Partnership
29:59 Reporting Suspicious Imports
30:52 CFO Life and Tariff Stress
32:09 AI and Broken Systems
34:10 Lobbying for Tariff Delays
36:16 Tracking Rules and Proclamations
38:38 Expanding Port Limits Story
41:32 Careers and Skills in Brokerage
43:38 Youth Training Pipeline
48:11 Wildest Imports and Logistics
50:50 Partnerships and Final Takeaways
53:53 Support the Maritime Museum
 

Host Molly Taylor interviews Captain Judy Helmey of Miss Judy Charters on the Ships of the Sea podcast recorded in the Ships of the Sea Maritime Musuem located in the historic William Scarbrough House and Gardens about becoming a charter captain through sea school, time on the water, and mastering safety, responsibility, and people skills.
 
Helmey reflects on 61 years fishing - starting on her father’s boat as a child - and describes how the job requires roles from counselor to nurse, plus pairing customers with the right captain now that she runs the company. She shares navigation and seamanship stories, Gulf Stream distances and her past pace of 250 trips a year, learning storms with modern equipment, and extraordinary encounters including waterspouts/tornadoes, a submarine snagging her gear, and Navy live-fire zones.
 
She discusses sexism, varied clientele, famous passengers, reading birds to find wahoo, and her father’s influence, Savannah charter history, and conducting burials at sea, including sinking caskets.
 
CONNECT WITH US:
A looking inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media
 
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Podcast Introduction
00:42 Becoming a Captain
01:47 Best Parts of Charter Life
04:05 Running the Business Today
05:58 Knowing the Waters
08:05 Family Roots on the Island
10:03 Learning to Drive Young
13:13 Seasickness and Customer Care
15:41 Weather and Water Spouts
19:54 Safety and Seasoning
20:38 Submarine Snags Gear
22:01 Live Fire Hot Zone
24:42 Sexism on the Dock
27:15 Handling Every Client
28:37 Famous Faces Aboard
30:12 Birds Lead to Wahoo
33:15 Glitter Chum Trick
35:04 Dad’s Hustle Origins
37:19 Burials at Sea Finale
 

On the Ships of the Sea podcast, host Molly Taylor interviews Savannah Stevedore and operations manager Carter Hubbard about what stevedores do: plan and manage the execution of loading and unloading ships in coordination with the International Longshoremen’s Association, steamship lines, and the Georgia Ports Authority.
 
Hubbard explains how longshoremen handle physical work (unlashing, twist locks, driving trucks), clerks and checkers track container movements, and stevedores plan vessel stowage and oversee safe execution on the dock. He describes the industry’s shift from paper to tablets, the many roles required to move a container, constant troubleshooting from equipment and network issues, and handling specialized cargo like racing yachts, military gear, and breakbulk. The conversation covers vessel classes, hazardous and refrigerated planning, training, ship turnaround pace, and maritime career paths.
 
CONNECT WITH US:
A looking inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media
 
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Meet the Stevedore
00:23 What Stevedores Do
01:03 Longshoremen and Port Roles
02:17 Planning vs Execution
03:09 Clerks Checkers Explained
04:19 Ops Manager Responsibilities
05:14 Tracking Containers Today
07:20 Career Path Into Stevedoring
09:20 Ships Schedule and Pace
10:07 Troubleshooting and Redundancy
12:10 Terminals Unions Specialties
13:27 Breakbulk Yachts and Military
16:51 Ship Types and COVID Impact
18:52 Avoiding Complacency
20:18 Training the Crew
22:06 Career Paths In Ports
24:21 Container Planning Physics
26:07 Managing Massive Teams
27:17 Crane Speed And Workflow
28:48 Boarding Ships And Diplomacy
32:12 Life Aboard International Crews
35:12 Why Savannah Port Matters
 

Welcome to the Ships of the Sea podcast, an audio voyage from Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum. In this introductory episode, producer Dee Daniels introduces host Molly Carrott Taylor, Executive Director of Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, and previews the new podcast exploring Savannah’s maritime stories.
 
Molly shares her background as a collegiate sailor and longtime art museum leader, how she came to Ships of the Sea after consulting on membership and fundraising, and highlights recent growth, including bringing in over 6,000 children in two years and increasing the budget to $1.2 million from $800,000 in 2022.
 
She explains the museum’s home, the 1819 William Scarborough House, Scarborough’s role in the Steamship Savannah Company, and the Steamship Savannah’s May 22, 1819, transatlantic voyage—now honored as National Maritime Day.
 
The episode previews community-focused education and STEAM field trips, events like Celestial Seafarer and Supper at Sea, rotating exhibitions, upcoming sequential-art stories of key ships, and future podcast topics on modern maritime careers such as pilots, stevedores, longshoremen, attorneys, and archaeologists.
 
CONNECT WITH US:
A looking inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media
 
FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Welcome Aboard
01:02 Meet Molly Taylor
02:02 From Consultant to Director
05:31 Scarborough House Origins
05:59 Steamship Savannah Breakthrough
08:05 Schoolhouse Legacy
09:09 National Maritime Day Roots
11:04 Community Programs Vision
12:31 Signature Events and Exhibits
16:20 Hidden Maritime Careers
22:13 A Day in 1819
26:02 Hands On Learning Ahead
28:59 Closing and Support
 

Welcome aboard.
The Ships of the Sea Podcast takes you inside the stories that shaped Savannah ... from its earliest maritime history to the people and industries still moving through its waterways today.
In this short trailer, you’ll get a preview of what’s ahead: powerful stories, behind-the-scenes perspectives, and a deeper look at the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum and the history it brings to life.
From groundbreaking voyages to modern-day maritime careers, this is where history, community, and the water all connect.
Subscribe now and join us as we open the treasure chest of Savannah’s maritime past.
CONNECT WITH US:
A looking inside Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
Museum EVENTS
Education and Group Programs
Meet the Production Team Dee Daniels Media