It appears that Admiral Byrd’s City of New York, which sailed to Antarctica, was docked at the Seventh Street SW wharf. The flagship for Admiral Byrd’s Antarctic expedition was open to paying sightseers. By 1931, Byrd was a bona fide American hero, the first person (it was believed) to fly over both the North and the South poles. For his 1928 expedition to the Antarctic, Byrd purchased a former Norwegian sealing ship called the Samson, chosen because its wooden hull was three feet thick in places. “One of the most interesting collections is one that might be called the bootery,” wrote a Star reporter.

Source: Washington Post May 12, 2018 19:41 UTC