Description
Original S.S. President Polk Ship Poster – Harold Sterner – WWII Era Maritime Lithograph (1941)
Original S.S. President Polk marine ship poster attributed to maritime artist Harold Sterner. This is a horizontal format original lithograph vintage poster, linen backed and professionally preserved.
The illustration depicts the SS President Polk, a 502‑foot C‑3 class passenger‑cargo liner built for American President Lines (APL). The vessel was constructed by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in Kearny, New Jersey, and launched on June 28, 1941, just months before the United States entered World War II.
During the war, the ship was requisitioned for military service and in 1943 was commissioned by the U.S. Navy as USS President Polk (AP‑103). She served as a troop transport in the Pacific Theater, carrying soldiers, equipment, and supplies between bases across the South Pacific. Ships of this fast C‑3 class were designed so they could be quickly converted from commercial liners into wartime transports, making them an important part of Allied logistics.
After the war the vessel returned to civilian service in 1946 as SS President Polk and continued commercial operations before later being transferred to foreign registry.
The artwork presents a detailed side profile of the ship at sea, a style typical of mid‑20th century maritime promotional prints produced for shipping lines and collectors. Maritime ship portrait posters like this were often commissioned to commemorate new vessels entering service.
Details
- Title: S.S. President Polk
- Artist: Attributed to Harold Sterner
- Date: Circa 1941–1945
- Medium: Original lithograph
- Format: Horizontal maritime ship portrait
- Condition: Linen-backed
- Printed in: U.S.A.
This is an original vintage poster, not a reproduction.
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