Sea History 086 - Autumn 1998

No . 86

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

AUTUMN 1998

SEA HISTORY. THE ART, LITERATURE, ADVENTURE, LORE & LEARNING OF THE SEA

THE CAPE HORN ROAD Takes Americans into the Pacific The US Changes Course in the Spanish-American War Decorative Carvings on Chesapeake Bay Dredge Boats The Skipper & the Eagle: The Voyage Begins!

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SEA CLOUD

Sail the Legend with friends from NMHS!

6-13 March 1999 Everyone who encounters SEA CLOUD for the first time is indelibly stunned by the very sight of her, one of the last of the glorious four-masted barks.

Her sleek snow-white hull seems poised to fly across the waves. The grandeur of mahogany, teak, and gleaming brass, the countless lines and sails furled on strong graceful yards set the mood of adventure.

Schedule

Rates

Sail with us from Antigua to Bequai, Grenada, Carriacou, St. Lucia, Iles des Saintes and back to Antigua with fellow NMHS members and members of Mystic Seaport Museum. In addition to enjoying the elegance of the SEA CLOUD, the culinary delights of her enchanting dining room and the service ofher international crew, we will visit the islands and hear lectures on Francis Drake, Columbus and ship preservation at Mystic Seaport given by Peter Stanford. The film "Ghosts of Cape Horn" will also be viewed and discussed.

Rates begin at $4,450 p/p double occupancy. The owners' cabins (numbers 1 and2) are $8,957 p/p double occupancy.

Since each cabin is unique, it is important to book early.

The ship)s beautiful carved mahogany dining room is the perfect setting for the chef's gourmet dinners.

Information & Reservations Carol VanderMaas Elegant Cruises & Tours, Inc. 31 Central D rive, Pt. Washington NY 11050

Tel: 1-800-683-6767 Fax: 516 -76 7-9303

Be aboard when SEA CLOUD sails!

If not now) when?

SEA HISTORY

No. 86

AUTUMN 1998

CONTENTS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE 7 REPORT FROM THE FIELD. Welcoming Home a Crew-in-Training, by the Hon. j Winthrop Aldrich Deputy Commissioner of the NYS Office ofParks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation welcomes home a group ofNew York students from a week-long NMHS sail training voyage aboard the frigate Rose 8 THE CAPE HORN ROAD, XVI. Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean! by Peter Stanford How the young American Republic, freed of British rule, soared ahead in the burgeoning ocean traffics of both the Atlantic and Pacific worlds

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14 The Lady Washington Carries a Cargo of History in the Pacific Northwest,

by James "Flagg" Locke A replica ofthe first American ship to make a landfall in the Pacific Northwest sails today out ofAberdeen, Washington 16 The Spanish-American War: The US Changes Course, by RADM Joseph F. Callo American participation in the Spanish-American War signaled a change in direction, as the Republic took new steps onto the world stage 20 THE OPSAIL 2000 OFFICIAL PORTS, PART N. OpSail & the Renaissance of Norfolk, by Tim Jones A founder of OpSail Norfolk notes the revitalization ofa city's waterfront inspired by the visit ofsailing ships in 1976 22 SHIP OF THE ISSUE. The Kalmar Nyckel: Why Build This Ship? by Allen Rawl In May, the Kai mar Nyckel joined America's fleet ofhistoric replicas, built through the determination ofthe Kalmar Nyckel Foundation and the skill ofa crew ofshipwrights

24 ~ us_ co_A_ sT_c_ uA_ Ro_ _ _ _ __ __ _ _~

24 Decorative Carvings on the Dredge Boats of Chesapeake Bay,

by Gabrielle Hamilton Elaborate ornamentation on Chesapeake Bay's workaday dredge boats reveal the skill, care and pride oftheir owners 32 NMHS Essay Contest: Maritime Trade and the Growth of the City, by Shelley Reid NMHS 's essay contest gets young people exploring how seaborne trade generated the capital to build seaport cities around the world 45 DESSERT: The Skipper & the Eagle, by Capt. Gordon McGowan, USCG (Ret) The Coast Guard commander who brought the war prize Horst Wessel from Germany to the US in 1946 recalls the effort to refit the ship in bomb-shattered Bremerhaven

COVER: Under easy canvas in the steep tidal chop at the mouth ofthe greatest West Coast river, the ship Co lumbia, under Capt. Robert Gray, stands into the river to which she gave her name. See pages 8-13. "Columbia Crossing the Bar," by Steve Mayo (Courtesy the artist)

DEPARTMENTS 2 DECK LOG & LETTERS

5 NMHS NEWS 28 MARINE ART NEWS

34 SHIP NOTES, MUSEUM NEWS 38 REVIEWS 48 PATRONS

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SEA HISTORY (issn 0146-9312) is published quarterly by the National Ma ritime Historical Society, 5 John Walsh Blvd., PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566. Periodicals postage paid at Peekskill NY 10566 and add'! mailing offices.

COPYRIGHT © 1998 by the National Maritime Historical Society. Tel: 914-737-7878.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sea History, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566.

NATIONAL MARITIME HIS TORICAL SOCIETY

DECK LOG

LETTERS

"To SEA!" we said in the Spring Sea H istory this year-and accordingly, we went to sea. First with 250 people signed up for the day-sail up the Hudson over Memorial Day Weekend. This exercise was written into school curricula in the Rockland County (NY) Bicentennial, which was being celebrated just across the river from our headquarters in Peekskill. The school connection is important, and so are the parent and peer connections. For the values of sea experience must live on after the ships have left, for both the ships' sake and the students', so that the ships and the young people come back again.

Mayor of NYC Welcomes NMHS Crew Today is a special occasion, as we welcome home the thirty students who so successfully conducted their voyage, aboard the ship Rose, from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York Harbor. I am always pleased to see young people who dedicate their time and energy to completing goals that they have set. On behalf of the City of New York, I am delighted to salute you all on yo ur achievement.

I am very proud of each of you. I hope that each student uses this sailing experience as a stepping-stone to much more achievement in the future. This might only be the beginning of many more great things to come.

THE HON. RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI Mayor, The City of New York

"Sailing for the Soul" And then we took two dozen students and teachers from Boston to New York aboard the frigate Rose, in a memorably challenging experience which The New York Times headlined as: "A Weekend of Sailing and Self-Discovery; A Program at Sea Tests Youths' Endurance and Responsibility. " In this story (if you 'd like to see a copy, just drop me a line, via e-mail or whatever), it was a treat to see not staff opinions but the students themselves quoted. The one teacher whose words were cited was Ms Felicita Santiago, principal of Public School 7 5 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Rejecting the fake things people accept too willingly in our day-to-day experience-in school and our-she said of the sea experience: "I call it sailing for the soul."

We felt pretty sure this Boston-to-New York sail with young New Yorkers in crew would work well, for the week before we'd done a New York-toBoston sail with young Bostonians.

But we'll rake you closer to the whole experience in the next Sea History, for we've resolved to focus our attention more closely on the sea experience which the heritage of seafaring is about. That heritage will die unless it is transmitted to successive generations, it's as simple as that. And humankind would be vastly the poorer for that loss.

NMHS is 35 Years Old! With membership hovering at its all-time high of around 16,000 souls, your Society is now a recognizable presence on the scene. We hope our gains transfer to others in our field, and recent examples of this published in Sea History suggest that this is the case. We'll be publishing an Annual Report which reviews the 35 years, what happened and what we think we learned along the way.

One thing you will not find is a master plan. Our plan is for things people believe in and support to flourish, and for unworthy Your editor (left) under the watchful eye ofActing New efforts to fal l by rhe York State Historian Joe Meany, at the helm ofthefrigate Rose in New York Harbo r. (Photo: Burchenal Green) wayside, along with the tinsel trumpery and forgettable games-playing trumpeted in the headlines. Let's launch new headlines of our own, looking deep into our future intentions, and deep into our storied past.

That is what history is about, and what yo ur Society is about as it celebrates its 35th year of the battle and the breeze.

- PETER STANFORD 2

For more on NMHS's Sea Experience Program, see "Deck Log, "at left, "NMHS News, " p. 5 and "Reportfrom the Field, "p. 7.-ED.

A Digression on a Hot Forenoon I found the most recent issue of Sea History absolutely fascinating, with your comments on Cook and Bligh, in the Cape Horn Road, most absorbing and always original.

Bligh and Christian both come off badly over the Bounty. To send 19 innocent men adrifr in the launch with virtually no provisio ns nor arms and only six inches of free board is nothing short of criminal. The bad weather, cold, rain and southeast gales actually saved them, despite their terrible privations, giving the boat the much-needed shove towards Timor. Just think what would have been their fate with calm and tropic sun!

On the other hand, Bligh promised to see justice done to those who remained loyal to him, but for whom there was abso lurely no room in th e launch. Bligh was criti cized on his return to England for no attempt having been made to retake the Bounty, since the preponderance of her people were not mutineers. To put the best face on it, Bligh then said that all who remained in the ship (except Byrne, the blin d fiddl er) were mutineers, which led to the death and terrible suffering of some of the Bounty's peop le who were not mutineers and who remained at Tahiti awaiting rescue. When the Pandora arrived, all were seized, innocent and mutineers alike, and brutally treated by her captain, Edward Edwards. This ep isode was the real horror

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

of [he Bounty saga.

Of [he Endeavour, her selec[ion was claimed by a number of people, including Pallisser, Cook's fim commanding officer in [he Navy, and Dalrympl e, who had hoped w command [he expedi[ion , bu[ i[ appears w have been a corpora[e decision.

Cook wo uld have been undoub[edly deligh[ed a[ [he choice of [his type of collier in whi ch he served his [im e prior w vo lun[eering for [he Navy. Ano[her ou[S[anding officer a[ [he Admiralty was Adm iral John CampbelI who had served as Mas[er's Ma[e under Anson in [h e Centurion on her famous Pacific voyage. Like Cook, Campbell had firs[ gon e w sea in [h ese ca[-buih Eas[ CoaS[ vessels in [he North Sea coal uade and was familiar wi[h [heir S[erling quali [ies . He no doub[ would have been in favor of her choice. Campbell was also a proponem of namical as[ronomy (when not wo many were) and developed [he sextant from H adl ey's quadram. H e also introduced Cook w the Royal Society, wh o had initially proposed [he scientific voyage w [he Sou[h Seas w observe [he uansi[ ofVen us.

How did I ever ge[ off on all this? Better blame yo ur fascinating w ritings in Sea History for this digression o n a hot forenoon .

OSWALD BRETT

Levittown, New Yo rk

A Worthwhile Endeavour Yo ur invitation to guide aboard the Australian replica of HMS Endeavour whe n she was in New York C ity in June was righ[ up my alley, and I wa nt to thank yo u. I spent three days and [hree nights aboard the ship and, in addi[ion, recruited rwo fri ends who each vo lunteered fora day. We all had a wonderful [ime. le mrned OU[ [ha[ I have a knack for climbing rigging, and I sailed as a crew member from New York to Norwalk, Connec[icut. I had th e time of my life!

CARY BLOSSER

Northport, New York More than 50 NMHS members and friends served as volunteer guides aboard HMS Endeavour in New York City, and we thank them far their enthusiasm. In September and October, Endeavour will travel to New Hampshire, Maine, and Nova Scotia, and then head south far Bermuda, Tortola, Barbados, Balboa, Galapagos, Acapulco, and Cabo San Lucas before arriving in San D iego in February far a two-month refit. Plans are

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

currently being made far the West Coast voyage in the summer and autumn of 1999.

Ifyou are interested in being a volunteer guide or in sailing aboard, contact The Crew Manager, 201 North Fairfax Street, Alexan-ED. dria VA 22314; 703 519-4556

"The Bully Ruffian" Escapes fr was a pity tha[ i[ was no[ explained in yo ur article on [he Battle of [he Nile in Sea H istory85 [ha[ bauleships in [hose days did not carry enough crew to man [he guns on bo[h sides of the ship wi[h fu ll effec[iveness, which made the "doubling" of the French ships so disasuo us for [hem.

I also [hink [he fo llowing little-known stoty of [he baule deserves w be known.

HMS Bellerophon , 74 guns, (always known to sailors as "The Bully Ruffian") was S[a[ioned ou[side [he French fl agship L 'Orient and escaped easrward OU[ of [he fray afrer being dismas[ed .

She had no[ on ly los[ all her mas[s bu[ also all her officers down w a 14-year-old midshipman named John Hindmarsh. On ass umin g co mmand and realizing [ha[ L 'Orient was abom to blow up, he ga[hered some of his crew and ordered [he spri[sail to be se[ ([h e only sail scill available) and [hen [he cable to be cm , where upon he sailed her away w a safe anchorage befo re [he foreseen explosion occurred .

The next day Nelson came on board wi th several of his "Band of Brothers," co ngramla[ed Hindmarsh on his ini[ia[ive and made him a lieutenam on [he spo[ before

introducing him to the o[her Caprains.

CDR MORIN SCOTT, RN (Re[) Paphos, Cyprus

San Francisco Schooners Keep the Sea Sea History is always welcome a[ our h ouse and [he Summer 1998 issue was certainly no excep[ion. The gentleman from Cos[a Rica is "righ[ on" in his praise of [he late Ka rl Konum, and his fascina[ ion wi[h [he San Francisco wa[erfron[ of 1945 is undersrandabl e. I vividly recall [h e sce ne as a boy in [h e 1920s and 1930s. I, wo, recall [he pilo[S boarding and leavi ng [he ships in open boa[S manned by seamen with oars, bm no[ in dori es, as yo ur letter writer recalls. T hose were superb seamen who pm tl1 e pilo[S aboard inbound ships or took them from [hose ombound.

Three capable wooden schooners, former yach[s, maimain ed [h e Sa n Francisco Bar Pilo[s on [heir sra[ion off [he Golden Ga[e. The schooners in [hose days were [he California (ex-Zodiac), theAdventuressand [he Gracie S. All were re[i red from [heir pilorage work a few years ago. T he California (o nce more named Zodiac), and [he Adventuress are doing chaner work on and around Puge[ Sound. T he Gracie S, in [h e ownership of tha[ fine sailorm an, [he la[e S[erling Hayden, wok him w many exocic pom in the legendary Somh Seas. She was subsequently lost in [ha[ region, afrer passin g from H ayden ownership.

BRUCE B. M CCLOSKEY

Santa C ruz, California

Join Us for a Voyage into History Our seafa rin g he ritage comes alive in the pages of Sea H istory, from the anci ent marine rs of Greece to Portuguese nav igators opening up the ocean world to the heroic efforts of seamen in thi s century's conflicts. Each issue brings new in s ights

and new di scoveri es. If you love th e sea , the riv e rs, lakes and bays-if you love the legacy of tho se who sa il in deep water and their workaday c raft, then you belong with us. Join today! Mail in the form below or phone

1-800-221-NMHS (6647)

Yes, I want to join the Society and receive Sea History quarterly. My contribution is enclosed. ($ 17.50 is for Sea History; any amount above that is tax ded uctible.) Sign me on as : $35 Regul ar Member $50 Family Member $100 Friend $250 Patron Mr./Ms. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Z IP_ _ _ _ _ __

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Return to National Maritime Historical Society, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566

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NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS &TRUSTEES: Chairman, C rai g A.

C. Reyno lds; Vice Chairmen, Richardo Lopes, Edward G . Zel insky; President, Peter Stanford ; Vice President, Norma Stanford; Treasurer, W il li am H. Wh ite; Secretary, Marshall Srreiberr; Trustees, Wa lter R. Brown, W. Grove Co nrad, Fred C. H awkins, Jakob Isbrandrsen, Steven W. Jones, G uy E. C. Maitland, Karen E. Markoe, Warren Marr, II , Brian A. McAllister, James J .

Moore, D avid A. O'Neil, Nancy Pouch, Ogden Reid, C harles A. Robertson, Howard Slotnick, Bradford Smirh, Louis A. Trapp, Jr., D avid B. Vietor, H arry E. Vinall, III, Jean Wort, Alexander Zagoreos; Chairman Emeritus, Alan G . Choate FOUNDER: Karl Kortum (191 7- 1996) OVERSEERS: Chairman, Townsend H ornor; C harles F. Adams, RADM David C. Brown, Walte r Cro nkite, John Lehman, J. W illi am Middendorf, II , Graham H. Ph illi ps, John Srobarr, W illiam G. Winterer ADV1SORS : Co-Chairmen, Frank 0. Braynard , Melbourne Sm ith ; D. K. Abbass, Raymond Aker, George F. Bass, Francis E. Bowker, Oswald L. Bren, Norman) . Brouwer, RADM Joseph F. Callo, W illiam M. Doerflinger, Francis J. Duffy, John Ewald, Joseph L. Farr, T imothy G. Foore, Wi lliam Gi lkerso n, Thomas G illm er, Wa lter J .

Handelman, C harles E. H erdendorf, Steven A. H yma n, H ajo Knuttel, Gunnar Lundeberg, Co nrad Mi lster, William G . Mull er, David E. Perkins, Nancy Hughes Richardson, Timothy J. Runyan , Ralph L. Snow, Shanno n J. Wall , Thomas Wells SEA HISTO RY & NMH S STAFF: Editor, Peter Stanford ; Executive Editor, No rma Stanford ; Managing Editor, J usrine Ahlstrom; Contributing Editor, Kevin Haydo n; Editorial Assistant, Shelley Reid; Membership Development & Public Ajfo.irs, Burchenal Green; Director of Education, David Allen; Development Coordinator, Blaire Smith; Membership Secretary/Merchandising, Erika Kurtenbach; Membership Assistant, Irene Eisenfeld; Advertising Secretary, Carmen McCallum ;Accounting, Joseph Cacciola; Secretary to the President, Karen Rice!!

TO GET IN TOUCH W ITH US:

Add ress:

5 Jo hn Walsh Blvd ., PO Box 68 Peekskill NY 10 566 Phone: 9 14 737-7878 Web sire: www.seahistory.o rg E-mai l: nmhs@seahisrory.org MEMBERS HIP is invited. Afterguard $10,000; Benefactor $5,00 0; Plankowner $2,500; Sponso r $ 1,000; Donor $5 00; J?atron $250; Friend $ 100; Co ntributor $75; Fam ily $50; Regular $35. All members outside the USA please add $ I 0 fo r postage. SEA H ISTORY is senr to all members. Individual copies cost $3 .75.

Advertising: 1-800-22 1-NMHS (6647)

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A Quest for Seeadler & von Luckner I have recently begun a research project that hopefully will culminate in a documentary on the German raiders of WWI, who ran the Allied blockade in the North Sea. My interests lie in the surface raiders Moewe, Wolf, the cruiser Emden, Seeadler and Kronprinz Wilhelm. The Moewe and Wolfwere converted freighters that became armed raiders. The Seeadfer was a Clydebuilt full rigger-the Pass of Bafmahasailing under the American flag. Carrying contraband cotton to Russia, she was fair game under the Articles of War when she was seized by a German sub in 1915 and escorted into H amburg. Converted into a raider under the command of Count Felix vo n Luckner, her exploits were daring and were recounted in the book Count Luckner, the Sea Devil, by Lowell Thomas, in 1928 .

I hope that anyo ne with information about the German Raiders of WWI, the Seeadler and her colorful commander (especially his speaking engagements in the US in the 1920s and '30s), will contact me at 1 Hubert Street, Beaco n NY 12508; 9 14 831-0773.

J OHN FASULO

Beacon, New York

"Britain Keeps the Sea" As I read "The Cape Horn Road, Part XV," in Sea History 85, I noticed a recurring theme which has grown more intense over the recent years . The tide is "Britain Keeps the Sea," starting with the story of Captain Bligh. The article is strong for the first rwo pages and contains relevant related material for the third and fourth pages, but the fifth and sixth pages contain seemingly unrelated commentary on Co ntinental and American Revolutionary politi cs, the rise of the British Empire, an evening aboard the Rose and dinners on other ships. And the bias toward things English wo uld embarrass an English propagandist.

Do continue to write yo ur history, but focus on what you do best, the sea, trade, ships and their crews. Report fai rly, accuratelyand completely. Note the glory of those you honor but also mention their warts.

D AV1D

R.

D YKSTRA

Peekskill, New York

ments, you 'LLfind that Minoans, Vikings, the Hansa and others aLL have had their turn at bat. The plan ofthe work is to write from the viewpoint of the nation making progress on the Cape Ho rn Road. But-I take your point on warts!

-ED. The Burning of York It is not exaggeration when I say that the first item I look fo r in a new issue of Sea History is "The Cape Horn Road," and the summer issue was no exception.

However, I beg to point out a couple of small errors . First, it was American naval victories in Lakes Champlain and Erie, not Ontario, which stopped British advances into Michigan, O hio, etc.

Second, it was Co mmodore Chauncey who burned York, now Toronto, which was not the cap ital of Canada; Canada as a nation did not exist, then. York was the capital, if that be the word, of Upper Canada- one of the four colonies (with Lower Canada (Quebec), New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) which were joined to form the Dominion of Canada in 1867.

But all of that is incidental; Chauncey failed to use his power in a manner which could have exposed all of what is now Southern Ontario to American occupation. If he had foregone flashy ac ts like burning York, he could have cut the British supply lines coming up the St. Lawrence at Kingston. Admiral Nelson-or Commodore Perry-would never have made that mistake!

ARTHUR HARRIS

Troy, Michigan

Subchasers and German Capital Ships I do not want to downplay the importance of the co ntribution of the Norwegian subchasers celebrated in the article on Hitra in SH84, but these vessels did not play a part in reporting the movements or the sinkings of the German capital ships Bismarck, Scharnhorst and Tirpitz. The first was sun k rwo years before Norway received the subchasers. British air patrols and the broken Enigma code led to the destruction of the latter rwo ships.

MARC J . COHEN

Hollywood, Florida

It 's difficult to write about the emergence of Britain as the Leading sea power without things British tending to dominate the tale.

And ifyou Look back through prior instaLLSEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

NMHSNEWS "A Sail of Two Cities": NMHS Takes the Young Idea to Sea Forry-o ne students fro m Boston and New Yo rk City experienced life at sea in the frigate Rose, a replica of an historic square rigger, in a new program organized and sponso red by the National Maritime Historical Society. Wo rking with two groups that run maritime programs for inner-city middle and high school students-Floating the Apple in New York and the Hull Life-Saving M useum in Boston-N MHS's Sea Experience Program, "A Sail of Two C ities, " provided a once-in-a-lifetime experience fo r students who otherwise wo uld never have had a chance to participate in this challenging, life-changing adventure.

As part of the two week-long voyages, which took Bostonians from N ew Yo rk to Boston and New Yorkers on the return passage, the students learned first hand about our maritime heritage, the roles of the ports of Boston and New Yo rk in American co mmercial growth, and the importance ofH MS Rose to the story of the American Revolution, as well as the work that goes into sailing, navigating and maintaining a square rigger. But beyond the lessons of histo ry and science, they gained a new confidence, the knowledge that they can meet and conquer unfamiliar and potentially risky environments, and the abi lity to live and work with different people, to wo rk hard as individuals to become a team responsible

fo r the safety of a ship and its crew. T hese are new ideas and abilities that they take with them to their regular lives as individuals and as members of a communi ty.

Some students recognized the broad lessons experienced at sea. O ne remarked: "I learned yo u need teamwork to run this boat and probably other stuff in yo ur life because yo u can 't always do it on yo ur own. " Ano ther reported: "Some of us had to work harder than others who couldn't do the work because they were so sick, and some still tried to wo rk despite being seasick. O vercoming that experience together felt good."

Others found an enj oyment and a freedom that they did not find elsewhere in their lives, reporting: "H aving to do watch at 4AM was the best time fo r me. I got to see the sun rise. I can't see that where I live."

This program , funded by N MHS trustees and Operation Sail 2000, was a first for New York education. In recognition of its importance, the H onorable George Pataki, Governo r of the Scare ofNew Yo rk, was the honorary chairman of the ceremony welcoming the New Yo rk students back to their home port. And New Yo rk City's M ayor Rudolph G iuliani sent a warm letter of welcome to th e teenagers (see "Letters," p. 2) . The H onorable ] . W inthrop Aldrich, D eputy Commissioner for the New York

Stare Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, addressed the students, encouraging them to "lean forward into life" (see p. 7).

NM H S plans to continue voyages of this type in other ports and with other vessels, to carry the lessons of our seafaring heritage into communities and classrooms around the country. W e are actively engaged in fund raising to get more young people to sea in innovative, challenging programs that bring the maritime heritage to life, inspiring them to reach out to the pas t through the present. To participate, contact NMH S at 9 14 737-7878. ]A

-----------------NMHSANNUAL AWARDS DINNER Thursday, 5 November 1998 CELEBRATING AMERICA'S SAIL TRAI NING SHIP, USC G BARK EAGLE at the

N ew York Yacht Clu b

$200 p er p erson Fo r reservation s and in formation contact: NMHS

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• • • • II II II II II

PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566 91 4 737-7878

World Marine Millennial Conference

NMHS on the Web The National Maritime H istorical Society's new web site is now on-line. W e introduced it in August, and we have already received complimentary comments and suggestions fo r improvements from members and b rowsers, as well as new members and numerous requests fo r membership information.

T h e site provides info rmation about N MHS and Sea H istory, a fo rm fo r membership, a calendar of maritime exhibits and events around the country, and an invitation to new Sea H istory advertisers. W e will add features from time to time, particularly info rmation fo r members about special projects, events, N MHS merchandise and activities. Do visit us on the web, and watch us grow!

T he address is www.seahistory.org. The corresponding e- mail address is nmhs@seahistory.o rg.

JA

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

Salem, Massachusetts, 9-1 3 November 1999 Scholars led by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto and] ohn H attendorf will gather at a conference sponsored by Sea H istory and The American Neptune to discuss seismic historic maritime developments of the pas t two thousand years. The conferen ce, to be held at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, M assachusetts, will take up four major themes: • T h e Sea as Inspiration- stimulus for the humanities • T h e Sea as a Highway-exploration and commerce • T h e Sea as an Aren a fo r C ultural Change an d C onflictmigrations and warfare • T h e Sea as a Resource-sustenance, minerals, sciences and "psychic reward" Plenary sessions each morning will be led by distinguished scholars covering critical maritime events. In the afternoons and evenings conference participants can choose to attend a rich variety of up to fifty papers from areas such as marine technologies, model building, shore establishments, underwater archaeology, the evolution of small craft, and others.

News and calls fo r papers will appear in Sea History, The American Neptune and other maritime journals. M ailings to subscribers will p rovide additional information .

PS

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REPORT FROM THE FIELD

Welcome Home to a Crew-in-Training by the Hon J. Winthrop Aldrich On 1 August 1998, a crew of 30 New ficed to make this York students and teachers sailed the Port ofN ew York the frigate Rose into New York. They were richest, busiest harbor participants in NMHS's Sea Experience in the New World, to Program- "A Sail of Two Cities." Over defend our country, the previous week they had sailed from and to maintain the Boston, learning the teamwork and chal- seaborn e lifeline char lenges ofsailing a seagoing full rigger. saved civilization durJ Winthrop Aldrich, Deputy Com- ing the Second World Kids from allparts ofthe New York City area met each other, wor/ud missioner ofthe New York State Office of War. We do it to re- together and became a community aboard the frigate Rose.

Parks, Recreation and Historic Preser- new o ur se n se of vation, addressedthestudentsasfamily, pl ace, our qualiry of life, and to transmit to learn rhis fundamental lesso n. friendsandthepresswelcomedthemhome. this heritage to those who co me after us.

Teamwo rk and self-disciplin e are com(For more on the program, see "Deck Co uld there be a more wo nderful ex- mon products of competent seamanship Log, "p. 2 and "NMHS News," p. 5.) ample rhan rhis? Thirryyoung peop le for a and successful sail trainin g programs.

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n be half of Governor Pataki, welcome home to th e frig ate Rose, to Captain Rey-E ll e rs and his crew, and especially to his 30member crew- in-training.

Welcome home to our magnificent, histori c, beloved harbor. Ir is all of rhese things, but it is frustrati n g ly quiet. Usefulness, animation, imerest and engagem e n r are what rhis stupendous reso urce demands, and that j. Winthrop Aldrich is what the presence of th e Rose here today, the rehabil itation of Pier A, the advance of the H arbor Park H eritage Area, and the success of So uth Street Seaport all portend.

T he Governor is committed to making historic preservation and heritage programs play a major role in the Ciry's and State's eco nomic renewal, and this is happe nin g.

Our dynamic State Parks Commissioner and State Histo ric Preservation Officer, Bern adette Castro, is delighted with her co llaboration with Commissioner H enry Stern at Ciry Parks and with the private sector in Harbor Park, Pier A, and E mpire Stores State Park just across rhe East River.

All of this holds out a bright promise for the region's economy. Bur we do not undertake these heritage initiatives merely for reasons of the purse, yo u and I. We do ir as well for the sake of our so uls-to acknowledge our debt ro those before us in rhis place who, across the generations, sacri-

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUM

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week at sea. What an opportuniry! What a wonderful, life-alteringexperience!The past speaking to, shaping the future. We co ngratulate yo u all on the successful co mpletion of this training course and look forward to a fl ourishing future for this program. We commend the National Maritime Historical Sociery for its sponsorship .

Irving Johnson said the Peking taught him the exhilaration of "leaning into life" as a sailing ship leans into thrashing seas and stinging winds.

This summer marks the centenni al of rhe em ergence ofTheodore Roosevel t as a national figure and his election as Governor of New York. Not surprisingly, Roosevelt is a person al h ero of Gove rnor Paraki's. (Incidentally, hi s first published book was a history of the naval war of 1812.) Roosevelt once sa id this: "It is true of the nation as it is of th e individual: the great doer must also be a great dream er."

Peter Stanford is living proofof this. Thank yo u, Peter, for yo ur extraordinary and beneficial dream s and deeds.

The Ship and Her People One of the great benefits of sail training is that it subordinates the individual to the ship and her people in much the same way that the needs of sociery at large sometimes o utweigh the needs or desi res of individuals. It is a model enco uraging individuals ro serve their communiry and their country before serving themselves. Al l who go ro sea for any length of time in a sa iling ship come

Steamship companies an d nav ies recognized the value of training seamen aboard large sailing ships well into the 20th century, long after the wind ships had become technological ly and commercially obsolete. The late Irving Johnson, a veteran of a 1929 passage around Cape Horn aboard the Peking (now preserved ri ght here at South Street Seaport) wrote that the experi ence taught him that in times of dan ger and adversiry, regard less of personal danger or suffering, one must continue to "do for the ship " as long as on e breathes. He and his fellow crew members also learned to rely upon themselves to solve prob lems and meet crises. The welfare and survival of th e ship and her co mpany often depend upon the total commitment and exertions of each individual. This is the value that steamship co mpanies and navies could on ly teach aboard dem anding and vulnerable sailing ships. This ve nerable tradition continues roday in the wo rk of the Coast Guard bark Eagle and not-for-profit sail training programs operated by ships such as the Rose.

John so n was fond of saying that his experiences aboard the Peking taught him the exhilaration of "lea nin g into life" in much the same way that a sai lin g ship leans into thrashing seas and stinging winds.

Let us all , yo ung and not so young, do just that-" lean imo life! " And as a seafaring uncle of min e used to admonish us, at sea and in life "stay off the rocks and shoals!"

And to all who stand here on the deck with us today, and especially the proud students, parents and teachers, I ask you to join in rhe trad itional seafaring toas t to mar k this voyage and many ro come: "To the ship and her peop le-Fair Winds!",!,

7

THE CAPE HORN ROAD, PART XVI

Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean!

How the Young American Republic, Freed ofBritish Rule, Soared Ahead in the Burgeoning Ocean Traffics ofBoth the Atlantic and Pacific Worlds

by Peter Stanford

P

lymouth Sound was alive with whitecaps as three great ships-of-the-lin e sroo d in close-h auled from the choppy wa ters of the English C hann el.

They we re an impressive sight, with spray bursting from under th eir o rn ate beak.head bows, as they heeled over to the strong breeze whistling in from the west. Blocked from further progress down the C hannel by th is headwind, the big ships were followed by an imm ense stragglin g Aeet of 62 transports, wh ich anchored close by their mighty protecro rs. Red-coated H ess ian soldiers crowded the ships' decks, no doubt happy to smell the sweet meadows of Devonshire afte r the harsh saltwater of the C hannel.

It was July 1776, and the soldi ers had been hi red by Kin g Geo rge III to put down the growing revo lt of the Am erican colonists. T here had been sharp fighting between British regulars and the ill-arm ed Continental troops, and Washington's ragtag army had actually forced the British ga rriso n in Boston to pull up stakes and sail back to Hali fax, Nova Scotia. No o ne in E ngland yet knew the D eclaration ofl ndependence had been signed-b ut word was on its way.

In the harbor, a Royal Navy captain, co nsumed with the las t-minute shortages and the endless minutiae of firrin g out a ship for th e long sea voyage, took rime to note the co nvoy's visit in his journal, regretting "the unhappy necessity of employing HM ships" against th e American colonies.

A few days later, on 12 July 1776, Captain Jam es Cook, RN, set sail in HMS Resolution o n his third great voyage of discovery.

In the ship's company were two Am ericans: the boatswain, William Ewin of Pennsylvania, who had sailed with Cook before, and John Ledyard, who signed on as a corporal of the marine guard.

Ledyard was a restless so ul, born in Groto n , Conn ecticut, in 175 1. Son of a sea captain , he received a good educatio n and became a minister preaching ro Indians in th e wes tern fronti er lands. Wearying of this, he came home in 1773 to ship o ut of New London for a voyage to Africa and th e West Indies, then sailed to London . There he signed on for the Kin g's service as a corpo ral of marines, to go on th e famo us

8

Captain Cook's coming voyage to the Pacific. He kept a fascinating journ al of the expenence.

"Generous Feelings" They traversed the Nort h and Sou th Atlantic and , after wa iting at th e Cape of Good Hope for Resolution's conso rt Discovery to catch up, crossed the empty reaches of the Indian Ocean, skirted Australi a, and came at las t into the islands of the Pacific.

Ledyard fell easily into the quest for kn owledge, whi ch Cook's voyaging was about. H e rapidl y maste red th e basic Polynesian language spoken in all the islands they visited, and was interested to hear the Maoris in New Zealand talk of how their ancesto rs in remote times had come from "a fa r distant island called Hawj ee"-today's H awaii , which was to co me into Western ken in this voyage.

That Ledyard and his fe ll ows looked at the natives as fellow human beings, not as mere objects fo r swdy, was dramatically illustrated when an "engaging Brunett" about fo urteen years old, named Gowannahee, fell in love with one of th e yo ung sailors. The young man was equally stricken and had himself tattooed to be more acceptable ro Gowan nahee and her people.

They ended up runnin g away into the hills to begin a new Iife together.

"Love like this is not to be found in those countries where the boasted refi nements of se ntim ent too often circumscribe the puri ty of affectio n and narrow it away to mere conjugal fidelity, " Ledyard noted rhapsodically in his journal.

Cook, for reaso ns of ship's disciplineand also, perhaps, to avo id abandoning the crewman to a dream that might become a nightmare with no exit- had the man hunted down and brought back aboard.

Observing that the sail or had suffered enough in his unhapp in ess at being parted from the girl , Cook had him returned to du ty withou t punishment. T his at least partly redeemed Cook in Ledyard's eyes.

There was another sadness in leaving off the Tahitian Omai in his native island, who had been picked up during Cook's previous voyage. H e had li ved for a year as a great social lion in London. Omai, who

had asked to go home, was dejected at los ing touch with the new life opened to him, and Ledyard notes that the ship's people were afraid that his compatr iots migh t kill him after the Engl ish left. They fired the ship's cannon to impress upon the Tahi tians thei r ability to ave nge him if necessary.

Resolution and Discovery steered northward, where they stumbled upon the H awa ii an Islands in January 1778. They paused here on ly b riefly before sailing on to the coast of North America, which they were to com b to the northward, seeki ng the back entrance to the fab led Northwest Passage joining the Atlantic and the Pacific, for more direct European access to the Far East.

In North America Ledyard, pursuin g his studies of nati ve peoples, was surprised to find the I ndians spoke the sa me basic language as the Indians he had known on the far side of the co ntinent. He volun teered to lead a so li tary reconnaissance, which led to a Russian settlement. T here he found the small sloop in wh ich , he was told, Vitus Bering crossed the Bering Strait between Asia and America, in 1728. "I was determined to go on board of her," he writes, "a nd indu lge the ge nero us feelings the occasion req uired." So his Russian guide got a canoe and took him out to the sloop.

T he sloop was alm ost certainly not Bering's origin al ship , but we may honor an early acolyte at the shrine ofh ist0ric preservation.

T he voyage rs pushed on northward th ro ugh the Berin g Strait to the wall of solid ice that blocked furthe r progress just short of Latitude 71 ° North, and then , with the seaso n drawing on and the ships needin g repairs alow and aloft, they ran back to the H awa iian Islands.

Ledyard reco rds their extraordinary recept ion by an es timated l 5,000 men, women and childre n in at least 2,500 canoes, and many more as hore. He noted: the shouts of joy, and admiration proceeding ftom the sonorous voices ofthe men confused with the shriller exclamations of the women dancing and clapping their hands, the oversetting ofcanoes, cries ofthe children . ...

And he added, in a moving peroration: God ofcreation these are thy doings, these are

SEA HISTORY 86 AUTUMN 1998

The Columbi a Redi viva, hugging the northern banks ofthe river she discovered in May 1790, follows the channel sounded out for her by the ships boat, which Captain Gray sent in ahead to find a way across the shoals at the entrance to the river. The dangerous Columbia River Bar, crossing the outflow of the mighty river, stirs up an unho!J turbulent sea at the rivermouth causing the abrupt bucking action caught so well by the artist Steve May o. Courtesy Steve Mayo. our brethren and our sisters, the works ofthy hands, and thou art not without a witness even here. .. .

The local chiefs and priests did eve rything to encourage the atmosphere of awe whi ch Cook and his men in their tall ships inspired. Cook was always addressed as "Rono"-a name he too k to be a tide li ke "chief. " But he was in fac t being wo rshipped as the god Lon o. T he British never quite recognized that the political system was upheld by honoring the god. But Ledyard, in charge of protecting the expedition 's tents ashore, grew uneasy. H e wro te: The intrinsic difference between us and them in every respect was certain!J great, but the greatest difference was imaginary respecting them and imputed to us, the moment therefo re that this supp osed superiority of ours should cease to exist or be diminished, our consequence and importance would be at an end, or at least could on!J be supported [by] the worst ofall aids, an appeal to arms, which in our situation would ruin us though we conquered.

The British left H awaii amid growing unrest, and then, by a stro ke of bad luck, Cook was forced to put back due to damage to Resolution's fo remas t. A fi ght erup ted when he went asho re to recover D iscovery's cutter, the ship 's largest boat, which the H awaiians had m ade off with. Cook, seeking to stop the fight, was overwhelmed and

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

killed . There were heavy casualties am ong th e H awaiians in th e ensuing baule.

Ledyard's reading was right: the British conquered , and their relati ons with th e H awaiians were ruin ed.

"This is an American Indeed!"

Early in the voyage when C ook first met the nati ve Americans at Noo tka Sound a native pushed him away, "pointing the way for him to go about his business" when C ook made a peremp tory dem and. T he native's brusque actio n tickled Cook, who turned to his men and said : "This is an Ameri can indeed !"

The American Revolutio n, heating up as Cook left England, was evidently taken lightly, as Cook's joking reference indicates. Th e Am eri ca n Ledyard and his crewm ates we re sur pri sed , wh en they reached C hina and got back in touch with the wo rld, to fi nd ou t that the Americans had not o nl y hung in , they had won battles.

And the F rench had joined them . Later, at Java, th ey learned that the Spanish also had joined th e wa r aga inst Bri rain . Fortunately, in this rem ote o utpost, the Dutch rulers of Java we re unawa re that Britain had declared wa r on H olland to arrest the shipment of Du rch funds and munitions to the embattled Ame ri cans.

Toward the end of the voyage in the summ er of 1780 , Ledyard notes th e circui -

mus route the ships cook, going to London no rth around Scotland to the English Channel, which Am erica n pri va teers had made unsafe. Benj amin Fra nklin, the Ameri can ambassado r in Paris, had arranged safe conduct fo r Cook's ships, in a remarkable tribute to the re public of learning- but perhaps Cook's successo r did not trust this unusual arrangement and doubted ho w well it would stand up in seas made dangerous to British shipping by American raiders.

T he direct impact of the American incursion in British home waters was littl e short of sensatio nal-and must have had its own impact o n Ledya rd, who was probably catchin g up on the meaning of being no longe r a subject of the crown but "an A meri ca n- indeed! " The fact is that the Continental Navy, with a squadron operating in Europe under C ommodore John Paul Jon es , had made Britain's home waters un safe for minor Royal Navy warships as well as the merchant shipping Am erica ns kept snapping up .

Jones in hi s sloop Ranger had captured the British sloop D rake, of approxim ately equal fo rce. H er 200 prisoners we re exchanged fo r American sailors in English priso ns. Then, attacking a convoy in the No rth Sea in September 1779, he took th e first cl ass 44-gun British fri gate Serapis, fightin g from the decks of the old French East Indiaman Bonhomme Richard (named in honor of Benjamin Franklin 's "Poor Richard"). The Richardsank after this shatterin g encounter, and Jones sailed away in the fin e new fri gate he'd acquired .

No t in li ving m emory had a Royal Navy ship been bested in a single-ship encoumer o n anything like equal terms. And here the upstart Jo nes, with a motley pickup crew, had wo n two such battles, the seco nd against almost incredibly steep odds.

British commerce as well as British pride we re being hurt in the American war, and afte r the surrender of C ornwallis's arm y at Yo rktow n in the fall of 178 1, the British kept fighting only out of the need to defeat th e European coalition that had fo rmed aga inst them. T he aroused British, having built up their neglected fl eet, th en brought the European war to an end by a series of naval victories.

T his was important to th e immediate future of the young Ameri can repub lic, because in the las t rwo yea rs of the war, when American independence was recog-

9

ni zed as in ev irab le, rhe Brirish came to see rh ar a srrongAmerica was in Brirain 's interesr. So Brirain marked our far more rerri tory for rhe Unired Srates in th e peace settlement rh an either the French or Spanish wanted the US to have, as discussed earli er in rh is tal e.

Ledyard's Visionary Legacy Senr back to America when rhe wa r had been effectivel y reduced to an arm ed rruce pending rh e signing of rhe peace treary in 1783, Ledyard crossed to th e American lin es and found a printer in H arrford, Co nn ecricur, to publish his acco unr of Capra in Coo k's lasr voyage . T hi s acco unr, rhe first to ap pear in print, was widely nored in the whole Western world . The literate, intellectually curious publi c was growing, and of course merchants in these countries paid special attention to rhe adva ntages of rhe rich fur trade, whi ch gave Westerners a product-aparr from Spa nish silver from th eir min es in So uth America-wh ich theycould exchangewirh C hinese merchants to acquire the silks, po rcelains and other fine products of rhe C hin ese civilizatio n.

Ledyard, in pursuit of his dream of opening an Ameri can trade wirh China, crossed the ocean to Paris afrer the wa r.

T here he enlisted rhe supporr of T hom as Jefferso n and J ohn Paul J ones for a visionary proj ect to walk across Russia to the Bering Srrair, where he hoped to ge t a ship to Vanco uver's Nootka Sound. T hen he wou ld walk across North Am eri ca ri ll he arrived on rhe doorsteps of rhe wealthy merchants of Boston and New York who might be led to embark on this impo rtant, lucra tive trade.

H ere it is nor fancifu l to see a concept of the Am erican Republic srrerching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, which one can see adumbrated in Ledyard's writing and eve n in Cook's crack about "an American ind eed ." This vital concept clearly took root in J efferso n's mind, butwouldhave srarrled mosr Americans, who tho ught of the Mississ ippi Ri ve r as a splendid western border to their new nation .

Ledyard actually embarked on this grear adve nture, but Ca therine rhe Great had him intercepted ar Irkutsk, near Lake Baikal. A few years later Ledyard managed to ger himsel f appointed in London as age nt for a proj ecr to discover rhe so urces of

LO

Afri ca's N ile River, srill fo llowin g his explorer's benr. In Cairo, Egypt, in January 178 9, he died, aged 38.

In his limited span of yea rs Ledyard, rh e visio nary, had devo red himself to a distincrive American idea l of relations with nar ive peoples, and a concern w ith developin g mankind's knowledge ofirs wo rld, wi th a stro ng admixture of new co ncepts of oceanic trade which people better equipped for th e tas k were to take up for America.

And, freed of the British imperial yoke, which had severely Ii mi red A merican rradi ng ventures, there were indeed Americans ready to take up rhe charge of opening the C hina marker by bringin g in sea o tter pelts from rhe Pacific Norrhwesr.

Boston: "The Hub" A di srincti ve seafari ng civilizarion had grown up in rhe C iry of Boston and irs nearby outporrs of Salem, Marblehead and G loucester, on th e rock-bound New England coast facing out o n Cape Cod Bay, where rhe Pilgrims had firsr encounrered America 150 years earlier. T he eco nomic base for this rema rkab le com monwealrh was rhe Bosto n vessels rhar fi shed rhe Grand Banks which ftrsr drew E uropea n ships across the Arl anr ic. H o me-builr ocean-going ships maintained a health y trade wirh England-a rrade in furs , agricultural products and lumber, exchanged for the manufactured goods that susrain civilizarion , from plowshares and books to prinring presses. And rhey rraded wirh rhe resourcepoor Brirish Westindian planrations, whose slave labor sys rems needed w hear, beef and lumber, for whi ch rh ey excha nged sugar and rum.

Samuel Eliot Morison , in h is classic and salry Maritime History of Massachusetts, reco rds th e tradin g spiri r rhat produced wealrh from the sea, rhrough trade and the fisheries when the land co uld not provide much above subsisrence levels. In ano ther half century rh e New E ngland indusrri al revolu rion, led by these same enterprisin g merchants and shippers, would provide anorher kind of wealrh servi ng the huge and rapidly growingAmerican markerwirh manufac tured goods from books to clo rhinga nd machine goods, with vigoro us bankin g and insurance indusrri es. T he capital

Cape Horn seas swept easily across the Low decks ofthe 90-ton sloop Lady Washington, as can be seen in this cross-section looking forward drawn by Raymond E. Wa/Lace, designer of the replica Lady Washington that sails the Pacific Coast today, rigged as the brig she became after the Cape Horn passage. for rhis larer age was accu mulated by rhe small , slow-rraveling bluff-bowed Bosto n ships rhar b roke o ur in to all corners of rh e ocean world , buildin g up rhe rese rves of energy required for the New England breakthrough by sagacio us dealings and bold sa ilin g o n distanr ve nrures .

Bur initially Am erica n independence b ro ught its problems to these New Englanders. Trade wirh England co ntinued , of course, and was helped by British credit as the Ame ri can Repub li c resolved to ho nor irs war debrs, pushed by George Washington 's yo un g West Indian acolyre, Alexander Hami lto n. But rhere were bumps and jolrs alo ng the way. These bumps were co nsiderable to the peo ple who had to live throu gh them , while the New England econom y adjusred to its new rules of engagem ent with the world.

T he great New England whaling fleet, crippl ed by British import duries, was on ly o ne third its pre-war size in 1789, six yea rs afte r the war ended . Independence m eant the do or was slamm ed shut on the immensely profitabl e export trade of food and lumber to Britain's Caribbean Islands, and o n the ca rgoes of suga r and rum that came back to be served on the dining tables of wea lrhy Bosro n merch ants. Backwoods far mers, fai ling to get a livable in co me from their produce until new markets were o pen, marched o n Boston in Shay's Rebellio n, as bankers and m erchants foreclosed their far ms. But rhose sam e m erchanrs found ways to force the door of imperi al prorecrion ajar and in an unconscio us re-

SEA HISTORY 86 AUTUMN 1998

''Here individuals ofall nations are melted into a new race ofman, whose labours and posterity will one day cause great change to the world." play of the British situation trading with Spanish Caribbean plantations 200 years earlier, they found willing buyers for vitally needed food, and willing sellers of the sugar and rum that wo uld otherwise pile up on the island wharves.

And a fact of overwhelming significance slowly became apparent: Americans, no longer confined within the British Empire, were now free to trade anywhere.

Soon Yankee traders were co mpeting with English and Dutch merchants in the Mediterran ea n and Baltic Seas-in effect reaching Europe everywhere that the sea touched it. This put American merchants into play on a wider gameboard, in a game that they were qui ck to master.

And, it opened the way to trade wi th China. A Boston shi p went on that long voyage via the Cape of Good Hope in 1783, but her master found he could sell his cargo of ginseng to a returning British Indiaman for twice its weight of H yson tea-a great bargain , but no way to crack the C hin a marke r. Two New York vessels made the voyage in 17 84 and 178 5. They were followed by the Grand Turk out of Salem, whose voyage enriched her backe rs and fi xed the ambitions of Boston merchants' wives, as Morison notes, on "a chest of H yso n, a China silk gown, and a set of Ca nton china."

The burgeo ning New England civilization suppo rted a rich crop of cultural achievements, which within a hundred years had led Bostonians to refer to their ciry, which supported Harvard, then the nation's greatest college, and a highly literate and cultivated merchant class, housed in arguably rhe noblest architecture in America, to call their ciry "rhe hub of rhe universe"-a phrase used in misprision by envious outsiders, but accepted quire calmly by rhe citize ns of wealth, achievement and intellectual ourreach who presided over the sryles, tastes and ideas which Boston exported to the nation, if nor rhe universe.

Against this background ir is easy to understand rhar rhe ini riarive rhar Ledyard had proposed-raking furs from rhe Pacific Northwest to rhe China marker-was first picked up by a Boston gro up . The first Ameri can voyages made direct to Ch in a had demonstrated rhe great difficul ry of providing anything to trade with rhe Chinese. "To find something salable in Canton, was the riddle of the China trade,"

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observes Morison, in his Maritime History.

H e adds: "Boston and Salem solved ir. " The backers of rhe first American voyage to rhe Pacifi c Northwest and on to China mer, appropriately, in rhe ho me of Dr. Thomas Bulfinch, a wealthy Boston physician. His son C harl es, who graduated from H arvard Co llege in 1781, was presenr, having recenrly come home to rhe family mansion from a long trip to England and Europe, where he educated himself in rhe Western rradirions of arch irecru re. T he voyage his father and his fat her's merchanr friends financed was to srarr a stream of wealrh flowing into Boston whi ch virtually transfo rmed rh e ciry. By one of rhe happier chances of history, th e so n, C harles, was to be rhe architect of this transformation. As Christopher Wren's perfect domes and soaring spires had enn obled rhe sp rawlin g ciry of London a hundred yea rs earli er, wirh similar confidence and sweep in g mastery Bulfinch gave Boston a chaste, exalted urban sryle still unmatched today in American ones.

And to those who believe, as I do, rhar the shape of our physical surroundings sugges ts rhythms and parrerns to the human mind and psyche, su rely Bulfinch had an important role to play in rhe coming literary, philosop hi c and arrisric "flowering ofNew England" whi ch came to center on Boston as its hub.

But befo re Boston became a hub, it had to send out spokes to form a wheel. Those spokes were fo rmed in rhe early days of rhe yo un g American Republic in the passages of irs fa r-flun g ships to distant corners of the wo rld. And the going was nor easy.

Columbia Rediviva The ship Columbia Rediviva, of about 23 0 to ns, and her consort, the 90-ton sloop Lady Washington, were making h eavy weather of it, barding their way around Cape Horn. Ir was March 1788, and getti ng into rhe Antarctic autumn, a bad season to take on rhe Horn. The ships had left Bosto n almost six months earlier, their passage prolonged by lengthy visits in the Cape Verde Islands off Afri ca and the Falklan ds, 300 miles downwind of Cape Horn. T hese delays were due to the eccentric behavior of rhe expedition commander, Captain John Kendrick of the Columbia.

His dilatory ways and brutal outbursts of rage led young Robert H aswell, promoted

to second mate of the Columbia when th e mate quit the expedition in the Cape Verdes, to switch from rhe larger ship to the little Lady Washington, co mmanded by Robert Gray. So at last the two vessels headed off for rhe Horn .

"We found frequent fogs and at the same rime a severe and disagreeable co ld," H aswell noted from rhe decks of rhe embattled Washington, as rhe ships reached Latitude 62° 29' South on 12 March, over 300 miles south of Cape H orn , practically in Antarctica.

Tackling Cape Horn was surely a hard way to go. The direct route to C hina was a far gender road, slipping round rhe Cape of Good Hope and then slanting up through rhe Indian Ocean for rhe Sunda Strait through the Java Island chain , and so into the China Sea. The route to the American No rthwes t, however, demanded sa iling far south to take the Horn head-o n, in order to ger around South America and make o ne's way back up the Pacific coast to where rhe furs needed for th e C hin a trade co uld be picked up cheaply from rhe Indi ans.

The Columbia an d the Lady Washington, from whose wer, slop ing decks yo ung Haswell surveyed rhe scene, had in fact got too fa r so uth, srriving to make westing against the howling northwest gales that smote th em, day afte r day. T he ships found themselves among a new peril, floating icebergs, each capable of crippling or sinking th e ship th at ran in to it.

But th e two ships hun g on, "raking advance of eve ry favorable slant of wind," as Haswell nores. By 1 April they had fought their way northward to a little over 100 miles sourh of Cape Horn. Then, in rheearlymorninghours, thewind slammed aro und from northwest to rhe so uthward.

In a birrer Ap ril Fool's joke, rhe new wind, a fair wind for progress north and west, rapidly developed into the wo rst gale rhey had mer. The two ships lost co ntact in the co nfusion, which on ly grew wo rse as the wind in creased to "a perfect hurricane" blowin g straight from Am arc rica "with an intense frost." H aswell writes of "huge overgrown seas" cresting aro und them, rhe smallest of whi ch, he says, wo uld "infallibly have put period to our existence" had it broken aboa rd.

T he sloop scudded before the confused, breaki ng seas and screaming wind, and successfullywearhered the avalanching tons

11

of wate r t hat roa red by th e m whe n mo untain o us seas b ro ke nearby. Earli er in the sto rmy passage H aswell had wo ndered in his jo urnal if he'd bee n wise to shift from the bi gge r Columbi a to the little Washington. She was co nstantl y awas h in surgin g icy wa ter in th ese extreme co nditions; in calm wate r, her deck was less than two fee t above th e surface, perilo usly li ttl e when co nfro ntin g breakin g seas runnin g 40 o r 50 fee t hi gh. H aswell notes that "our Sloo p scud ded exceedin gly well and suffered no o ther damage fro m th e sea than havin g her larboard [po rt] quarterb oa rds stove in ."

T he next day, H aswell had to go o ut on the bowspri t, the w ind still bl owin g a gale, to repl ace a ji bs ray rhat had carried away in the blow. Sto rmy wea ther co ntinued rill mid-April , when the sea calmed, the sun sho ne and th e hands set about mendin g a to rn mainsail , repairin g other sto rm damage and dryin g o ut. Th e Columbia was nowhere to be seen, as th e Washington pursued her way no rthward toward Va nco uve r Island in wes tern Canada.

So it turn ed out rhatthe little sloop Lady Washington, perhaps 60 feet long, became the fi rstAmerican vessel to carry the Am erica n Aag aro und Cape H orn- the fi rst in a lo ng process io n of ships which we re to change Am erican and wo rld history.

G ray's seamanship had been outstanding th ro ugho ut this tempestuous passage.

H e was a hard driver, piling canvas o n his vessel to hur ry her on her way, as attested to by th e lo ng passages m ade in short rim e spans by th e sloop under his command. H e p ushed his explo rations hard as well , taking the li ttle sloop and later the bigge r ship bo ld ly in to shoal wate rs and tricky harbo rs alo ng the un kn own coast, in a mann er that led to criti cal comments by the cautious H aswell o n more than one occas io n.

O n 4 August 1788, Captain G ray wrote: "I made New AJ bio n in the Latitude of 4 1 degrees 36 minutes North ," o r about the same latitude as Boston, on the o ther side of the co ntin ent they had left ten mo nth s befo re. "New AJ bi on" was the name F rancis Drake had given what becam e the coast of Cal ifo rnia. We rake fo r granted that the West Coast is part of the U ni ted Stares, bur two hu ndred yea rs ago only a very few peopl e, li ke the vis ionary Ledyard, eve n d rea mt of the U ni red States as a continental nati o n.

When Gray in the Washington arri ved ar Nootka So und, on Vancouver Island in

12

what is today wes tern Canada, he found a British trader with two ships busily engaged in the fur trade wirh the Indians.

Ashore a small schoo ner was under constructi on . N oo tka was becoming a m ajor center of rhe Indian trade of the ocean wo rld. W ithin a few yea rs fi ve nations would be acti ve in this remote cornerBrirain, Spain , France, R uss ia and rhe US. In the struggle fo r sovereignry the British won our over Spain , but o n this wild coast Am eri cans continued to trade freel y. So M o riso n tells us rhar in rhe pidgin English spoken o n "the Coast" (as Bostonians early on learn ed to call th e Pacific shore), America ns were ca lled "Bos to n men" to distingui sh th em fr o m "Kin gsh aursh (King Geo rge) men."

T he dilatory Captain H endrick even tuall y jo in ed Gray in Noo rka. H e sent G ray ho me in co mm and of the ship Columbia, loaded with furs which she sold in C hin a.

She then ro ok her way back to Boston by way of th e Cape of Good H ope, so beco min g the first Am erican vessel to sail around th e world.

Kendrick took the Lady Washington on to C hina, where he re- rigged her as a brig, a square-rigged two-mas ted vessel, to repl ace the difficult-to-handle sloo p ri g with its enorm ous mainsail and huge bowspri t, which had carried her so fa r and so fas t under G ray's driving co mmand. Aboard this vessel Kendrick was accidem ally killed in an exchange of salutes in H awaii , where he had chose n to winter rather than return to Boston.

The Colum bia Rediviva had no sooner returned in triumph fro m her three-year voyage than she was turn ed around and sent out on a second voyage, which las ted 179 0-1 793 under Gray's co mm and with H aswell as first mate.

Part of her missio n was to see if she co uld find a back entrance to rhe fa bled No rth wes t Passage, now visualized in watered-down form as a great river, which might at least link up with the Hudson's Bay o r the American rivers wes t of the M iss iss ippi with a land po rtage betwee n.

By this time the US Co nstituti o n had been ra tified, and Gray sail ed carrying a passpo rt signed by Pres ident Geo rge Washington and Secretary of State T ho mas Jefferson.

And on 12 M ay 1792, the great ri ve r of which rhe Indians talked was indeed dis-

cove red, by Captain Gray. The Columbia picked her way through the sandbars at the river mouth, which have wrecked m any a tall ship and occas ional steamer, when in foul weather th e immense outpouring of fresh water enco unters rhe stron g Pacific w inds in a jumble of confused and dange ro us seas. On this occasion the weather was fin e, and, noted 17-year-oldJohn Bo it, ] r. , in his journal: "W e directed our course up this novel ri ver in search of a Village."

Nati ves appeared, running along the banks to keep up with the ship, which th ey viewed "with th e greatest astonishment. " Th e mi ghty C olumbia River, which Captain G ray nam ed for his ship , opened the W est Coast for trade and settlemem , and irs discove ry by an American ship in the end ass ured the US clai m to what is today the American W est Coast. "On her first voyage," says Morison of rhis far-traveled ship, "the Columbia had sol ved the riddl e of rhe C hina trade. On her second, empire fo llowed in her wake. " Other American vessels began to filter into the Pacific, on other missions, beginnin g with the hum for whales. In August 179 1, the whale ship Beaver set out from the island ofNantucker, just off Cape Cod in Massachusetts. She was bo und for the Pacific by rhe sam e route in a mo re favo rable seaso n th an rh e Columbia and Washington. Nantucket sea captain s, havin g learned from the original W ampanoag Indians to catch whales off their sandy sho res, had developed a regul ar trade in whale oil which they shipped to coastal cities and ac ross the Atlantic to England. From En glish sources they learned of whales in the Pacific- and a yea r after the Beaver set sail there we re dozens of American wh aleships in the Pacific, most of them commanded

by N antucket skippers.

A Floating Patrimony The perceptive French traveler, H ector Sr. John de C revecoeur, visiting N antucket in the 1770s, had sa id of rhe islanders rhat "the greatest part of their property is flo ating on the sea." Like the peopl e of Venice in the M editerranean , the Nantucketers took their sandbar settlem ent and m ade it into a thriving ho me po rt, or as N antucker' s great historian and bard the late Edouard Stackpole used to say, a "mother ship" to her flo ating imperium of small wooden ships scattered about the face of our ocean SEA HISTORY 86 AUTUMN 1998

globe-ships traveling perhaps 100 mil es a day around the 21 ,600-mile circumference of the world, in voyages often lasting three or four yea rs as they hunted the mightiest of all animals, the whale.

Nantucket was a highly developed case of maritime America, the yo ung republic that was changing the terms of engagement in the great contest for the developing world commerce in which America, itself essentially an island nation, was soon ro develop a dominating role.

The enterprise ofNantucket sai lors was legendary. William Rotch, the wealthy merchant whose counting house still stands at the foot of Main Street in Nantucket, actually shipped 487 barrels ofsperm whale oil (the most valuable kind of whale oil) ro England. His ship, flying th e Stars and Stripes, sailed up the Thames ro London in February 1783.

Rotch figured , of course, that the technicality of a war whose co nclusio n had already been determined would not srop English m erchants from buying up his precious cargo-and he figured right. His freewheeling ways went beyond this. When England imposed a tariff on American whale oil afte r American indepe ndence was achieved, he moved ro France and ran his whaling business from there. When revolurionary France declared war on England in 1792 he moved tO England. This "citize n of the world" outlook may well have been what led Rotch ro insist on payin g a slave for serving aboard one of his ships back in 1771, a step which led ro the early abolition of slave ry on Nantucket.

Another ind ependent-minded Nantucketerwas born "off island," as Nantucketers call the mainland. Admiral Sir Isaac Coffi n, as he became, was bo rn in Bosron , a scion of one of Nantucket's fore most whaling families. H e joined the Royal Navy at age 14 in 1773, just before the outbreak of th e American Revolution . H e served against the American forces during the Revolution and went on tO achieve wealth and distinction in the Royal Navy, beco ming a friend of"my dear lo rd Nelso n," as he called him, as well as Lady Hamilron , whom he visited in her mansion at N aples, in southern Italy, the year after Nelson's stunning vicrory at the Barde of the Ni le. After the W ar of 1812 he became a great friend of Isaac Hull who, as captain of USS Constitution, had handed the Royal Navy a startling SEA HISTORY 86 , AUTUMN 1998

Columbia, in her second voyage to the Northwest and on to China, lies in winter layup, with topmasts sent down, in a cove near Nootka on Vancouver Island in the spring of1191 . Ashore Captain Gray inspects a drawing of the small schooner Ad ve nture, which was built by the Columbia people to trade in odd corners ofthe coast inaccessible to the bigger ship. Painting by the expedition artist George Davidson, courtesy Columbia River Maritime Museum .

s

defeat in taking HMS Guerriere in 1812.

A jovial, rollicking son of man , as one family member described him, Coffin kept in much with friends and relations in Bosron and Nantucket, crossing the Atlantic two or three times ro visit them. In 1827 he fou nded the Coffin School in antucket, which co mmission ed the 87-foot brig Clio ro train young people in seafaring. T h e first sail trainin g ship in America, Clio cruised from Canada ro Brazil, but had ro be sold after two yea rs for lack of finances.

Today th e Coffi n School continues its educational role asho re as home base to the Ega n Institute of Maritime Studies, which along with historic studies, pursues nautical training for Na ntucket yo uth. And, as noted earlier, the co unting house of the independent-minded Wi lliam Rotch sti ll stands at th e foot of Main Street. Appropriately, it bears the name of its present occupant, the Pacific Cl ub- nam ed for the world's widest ocean , half a wo rld away, which ships from thissandbarvillagehelped open ro the wo rld.

* * * * * The ship Columbia's nam e, of course, pays homage ro Columbus, who carried a distinctive sense of mission with him on his four voyages of exploration ro the New Wo rld of the Americas, 1492- 1504. The word became a poeti c name for the United States . By the 1840s, when the song "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean " appeared,

the wo rd "Co lumbia" had acquired an exuberantly confident, optimistic, outwardlooking feeling, which it retains for man y Americans roday.

The prescient C revecoeur, he who wrote so sagely of the islanders of Nantucket, wrote of the great seaport of C harlesro n in the American South as well. He spoke of the abiding evil ofslavery (which he prophesied wo uld " nourish a wish of perpetual revenge") and the creative values of freedom from the Old Wo rld's binding caste systems. H e was the first human bei ng that we know of ro ask: "What is an American? " H e answered his own question with hope: H ere individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of man, whose labours and posterity will one day cause great change to the world.

T h e vision and dedication which enabled America ro change the world ca me ro the new nation by sea in an increasingly di ve rse population. T he emergingAn1erican people we re attracted by wealth gained in seaborne trade, and by the new opportunities opened by this wealth. W hat they made of their opportun iti es did indeed change th e world, and is changing it roday.

Surely much of the lea rnin g a nd in spiratio n that we nt inro America as a fo rce fo r change was ga in ed at sea, o n th e Ca pe Horn Road that opened the ocea n wo rld ro those w ho ga in ed th e visio n a nd energies ro sail it. J,

13

The Lady Washington Carries a Cargo of History in the Pacific Northwest

by Jarnes "Flagg" Locke

T

her crew refer to affectionately as the "Dhe original Lady Washington was Sail." In 1986, the Grays Harbor Histo ribrought to life in the early 1750s in cal Seaport Authority was form ed as a a shipyard on the North River near public entity to administer and operate Boston , Massachusetts. She was a coaster, a co mmon rype of vessel for the era and for what was ro become the Washington State the purpose that she was built to fulfill. If, Tall Ship Ambassador, Lady Washington, for instance, o ne wished to carry ca rgo in her late r guise as a brig.

With the foundations set for the profrom New York or Boston to the Carolin as, ject, Lady Washington's keel was laid in one would use a coaster. These vessels 1987 in the hi storic town of Aberdeen , in cou ld hold a steady speed with a fair wind a shipya rd at the co nfluence of the Wishka and had a large capacity for cargo. H er and C heahlish ri vers on the sire of the A.]. displacement sat at 170 tons, and she was West sawmill of 1880, Aberdeen's first able to carry up to 99 tons of cargo. As th e industrial saw mill. Two years of work by Am erican co lonies grew, so did co mm ercial acti vity along the Atlantic coast, and some 15 or so shipwrights, contributions sloops like Lady Washington were used as in skill and materials from across th e Stare, the eightee n wheelers of their day. and the tireless work of a phalanx of volunIn the Revo lutio nary War, the co lo nists teers led ro her launching in 1989 to the had a limited array of ships to throw against cheers of so me 2000 exuberant specrarors. the might of the British navy, Four more months were spent and Lady Washington was by local riggers in insralling logged into rhe history books mas ts, yards and six-plus miles as a privatee r. With a lerrerof standing and running ri gof-marque from the Comging. Then, on 11May1989, monwealth of M assac husetts, 197 years after Rob ert Gray her captain and crew had perbecame the first Euro-Amerimission ro stop, board and ca n to sail imo th e bay (in th e seize enemy vessels. This could Columbia), the new brig, Lady Washington, sailed our across be acco mplished by placing the bar of Grays Harbor and 30 to 40 armed men in the hold, co min g up alongside a began her maiden voyage with large r vessel and, with stratesrops at ports in the Strait of g ic strikes to the powder ] uan de Fuca, bound for Puget rooms, armory, navigation staSound. tions and officers' quarters, H er mandate from Grays rakin g the ship without great Harbor Hi sto ri cal Seaport loss of life or damage to either The replica of Capt. Robert Gray's Lady Washingron plies the and the peo ple of rhe State of waters ofthe Pacific Northwest. vessel.

Washingron is ro provide the Wh en the war between schoolchildren of WashingBritain and the colonies ended, the need to in 1989, people from Aberdeen, Washing- ron with a chance ro partake in an experibuild and expand American trade gave ton , and th e county of G rays Harbor emial, hands-o n, ream- and esteem-buildLady Washington a new mission . Bought by (nam ed after Captain Robert Gray) wanted in g learnin g experience that builds on the a co nso rtium of merchants in the Boston to celebrate the upcomin g event in a big sto ry of th e original Lady Washington. With area led by a well-ro-do merchant named way. With some trep idation, soul search- this grand goal in mind, Lady Washington Bulfinch, the sloop Lady Washington, un - in g, blood, sweat and rea rs, along with travels to ports rhroughour Washingro n, der th e co mmand of Robert Gray, and her allocated funds from both Washington Oregon and Cali fornia sharin g the rich co nso rt vessel, Columbia Rediviva, und er State and the City of Aberdeen, it was heritage of the Northwest and the role that John Kendrick, were sent in September of decided ro create the "Tallship Resto ration the ship pl ayed in th e area.

Education is at the forefront of our 1787 from Boston, via the Cape Verde Sociery" and reconsrruct Columbia and Islands, aro und the Horn and up the West Lady Washington. This was to be done in as programs. As one of o nly a handful of Coast of the Americas to the wi ld north- historically accurate a manner as th e tal- square-rigged vessels allowed by the Coast west, where they were co mmiss ioned to ented hands of the designers, shipwrights Guard ro rake passenge rs sa iling on th e engage in the sea otter pelt trade. and volunteers could acco mplish, given open ocea n, Lady Washington is a living While competing with the British, Span- modern US Coas t G uard requ irements- museum . We encourage every guest to lay ish, French and Russians, the tiny sloop such as "auxiliary power," which many of hands on the braces for a sharp starboard

14

Lady Washington compil ed an impressive number offl rsts. She became the fi rsrAmerica n-flagged vessel to make landfall in the Northwest, this being acco mplish ed after Columbia took damage to her rigging while rounding the Horn and the two masters agreed that Lady Washington wo uld push ah ead while Columbia remained in C hile for repairs. Sailing o n ro C hina, where the vessel was rerigged as a brig, the Lady Washington becam e the first Am erica n vessel to sail to the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands and the then-closed co untry of] apan , while Columbia Rediviva (under Gray after a switch of commands with Kendrick) we nt on to become the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe.

With this history in mind and rhe approaching centennial ofWashington State

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

tack, sweat the halyard and take a trick at the helm. Lady Washington has also been the stage for theatrical and historical productions, from aerial shots in the latest "Over Washington" film to portrayin g a sailing ship in the Paramount production of "Star Trek: Generations."

Growth is a good sign, and Grays Harbor Historical Seaport is indeed growing.

We are in the final negotiations fo r a parcel of land in Grays Harbor, just over 600 acres, where we plan to expand our longboat programs for youth-at-risk aboard rwo reproductions of ship's boats. We also look forward to opening up our boatbuilding program , which now attracts about 47 local yo uth under the guidance of Harbor High and Miller Junior High School instructors, as well as shipwrights from th e area known as the "Ancient Mariners." We also hope to have local Native American tribes join with us in the telling of the entire story of the development of the Norrhwesc.

As we watch the faces of yo ung people putting their backs into manning the windlass or haulin g on the braces for a sharp port tack and seeing what working as a team and

achieving a goal is trul y abo ut, we are reminded of our own yo uth and of things that made the difference fo r us in making choices Fo r our lives.

"Grandiose statement! " yo u might be saying at this poinc. If so, I encourage yo u to co me and sa il Lady Washington and feel th e spirit of the 18,000 to 20,000 schoolchildren who cross her decks annually. Stop and listen to a fifth -grader tell his waiting parents and siblin gs about how the captain let him steer th e vessel, how they all wo rked together to set the mainsail, or how trade and commerce berween countries was pretty much the same then as it is now.

As we venture into the 2 1st centu ry, the wisdom of remembering our past comes to mind, and Lady Washington is ready to meet the needs of our future by providing a true experiential link to our pasc. 1-

In the autumn and winter, Lady Washington will sail the coasts ofOregon and California presenting education programs and per-

"Sprit Sail Repair, Lady Washington, " by Scott Kennedy forming "Sea Battle Reenactments. " Grays Harbor H istoric Seaport, PO Box 2019, Aberdeen WA 98520-0333; 360 532-8612.

James "Flagg" Locke is Operations Director at Grays Harbor Historical Seaport.

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15

THE SPANISH-AMERICAN

w AR

The US Changes Course

by RADM Joseph F. Callo t ended an empire. And it marked the beginning of a maritim e era th at's still shapin g wo rld eve nts. Yet, to a signifi cant extent, th e Spanish-American war has been relegated to the back shel ves of US history. Fo r many, awa reness of the war is limited to Teddy Roosevelt's charge up San Juan Hill and the sinking of USS M aine. Ironicall y, th e form er even t was no t a major determin ant in the confli ct, and the lan er was simply the trigger when powerful politi cal and economic forces explosively ca me rogether.

But now, o n the 1OOth annive rsary of rhar "linle war"- combar las ted abo ut 90 days-ir's rime for a fresh look at both its cause and effect. T hose two aspects of this commo nly derided conflict can nor o nl y help us ro more accurately kn ow o ur nation 's pas t, they can help us ro more ration ally chart its future.

I

Beginning with an Ending Insight inro th e forces that led up ro the Spanish-Am eri can war begins with a recogniti o n that the Spanish colonial empire was in th e late stages of decline as the confli ct began. One by one, co loni al possess ion s of the 400-year-old Spanish empire had fall en away, sometimes lost to military conquests by other nations, so metim es lost ro indigenous mo vem ents for self-determin ation. In rhe Spanish-Ameri ca n W ar, bo th of those forces were in volved atthe two main military focal po ints, C uba and the Philippines .

In C uba, the T en Years W ar, a nasty guerilla struggle fought by C ubans aga inst Spanish rule, had come to an end with th e Treaty of El Za njon in February 1878.

U nfo rtun ately, the reforms ro which Spain agreed in the treaty we re too slow in co min g, and in 1895, the insurge ncy reignited .

Bo th th e bru tal treatment of C ubans by th e Spanish military, and US economi c interests, fuel ed American sympathy for the C ubans and antipathy towards Spain. In the Philippines, the geography and politi cs were mo re complicated, but there was a co mmo n denominaror with C uba, an in dige no us, armed movement fo r freedo m fro m Spanish rule.

In addition to the in-country situati o ns, at the end of the 1800s both geograph y and

16

geo politi cs made C uba and th e Philippines impo rtant in Ameri ca n foreign po licy. In the Caribbean, the U S was determined to main tain the M on roe D octrine and the do minant US positio n in Latin America th at it identifi ed. In the Pacifi c, the situatio n was somewhat di ffere nt, and the US interes t was in establishing co mmercial and eco no mic leadership .

A Changing National Mood As the end of the 19th century approached, th ere was a combin ati o n of dive rse forces in the U S that was releva nt in th e run-up to the war with Spain . On th e d omestic political scene, the unsenl ed afte rm ath of the C ivil Wa r had receded, and the nation was turning its anenti o n o utwa rd. T he industrial age was gathering mo mentum, accelerated by the achievement of a national rail road system in 1869, when the east and west were linked by track at Promontory, Utah. Business mo mentum was in creasing with the developm ent of new co nsumer and commercial products, like the box camera, the carb o n-fil ame nt lamp and the electri cal telegraph . In creased tariffs and establishment of th e gold standard by the M cKinley administrati o n helped increase the confidence of busin ess. In fo reign affairs, the nation was becoming more secure and confident in its ove rseas relations. It all added up to an expansive publi c attitude in Am erica.

In the U S Navy there also we re major changes raking pl ace. T he prev io us naval d octrine, ancho red in commerce, raiding, coas tal defense, blockade, smaller ships and single-ship acti o ns, was changing. As pan of rh e reshaping of naval thinking that was taking place, the US Naval Institute was established in Annapolis, M aryland, in 1873 ro advance " profess io nal and scientifi c knowledge in the Navy," and the Naval W ar C ollege was established in Newport, Rhode Island , in 1884 ro study naval strategy and tacti cs . And in 1890, then-Captain A. T. Mahan articulated his th eo ries of sea powe r in The Influence of Sea Power upon H isto ry.

Th e concept that a navy was primaril y a defensive force was rapidly shifting rowards tho ugh ts abo ut offense and fa r-ranging actions. T hose theo ries translated into

the large r ships made poss ible by the growing techno logies of steel ship constructio n and stea m propul sio n. T hey also emphasized fl eet ac ti o ns vs. single ship ac tions.

In This People's Navy, author Kenn eth H agan summ ed up th e background for this revolutio n in Ame ri can naval thinking: "A natio nal ce nsus in the U nited States in th at yea r (189 0] reco rded th e disappearance of rhe fro nti er, a demographic and statistical awakenin g that contributed ro a collecti ve ' psychic crisis' and a reordering of national goals... . T he U nited States Navy in th e 188 0s retoo led its hardware and rewrote its srraregic theo ry to make itself in to a E uropean-style fo rce ready for combat with th e navies of other major powers. "

The Catalyst C ircul ati o n-building jingoism in the press was the fin al ingredient for th e wa r with Spain . William Randolph H earst's New Yo rk journal and Joseph Pulitze r's N ew Yo rk Wo rld aro used public outrage with descripti o ns of th e brutal attacks-som e real , some fi ctio nalized-of the Spanish army in C uba. T he fa mous painter of America's Wes t, Frederick Remingto n, was empl oyed by H ea rst to p rovide the images to m arch rhe New York journal's emoti o nally charged copy. In the fi erce co mpetiti on for circul ation, th e newspapers pl ayed o n two of th e nation's positive qualiti es, hum anitarianism and patriotism. Also, by dram atizing damage ro Am eri ca n pro perry in C uba, th ey played on the co ncerns of th e busin ess communi ty.

T hen, in one vio lent instant, th e jin goists had their ultim ate wea po n. On 15 February 1898, USS Maine blew up and sa nk in H ava na H arb o r, with the loss of mo re than 25 0 Ameri ca n lives. T he New York j ournal offered a $5 0,000 reward for the co nvictio n of th e sabo teurs pres um ed to have caused the explos ion . A naval co urt of inqui ry in H ava na qui ckly fo und th at "the Maine was dest royed by a subm arine min e. " Assistant Secreta ry of the Navy Teddy Roosevelt had no doubts: "The Maine was sunk by an act of dirty treachery o n th e part of the Spani ards."

Since then, various th eories about the cause of the explosion h ave bee n adva nced, so me co ncluding it was a min e, o thers

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

insisting it was an internal explosion. But in the spring of 1898, what rang in the politicians' ears was a war cry: "Remember the Maine." The Saturday Evening Post of 7 June 1898 said, "It is a newspaper-made war, the first, though probably not the last. " Congress responded with an emergency bill appropriating $50 million for military spending, including three new battleships for the Navy. T he momentum now was irreversible, and on 26 April 1898, President McKinley signed the declaration of war against Spain.

A Symbiotic Combination One of rhe interesting aspects of the war with Spain involves two very different personalities, Teddy Roosevelt and A. T. Mahan. Roosevelt was brash, physical and action-oriented. Mahan , who retired as a rear admiral, was intellectual and scholarly. T he comb ination was more than the sum of its parts. Roosevelt and the civi lian leadership of the government considered Mahan a leading source for th eir military advice, and Mahan and the Navy looked to Roosevelt fo r political leverage.

Mahan had delivered the rationale for a new navy m The Influence of Sea Power

upon History. It was built around steamdriven, armored battleships operati ng within a battle fleet, and was in many respects modeled after the British Royal Navy. Beyond the stature he gained with his book, Mahan was a faculty member of the Naval War College, and between 1886 and 1889 he was president of that institution. His opinions were highly regarded,

An hour or two at Manila, an hour or two at Santiago, and the maps of the world were changed. both with in the Navy and among the nation's political leadership, and in 1898 he was recalled to active duty to serve on the Nava l War Board. There he exercised direct influence on the US Navy's actions during the war.

Roosevelt saw the US Navy in pragmatic terms. Ir was an instrument for action. The point th at naval forces usually can be deployed more quickly than armies was not lost on him. W hen Maine was sunk, he said that he hoped "President

McKin ley would order the fleet to Havana tomorrow." As it turn ed out, during a brief period while he was temporari ly empowered to act for the absent Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt had-and took advantage of-an opportunity to accelerate events leading up to Battl e of Manila Bay.

The Philippine Action Events in the Pacific had been simm ering for some time. Japan was emerging as a naval presence that would influence the balance of power. T here was instability on Samoa. With support from American representatives in the islands, the monarchy in H awaii was overthrown in 1893. T he latter event raised a question of which nati on would take advantage of the situatio n, and it was clear that both G reat Britain and Germany were eyein g th e region with great interest.

One ofMahan's reco mmendations was that Spain be attacked through her Philippines possession, and Roosevelt agreed. In fact, Roosevelt had been instrumental in the appointment of Commodore Geo rge Dewey-a leader known for aggressive tactics-as Co mmander-in-Chief of the US Asiatic Squadron. Dewey moved his squad-

Hawaii Falls Victim to the Spanish-American War The annexation ofHawaii had Long been a goalfor US expansionists. The Spanish-American War gave them a convenient, though flimsy, excuse to finaf/,y take control of the island chain. No Spanish fleet threatened American interests there in mid-Pacific, but the US, flush with new-found military and commercial strength, simp/,y took over.

The story ofthe demise of the Hawaiian royal fami/,y is of particular relevance to NMHS, for the Society was founded to save the American three-masted bark Kaiulani, named byArthur Sewallfor Princess Kaiulani, who never became queen. As E. Victoria Lomaugh wrote in Sea History 9 (Autumn 1977): King Kalakaua had died in 1890, and his sister [Liliuokalani] had taken over the throne. But early in 1893 she was deposed, the monarchy abrogated, and a provisional government created . Kaiulani [the queen's niece and heir apparent] issued a statement through the London press, which read in part: "I am coming to Washington to plead for my crown, my nation and my flag.

Will not the great American people hear me?"

And go to Washington she did, meeting President and Mrs. SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

Grover C level and and the cream ofWashington Society before returning to England to await news of her co untry's fare.

America was captivated by the tall, graceful, intelligent young woman who, though scarcely out of her teens, argued h er cause so wel l. However, Hawaii's monarchy was doomed; in 1895, an unsuccessful attempt was made to overthrow the newly formed Republic of H awaii .

The rebels were captured, and only by relinquishing al l claim to the throne was the former queen able to save her people from being put to death. Ir was an event that ensured the annexation of Hawaii to the United States three years later. . .. theSpanPrincess Kaiulani ish-American War being used as immediate pretext for the annexation under President McKinley, which the US C on gress under President Cleveland h ad twice refused. " T he following spring, Kaiulani died at the age of24. And in December, Arthur Sewal I, whose son Harold was Special Agent of the US in Hawaii, launched the bark Kaiulani into Maine's Kennebec River. Sin ce then, there has been a Kaiulani Sewall in each generation of the family, in memory of the tragic princess.

17

"Like a Citadel, the Oregon!"

Joshua Slocum, the first person to circumnavigate the world alone, was on his way home to Massachusetts from his three-year voyage on 14 May 1898 when he and his little Spray had an awesome encounter.

I did not know that war with Spain had been declared , and that I might be liable, right there, to meet the enemy and be captu red . . . . Even in the fever-hear over the disaster to theMaine I did not think there would be war; but I am no politician. Indeed, I had hardly given the matter a serious thought when, on the 14th of May, just north of the equator, and near the lon gitude of the river Amazon, I saw first a mast, with the Stars and Stripes floating from it, ri sing as tern as if poked up out of the sea, and then rapidly appearing on the horizon, like a citadel, the Oregon!

As she came near I saw that the great ship was flying the signals "C B T ," which read, "Are there any men-of-war about? " Right under these flags, and larger than the Spray's mainsail, so it appeared, was the yellowest Spanish flag I ever saw. It gave me nightmares some time afrer when I reflected on it in my dreams.

I did not make out the Oregon's signals till she passed ahead, where I could read them better, for she was two miles away, and I had no binoculars. When I had read her flags I hoisted the signal "No," for I had not seen any Spanish men-of-war; I had not been looking for any. My final signal, "Let us keep together for mutual protection," Captain Clark did not seem to regard as necessary. ron from Japan to Hong Kong to be closer to M anila, and he soon received his orders: "In the event of war ... yo ur dury will be to see that th e Spanish squadron does not leave the Asiatic coast, and then offensive operations in the Philippine Islands."

On 25 April more specific orders arrived: "Proceed at once to Philippine Islands. Commence operations at once, particularly against the Spanish fleet. You must capture vessels or destroy. " For students of the Nelson era, the last sentence smacked of the attitude expressed by Admiral Jervis in his orders to Nelso n to "take, sink, burn or destroy the enemy fleet," almost precisely 100 years earlier.

T he order of battle weighed heavily in favor of the American squadron. Dewey had four cruisers, including his flagship USS Olympia at 5,870 tons, USS Baltimore, USS Raleigh and USS Boston, plus two gunboats and a revenue cutter. His opponent, Rear Admiral Don Patricio Montojo, commanded one modern vessel, the Regina Christina, at 3,500 tons, plus six smaller ships. The Spanish fl eet was seriously overmatched, and M ontojo chose to fi ght from an anchored, defensive position off Cavire in Manila's inn er harbor.

Dewey exercised his ships vigoro usly on the way to Manila Bay, and on the correct ass umption that the Spanish did not have the capabiliry to mine the deeper waters, moved into Manila's outer harbor in dark-

18

Perhaps my small flags were not made out; anyhow, the Oregon steamed on with a rush, looking for Spanish men-o f-war, as I learned afterward. T he Oregon's great flag was dipped beautifully three times to the Spray's lowered flag as she passed on. Both h ad crossed the line only a few hours before. I pondered long that nigh t over the probabiliry of a war risk now coming upon the Spray after she had cleared all, or nearly all, the dangers of the sea, but finall y a strong hope mas tered my fears.

From Sailing Alone aro und the Wo rld, by Captain Joshua Slocum

(Annapolis MD: Naval Institute Press, 1985)

ness. At 05 40 on 1 May D ewey was within range of the Spanish ships and told the captain of his flagship, Olympia, "You may fire when yo u are ready, Gridley. " By noon , all of the Spanish ships were sunk, burn ed, or otherwise destroyed.

Soo n 11 ,000 US Army troops we re on their way from San Francisco to occupy Manila and the Philippine Islands. T hey also bega n the American suppress ion of the insurgency. On the way, they captured Spanish Samoa, without resistan ce from the island's governor, who was not aware that war had been declared. Within a month, the US had annexed the Hawaiian Islands.

The Caribbean Actions In the Caribbean, one essential point was agreed upon: the Spanish squadron under Admiral Pascual Cervera had to be dealt with. Afrer the sinking of Maine, Cervera, with fo ur cruisers and two destroyers, had been deployed to the Cape Verde Islands to await further orders. Along the US East Coast, there was a general war scarereaching panic levels-but to US and civilian naval leaders, it was cl ear that a serious attack against the US mai nland was highly improbable.

Acting Rear Admiral W illiam T. Sampso n was in command of the American squadron based in Key West an d was ready for offensive operations aga inst the Span-

ish in Cuba and Puerto Rico. H e proposed an amphibious assault on Havana, but was overruled by the Secreta1y of the Navy, John Long, and the Naval War Board, which by this point had become the central strategy entiry for the Navy. T he assumption was that naval control of rhe areaelimination of Cervera's squadron-was a prerequisite step to furth er militaty action.

When Cervera left rhe Cape Verde Islands, Sampson assumed he was heading for Puerto Rico, but he was outguessed . On 19 May, Cervera, via C urac;:ao, slipped into Santiago, at the southeas t end of C uba, and soon was blockaded there. By 1 June, a major naval force under Sampson had been assembled off Santiago. O n 10 June, 650 Marines seized G uantanamo Bay, and in a week secured it as a US base. They were the first Americans in combat on Spanish soil.

T he next events demonstrated a serious lack of coordination between the Army and the Navy.

A force of 16,000 troops, including Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, was sent from Tam pa. T he Army General, William R. Shafter, plan ned to attack the city of Santiago. Howeve r, Sampson thought Shafrer's objective was to capture the harbor's shore batteries so the Navy could clear the entrance to Santiago harbor of mines and get at Cervera' s ships. Shafter met strong resistance on the gro und and was srymied ourside the ciry. As the Navy

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

and rhe Army were mired in the co nfusion about rhe Army's mission, Cervera solved rhe problem. He arrempted to break our of Sanriago harbor and escape his posirion berween the hammer of Shafrer's troops and the anvil of Sampson's ships.

Cervera' s das h to escape almost worked.

However, the vastly superior firepower and overall performance of Sampso n's sh ips, incl uding the bardeships Indiana, Iowa, Oregon and Texas, as well as the cruisers New Yo rk and Brooklyn, prevailed. The Span ish squadron was totally eliminated.

W ith naval control of the Ca ribbean, ground successes against the Spanish in C uba and Puerto Rico rapidly followed, and Spain sued for peace. On 10 D ecember 1898, in a rreaty signed in Paris, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, G uam and the Philippines to the US. C uba was nomi nally independent, but ve ry much under American influence.

Parr of the afte rmath of the Barde of Santiago was a squabble berween acting Rear Admiral Schley, seco nd in command at Samiago, and his commander-in-chief, Rear Admiral Sampson, over who deserved

~

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primary credit for the victory. Another interesting sidelight on the event was that the Oregon had made a 14,700-mile transit from San Francisco to Key West in67 days, arriving on 24 May, in time to join the batde at Santiago. This feat did much to mitigate the questions about the viability ofbatdeships raised by the sinking ofMaine.

Setting New Courses The Spanish-American War marked many firsts for rhe US Navy, including: the first major fleer acrions away from US shores; the first utilization of squadrons organized aro und steam-powered batdeships; the first wartime central planning gro up to determine strategy and tactics; the first use of immediate control ofnaval forces (with the telegraph) as instruments of national policy; and the first naval doctrine linked to global national aspirations. T he Navy's course was set towards additional history-shaping evem s, like rhe round-the-world transit of Roosevelt's "G reat White Fleet" in 1907.

On a broader scale, there were firsts for the nation as well , including the first war involving territorial expansion beyond the

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western hemisphere. One of the shortterm, historic developments that grew from this expanded global view was the opening of the Panama Canal in 191 4.

As the full impact of the Spanish-American War began to come into focus , Rear Admiral A. S. Barker compressed the events and their importance: "An hour or rwo at Manila, an hour or rwo at Santiago, and rhe maps of the world were changed. " And when those new maps were drawn, America was on the way to becoming the world's preeminem eco nom ic and mi litary power, with the US Navy supporting those rolesat least through the 20th centu ry.

Finally, there's one of the most important but least articulated lessons of the SpanishAmerican War: Spain lost because its naval strength was not adequate to its global requirements. That disqui eting lesso n starkly illuminates the relevance of the "little war" of 1898, and why it deserves serious attention on its lOOth anniversary. 1,

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OPERATION SAIL 2000 OFFICIAL PORT CITIES, PART IV

OpSail & the Renaissance of Norfolk n the mo rni ngof2August 1975 the C ity of Norfolk was changed fo rever when a tall and stately lady came to call.

It was not a typical August day in Vi rginia. T he temperature was mi ld, a gentle breeze bl ew out of the southwest and a slight mist hu ng over the waters of the mouth of C hesapeake Bay. Word had go ne out about the romantic lady who was coming by sea, and hun dreds had gathered to greet her. Sai ling yach ts, skip jacks, dead rises, power boats, and small craft milled about in the sub tle mist that con nected the sky to the horizon.

Expectancy was palpable. It was 7:00AM. T he sun was struggling to penetrate the mist. An d then a tiny, whi te speck appeared on the horizon. As if the news had been broadcast, all the greeting boats ceased milling and pointed their bows into the east.

T he whi te speck began to ass ume a for m, and all atte ntion was focused on it.

She was the Christian Radich from No rway, fl yi ng all canvas, with smart, proud cadets lining the gu nwales. The boats gath-

O

by Tim Jones ered around her, and the saluting battery of Fort Monroe blas ted 2 1 guns as she sailed down the Elizabeth River to down town Norfolk-where sh e had nowhere to dock on city-ow ned p roperty.

T hus, she docked at NOAA (Nati onal Oceanic and AtmosphericAdmin istration) around the corner fro m the southern downtown waterfront. T hi rtee n thousand people crossed her gangway in one-and-a-half days, and the renaissa nce of Norfo lk was about to begin . It was also the begin ning of a lasting relationship with OpSail.

Two years befo re, Frank Braynard, a fo under ofOpSail, had invited No rfolk to be an "ourpo rt" of OpSail '76. W ith out hesitation the answer was yes. But there was nowhere on the downtown No rfo lk waterfront to dock a shi p. T he C ity's Bicentennial Commiss ion had dismissed the co ncept of tall ships as "p ie- in- the-sky."

As a member of the marketin g department of the C ity of Norfolk, it became my miss ion to make No rfo lk a major playe r in the Bicentenn ial tall ship extravaganza. T his was fac ilitated by the ass istance of a re-

The history ofthe Port ofNorfolk has been punctuated by a series of rapid advances and sudden declines, both states often resulting from war. Established in 1682 to serve as a governmental and commercial center for the widely dispersed tobacco plantations in the Hampton Roads area, Norfolk was a trading center, particularly for West Indies traffic, exporting turpentine, cheese, corn, lumber and other products.

In a city devastated by destruction in the Revolutionary War and occupation in the Civil War, N orfolk's inhabitants rebuilt quickly after both conflicts and regained the city 's place as a world trading and shipbuilding center.

The Hampton Roads area has always been closely tied to the US Navy because of its strategic location and local shipyards that took advantage of regional building supplies, including the Navy Yard in Portsmouth. Norfolk's modern role as the home of the world's largest

20

spected communi ty leader and member of the State Bice ntenni al Co mmiss io n. He said: "We'll get the State involved ." An d so we did. The Governor hosted a lu ncheo n on USS Kennedy for mayo rs and representatives of all cities in the H ampton Roads area, and OpSail Virginia became reality.

W e in Norfolk were working with a ratinfes ted riprap waterfront-wareh ouses and marine comm erce having long since va nished . T he land between the street and water's edge was covered with gravel, serving as a parking lot and beco ming a muddy field when it rained.

Our premier berth was fo ur feet deep wh en we started dredging. We took it down to 22 feet, bringing arti fac ts, includin g Revo lm ionary War cannon, up from the muck. Immediately it began to sil t back in. W e we ren't sure that th e bulkhead and adjoining pavement wo uldn 't collapse.

In planning a system of berths, we needed a collective name and an individual name for each berth. So, since on 1 January 1776- 200 years earli er- British Lord Dunmore shelled No rfo lk to the ground,

Navy base began when, soon after the US entered World War l the Federal Government p urchased 474 acres of landfor the base. D uring both world wars the city's p opulation, shipbuilding and p ort activity all increased dramatically, and the presence of the Navy helped the region get through the D epression.

However, even as tourism increased and inland businesses grew, the industrial waterfront was gradually abandoned. In the 1970s, due in part to the visit of sail training ships in 1976, the city recognized the value ofits maritime heritage and began to rebuild the waterfront as it also restored historic buildings and downtown shopping districts.

Today, the US Navy continues to be a powerfulpresence in the area (below, left), butp eople once again come down to the waterfront to look out to sea (below, at Watrside Park) and welcome the vessels-modern and historic-that fill the harbor with activity (oppositepage). (Photos courtesy OpSail N orfolk 2 000)

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

leaving a cannonball in the wall of St. Paul's Church (which remains today), we decided to pay wry tribute to the old fox (for inflaming our patriotic ire) by naming our docks the "Dunmore Docks," with each berth named after one of his ships: Otter, his flagship and our premier berth; Kingfisher, H ammond; Liverpool; Peace 'n' Plenty; and Mercury.

OpSail '76, with the total support of the ciry government, was carried our in Norfolk by a small group of planners. Ir attracted a dozen shi ps, most notably the Danmark; 50,000 people came and were reconnected to their waterfront.

T his was only the beginning.

Recognizing the impact that OpSail had had on the communiry, the ciry fathers, community leaders and citizens urged that it be repeated in 1977. We named it H arborfest. Harborfest '78 drew 80,000 people; '79 drew 225 ,000.

That year Mayor Vincent J. Thomas, standing on the fantail of USCG Bark Eagle, commented to those around him, approaching Town Point's riprap holding

thousands of peop le elbow-to-elbow, "There is no way th at this is go ing to be anything other than a public park. " From the catalyst of Harborfest have risen the Waterside Festival Marketplace, Town Point Park, Waters ide Marin a, World Trade Center, Nauticus, the National Maritime Center, Norfolk's new basebal l park, and the MacArthur Center shopping complex adjacent to the famo us General's resting place.

OpSail introduced us to the love affair with ships in 1976 and startled us to recog-

nition of our greatest asset, our waterfront.

The C iry responded vigorously and the renaissance was begu n. Ir co ntinues roday.

T he ships for '76 encountered a bleak landscape, countered only by the happy, friendly hearts of people. The ships that come for OpSail 2000, June 16-20, will encounter a ciry that, by ship standards is "shipshape and Bristol fashion." 1For information on OpSail Norfolk, contact Norfolk Festevents, Ltd., 120 West Main Street, Norfolk VA 23510; 757 441-2345.

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21

SHIP OF THE ISSUE

Why Build This Ship?

Kalmar Nyckel Takes Her Place in the Fleet

by Allen Rawl

T

he romantic notion to re-create a large sailing ship of historic significance is not uncommon . However, it is extremely rare for an inexperienced organization to bring this kind of proj ect to fruition .

Thanks to the indefatigabiliry of the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, the Dutch-built, Swedish-borne pinnace Kalmar Nyckel has been replicated, launched, and commissioned into service and is successfully sailing from port to port. Vast and enthusiastic crowds gather to admire her shrouded profile, her Rubenesque torso and her resp lendent posterior. Quiescent for more than three-and-one-half centuries, now vigoro us, this 17th-century seductress lures us to a place heretofo re present only in our imagination and poses the question: "Why build a ship ?"

In fact, indefatigability might best describe the original. Built by the Durch prior to 1625 (the date on her bi ll ofsale to the towns of Kalmar andJi:ingki:iping), she served as a sentry along the coast of Kalmar and actively participated in Sweden's frequent incursions against rival Baltic nations. H er service to Sweden also included eight transAtlantic voyages, a feat unchallenged by any The "resplendent posterior" of Kalmar Nyckel shows the skill and care o her ship carvers. (Photo: Chris Queeney)

22

other colonial vessel. This remarkable accomplishment is a tribute to the Durch engineers and shipbuilders, some of the finest of their day, and to the masters who maintained and sailed her for more than three decades, and helps to answer the question: "Why build this ship?"

A Reverence for Wood Many of the skills and techniques employed by these early shipbuilders were used in the reconstruction of the vessel. Her lin es were lofted traditionally. The rig and sails are basically unchanged. We forsook the crude pit saw of yesteryear in favor of the electric ship 's saw, a powerful piece of equipment that allowed us to bevel-cur large timbers in a fraction of the time it would take otherwise. Modern hand tools were frequently employed for I truly believe the early shipwrights would have used them had they had them . In many instances, however, "progress" has not replaced the practicaliry of something as simple as a gin pole, especially when weighed against the cost of a modern cra ne. The adze and sli ck are still quite often the best way to shape a large piece of hardwood or cut in a rabbet-every shipwright worth his or her salt owns and cherishes each of these tools. Hull and deck seams are still best sealed by caulking with cotto n and oakum , set tight by wood mallet and caulking iron.

My philosophy of shipbuildin g is very simple: Respect old traditions, use the best mate rials available, employ the most efficient tools, engage a work crew with a reverence for wood.

The Kalmar Nyckel exemplifies all of this. Part of the wooden ship rediviva is the preservation of timeless skills and attitudes that centuries have not replaced with "a better way. " It is not an exaggeration to say that a half dozen men with adequate carpentry skills left the Kalmar Nyckel project good shipwrights. Perhaps that is as rewarding as any aspect of this experience. T h e eager yo ung men and women who appeared from all corners of the world, willing to subject themselves to long, arduous hours of labor in every kind of weather and to live a stoic existence in temporary shipyard housing, affectionately referred to as the hovel or the gulag, have earned our respect for their dedication throughout the building process.

A shipbuilding crew is an interdependent network with segmented teams, each with special skills relying one upon the other for their successes. Successes co me in mil esto nes such as: laying the keel, first rib in place, all ribs in place, setting the stern post, erecting the bow, the shutter p lank (or whiskey plank) , the last deck frame, the last foot of caulkin g, the stepping of the masts ... well, yo u get the picture. There is an inexplicable bond shared by all of us at those moments, and we try to mark each one with a special celebration. Did I mention that shipbuilders love a good party and will justify practically any small triumph as reason enough? The skills of each craftsman endure in my memory and with luck our paths will cross on some new ship's proj ect, someone else's romantic notion , somewhere on the horizon.

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

..

••

,,.

More th an nine years passed from the conception in 1986 to the laying of the keel for Kalmar Nyckel in the fall of 1995 . I have personally shared the vision, and the anxieties and frustration of postponemenrs and delays, with the Foundation and their supporters. I now proudly share the praise and applause from those within and outside the maritime community, that the Kalmar Nyckel is "sailing again! " T he building crew have gone their separate ways and the sailing crew serves in its place, guided by the Kalmar Nyckefs first m as ter, David Hiott, and his hand-picked officers. Their task is an awesome one-to preserve and protect a noble vessel with the same determination that brought her to this point. The future of Kalmar Nyckel is in their hands. As to rhe future , Executive Director Peg Tigue says confidently, " the Kalmar Nyckel holds great promise to better the lives of D elaware yo uth through the wo nders of maritime advenrures while ca rrying forth to other po rts of call the rich heritage of this fair Seate." .t

Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, 1124 East 7th Street, Wilmington DE 19801; 3 02 429-SHIP (7447) Allen C. Rawl is a master shipbuilder whose historic reconstructions include the Susan Constanr in J amestown, Virginia, as well as the new Kalmar Nyckel ofD elaware.

The Kalmar Nyckel, the world's newest replica, sets her sails in the wake ofherpredecessor. (Photo: Chris Queeney)

If you love ships and the sea and enjoy reading Sea History, you probably have ' 7 " friends who would also enjoy our .___ ~ magazine. Sea History makes a ' ~"\c, fine gift- we 'II send a gift packet with your greeting on a " Welcome Aboard" card, along with ~.,,_ our decal and cloth patch. Si gn up a friend today!

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23

Decorative Carvings on the Dredge Boats of Chesapeake Bay

by Gabrielle M. Hamilton

A

t Dogwood Harbor a nice breeze blows through the maze of boats.

I am talking with Wade Murphy of Tilghman Island about the wooden carvings on his 112-year-old dredge boat Rebecca T. Ruark. Captain Murphy, known as Wadie, is giving me a lesson in the basics of life on the Eastern Shore.

Lesson One includes how to handle the ribbing I'll take in Fairbank's Tackle when we stop in for a cup of coffee. (In this tightly knit community of Eastern Shore watermen, outsiders are called "foreigners.") Then we'll see if any tourists have signed up for an excursion on his boat, lovingly known as Rebecca.

With dredging season still a month away, this third-generation waterman hopes to fill those anxio us days with educational tours of the bay, where he will describe his work as a waterman and address the changing condition of the bay. H e is one of a few skipjack captains who are experimenting with other uses of their costly wooden boats during the down season. It is a compromise that balances a man's need to work the water with a man 's need to put food on the table.

In the harbor are the dredge boats Nellie L. Byrd, Mamie Mister, and Rebecca. All have elaborate carved and painted trailboards. Eagles, bunting, flags, and cannon painted in brilliant reds, navy blues and forest greens all bob with the tide. The trailboards of Rebecca glitter the brightest, for in addition to her vibrant colors she is laden with gold leaf. Captain Murphy explains, "You've got to remember that this is something extra." 1 The decorative carvings on Chesapeake Bay dredge boats are indeed something extra. On Nellie L. Byrd a gold-leafed eagle incises the water with raptured eyes, whil e bunting furls in its wake. An expressive eagle figurehead rests in seeming incongruity on the battered wooden vessel Mamie Mister, while her trailboard's flags fly in the face of difficult economic and environmental conditions. These carvings-colorful, dynamic and inspired-can be seen as a metaphor for a waterman's attitude toward life. They signal a captain's pride in his vessel, his sense of tradition and his inseparable connection to the bay despite increasing pressures from pollution, suburban sprawl and the economy.

In no other region of the North Atlantic do you find such extensive decorative carvings on workboats. Thro ughout the 1800s, as the vessels that plied the bay evolved inro faster and sleeker boats, the size and shape of their carvings reflected the vessels' bow and stern shape. The Baltimore flyer and, later, the Baltimore clipper abandoned the elaborate full figureheads and stern decorations of deep-sea vessels to gain efficiency and speed.

The ornamentation on dredge boats may have continued in part because the boats and the ways of the community have changed little over the years. The carvings so typ ify Chesapeake Bay dredge boats that for Eastern Shore watermen iris impossible to picture these boats without them. The signature trailboards, figureheads and masthead ornaments are reminders of the nearmythic days of dredging, when more than 1,000 boats worked the waters of the bay.

In 1998, however, 12 working vessels remain of North America's last fishery fleet under sail, each captained by a man who works to sustain his heritage and his family with only marginal harvests.

Of the remaining twelve, the youngest

The bugeye Edna Lockwood was built in 1889 and is now in the collection ofthe Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Her trailboards represent a simple style ofornamentation. All photos these two pages by William C. Kepner.

24

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

"To me, trailboards make a skipjack a skipjack. " -RUSSELL DIZE

The H. M. Krentz of 1955, owned by Ed Farley, proudly heralds her name with the glowing colors offlags and bunting in trailboards created

by Dewey Webster. Beyond, the trailboards of Mamie Mister, of 1910, outlined in crimson, are not to be outdone.

The Thomas Clyde, owned and operated

by Lawrence Murphy, was built in 1911.

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

The Rosie Parks, owned and maintained by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, was built in 1955 and carries trailboards carved for her that year by Dewey Webster.

25

The waterman 's Life has its share of unlovely tasks, gritty everyday chores and tiring routine. Here thecrew ojSomerset, built in 1949 ands kippered by Walt Denton, unload oysters on a chilly 17th of March 1998, at the Loading docks, Deal Island. A LL photos this page by Julie Heikes.

Next page: Top Left, RusseLL Dize's Kath ry n, of 1901, at Trappe Landing.

Bottom Left, Captain Wade M urphy, owner and skipp er of Rebecca T. Ruark, of 1886, with Rebecca at top right under sail, and, below that, a close-up view showing her carvings. ALL photos next page are by WiLLiam C. Kepner. is Lady Katie at 42 years; the oldest is Rebecca at 11 2. Regardl ess of their age, maintenance costs nearly $ 10,000 a yea r.

Still, skipj ack captains co ntinue to ornament their boats based on dictates over on e hun d red years old.

A formu la developed thar includes the fi gurehead, trailboard, quarterboard, stern carving and mas th ead o rnament, al th ough only rhe most successfu l vessels will have all such carvings. Of this formu la, the captain will most likely forego the mas thead figure, whereas he will ra rely set sail without trailboards. T he ro le of the trailboard was emphas ized by Captain Russell Dize's co mment: "To me, trai lboards make a ski pj ack a skipj ack. " 2 T he legendary carve r D ewey W ebster did not consider his carvings art and was equally reluctant to recognize himself as an artist. In fac t he said , 'Tm the only one foo l enough to do it aro und here. "3 D ewey W ebster's tomfoo lery is now rh e bay's legacy, for he p rod uced such a great number of carvings that his works have defined what trail boards look like today. W ebster, who wo rked into the 1960s, was foremost a waterman and boatbui lder. But h is ca rv-

26

ings exhibit a qual ity of such magnitude that they elevated th e waterman's vision of what a rrailboard should look like.

Making rrailboards requires simple tools: a knife and occasionally a chisel. If the carver has a gift for drawin g, he may freehand the des ign on rhe wood as We bster did. T he board is then incised with the vessel 's name. D ewey Webster di srin guishedhis trail boards bya distinct buntingand-leaf patte rn, fo llowed by the vessel's name, an eagle behind a shield, and always three canno n balls. Webster's designs were so popular that from rhe 1950s on we rarely see any of the scrollwo rk patterns of earlier yea rs. T he simplicity of earlier boards, such as those found on Ida May and the nowderelict Sigsbee, is made apparent when compared to Webster's wo rk on Rosie Parks, Lady Katie, H. M. Krentz and

Caleb W. Jones.

T here is a hierarchy of so rts amo ng the dredge boat community-o ne in whi ch the skipper who is the mos t respected, has the most able skipjack, and the most co mperi ti ve edge will also have th e most appealing and well kept carvings. Skipj ack captains recognize this h ierarchy and ex-

pect to fi nd attractive carvings o n the mosr able boars.

In some sense, carvings also offer a way fo r captains to compete with each other. Since most of the Chesapeake's bottom is considered common ground, competiti on for that mythic catch th rives and may be heightened by the bay's present conditi on. W ell m aintained carvings are a reminder of those extra bushels hauled in or an oyster bed th at went undetected by other captains.

Captains prefer to use the expensive gold leafin g on trailboards as a way to emphasize the vessel's name and to showcase a successful seaso n. In past generations the gold mas thead ball may have indicated a vessel that had been paid off; today th is is not necessarily the case .

Some captains also add carvings to the standard design. When Captain Emerson Todd owned Rebecca he added nameboa rds to the ste rn and eve n gold-leafed n umber pl ates fo r the yawl boat, whi ch pushes rh e d redge boat th ro ugh the water and takes a bearin g eve n on mi ld days.

W ith these extra to uches, Captain Emerso n de monstrated pride both in his outstanding vessel and his abilities to captain her.

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

t¡

t

When Captain Wade Murphy purchased Rebecca he was clearly aware that he also bought all the duties and responsibilities of maintaining a legendary dredge boat with carvings rich in history.

Walk in to Wadie's home and the Murphy family greets you with a portion of this history. The Murphy home is not unlike Captain Dickie Webster's, for both dedicate cons iderable space to the fami ly history of dredging the bay for oysters.

Carvings from vessels hang among the photos, ship models and newspaper articles about races won. All are assembled into something like a skipjack shrine and may include the decorative carvings from the boat which the captain presently skippers, as they are removed from the vessel during the off-season . Junior Willing, former captain of the now-derelict Amy Mister, muses abouropeninga museum in his work shed where he maintains Amy's old trailboards as well as carvings from other family-owned vessels.

Captain Russell Dize hangs the trailboards of Kathryn in his dining room during the off-season. Not only does this protect the boards from damage from the

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

summer sun , but it also defines Kathryn as one of the family. 4 This seems appropriate, since Kathryn , along with Dize'sskill and hard work, are responsible for putting food on the table. The trailboards also identify the family as watermen and reinforce the family's self-identity.

Today the natural environment of Chesapeake Bay is under pressure from pollution and suburban sprawl and the lives of her watermen suffer accordingly.

The bay's harvests are at reco rd lows and the living a waterma n can earn has dep reciated greatly.

The Chesapeake has long held romantic appeal for tourists and collectors of maritime art, and with the demise of the bay, the scramble for a piece of maritime history has begun. Collecto rs bid top dollar for decorative carvings, and th e impact of this can be felt within the community of watermen. Objects long appreciated for their sense of connection, heritage and usefulness are now being snatched up by collectors who see them only in terms of aesthetic appeal and resale value.

But what makes traditional carvings special is not their appearance alone, for

that distances these objects from their human connection and original use. What gives them real value is their inseparable co nn ectio n to th e community that works the water and the volumes they speak about the men who work th e Chesapeake Bay on dredge boats ornamented with tradition and pride. 1-

Ms H amilton, a trained folklorist, is a Research Specialist at the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution. She was the first intern for the Centerfor Chesapeake Studies at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. This article is reprinted with permission from The Weather Gauge, journal ofthe CBMM. The Museums exhibition on these carvings runs through the summer of 1999.

1. Capr. Wade Murphy, inrerview by author, 23 Oct. 1996, Ti lghman Island, Maryland. 2. Ca pt.

Russell Dize, inrerview by Joan Hoge, 3 1 October 1996, Tilghman Island. 3. Frank Megergee, "Colorful Trailboards of Oyster Fleet HandCarved by Former Skipper," Baltimore Sun, nd, found in C harl es T. Precht Scrapbook, ms 32, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. 4.Captain Russell D ize, imerview by Joan Hoge, 3 1 October 1996, Tilghman Island.

27

MARINE ART NEWS Photographers of the Century Past Capture Poseidon

"In thy m ap secure1y s ail e "

Imagine an angry sea, photographed from a ship's upper deck du ring a hurricane off the Florida coast in 1935. Picture a l 9thcenru ry ship froze n in the Arctic C ircle, sur ro unded by icebergs. T hese images and others co me al ive in a p hotography exhibiti on at the Peabody Essex M useum, entitled "Capturing Poseidon: Photographic Enco unters with the Sea," 7 November 1998- 11 April 1999, featuring more than 100 images oflife at sea.

"What's particularly com pelling about th e show, " says D an Finamore, C uraro r of Maritime Arts and History, "is the contrast between photographs take n by famo us photograp hers and images by amateurs. Yo u can see fi ne portraits of yach ts in carefully composed harbor scenes, contrasted with photos taken by a passenger in the midst of a squall or a sailor suspended high in the ship's rigging."

A mari time photograp hy seminar will be held on Saturday, 14 November in co njun cti on with the exh ibi t. .:t Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, Salem MA 01970-3783; 978 745-1876; web site: www.pem.org

Focusing on the New Wo rld as it was viewed by the British in the 1600s and 1700s, this exhibition of maps, atlases, charts and globes at the New York Public Library examines the ways in which maps and charts provided info rmati on on natu ral resources and settlements in the New Wo rld and reflected

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the expansion of the Bri tish empire across the globe.

Nautical charts, manuals of instruction in the arts of compass use and oceanic navigation, as well as decorative maps fo r the commercial market are drawn from th e 600 maps, 100 atlases and 50 books donated to the Library's Map Division in 1997 by the estate of Lawrence H . Slaughter. T he nearly 100 items in the exhibit range from simple black-and-whi te illustrati ons of head lands to elabo rate maps engraved on copper plates, printed on handmade paper, and hand-colored to perfec tion. T he exhib it will be on view from 24 October 1998 to 20 March 1999. .:t The New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street, New York NY 10018; 2 12 2217676; web site: www.nypl. org

NEW EXHIBITS • American Merchant Marine Museum : mi d-Oct-November 1998, "Backwaters & Basins: Ships of the Working Warerfro m ," Paintings by Pere Eagleton (USMMA, Ki ngs Point NY 11024; 516 773-5515) • American Marine M odel Gallery, Inc. : 18-29 ovember, paintings by Ian Marshall fro m his book, Passage East (see lecture in forma ti on under Peabody Essex M useum, below) and models ofNavy and Mercham Ships ofWWl & WWI I (12 Derby Squ are, Salem MA 01970; 978 745-5777) • Independence Seaport Museum: fro m 17 September, "The Civil War Naval Scenes of Xanthus Smith" (21 1 South Colum bus Blvd., Philadelphia PA 19106-3199; 215 925-5439) • T he Mariners' M useum : 2 October 199810 January 1999, "Sil ver Sh ips on Calm Seas"; 24 October-30 March 1999, "Ski n D eep: The Arr of the Tattoo" (100 Museum Drive,

"SS Mo nga ra, Gibraltar, 1914"(14" x 21 "watercolor on Fabriano paper), by Ian Marshall will be exhibited at the American Marine Model Gallery with .. other images from his book Passage East.

J

Newport News VA 23606; 757 596-2222; web si re: www. marin er.o rg) • New York Public Library: 24 O ctober1 99820 March 1999, "In thy map securely saile": Maps, Atlases, Charts and Globes from the Lawrence H. Slaughter Collection (Map Division, 5th Avenue & 42nd Street, New York NY 10018; 2 12 22 1-7676; www.nypl.org) •Peabody Essex Museum: 7 N ovember 1998-11 April 1999, "Capturing Poseidon: Photographi c Encoumers with the Sea"; 14 Nove mber, M aritime Photograp hy Semin ar; 19 November, Arrisrlan Marshall will present a lectu re on his paimings fro m Passage East (see exhibi r inform ation under Ameri ca n Marine Model Gallery, above) (East India Square, Salem MA 0 1970-3783; 978 745- 1876) • San D iego Maritime M useum: from 20 June 1998, "The Models & Artwo rk of Racing Legend Dennis Co nner"

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The American Neptune Enjoy the leading scholarly journal of maritime history and arts in the US. The American Nep tune, a quarterly publication of the Peabody Essex Museum, is a great read for collectors, model makers, and all who love ships and the sea.

We offer Sea History readers an opportunity to subscribe to The American Neptune for $33, a $6 sav ings over our regular subscription rate ($36 for non-US residents. Institutions: call for rates). To start your subscription, send a check or money order to:

The American Neptune Peabody Essex Museum East India Square Salem, MA 01970 (508) 745-1876 You may charge your subscription by fax at (508) 744-6776, or e-mail dori_phillips@ pem.org. We accept VISA, MasterCard and American Express.

Written by six of the nation's leading maritime scholars, with contributions by many other experts on subjects from immigration to the environment, Am.erica and the Sea is the definitive maritime history of a nation de Tocqueville described as "born to rule the seas, as the Roma n s were to conquer the World."

Comprehens ive, wo nd erfully illustrated, and above all a joy to read , this book co ntains 287 archival photographs and engravings in black and w hi te and 71 color images from art collections a nd mu se um s around the wor ld all prese nted large on 9" x 12" pages, ten maps in color, 59 self-contai ned essays on special subjects a nd figures, a 320-entry bibliography, and a list of Ameri can maritime museums. .

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Captain James Cool( "Son of the Land, Master of the Sea" For over a decade English marine painter Robin Brooks has specialized in scenes from Captain Cook's three famous voyages of discovery. His carefully researched paintings show Cook's vessels in scenes from the Antarctic to the romantic beauty of the Pacific.

These two images are the first of a series and are limited to 850 each.

"The Triumph of the Navigators" In this stunning depiction of

Endeavour's return to England on the 13th July 1771 the artist dramatically captures the final few hours of Endeavour's triumphant circumnavigation of the world as she runs briskly through the Dover Strait under a southwest gale.

"I was searching for an account from Cook's first voyage which would somehow capture the triumph of his achievement. I read and reread the journals: there were so many incidents crying out to be put on canvas.

In the end it was the title that suggested the painting."

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"Farewell Old England" July 13th 1772 It was these poignant words written in large letters in the journal of Lieutenant Richard Pickersgill as he left Plymouth aboard Resolution that inspired Robin Brooks to paint this picture.

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Maritime Trade and the Growth of the City NMHS Essay Contest Gets Young People Exploring How Seaborne Trade Generated the Capital to Build Seaport Cities around the World

by Shelley Reid ne ofthe most overlookedfeatures of [New York] is the great harbor, the body ofwater that caused the city to be founded in the first place. Many people fail to recognize the importance and vitality ofthe harbor. Whether you are on the observation deck of the World Trade Center or flying above in an aircraft, the port's physical size is astounding. ... The indented shoreline and islands affowed extensive wharfage. At the height of the port's commercial shipping activity, there were no fewer than 578 miles of functioning waterfront. It is no wonder that New York City was the center of trade and commerce.

BENJAMIN YI G First -Prize winner

O

The welcoming arm ofSandy Hook in the distance ushers an unending stream ofpassenger, cargo, fishing and recreational vessels into New York's Lower and Upper Bays. Innumerable ships came ftom aLL corners of the globe, finding safe harbor and unparaffeled commercial opportunity. Currier & Ives give the Castle Garden Emigrants Depot center stage, as the harbor and Battery Park bustle with activity and excitement in 1878. vast array of goods into the local economy.

Second-Prize winne r Jaime Garrido's subject, Mexico City, while not a seaport, benefited from the Aourishing seaborne commerce in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Mexico City merchants could trade the abundant native silver for items imported via the Mexican ports of Veracruz and Acapulco, where" ... nearly one hundred ships would ... bring such items as wine, olive oil, fine garments, cutlery, glassware, ceramics, weapons, furniture and paper" into these harbors to trade.

Tracing the development of maritime commerce also led to lessons in civic growth and change, particularly in the case of the American ports. Where Boston's harbor was once crowded with traditional sailing merchant ships, Third-Prize winner Jami Michelle Young's chosen city has adapted

It was to insp ire just such a perspective, the way of looki ng at seaports as an economic force, that NMHS sponsored a national essay contest fo r high school students across th e country. With the generous support of the Mobil Corporation and the David M. Milton Trust, NMHS asked students to explore the topic: "How seaborne trade ge nerated capital to build the city of ____ ."The blank invited entrants to be creative: to learn more about the rich history of the ciry they call home, or investigate the seaports with exotic names they may have seen in the news, in literature, or in film.

New York C ity, of course, was a popular choice. Not all of the essayists chose cities local to them. One teacher in particular, Dr. Mary Alice Carrajat of th e Aviation High School in Long Island City, New Essay contest winners Benjamin York, encouraged her students to apply an Ying, First Place, andjamiMicheffe international perspective to their entries, Young, Third Place, will be recogand the chosen cities spanned the globe: nized, along with Jaime Garrido, Seoul, Hong Kong, Venice, Bogota, and Second Place, at an NMHS recepLondon, to name a few. The essayists ex- tion this faLL at India House in New plored the ways in which their citi es were York, honoring Wafter Cronkite, fertile ground for the seeds of commerce, chairman of the NMHS Maritime where seafaring merchants introduced a Education Initiative.

32

to meet the needs of a new economy: "The Massachusens Port Authority . . . pioneered rhe use of 'co ntainers' in TransAtlantic trade. Since 1980, container traffic has tripled and Boston has become one of the most modern and efficient co ntainer porrs in the United States."

NMHS wo uld like to thank all the teachers who encouraged their students to participate, and to co ngratulate all th e entrants for their fine effo rts.

Benjamin Ying of Little Neck, New York, Jaime Garrido of Long Island C ity, New York and Jami Michelle Young of Hagerstown, Maryland will be recognized at a reception this fall, when they wi ll be presented with theirawardsof$ l,500, $750 and $500 respectively. The three yo ung scho lars will also be invited to sail aboard a tall sh ip in Operatio n Sail 2000. .t

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

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SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS National Lighthouse Center and Museum to be Located in Staten Island

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O n 11 July the former US Ligh thouse Service depot on Staten Island was selected as the hom e of the new National Lighthouse Center and Museum.

Selecti on of the Staten Island sire, listed o n the Na tional Register of Historic Places, capped a lengthy planning and site selecti o n process that starred with th e fo rmatio n of a National Lighthouse Center and Museum Steering C ommittee in M arch 1997 .

"T he idea of a N ational Li ghthouse M useum has been expressed The St. George D epot on Staten Island, shown ca. since the earl y 1970s," said com1890, had 22 buildings and was the receiving mittee chairman Ralph Es helm an , facility for imported Fresnel lenses, distribution a Maryland- based maritime hiscenter for oil, manufactory for brass implements and to ry a nd h e ritage co n s ult a nt. laboratory for experiments with optics, illuminants "Sta te n Island offered n o t o nl y a n and electric lamps. (Photo: N ational A rchives) h isto ri c sire, bur an o utsta nd in g loca ti o n eas ily reach ed by large numbers of visito rs. " Negot iat ions now begin betwee n co mmittee m em * * * * * bers-representin g a number of natio n al, T he new museum wil l encompass the regio nal a nd local li gh th o use prese rva- nati o n's first Lighthouse D epot, as well as tion groups-a nd site and gove rnm ent the grounds, pi ers and resources of N ew rep resenta ti ves, to wo rk o ut derails of the York H arbor. The exhibits will include a new muse um , envisio ned as a $20 mil- collectio n of Fresnel lenses and other oplion co nstructi o n a nd exhibiti o n p roject tics, and models of lighthouses demonw it h a $2 0 milli o n e ndowm e nt. strating different periods, locations and T he site, o nce the main national base of types of construction , accompanied by a Lightho use Service that was later ab- cutaways, m aps and photographs. The hisso rbed by the Coast G uard, shares space to ry of lighthouses will be placed in the wi th docks and terminals of the Sra re n context of maritime history. The lives of Island fe rries, which carry millions of com- keepers, m arine arr and scenes of the workmuters and visitors each year. Restoration ing port of New York will further enhance of the decaying Lighthouse Service build- the sto ry. ings will be coordinated with adj oinin g On the pier, lightships, lighthouse tenStaten Island redevelopment proj ects. Bor- ders, fo g signals and buoys w ill share the ough President G uy Molinari has pledged dock with boars raking visitors to light$ 1.2 million toward immediate stabiliza- ho uses and related harbor sires. In huge tio n wo rk o n the structures, while New granite storage vaults dug into the hillside Yo rk C ity's M ayo r Rudolph G iuliani and changing exhibits will rake visitors to lightNew Yo rk's Governor Geo rge Pataki have houses around the wo rld. In the M edia offered $ 1.9 millio n each in city and state Center a database and web sires will link lighthouse organizations around the world, assistance.

Fundin g will be so ught fr om govern- and students and professionals will be able men t, fo undat io n a nd co rporate so urces . to use a library of resources assembl ed and The mu seum will se rve as an exhibit organized from scattered sires around the ce nter tellin g th e ri ch and colorful story country. ,t of America's lighthouses, and an archi ve, resea rch and workshop center for the Fo r fu rther info rmatio n, contact Ralph largely voluntee r lighthouse preserva tion Eshelman at 4 10 326-4877 or check out the movem ent. web site: http://www. lighthousemuseum. org.

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

President Clinton Designates 14 American Heritage Rivers On 30 July, President Bill Clinton proclaimed the designation of fourteen American Heritage Rivers. The Proclamation declared, in part: In celebration ofAmerica's rivers, and to recognize and reward grassroots efforts to restore them, last year I announced the American Heritage Rivers Initiative. My goal was to help communities realize their visions for their rivers by making it easier for them to tap existingprograms and resources ofthe Federal Government. From across the country, hundreds ofcommunities answered my callfor nominations, asking that their rivers be designatedAmerican Heritage Rivers. I applaud all ofthe communities that have drawn together and dedicated themselves to the goal ofhealthy rivers, now and forever . ... I am pleased to be able to recognize a select group of rivers and communities that reflect the true diversity and splendor of America's natural endowment, and the tremendous energy and commitment of its citizenry.

The rivers so designated are: • the Blackstone and Woonasquatucket Rivers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island • the Co nnecticut River in Co nnecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont • the C uyahoga River in Ohio • the Detroit River in Michigan • the Han alei River in Hawaii • the Hudson River in New York • the Upper Mississippi River in Illinois, Iowa, Minneso ta, Missouri and Wisco nsin • the Lower Mississippi River in Louisiana and T ennessee • the New River in North Carolin a, Virginia and West V irgin ia • the Rio Grande in Texas • the Potomac River in the District of Columbi a, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and ~G. ~ West Virginia • the St. Jo hns River in Florida • the Upper Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers, in Pennsylvania the Wi llamette River in Oregon One hundred rwenry-six nominatio ns came from 46 states and Washington DC. In announcing the designation, Vice Pres ident Al Gore reported that "the message of this initiative is clear: there is nothing more powerful than water as a catalyst for economic revitalization and cultural renewal. " Wh il e many of th e proj ects involve environmental cl eanup and protection and the development of natural resources, other priori ti es are the development of economi c opportunities and Young people in canoes and kayaks and historic and cultural preservatio n, includin g th e aflotilla ofboatsgreeted Governor Pataki as he docked in his hometown ofPeekskill, creation of public access to the ri ve rs, gree nways New York, where he designated the and pedestrian paths, and the rebuilding of Hudson an American Heritage River. hi storic docks. Each co mmuniry will be able to use th e availab le resources to develop plans that fir with their needs.

Staff members of the National Maritime H isto rical Sociery attended New York Governor George Pataki 's dedication of the Hudson as an American Heritage River on 5 August in Peekskill, New York, site ofNMHS's national headquarters. W e have been deeply involved in riverfront revitalization here in our own bac kyard, particularly in the restoration of an histo ric dock that ca n now welco me ra il and histo ric ships, and we look forward to hearin g from members who are involved in revitalizing local waterfronts. ,t

For information about the Initiative, contact the EPA through their web site at www.epa.gov or at 1 888 40-RIVER. The organization American Rivers can also provide information on the program and can be contacted at 1025 VermontAvenue, NW, Suite 720, Washington D C 20005; 2 02 547-6900; fax: 2 02 347-9240; e-mail: amrivers@amrivers.org.

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

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The Friendship 's hull, with the tug Towline, passes beneath the H udson River's NewburghBeacon Brid e on its wa to Salem.

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1923-1998

Bernard Klayman, a New York C iry schoo l mainten ance manage r who rook up fo lk music a nd danci ng as an avocation, went on ro b ecom e leader of th e X-Sea men's Institute, an active quartet wh ich helped m ake sea music history in the US. Startin g in th e 1960s, they sang on the piers in New York's South Street, helping to draw attention ro the fl edgling So uth Street, and pav in g rh e way fo r oth er chanteymen like Louis Killen. Gen erations of chantey aficion ados grew up on rhe X-Seam en's reco rdin gs . As his great fri end and supporter Wal rer Handelm an once said: "Bernie drew music ourof p eople who didn ' t dream rhey had it in them. " Bernie's wife Lotte died eigh t years ago.

His co mpanion Kare n Waterman Hoffman will carry on some aspects of his work, in tandem with NMHS. A group led by Eric Russell and Frank Woerner (and including myself) ga thered to sing fo llowing Bern ie's burial in Pinewoods Cemetery, Long Island, starring with that grand verse, "Ir was pleasant and delightful. " And so it was, Bernie, so it was-for so many, m any pwpk.

PS

AMERICAN M ERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM NEWS T here are m any Au rumn evems and programs at the Museum rharyou won'rwantro miss.

Fa ns of mari rime arr isr Pere Eagleto n are in for a real treat when his show, "Backwaters and Basins-Ships of rhe Working Waterfront, " opens at th e American M erchant M arine Museum on 7 October 1998. T h e paintings featured in rhe exhibition are being offered for sale during rhe sh ow. Through rhe gen eros iry of the artist, a portion of the proceeds from each sale w il l benefit the American Merchant Marine Museum Foundation .

A member of rhe Na tional Maritime Historical Sociery, an official US Coast Guard artist and a ch arter m em ber of the American Sociery ofMarineArrisrs, Eagleton has always been interested in shippin g. As a kid, he'd spend rhe day roaming the New York Harbor waterfront and backwaters, wi th pen and p encil in hand. For more than 35 yea rs, he wo rked in rh e shipping in dustry. His paintings in pastels, watercolor, go uache and oil are mostly of working ships on worki ng waterways-rugs, barges, coastal and harbor rankers, freighters , container ships, drydocks and scrap yards. The images in "Backwaters and Basins" illustrate our nation's rich maritime history and rh e important wo rk of America's merchant marine. Ir w ill be on view at the Museum through 29 November 1998.

Merchant marine vete rans and former empl oyees of G race Lines shou ld m a rk 7 Nove mber 1998 on their calendars. Our annual M erchant Marine Veterans Reun io n promises robe a special even t. G race Lines employees particularly will be honored. Not o nly will attendees have an opportuniry ro renew old acq uaintan ces, swa p sea sto ri es, enj oy special program s, eat delicio us food, and see rhe "Backwaters and Basins" exhibit, but they w ill also have the h ono r of helping the Museum induct D ennis A Roland into the Nati o nal Maritime H all of Fame.

Correctio n: The dares listed in Sea History 86 for rhe exhibition fearuring th e Meredith Victory were repo rted i nco rrecrl y as 25 May throuash 31 October 1998. The exhibitio n runs through 3 1October 1999 .

-ILINDA FASBACH, Executive Director

American M erchant Marine Museum, USMMA, Kiings Point NY 11024; 516 773-5515; web site: www.usmma.edu 36

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

CALENDAR Festivals, Events, Lectures, Etc. •Calvert Marine Museum: 10- 11 Octo ber, Patuxem Appreciatio n D ays (PO Box 97, So lomons MD 20688; 4 10 3262042) • Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum: 3 October, 16th Annual M id-Atl anti c Small C raft Festival (Mill St., PO Box 636, St. M ichaels MD 21663; 4 10 745-29 16) •Christie's East: mid-February 1999, "Maritim e Co llectio n Aucti on," co nsignmems accepted thro ugh 1 November (2 19 East 67th St., New York NY 10021; 2 12 606-0400; FAX: 212 45 2-2063; web site: www.christies.com) •Connecticut River Museum: 8-11 Octo ber, Ri verFest '98 (67 M ain Street, Essex CT 06426; 860 767-8269; e- mail : crm@co nnix.co m) • Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival: 911 October, in Alpena M I (70447 Fisher Road, Ro meo MI 48065) •Maritime & Yachting Museum: 2022 November, 11th Annual Antiq ue & Class ic Boar Rendezvous (PO Box 1448, Stuart FL 34995; 561 692-1 234) • San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park: 12-1 3 December, Christmas at Sea (PO Box 470310, San Francisco CA 94 147-03 10; 4 15 929-0202, email : sfnmma@aol. com) Conferences •American Sail Training Association: 5-7 November, 26th Annual Co nference on Sail Training and Tall Ships in Los An geles CA (PO Box 1459, Newport RI 02849; 401 846-1 775) •Historic Naval Ships Association: 2529 October, 33rd Annu al M eeting in Newport RI (Channing Zucker, 4640 H oylake Drive, Virginia Beach VA 23462; 757 499-69 19; e-mail : hnsaO] @aol. co m) •Lake Superior Marine Museum Association: 11th Annual Gales of Novem-

ber: Shipwreck and D ivin g Program (PO Box 177, D uluth MN 55801 -01 77; 218 727-2497) • The Mariners' Museum: 23-25 October, "Titani c: Fo rtune, Fate and the Future" (1 00 M use um Dri ve, Newpo rt News VA 23606 or TITANIC, Uni versity of Virginia Co ntinuing Educati on, Center fo r U ni versity Progra ms, PO Box 3697, C harlottesville VA 299 03-0697; 800 346-3882; FAX: 804 982-5297) •Peabody Essex Museum: 14 Nove mber, Maritime Photography Seminar (East India Square, Salem MA 01 970-3783; 508 745- 1876) • US Life-Saving Service Heritage Association: 1-3 O ctober, Annual Meeting in Manteo NC Qohn Wells, USLSSHA, Box 75, Caledonia M I 493 16; 6 16 89 10572; e-mail: mo725 06@nantucket. net) •The Waterfront Center: 12- 14 November, Annual Confe rence, "Developing Distinctiveness-CounteringFo rmulas, Fads and Flummery'' (1622 W isco nsin Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20007; 202 337-0356; FAX: 202 625- 1654; www. mindsprin g.co m /-wa te rfr o n t; email : wa terfront@mindsprin g.co m) Exhibits •Naval War College Museum: from 4 June 1998, "The Navy in 'The Spl endid Little War"' (Founders H all , Coasters H arbor Island, Newport RI; 401 84 14052) •Texas Maritime Museum: 28 July-28 November 1998, "Bell s, H o rn s, and W histles: Mari time Co mmuni ca tions in the 20th Century" (1202 Navigation C ircl e, Rockport TX 78382; 512 7291271) •The Whaling Museum: 4 July 1998June 1999, "Cold Sprin g H arbor W halers around the Wo rld" (Box 25, Co ld Spring H arbor NY 11 724; 516367-34 18)

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GAZETTE

An 8-page Bi·monthly Digest of Maritime Heritage News

Fo r reg ul ar updates on ship saves, museum news, maritime archaeo logy, sail tra ining events and other mari time acti vities.

What Happened to "Spun Yarn"?

You will have noticed that the fo rmat of "Ship Notes, Seaport & M useum News" has changed. We are now foc uss in g on two o r three major stories in the maritim e heritage fi eld, so we can tell yo u more abo ut important events and developments.

We will, of course, co ntinue to cove r the range of news on maritim e museums, histo ric ship preservation , underwater archaeology and the marine industry in our eight-page, bi-monthly publication, Sea H istory Gazette. Fo r this in-depth coverage, subscribe to the Gazette at the member's price of $ 18.75 per year (add $10 for intern ational postage) . Call us at 1 800 22 1-NMHS (6647) to subscribe.

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

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America and the Sea: A Maritime History, by Benj amin W . Labaree, William M. Fowler,Jr.,John B. H attendorf, Jeffrey ]. Safford, Edward W. Sloan and Andrew W. German (Mystic Seaport, Inc., Mystic CT, 694pp, illus, maps, appen, biblio, index, ISBN 0-01 3372-8 1- 1; $65 hc) Artistic, insp iring, in for mati ve, rich prese n rarion-rarely a re these words associated wirh ascholarlyefforr, but in the case ofAmerica and theSeatheyall apply. T his collaborative effort of six of America's leadin g historians is probably rhe most complete work of its kind available today.

It explores in seventee n chapters the ce nturi es from Native American habitation and Viking exploration of rh e co untry to today's m aritime enterprises. And it does it in a way that is eminentl y readable an d beautifully presented.

Using recognized arr, maps, photographs and drawings to ampli fy its text, rhe book provides new insigh t to a story rhar affects us all. T he narrative, augmented by short essays and period documents, brings li fe to the hum an dimension in our ongoing relationship with th e sea. Logical break points divide this mass ive subject into four parts, and in each, th e writing fl ows with the ease of waves marching into the shore.

Explan ati o ns of eve nts bring clarity to many whi ch had heretofo re been vague and fuzzy recollections of high sch oo l hi story courses.

T he auth o rs use literary references, poetry and museum-quality paintings to amplify the text and in-depth biographical sketches of both well and lesser known indi viduals who affected the maritime growth of our country. And they didn 't neglect rhe impact and influence of our fres h water heri tage in the process. Commerce, includin g barge traffic, inland shipbuilding and inland waterfront industries, is wel l covered. T he American fascination with the water for recreational pursuits, from yachting to seasi de activities, played a role in the develop ment of our country's maritime heritage and also ge ts its due.

The seago ing military naturally played a significant role in th e sto ry, and the Navy

and Coast Gua rd, from the earli est fo rerunners of today's services to rhe modern nuclear submarines of the Navy of th e '90s, are covered most completely.

An important aspect of America and the Sea is the chronicling of change brought about by the development of our socieryborh positive and less so-and th e in escapable compar iso ns th at point up the argument that maybe there rea lly were so me "goo d old days." But there were m any of th em w hi ch weren't.

T his is not just a "hi sto ry book"; it is a treatise on the art, both visual and written , of our m aturation process. It is philosophical and at th e sam e tim e lyrical , co mparing the sea around us to both a moat providing an oftneeded defe nse, and a bridge, open ing our land to rh e Europea n explorers and opening to us the markers of worldwide commerce.

Neither dry no r "textbookis h," America and the Sea provides entertainin g and interesting reading nor o nl y for history fanatics, bu r for any who have an intell ectual curiosity about our great co untry and the maritime interests which played , and continue to play, such a large part in our develo pm en r.

I have mentio ned seve ral times the art illustratin g this book. With M ys tic Seaport Museum providing the impetus for th e creation of the work, it stands to reaso n that many of the pieces come from the Mystic co llection and the Blunt-White Library th ere. Also represented are the South Street Seaport Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, rhe Maryland Historical Society, the New-York Histo rical Society, the Sr. Louis Art Museum, the San Francisco Maritime Na tio nal Historical Park and others. T he reproductions of brush and phorographic art are excellent, and the capti o ns often co ntain the story of the subj ect matter.

The bona fides of the authors are impeccable; most are oft-p ublished, and all are current fac ul ty members of the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritim e Studi es at Mystic Seaport, which provides

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

graduate-level, accred ited courses in maritime studies duri ng the su mmer months.

T hi s vo lume is a "m ust-own" for any serio us stud ent of history and a welcome addition to the library of even the most casual maritime heritage aficionado. It has style, authority, and the credibili ty born o f careful research and lifelong commitment to the subject. I found myself getting caught up in the prose and reading with th e en thusiasm wi th which one might app roach a novel. T he authors, and Mys tic, are to be congratulated for recognizing the need and filling it so magnificenrlywith Americaand the Sea. W. H . WHITE, T rustee, NMHS Rumso n, New Jersey Ship of Gold in the D eep Blue Sea, by G ary Kinder (Atlantic Mo nthl y Press, New Yo rk NY, 199 8, 507pp, JSBN 0-871 13464-0 5; $24hc) When I first saw the title of this boo k, my heart sank; I was sure it was one more acco un t of an irresponsible, treas ure-hunting exped ition with little if any regard fo r the possible archaeological signi fi cance of the wrecked vessel. H ow wro ng I was!

Instead this boo k is an almos t unbelievable account of the fatefu l fi nal voyage of the SS Central A merica, her battl e with an overwhel ming hurri ca ne in theAdamic in 1857, her sinking and the meticulously carefu l attemp t ro pinpoint the exact spot where the sh ip rested . It is also the acco unt of patient, carefu l attention to scientific derail in the design and co nstruction o f special equipment to recover obj ects as small as a go ld co in a mi le and a half below the surface of the sea.

Above all, it is the remarkable story of a yo un g engineer, Tommy T hompso n, wh o designed and perfected equipment neve r known before in the wo rld of maritime expl oration and salvage. To acco mplish his quest, he managed to overcome legal hurdles erected by jealous co mpetito rs and raise incredi ble sums of money from hardheaded businessmen.

T he book first tells in graphic derail the story of the CentrafAmerica on her fa teful voyage fro m Panama to New Yo rk in which she enco untered a hurricane off the coast of the Carolinas. Captain H erndon did everyth ing in his power to save the ship and , when th is became obviously imposs ible, transferred the wo men and child ren to

SEA HISTORY 86 , AUTUMN 1998

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another vessel, which fortuitously was nearby. The Central America, after a gallant fight, sank in mountainous seas and, believe it or not, a few m en were still alive and were picked up the fo llowing morning. Most of th e passengers had come from the gold mines and slui ceways in California, and the ship sank with millions of dollars' worth of go ld dust, gold co ins and gold bars in 8,000 feet of water. At that depth, salvage was, of co urse, impossible and remain ed so until the early 1980s.

Thompson, more interested in deep-water exploration and archaeo logy than in the possible fortun e that lay on the bottom, determined to at least try to find the remains of the SS CentralAmerica. The search required years of painstaking research so detailed that the individuals involved came to know the passe ngers as if they were friends or relati ves.

Next came the developmem of equipment, including television and video cameras, which could work precisely at this great depth, sending back to the surface" real time" pictures of the bottom . This was in itself a remarkable sciemific achievemem.

To find and idemify the wreck, however, was as nothing compared to the next challenge-to design, develop and manufacture underwater archeaological equipment which could be co ntrolled so precisely from th e surface that objects could be picked up without disturbing anything nearby and brought to the surface. The wreckirselfwas meticulously surveyed without touching it, and great care was taken to preserve the archaeological integrity of the remains. Gold was indeed found, spilled across the ocean bottom literally in piles of bricks and coins, and brought to the surface, with the greatest possible care of what was left behind.

Al l in all, it is a book which is almost impossible to put down once one has read the first sentence, and this writer found it to be one of the most fascinating accounts it has ever been his privilege to enjoy.

THOMAS HALE

Vineyard Haven, Massachuserrs

A Handful of Emeralds: On Patrol with th e Hanna in the Postwar Pacific by Joseph C. Meredith (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1997, 216pp, illus, index, ISBN 1-55750-590-x; $32.95hc) This charming and sensitive recounting

of a series of patrols by a US Navy Destroyer Esco rt between December 1953 and May 1954 through M icrones ia and the Bonin and Volcano Islands was written by author and captain Joseph C. M eredith, w ho had see n so me of these places during Wo rld War II as an officer on a destro ye r, when they we re inJapanese hands. Now he was tasked with independent patrol and surveillance of these little-known island chains-great du ty fora young commander.

His experiences in clude exploration, mappin g, rescues and imerception of poaching fish erm en. His discoveries of long-abandon ed Japanese gun emplacements on islands so small that they were for the most part never in vaded is a story in itself.

Meredith 's fascination with th ese mi croscop ic bits of co ral and their often quire prim itive people led him after his Navy retirement to research the annals of early exploration of these parts, much of which is in corporated into the narrative as USS H anna proceeds on her way.

T he charm of the narrative is summed up in the book's last sentence: "Ir is from knowing of such little places as th ese that I am led to believe there must sti ll exist havens of beauty, affection, respect, and quiet happiness somewhere in the South Seas. " I hope they are still there.

TOWNSEN D H OR OR

O srerville, Massachuserrs Monitor: The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad an d th e Man Whose Invention Changed th e Course of History, by James Terri us deKay (Walker and Co mpany, New York NY, 247pp, notes, index, ISBN 0-8027- 1330-0; $2 1he) As the C ivil War began, probably the US Navy's most important base was the No rfolk Navy Yard in Virginia, in which lay the pride of the Navy-the powerful steam frigate USS Merrimac. The Union navy abandoned the base in April 1861 , and Merrimac was burned to her waterline, sinking at her pier.

W hen Merrimac, rechristened CSS Virginia, was raised by th e Confederacy, a sloping, slab-sided structure was built over her and pierced with gun ports, its sides sheathed with iron and railroad rails and slathered with pig grease to deflect enemy cannonballs. Ugly, slow and almost unmarueuverable as she was, she co uld prove v'irtually impregnable and single-handed ly

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

CLASSIFIED ADS wreak havoc amo ng rhe Union navy's fleer in suaregically viral Chesapeake Bay. John Ericsson, a Swedish engineer, was approached to design and oversee rhe consrruction of a warship such as the world had never seen. H e succeeded and, despite all predictions to the contrary, his weird creation floated on her lines. She was named Monitor.

Totally unready for battl e and with a green captain and inexperienced crew, she was rowed from New Yo rk to Hampton Roads, almost sinkin g in a win ter storm off the New Jersey coast. Arrivi ng in H ampton Roads, she fo und that CSS Virginia was living up to her predicted rep utation, having rammed and sunk USS Cumberland and set afire USS Columbus.

The next day Monitor and Merrimac hounded each other almost from dawn to dusk, neither o ne able to seriously damage the other but each claiming victory. It was, indeed, a victory for the North, for exMerrimac had been shorn of her terrible threat and could no longer take with impuni ry the vessels of the Union Navy.

Mr. deKay has don e a masterful job in recreating the life and death of both USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, their backgro unds, th eir battle and the enormous significance of their confli ct. Monitor's design and constructi on heralded a new approach to warsh ip design , and our migh ry bartleships such as Iowa and Missouri are rhe direcr descendants of rhis "cheesebox on a raft."

THOMAS H ALE

The Real Hornblower: The Life and Times of Admiral Sir James Gordon, GCB by Bryan Perren (Naval lnstirure Press, Annapo lis MD, l 68pp, illus, ISBN 155750-580-2; $29.95 hc) The aurhor of this relatively short but detail ed synopsis of the career of Sir James Gordon, RN, has created, at least in his mind , proof positive that C. S. Forester used Gordo n as his model for the still popular Hornblower series . T hat he did his homework is not at issue; his research is exhaustive, and he has provided the reader with not only an extraordinary bit ofl iterary and histo rical detecrive work, but also with a fair ly complete biography of a m ost interesring Royal Navy officer during rhe golden age of sail. Thar he was, in fact, rhe model rhar Foresrer used may or may nor be rhe case; mosr readers would certainly

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

agree that it is likely thar Foresrer used segmems of Gordon 's experiences for h is ch aracter. Perren m akes his case srrongly, but wirhout belaborin g it. Ir is up to rhe reader to make his/ her own decision.

W hile rhe book provides an excellem look inside Royal Navy life durin g rhe !are 17 00s and 1800s, ir is wrinen with an unabashed parochialism rhar rends toward national chauvinism. There can be no do ubt in a ny reader's mind rhar Mr. Perren is most ass uredly Brirish, and proud of it; to his mind, that the "colonies" had any naval successes at all in the War of 1812 (the "American W ar" to him) was due o nly to the Americans' more heavily armed ships, and the fact thar there were a large n umber of British sailors aboard each. H e gives C. S. Forester cred it for nor purrin g Hornblower in to the America n thea rer during rhe War of 1812 eve n though his model was rhere, so as not to annoy his American readers. Perh aps a stand more moderate would have stood Mr. Perren as wel l.

Aside from rhe fo rego ing narionalism, The Real Hornblower is well-w rinen, and even if one does nor subscribe who leheartedly to the premise, it has certainly a wellearned pl ace in any emhusiast's library; a quite complete listing of Royal Navy vessels and rheir hi stories is an added bon us.

Fo r rhe lover of biograp hies, rhe work provides an enterta in ing and well -srructured look into the life of a lirtle-known but most interestin g character who enjoyed a norable m easure of success in a difficult environment fraughr with rhe potential for fai lure.

W.H.WHITE

Bluejacket Odyssey: Guadalcanal to Bikini-Naval Armed Guard in the Pacific, by Wi lli am L. McGee (The G lencannon Press, Palo Alto CA, 1997, 518pp, illus, appen, index, ISBN 1-889901-05-9; $35hc) The sub rit!e of rhis book prerry well sums it up. McGee starts with his early life in Montana during rhe D epress ion, drifting from job to job, until his pivoral enlistm ent in rhe US Navy in !are 1942 at age seven ree n. Imerested as many of us we re in those years in getting into action, he chooses the Naval Arm,ed Guard as a quick way to acco mplish rhar. After Gunnery School, he joins a series of Navy gun crews on merchant vessels, Liberties and Victories, sailin g the Pacific with their essential cargoes

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41

REVIEWS that allow the war to be fought. McG ee presents a very detailed accountofwhat life was like, day by day, o n vo yages to Guadalcanal, Australia, New G uinea, the Marianas and the Philippines, som etimes with munitio ns and barrels of gaso line, sometimes with beer and dry goods, always at risk and sometimes under submarine or aircraft attack.

Because he was regular Navy rather than a wartime reserve, after V-J day he transfers to the fleet in o rder to complete his enlistment term and is assigned to USS Fall River, a heavy cruiser that is flags hip for the Bikini atom bomb tests' Target Vessel Control Group. His account includes a good deal of detail regarding rhe lack of nucl ea r knowledge and the consequent unintentional high-risk deployment of personnel during the tests and post-test period that is not general ly appreciated. The book concludes with his Navy discharge.

This is a carefully researched volume with a lot of detail on ship's routine and merchant ship operations during the Pacific War. Inserted into the text fro m time to tim e are sidebars explaining contemporary war news, details of ships, aircraft, islands visired , war campaigns and so forth.

Th e overall effect is very much a "living presence" approach to a personal memoir.

There are four appendices, one of which derails government sources of information for naval researchers with unusual derail and accuracy. Bluejacket Odyssey is a co mpelling story of the Navy gun crews and merchant sailors who delivered the goods char won the war.

TOWNSE D H ORNOR

H.M. Bark Endeavour, Her Place in Australian History, by Ray Parkin (Melbourne U ni versity Press, Victoria,Ausualia, 467pp, illus, index, ISB 0-522-847 16-1; $ l 75 hc) Distributed in the US by Paul & Co., clo PCS Dara Processing, Inc., 360 W. 31st St. , 2 12 564-3730; FAX: 212 967-0928.

Every o nce in a while a book co mes along that is quite perfect in every detailaccurate to the point of nea r-obsess ion, illustrated to brilliant perfection, comprehensively encapsulating the subj ect until no stone imaginable is left unturned. Such a book is Ray Parkin's magnum opus, HM. Bark Endeavour. With the advent of rhe museum replica vessel, and its current world voyage, interest in this book will

42

deservedly be immense. Captain James Away Offshore: Nantucket Island and Cook's Endeavour is undoubtedly one of its People, 1602- 1890 , by Nathaniel Philbri ck (M ill Hill Press, Nantucket MA, the most famous ships in Britain 's mari1994, 273 pp , illus, notes, index, ISBN 0time history-an d ye t, un ti! fairly recently, few details of her were known to any bur a 9638910- 1-4; $2 9.95hc, $19.95pb) T his is an engross ing richly-illustrated select gro up of maritime histo rians.

Ray Parkin spent 25 years researching and well-documented account of the prohis subject and the end result is breathtak- gress ive development ofNanrucket seafaring. An Australian seaman , Navy veteran, in g from irs origins in whaling off th e artist and author, he set about recording beaches of the island to its culm in ation in everything he could discover abom the ship. th e deepwater quest of the whale around To assist him in his quest, he had the the wo rld. T he author's latestwo rk,Abram renowned Cook scholar, Professor ]. C. Eyes was rev iewed in Sea H istory 84; we Beaglehole. Th e result of rheir collabora- would like to express our appreciation to tion is the most painstaking study of En- the Egan In stitute for their valuable co ntri deavourto date, and a quite unique account bution to seago ing heritage in publishing PS of Cook's great journey of discovery charr- th ese works. ing the east coast of New Holland (Australia) in 1770. Parkin effectively recreates the The Voyage of the Frolic: New England atmosphere and the experien ce of sailing Merchants and the Opium Trade, by with Capta in Cook aboard Endeavour. His Thomas N. Layton (Stanford Un ivers ity meticulous research provides us with an Press, Stanford CA, 1997, 227pp, illus, accurate image of the ship-how she was appen, notes, index, ISBN 0-8047-2909constructed, ri gged and eq uipped, how she 3; $24.95h c) In researching a wreck on the California sailed, how she smelled, what life wo uld coast the author found himself drawn into have been like for those on board.

Throughout this book, Endeavourcomes a new understanding of America's rol e in to life, a feat no other writer has managed to the illega l export of opium to C hin a. T his achieve with such accuracy and authority. broadly-based study examines th e dynamThe book comes with a comprehensive set ics of a largely ove rlooked era in W estern of fifteen plans and drawings, all by Ray relations with Ch ina, in which American Parkin. "Perfection" is the on ly wo rd that merchants, along with th e British and othPS adequatel y describes them and for my ers, played a significant role. money, they are eas ily worth th e whole $ 175 . This work richly deserves the widest The History of the Ship: The Comprehensive Story of Seafaring from the Earpossibl e audience.

NI CK M ESSINGER liest Times to the Present Day, by Ri chPortl and, E ngland ard Woodman (Conway M aritime Press, Excerpted with permission from Ta ll Ships London UK, 1997, 352pp, illus, biblio, glosInternational, Issue 10, J une-July 1998, sary, index, ISBN 1-55821-681-2; $60hc) Woodman offers a compendious, richlyPortland, England illustrated recounting of the evolution of The Admiral's Academy, by Margaret the seaborne ca rriers that have tied the Moore Booker (Mill Hill Press, antucket wo rld together and battled for contro l of MA, 1998, 80pp, illus, notes, ISBN 0- trade routes from the ea rliest recorded history onwards. A necdotal in approach, it is 96389 10-9-x; $ 14.9 5) This specialized study focuses on the much stronger in its trea tment of recent remarkable career ofAdmiral Sir Isaac Cof- steam-powered shippin g than of earl ier PS fin, who fought on th e British side in the periods.

Revolution , but in later life ca me back to his roots to found th e Coffin School in Pillaging the Empire: Piracy in the Nantucket. T he Schoo l ran the first sai l Americas, 1500-1750, by Kris E. Lan e training ship in the United States and went (M. E. Sharpe, Armonk NY, 23 7 pp, illus, on through a variegated career to beco me appen, notes, glossary, biblio, ind ex, ISBN today the home of th e Ega n Institute of 0-7656-0256-3; $58.9 5hc, $ 19.95pb) The autho r, who views piracy "with an Maritime Studies.

PETER STANFORD uneasy comb in ation of fascination and

s

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

The Officers and Trustees of the horror, " conveys a clear picture of the complex phenomenon that led to the "classic" period of piracy in the Am ericas. In doing so, he brushes aside many legends and pays careful attenti on to the varied circumstances and still more varied motives that led to the rise of this bloodthirsty pursuit of ri ches o n the high seas. A valuable chronology helps clarify this obscure and over-romanticized scene and valuable notes establish th e factual basis of the narrative.

PS A New Voyage Round the World: The Journal of an English Buccaneer, by Wi lliam Dampi er (Hummingbird Press, London UK, 1998, 294pp, illus, glossary, ISBN 0-9532918-0-4; ÂŁ 19.95hc) Distributed by Gazelle Book Services in th e UK, phon e: 011(44 1524) 68 765 .

T his new edition of Dam pier's rem arkabl e sto ry of his semi-piratical voyage around rhe world in rhe late 1600s is carefull y annotated and richly provided wit h illustrative graphi cs . It provides dramatic insight into a tempestuous chapter in the opening of the ocean world.

PS The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of1814, by Anthony S. Pitch (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1998, 29 8pp, notes, index, ISBN 1-55750692-2; $32.95hc) Th is perhaps overdramatized tale of the British raid on Washington in rhe W ar of 18 12 provides a close-in picture of what happened to rh e America n and British participan rs but is disappoin ring in its grasp of the overall issues of the war.

PS A Bride's Passage: Susan Hathorn's Year Under Sail, by Catherine Petroski (Northeaste rn University Press, Bosto n MA, 304pp, illus, appen, index, !SB 1-555532984; $42.50hc, $ 15.95pb) Petroski draws on Harhorn's dia1y, written while sa iling with her husband ]ode on the merchant ship).). Hathorn. The journal is rather limi ted in scope, and Petroski occasiona ll y draws co nclusion s about Susan's attitudes rhar don't seem to be supported by rhe journal text provided.

Bur rhe text is supplemented with exhausti ve backgro und material. A Bride's Passage rece ived the Nort h American Society for Oceanic History's John Lyman BookAward for Biography andAutobiography for 1997 .

SHELLEY REID

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY invite you to join them aboard the

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Vario rum Collected Studies Series (Ashgare Publishing Co., Old Post Road, Brookfield VT 05036, 802 276-3162) Since 1994 the Ashgate Publishing Co mpany has been compiling the works of individual scholars in the humaniti es, already published in the form of articles in various academic books and journals, in collections under the imprint Variorum Collected Studies. To dare the series comprises well over 100 volumes, covering historical topics ranging from mathematics, science and religion to trade and the development of empires. The se ries includes several maritim e titles, including a coll ection by JacobM. Price, Overseas Trade and Traders, examining the lot of British Atlantic merchanrs in the 1600s and 1700s, and Holden Furber's Private Fortunes and

Company Profits in the India Trade in the 18th Century. The emphasis is on the scholarly. Each volume contains a preface abou t the scholar and an index.

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ME, 2 13 pp , notes, index, ISBN 0-88448174-3; $25 pb) Shettleworrh and Bunting have assembled here an exceptional collection of Eric Hudso n's photographs, in cludin g his portraya ls of coastal life on Monhegan Isl and, M ain e, pictures of vessels in Boston harbor, and the photographs he rook as study pieces for later paintings, yet which ca n stand on their own merit as works of art. The texts provide sometim es commentary, sometimes background derails, always interesting reading, to equip the reader for full appreciation of each work.

SR Letters from Annapolis. Midshipmen Write Home 1848-1969, edited by Ann e Marie Drew (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD , 1998, 2 l 6pp, glossa ry, index, ISBN 1-5575 0-1 70-x; $29.95 hc) Drew has collected the letters of thirteen midshipm en. Spanning nearly 150 yea rs, the letters offer brief snapshots of everyday routine in the academy, the yo un g men's achievements, disappointm enrs and dreams . Particularly entertaining are the snatches of slang which pepper the yo un g men's writi ng.

SR

43

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DESSERT

The Skipper and the Eagle: The Voyage Begins!

by Capt. Gordon McGowan US Coast Guard Captain Gordon McGowan was sent to Bremerhaven, Germany, in 1946 to take command ofa German war prize, the three-masted bark Horst Wessel. McGowan recounted his experiences in Germany, overseeing the ship's restoration to seaworthiness and commanding its voyage as the US Coast Guard vessel Eagle to New London, Connecticut, in The Skipper and the Eagle. Sea History Press is publishing a reprint ofhis lively account, with a new afterword written by current Eagle Capt. Robert]. Papp, Jr., and a new introduction by Peter Stanford. In the following passages McGowan describes his first sight ofthe Horst Wessel and the ensuing effort to rebuild her in the midst ofthe material shortages ofpostwar Germany. Aiding Capt. McGowan was his resourceful supply officer, "Von, " who always seemed to be able to find the items they needed, no questions asked.

he lay at a bombed-out spare parts and fittings must come fro m German establishshipyard amid the ugly skeletons of sh atte red ments. New sails had to be probuildings and mountainous duced in German sail lofts by German sailmakers. heaps of rubble, her stately masts canted drunkenly to starboard , Sail cloth now in use on as she rested on the bottom of a square- ri gged sailing ships is narrow waterway at low tide. made of flax, this being considered more suitable than cotton Her gray sides were smeared with stains, the paint on her duck, since it does not get as hard and stiff when wet, but is yards and masts blistered and still one of the strongest known cracked . Raised metal lettering vegetable fibers. This is a conceson each side of the quarterdeck informed the world that this sion to the fact that the days of the horny-handed square-riggerwas the Horst Wessel, a ship of man who spits to wi ndward is a the dead Nazi navy.

The Ho rst Wessel was built at thing of the past. The squarerigged ships now in use in norththe Blohm and Voss Shipyard ern European countries serve as in Hamburg in 1937. She is a the yo ung man's introduction three-masted bark, 295 feetover to the sea, and since modern all , displaces 1700 tons, and carmechanization does not permit ries 22,000 square feet of sai l, long periods of time to be degive or take a stays'! or two. She vo ted to thisonephaseofasai lor's has an auxiliary diesel which education, the use of this softer can be disengaged from the promate rial is necessary. It wo uld peller while under sail by means have bee n a simple matter to buy of a clutch on her main shaft. the cloth in London, CopenI marveled at the rowering The H orst Wessel in dry dock in Bremerhaven, Germany, 1946, hagen or Stockholm, but the use height of th e mai nm'st, which being refitted for service as the US Coast Guard Eagle. (All photos of dollars, pounds or kroner was stood 148 feet above the watercourtesy the US Coast Guard) forbidden . lin e, and tried ro imagine what T he probl em of obtaining sails in suffithis bedraggled guttersnipe, with her rust gage in sabotage, the Germans were alstreaks and dirt, wo uld look like with a lowed to remain in their ships, and assisted cient numbers loo med large r as the days fresh coat of paint and a new suit of sails. in disarming the vessels and d isposing of went by. Sail cloth ap peared to be almost Now she was totally out of co mmission am munition and other explos ives. When non-existent. T ime afte r time the supply we arrived, the Horst Wesselwassti ll manned officer was sent by jeep to some part of and her yards were bare.

by Germans. We we re directed to proceed Germany on a hot lead, only to receive the * * * * * Havingfound the Horst Wessel in Jar worse with the fittin g out, using that crew and a discouraging news that the warehouse condition than had been reported, Capt. nearby German shipyard force as man- whi ch had been the "target for the day" had previously been the target of alli ed bombMcGowan undertook the project of refitting power. her for her new incarnation as a US Coast T he co nditi ons prescribed by the Allies ers. We had so m any disappointments that Guard training vessel. in the turning over of the Horst Wessel to I began to develop a persecution complex.

The turning over of the remnants of the the U nited States required, amo ng other T his was partly eased by a phone call from German navy to the Allied Fo rces was a things, that the ship should be made in all the M ilitary Governo r's office in Berlin .

"Hello, McGowan, are yo u there? T his simple and well ordered affair. Upo n ass ur- respects seawo rthy at no cost to the Ameriance being give n that they would not en- can Gove rnment. T his meant all sail cloth, is Colonel Blank. I have some good news

S

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

45

fo r yo u, which I w ill co nfirm by dispatch.

We have heard that yo u had to have sail cloth and I have found so me in the reco rds of captured material. Se nd a represe m arive to Kassel and tell him to go to wa rehouse No. 3 1. The local MPs will poim it out.

About how much do yo u need ?"

"Offh and, Co lo nel, I wo uld say abo ut 3,000 yards in standard width of the va ri ous weighs. " "OK, we will authorize some extra fo r good measure, say 8,000 ya rds, o r let's make it meters-that's rhe way ir's listed here. Then yo u can rake some spare stuff home."

"That's wo nderful, Colonel. That's the best news I've had since we got here. I wis h it were all as good as this."

"Well , fine. I'm glad we can help yo u. If there's anything else we ca n do, be sure to call us."

"Thank yo u, sir. " Ela red, I hung up . This was too good to be true!

T hree days later my supply officer came in from Kassel, his shoulders saggin g with dejectio n.

"What's the matter, man ? Couldn 'ryo u find the wa reho use?"

"I fo und ir all right, Cap' n, and make no mistake abo ut it, I found the right o ne.

There was no thing bur four walls and so me rubble. T har ware house was hi ta nd burned in an ai r raid over a year ago. W hat these

jokers in Berlin did was to pick up a piece of paper and read from it. " So- I was the w inn er of8, 000 yards of ashes.

T he main engine was slated for a minor inspection and a ro utine rep lacemem of visibly wo rn pans, if we co uld get rhe pans.

Afte r mulling the co nversation with KaLeut [the abbreviated fo rm of Kapitdnleutnant, German capta in of the H orst Wesse~ over in my mind, I decided, in rhe face of 6,000 hours of operation , that it would be foolish ro ove rlook this opportunity ro find our all about the engine. Early one morning I ordered a co mplete pull down and a searching inspection of the engine.

Just befo re noo n my chief machinist's mare, w itho ut the custo mary knock, unceremonio usly burst in to the cabin.

"You better come down to the engine room, Cap' n . Thar engine looks like a to tal loss ."

With dread , I approached rhe d ismantled engine. At firsd could see nothing wrong, and glanced around indignantly at the black gang for giving me such a fri ght.

Every face wo re a look of such grave co ncern rhar I knew rhis was no gag. Then I saw it. With the feeling of discoverin g a mottled snake co il ed in tangled underbrush , I made our a sp idery, almost in visible crack extending from the wall ofNo. 2 cylinder to No. 3, skipping to the other wal l of No . 3 through to No. 4, and from

Ka-Leut (left) and Capt. McGowan take compass bearings aboard Eagle.

Engine repairs proceed, as the crew prepares to leave Bremerhaven.

46

4 to 5, a nd 5 to 6, and 6 to 7. This hun k of steel was being held together by rhe bolrs which fastened down the cylinder head asse mblies. Only a matter of rime underway, perhaps ren h ours, perh aps fi ve min ures, lay betwee n almost normal operati o n and a to tally disabling breakdown. * * * * * While supply officer Von undertook a search for a new engine block, Capt. McGowan received a tip to investigate a warehouse near Columbus Key, Bremerhaven.

The wa reho use area was enclosed in barbed wi re and guarded by Mi litary Poli ce. T his was a ho pefu l sign. I could mooch around and legally scro unge somethin g or other for th e ship . Nea r rhe Key I came to a big sto ne wa rehouse. T he German watchman ch ee rfull y produced the keys and escorted me in.

Wirh all rhe wi ndows shuttered, rhe interior of rhe lower fl oor was almost completely dark. I stood a while, waiting fo r my eyes to adjust to the room. Yanking o ur a handkerchi ef, I polished my glasses.Fa intly at first, bulky objects began to appea r. Row upo n row of co ils o f rope materi alized . I approached a co il and picked up a loose end protruding from the top . Here before me lay a five-foot-thick coil of new fiveinch Manila li ne, the exact thing so badly needed to replace the tatte red racks and sheers of the lower co urses of the Horst Wessel. A surge ofexcitem enr mush roomed inside me. T here beyond lay another co il and anoth er! They extended down an aisle that looked as lo ng as a football fi eld. M ost of the co ils we re nearly stitched up in burlap covers and had obviously never been opened.

Afraid the lode wo uld run out, I scampered over to the next row. There more good fortune awaited . On this row the rope was a size small er-j ust what we needed for the stuff higher up. I ordered the watchman to open a few windows to get a better look a t my bo nanza. Ir turned o ut better th an m y wi ldest hopes. T here was pl en ry of all sizes-more than we co uld poss ibly jam imo the holds as spare loot. There we re even g iganti c ro lls of eight- and ten-inch hawser, bur this wo uld be of] irtle use to the H orst Wessel sin ce we did nor expect to do any rowing.ArrheendofWorld War II US seago in g personnel had learned to limit the use of M anila line to a bare minimum, since rhe war in the Pacific had cut off the

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

supply and made it worth its weight in gold.

Th e watchman seemed to share my enthusias m. "Ve go t more. " H e led me to the base ment. There he showed me thousands of items, all specifically designed fo r shipboard use . There were bins full of shin y new marlinspikes; there were fids and mallets, turnbuckles, spectacle irons, a ge nerous suppl y of oakum, tarred hemp of all sizes, and a million wire rope clamps, bolts and shackles . T his was a ship rigge r's dream.

After wallowing about in my newly found bed of mariner's catnip, I had the watchman seal up the building. On the way back to the ship I stopped to call o n my boss at the Base. With elaborate nonchalance I sidled up to the subject: "Co mmodore, may I have a free hand in rounding up stuff necessary for the firring our of the Ho rst Wessel!"

"Why, yes, McGowan; anybody interfering? " "No, sir. I think, considering the Ho rst Wessel's rig, I ought to have some so rt of priority when I discover stuff, seein g as how it's go ing to be so hard to find things we must have. For instance, o ne of my officers has whipped out a slide rule and estim ated that we need twenty-two miles ofline just to replace wo rn out stuff; and to call the ship seaworthy, there ought to be an ampl e supply in the bosun 's locker and hawse r room."

"As much as that?"

"W ell , it may nor be exact, but it's beginnin g to look like it wi ll take that much. " "You have a fr ee hand. T ake anything yo u can find within reaso n. Good hunting! " "Ir's all right th en ifI pass this wo rd to the suppl y officer?"

"Yes, it is. " With rema rkable self-restrain t I drifted over to the supply office r and relayed th e message. After I got my car out of sight of H eadqu arters I roared back to th e ship. I call ed my offi cers together, broke the good news, and ordered every inch of runnin g ri gging be renewed befo re sailing day, and all possibl e space down below loaded with th is beautiful new cordage and gear.

* * * * * Meanwhile, the crew removed the cracked engine block in preparation for the instaffa-

SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998

I n 1992, Eagle sails off San J uan, Puerto Rico, p reparing to lead the international fleet ofsail training ships up America '.s East Coast in OpSail '92. tion ofthe new engine block Von had secured from a factory in Augsburg.

Next morning the new block arrived.

Setting it down on the old engine bed was simply a reverse procedure of what had happen ed the day before. To witness the ceremony I climbed down into the engine room. As our prize was gently lowered and canted into place, I lit a fl as h light to get a clear view. With the block ho ve rin g over the engine bed only a few inches more to go, I blinked to get rid of what looked like an optical illusion.Just as in the co mic gag, where there is an extra buttonhole at the top of a vest and an extra button at the bottom, th e holdin g down bolts and the bolt holes weren ' t linin g up properly. This thing just had to fir. Ir was th e right serial number, the right mark, the right builder's date; everyth ing checked .

I darted a look at the boss rigge r and the ya rd machinist. Their express ions told me all I needed to know. T he damn th ing did not fit.

I yelled for Von. "Com e here and look at yo ur prize.

What went wro ng? Is this th e block yo u so proudly pull ed off the asse mbly lin e?"

H e examined th e thing si len tl y for more than a minute.

"Ir beats hell out of me, Cap' n. That block was checked and double checked, but it sure don' t fir. " Sadly we climbed th e engine room ladd er and went into a huddle o n deck.

"Von , I wa nt yo u to doubl e check every fi gure o n the engin e, on th e bed, and on the invo ice, and take off for Augsburg with yo ur precio us letter. "

Von lit out for Augsburg without wa iting for lunch.

When he returned a few days later, he had the solutio n to the myste ry, thanks to having run into a German engineer who had been at the factory since the time the Ho rst Wessel was built. During the war th e factory had re-designed the Horst Wessel engine without indicating the change with a modification number. H e and Von had worked out the solutio n to our problem.

They had co mpared the engine bed plate and crankshaft bearing measurements. They found that a new bed plate which would fir our new block wo uld, at the same time, accommodate our crankshaft and th e other fittin gs in the lower part of our engine.

The new bed plate arri ved promptly and the work of assembling our almost new engin e we nt along w ithout a hitch.

Typical of Vo n, he had managed to scroun ge new valve assemblies and various other parts here and there as dividends. As he was bragging about his successes, I interrupted to say: "T his is about th e same as jacking up a whistle and running a new ship under it. " "It was about time for us to have a littl e luck, Cap ' n. " 1-

With more fuck and a lot of hard work, the ship was made seaworthy and left Bremerhaven on 3 0 May 1946 with a crew of Germans and Americans, making her first voyage as USCG Eagle. Today, "Americas Taff Ship " sails American and international waters, training Coast Guard cadets in seamanship and representing the United States in international sail training events.

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us

The Skipper The Skipper th~Eagle ...

&

&theEagle by

Capt. Gordon McGowa n, USCG,

R et.

In Janu ary 1946, soon after the end of World War II in bomb-shattered Bremerhaven, then-Commander McGowan, USCG, got his first look at his new charge, the German sail training ship Horst Wessel . Awarded as a war prize to the US Coast G uard, she was destined to become "America's Tall Ship," the USCG Eagle.

With minimal resources available on the ruined waterfront, Cdr. McGowan set about refitting the vessel for sea. He then sailed her to Madeira, across the Atlantic to Bermuda , and home to New York. On this last leg the ship met a hu rricane wh ich severely tested the ship and her crew of experienced German sailors and neophyte Coast G uardsmen.

They learned to pull together to sail and, ultimately, to save the ship.

With lively humor salting the narrat ive, McGowan brings this experience vividly to life for the reader, in a classic of sea literature.

Reiss ued by SEA HISTORY PRESS with a new introducti on by Peter Stanford and a new afterword by Captain Robert J. Papp, skipper of the Eagle, 1996-1999. Hardcover, 220 pages, illustrated. Specia l p re-publication price: $18. 75 (+ $3 s/h).

After 5 Nov . 1998: $2s. 00 Order from: NATIONA L MA RITIME HISTORICA L SOCIETY, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566.

Or call in your credit card order to:

1-800-221-NMHS (6647)

Sail the winds of history . â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

The only Class A size sailing vessel under the US flag upon which the public may embark- all who sail aboard her participate to the best of their abi lity. Come alone or with family or friends-sign on for a few days or a few weeks . No prior experience is necessary, nor is extraordinary fitness require d. Reasonable rates.

To receive a schedule, rates and additional information, write or call:

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'H' (203) 335-0932

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website: www .ta I lsh i prose .org

ROSE is a US documented vessel, inspected and certified by the US Coast Guard. Safety standards fo r Sailing School Vessels differ from those of passenger vessels on a comparable route, because persons aboard training ships are not passengers but participants who share in the ship's operation. ROSE meets or exceeds all safety requirements/or a vessel ofher size and class.