This presentation will examine three collections of vessels in both Curtis Bay and Curtis Creek. These range in age from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. They include at least 18 WWI vessels from the U.S. Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation; the same types of vessels in the Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary on the Potomac River. Others include one of only ten ferrocement vessels from the first quarter of the 20th century, the resting place of the beloved steamer S.S Emma Giles, and even a ship alleged to have sailed the East Coast while unmanned. Of the famed trio of Old Bay Line steamers that ran between Richmond and Baltimore, there is one that ran as recently as 1962, then operated as a ferry in Massachusetts from 1962-63 before returning to Baltimore in 1965. Did you ever ride on the S.S. District of Columbia? While, technically, none of these vessels actually wrecked at their current locations, both separately and collectively, they all have fascinating tales to tell.

Susan Langley directed the Maryland Maritime Archaeology Program for over 30 years, retiring in August 2025. She served as both the State Underwater Archaeologist and Dive Safety Officer. In this capacity she also worked with the Area Contingency Planning Committee organized by the U.S. Coast Guard to address oil and hazmat spills that might directly or indirectly impact submerged historic resources.

She taught at numerous public and private colleges and universities and, as an Adjunct Professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, she instructed an introduction to underwater archaeology, the anthropology of pirates and piracy, as well as a fiber, textiles, and trade course. Dr. Langley taught maritime archaeology in Thailand for several years for UNESCO. She is a Master SCUBA diver instructor, Emergency First Responder Instructor, and lectures and leads expeditions for Abercrombie & Kent. As a beekeeper, she kept a hive at Government House for 10 years, through two Governors and is a founding member of the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills Mid-Atlantic Chapter