Philadelphia Ship Model Society

The Philadelphia Ship Model Society (PSMS) was formed in 1931 and now has a membership primarily from Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. PSMS meets on the third Sunday of every month at 1:00 PM in Philadelphia at the US Coast Guard Station at 1 Washington Ave. Philadelphia. 

Our members have a strong diversity of professional backgrounds, but all share a passion to discuss and explore maritime history. For most of our members, that exploration includes pursuing the artistic, often technical, but always rewarding endeavor of building ship models in various styles, techniques, historical periods, nationalities, and with various levels of skill. Our club is especially keen to teach and develop the newest member model builders. As part of our mission, PSMS promotes inclusion, mentorship, and education to not only our own members but to the public with annual events such as our ModelCon Exhibition onboard the Battleship New Jersey in Camden, NJ.   

Members of the PSMS are committed to building and maintaining an environment of family-friendly fun, intellectual curiosity and mentorship in ship modeling craftsmanship. As a member, you may participate in that mission by sharing your personal projects and ideas as well as enjoying those offered by others through a “Show and Tell” session featured at most meetings. Our meetings also include a presentation session where members or a visiting specialist will present a program to discuss maritime-related topics and technical model building techniques. Meetings includes a refreshment period to become better acquainted and collaborate with fellow members, many of whom are expert, award-winning ship model builders.We stay connected through a monthly newsletter, “The Quarterdeck", which is now edited by a published maritime author and Nautical Research Guild Director. 

For further information, we encourage you to visit our website, www.philadelphiashipmodelsociety.com or email us at modelship@yahoo.com.   We believe anyone can build a ship model; all it takes is an interest. You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.