The State University of New York Maritime College's history began over 125 years ago. In response to industry demand, more Americans were being encouraged to enter maritime careers. The Governor of New York applied for a training ship and, on December 14, 1874, the USS St. Mary's arrived in New York harbor and became the home of the first commercial maritime institution in the United States. The initial 26 students aboard the St. Mary's, known then as the New York Nautical School, became the first class of what has evolved into the State University of New York Maritime College.

As the school prospered, it became a land-based, degree-granting college, finding a permanent home in 1934 at the Maritime College's present Fort Schuyler campus. The College is one of the original institutions incorporated into the State University of New York system in 1948 and was the first of its kind to enroll women in 1972.