Ansaldo Foundation preserves unique material referring to the figure of Francesco Gerolamo Ansaldo (1857-1926), son of Giovanni Ansaldo and Giuditta Muratori. At the age of fourteen he was embarked as a ship's boy on the "Pietro Cerruti" brig, a journey that marked the beginning of a long and prosperous maritime career that ended only in 1922 with his retirement. Graduated as a long-time captain in 1875, he left documentation of his long journeys, with annotations, thoughts, and extremely precise hand drawings. The “log books” and the “marine manuals” are a real historical mine that leads us to travel back in time, just like the captain. Exotic places (he obtained command of numerous boats bound for the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia) and different cultures, analyzed with critical thought, without implying who knows what Western superiority. In the photo we see the “Marino's Manual Part 2a of the Ship”, text on shipbuilding. It contains passages and texts taken by different authors in Italian and English accompanied by images, tables and explanatory drawings created by the hand of Francesco Gerolamo Ansaldo.