No. 94
NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AUTUMN 2000
SEA HISTORY:.
75
THE ART, LITERATURE, ADVENTURE, LORE & LEARNING OF THE SEA
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No. 94
SEA HISTORY
AUTUMN 2000
CONTENTS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE 6 An Early History of the National Maritime Historical Society and the Kaiulani Project: Part 1, by Alan D. Hutchison The founding president ofthe National Maritime Historical Society tells how the Society was born and how we became custodian ofthe bark Kaiulani for the American people.
8 USS Olympia: A Survivor of the New Steel Navy Poses a Big Question for Today's Americans, by Peter Stanford How much is too much-or too little-in national defense? 9 Olympia: Queen of the Pacific, by B. Franklin Cooling, PhD More than a century ago, the launching into the Pacific of USS O lympia, herald of America '.r New Navy, symbolized US expansiveness.
14
ROB ERT AND PAT FOULKE
15 Huascar Shows What the Turret Ship Can Do!, by Paul Quinn The Pax Britannica held for a century without a major battle involving the Royal Navy-but British naval design was tested under fire by H uascar in South America. 20 Preserving Our Fleet of Historic Naval Ships: The Continuing Challenge, by Channing Zucker The executive director ofthe Historic Naval Ships Association looks at the state ofthe fleet and what it needs to survive and flourish. 28
22 MARINE ART. Observation, Memory, Imagination, by Joseph McGurl A marine artist explores modern avenues in pursuit ofLuminism. 28 Operation Sail 2000: Those Unforgettable Tall Ships! Atlantic ports welcomed the OpSail fleet and celebrated our shared heritage in ships, as sail training vessels came from as far away as j apan and Indonesia. 32 Victoria Restored, by Richard Hunter A youthfit! Victoria, which once graced the bow ofa sailing ship, is brought back to her former glory through careful historical research and craftsmanship. 34 The Unique Legacy of the Navesink Twin Lights, by Paul Maxwell A fortress-like lighthouse takes the high ground near the entrance to New York harbor, boasting several significant firsts in lighthouse technology. COVER: Glistening white paint replaces USS Olympias wartime gray as she steams rumbustiously into New York Harbor in 1898- carrying her shield, not on it, after her victory at Manila Bay. ("Return of the Conquerors," oil, by Edward Moran; courtesy US Naval Academy Museum) (See pp. 8-13)
DEPARTMENTS 2 5 26 37
DECKLOG & LETTERS NMHS: A CAUSE IN MOTION MARINE ART NEWS SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS
38 AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM NEWS 41 CALENDAR 42 REVIEWS 48 PATRONS
22
SEA HISTORY (issn 0146-9312) is published quarrerly by the National Maritime Historical Sociery, 5 John Walsh Blvd., PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566. Periodicals postage paid at Peekskill NY 10566 and add'! mailing offices. COPYRIGHT© 2000 by the National Maritim e Hisrorical Sociery. Tel: 914-737-7878. POSTMASTER: Send address changes ro Sea History, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566.
NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
DECK LOG
LETTERS
"How are we doing?" asked our Chairman Emeritus Alan Choate the other day. I thought for a moment before answering: "Pretty well , I think; but we're only at our beginnings." "What! " a member would have every right to ask. "Only at our beginnings?-after you've served over thirty years as president of the National Maritime Historical Society?" Well, yes. We've done a lot in the past 30 years, things I've been awed by and things I've learned from-things which I believe could only be achieved by a society of members dedicated to steering not from headland to headland, but by the stars. But we need more members to build an effective national constituency for the heritage of seafaring. And we urgently need to set up stronger continuing finances to support our operations and secure our future. We've had rewarding experiences-but we haven't yet achieved these vital goals. Let's not underrate what we have, however! Backed by the NMHS Board of Trustees led by Clay Maitland, our membership has given your Society an unmatched record in saving historic ships from destruction, from the Cape Verde packet schooner Ernestina to the World War II Liberty ship john W Brown, and in encouraging other historic ship rescues and new building for historic programs. Recognizing the educational nature of our mission, we've run a Maritime Education Initiative, which, after a few years' study and buildup of case histories in maritime education, is now mounting programs of growing value to the whole field of seafaring, past, present and future . These efforts are of value, indeed, to our country as a whole, whose educational system can benefit greatly from the breath of salt air and the character-building opportunities programs like our "Histo ry at Sea" sailings offer young people. Our membership has done these things as part of our vision of history as an active force in human affairs. And our trustees and friends have supported these efforts. But to carry on successfully, we must and will grow from these devoted existing cadres. So I have been traveling to talk with members like Walter Jaffee of Glencannon Press in San Francisco, who says: "We should do more to get groups in the field working as partners." Master rigger Steve Hyman says: "You've got the dedicated people-get them to reach out for you." New York State Historian Joe Meany characterizes our vision for New York harbor as the best hope for developing this rich heritage for all New Yorkers. Admiral Tom Patterson, who saved the Liberty ship J eremiah O'Brien, and who, with our Vice C hairman Ed Zelinsky, has pulled together an NMHS group as the Pacific Steam Schooner Foundation to save the venerable Wapama, says that a staff person to support our Ship Trust division would make all the difference to the support we endeavor to give them.
A Cape Horner Signs On In 193 7-38 I shipped as Ordinary Seaman in the Finnish four-masted bark Moshulu for a voyage aro und the world: T rangs und, Finland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Lorenzo Marques , Portuguese East Africa; Port Victoria, South Australia; Cape H orn in midwinter; Queenstown, Ireland, for orders, and Belfast for discharge. I followed the sea as seaman, shipmaster and harbor pilot until retiring at age 70 in 1986. During all of those years I was always grateful for lessons and attitude learned in Moshulu. Consequently I feel that those who participate in your sail training program will benefit as well-even though the two types of sailing are worlds apart. It is a privilege to support your noble work in preserving our nation 's nautical heritage and passing the word to the public. Congratulations! And carry on. CAPT. J OHN H. ALBRIGHT Seal Beach, California It is an honor to welcome aboard a Cape Horn veteran as a Friend ofthe Society!-ED.
A Living Force Our Executive Vice C hairman Howard Slotnick and I met in Miami recently with Paul Lesky, the president ofCMP Associates, naval architects and marine engineers, and Michael McKay, the president of the American Maritime Officers. Both these leaders in their fields are longtime supporters, and readers will have noted AM O 's lively advertisements in this journal. We asked these good friends of NMHS what they thought of our active fieldwork. Would we be better off just sticking to our studies? Both Paul and Michael encouraged us to do more, not less, of what we are doing. Both regard history as a living force in society, and offered specific suggestions-and specific support-fo r our work with yo ung people at sea particularly. How do yo u feel about this? Let us hear from you! It is your interest that guides us, and your support makes our work possible.
PETER STANFORD President
2
A Tanker Fights Back-and Wins! In "Ugly Duckling Turns Warrior" (Sea History 9 1) author William Langenberg illustrates the heroism of the crew of the SS Stephen Hopkins very well. However, this was not the only rime an auxiliary cruiser was sunk by a merchant ship it had attacked. On 5 November 1942, the Durch Shell Tanker Ondina, about 9000 tons, with a speed of 12 knots and armed with a 10.5cm (4.1") gun and 6 Lewis machine guns, left Fremanrle, Australia, in ballast with 200-300 tons of grain in her forward hold for the Persian G ulf. She was accompanied by a minesweeper of the Royal Indian Navy, Bengal. Bengal was about 400 tons, with a speed of 16 knots, and armed with one gun of7 .3cm (3"). T he ships were to stay together until Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. T hereafter, the Ondinawas to continue her voyage to Abadan, and Bengal to Colombo, Ceylon. On 11 November, two Japanese armed merchant crui sers, Aikoku Maru and Hokoku Maru, opened fire on the two Allied vessels, some 550 miles SSW of Cocos. The Japanese vessels were some of the most modern of the Japanese merchant marine, built in 1939, ofl0,500 tons, with a speed of2 l knots. Each had a formidable armament of six 15cm (5.9") guns, anti-
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
aircraft guns, torpedoes and two seaplanes. A long battle followed. The Ondina sustained many hits, but a hit from the Ondina on Hokoku Maru caused the explosion of torpedoes and ammo on the afterdeck, and she sank with great loss oflife. The other Japanese raider took her survivors on board, fired two torpedoes into the Ondina and left the battle, ass uming the tanker was sinking. Bengal, after a gallant fight, retired, greatly overmatched by the cruisers' 5.9" guns . She reported that the Ondina was lost. The crew of the Ondina had actually abandoned ship . However, the vessel did not sink. The crew reboarded, managed to activate the engine room, and by clever pumping and ballasting saved the ship. On 19 November 1942 the vessel arrived in Fremantle; five crew members, including the captain, had perished. Both Bengal and the Ondina claimed to have fired the shot that sankHokokuMaru. However, the report of the Japanese commander stated that it was the tanker Ondina with her somewhat heavier gun that fired the fatal shot. The Ondina survived the war and was the first tanker to arrive in Rotterdam after the liberation of the Netherlands. We sho uld never underestimate the contribution made to the war effort by the merchant marines of Holland, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway and the heroism of the crews whose families were in jeopardy in the homeland, occupied by a cruel and merciless enemy. KORNELIS GYSWYT Mount Holly, New Jersey Lindbergh's Role in WWII Clarified As an 80-year-old history buff who served in the World War II merchant marine, I appreciated yo ur "Editor's Book Locker" review ofJohn Lukac's Five Days in London, May 1940 (SH92, p45). You neglected to note that C harles Lindbergh also warned of German air superioriry after he inspected Luftwaffe production in the midl 930s at the request of the US government. He went on to serve 50 missions in the South Pacific in WWII, saving many lives by showing how to extend fuel consumption on long trips. It was his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who wrote The Wave ofthe Future, not Charles. THORNTON THOMAS Bellevue, Washington SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
American Legion Aground "Wisky Aground" (SH92) recalled to my mind a similar event during World War II. I was on the foredeck of USS American Legion (APA-17) as we came into G uadalcanal in 1943. Looking across the deck it seemed like the coconut trees were going by very close to the port side of the ship. And, yes, we went aground, fortunately on a non-coral bottom. Over went all of our LCM/LCUPs and, with the ship backing down, the landing craft pushed exactly as shown in the photo of the USS Wisconsin incident. It didn't do any good and, worse, one of the boat crew fell over the side into the ship's prop wash; his body washed up on shore a day or so later. A seagoing concrete barge was brought in, bunker oil was pumped out, and the ship floated free several days later. American Legion wasn't so lucky just a few months later in the 3 November landings at Bougainville. During an air raid all ships headed out to sea-all except American Legion, which "found" an uncharted reef and ground to a halt. A seagoing tug towed the ship off the reef. Due to hull damage the ship was directed to a West Coast shipyard and amphibian training out of San Diego. DON CHALMERS Portland, Oregon An Outstanding Trip for All Hands I want to thank yo u for a fabulous trip on the Fo urth ofJ uly out on the Staten Island
NMHS and Noble Maritime Collection members look out on OpSail 2000 in New York on the Fourth ofjuly.from the ferry JFK. ferry john F. Kennedy, chartered by NMHS for OpSail 2000 in New York. Even though I am retired Navy I had to chuckle every time the US Coast Guard had to holler at the master of the Kennedy to scoot back from the red buoy he kept hunching up on-for our vie~ing benefit, obviously! ALAN HILL (via e-mail) Well done to all hands fo r an outstanding cruise on the Fourth of July. I hope Peter Stanford [on board the aircraft carrier john F. Kennedy, as commentator for Fox News) had as good a view as we did. I managed to get excellent photos of all of the participants enhanced by the rather unusual weather conditions. FREDERIC SATER (via e-mail) ERRATA In Sea History 93 (p45) the protagonist in '.A'..Uss our review of William H . Can~Yr White's A Press of Canvas was incorrectly referred to as Isaac Griggs; the character's name is Isaac Biggs. !,
Join Us for a Voyage into History Our seafaring heritage comes alive in the pages of Sea History, from the ancient mariners of Greece to Portuguese navigators opening up the ocean world to the heroic efforts of seamen in this century's conflicts. Each issue brings new insights and new discoveries. If yo u love the sea, rivers, lakes,
and bays-if you love the legacy of those who sail in deep water and their workaday craft, then you belong with us. Join today! Mail in the form below, phone:
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NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS & TRUSTEES: Chairman, G uy E. C. Maitland; Vice Chairmen, Richardo Lopes, Howard Slorni ck, Edward G. Zeli nsky; President, Pete r Sta nford ; Vice President, Norma Stanford; Executive Director, Patrick]. Garvey; Treasurer, W illi am H. White; Secretary, Marshall Srreiberr; Trustees, Wa lter R. Brown, Richard T. du Moulin, Fred C. Hawkins, Rodney N. Houghton , Steven W. Jones, Robert A. La Banca, Warren G. Leback, Ka ren E. Markoe, Warren Marr, II, Harry W. Marshall , David A. O 'Neil , Cra ig A. C. Reynolds , C harles A. Robertson , Bradford D. Sm ith, John G. Talbot, David B. Vieto r, H arry E. Vin all , III , J ea n Wort, A lexander E. Zago reos; Chairmen Emeriti, Alan G. C hoate, Craig A. C. Reynolds FOUNDER: Karl Kortum (191 7- 1996) OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown; Walter Cronkite, Alan D . Hutchison, John Lehman, Brian A. McAllister, John Stobarr ADVISORS : Co-Chairmen, Frank 0. Braynard , Melbourne Smith; D.K. Abbass, Raymond Aker, George F. Bass, Francis E. Bowker, Oswald L. Bren , Norman J. Brouwer, RADM Joseph F. Callo, Wi lliam M. DoerAinger, Francis]. Duffy, John Ewald, Josep h L. Farr, T imothy G . Foote, W illiam G ilkerso n, Thomas Gillmer, Walter]. Handelman, Charles E. H erdendorf, Steven A. Hyman, Hajo Knuttel , G unnar Lundeberg, Conrad Milster, W illiam G. Muller, David E. Perkins, Nancy Hughes Richardson, Timothy ]. Runyan, Ralph L. Snow, Shan non J. Wal l, Thomas Wells
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SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
NMHS:
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A CAUSE IN MOTION
Making History-at-Sea by David B. Allen Director of Education "It's a brig! " shouted 16-year-old Jessica Spadafino. "Two masts, and square sails on both of them, " she pronounced , pointing at Niagara as the brig sailed beyond the starboard quarter of USCG Barque Eagle. Jessica and her team of 50 students and ten teachers from aro und the country had just finished the task of helping Coast Guard cadets set sails aboard Eagle as she came through the Narrows into New York's Upper Bay. The excited students, up at 2AM to board the ship, were just beginning to take in rhe reality of the incredible event evolving aro und them. "Most of the larger ships out here are three-masted barks or full riggers, just like the Rose," noted 17-year-old Josh Holbus from Maryland as he gestured toward rhe ships following Eagle as she crossed under rhe Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. "Bur 200 years ago they didn 't have rhar radio that the chief mare keeps talking into . They used signal flags and I think they ran into each other sometimes." Jessica, Josh, and their fellow maritime history students, participating in the National Maritime Historical Society's History at Sea education program, had been studying America's maritime history for the past ten days and were now on board Eagle, leading rhe Parade of Sail in New York's Operation Sail 2000.
and presenting the Karl Kortum /American Ship Trust Award ro rhe frigate Rose
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SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
A patch ofblue at Eagle '.r foremast shows the History-atSea students getting their orders for the day (top). Their duties ran the gamut ftom hauling on lines, to polishing brass, to relaying commands ftom the quarterdeck. A week earlier, in Newport harbor, they learned to pull together in Rose '.r longboat and sailed aboard the schooner Aurora.
This maritime education program, conducted by NMHS as part of our educational partnership with Operation Sail 2000, was designed to stir interest in our nation's maritime heritage in all Americans, bringing together students and teachers from around the co untry. History at Sea 2000, in cooperation with the US Coast Guard, rhe New York State Maritime C ollege at Fort Schuyler, the "HMS " Rose Foundation, and the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island, combined ten days of classes in maritime history with sailing as crew aboard historic ships. Students and teachers lived, worked and studied together aboard ship and at Fort Schuyler. The grand finale of rhe program was an invitation from the Coast Guard to come aboard Eagle to put what they had learned into practice during OpSail in New York on rhe Fourth of July. Each day during rhe college-level classes, Timothy Walker, a history professor from
Boston University, used hands-on activities in addition to academic discussion to communicate the significance ofAmerica's maritime heritage to students from inland and coastal states. Professor Walker addressed the evolution of sail, the fundamentals of ship design, commercial shipping, and the economic and political motivation for developing a navy. Mary Betts, a 14-year-old from Rhode Island, declared: "In the past 10 days I've learned more than the greatest reacher could have taught in rhe classroom! " H er opinion was seconded by co unselor Lr. Robert Skibar, USN (Rer), a naval science reacher, who also noted rhar rhe lecture series introduced students to rhe college experience and might "prove to be a deciding factor in their future educational choices." He added: "Speaking from 22 years of active naval service, I offer you the highest co mpliment one sai lor can give another: I'd go to sea with this gro up anytime!" .:t
5
An Early History of the National Maritime Historical Society and the Kaiulani Project: Part 1 by Alan D. Hutchison t was a clear, bright, sunny day in September 1963, one of those special summer days peculiar to San Francisco. The sailing ship Balciutha was rolling gently at her old berth on the San Francisco waterfront. I was on the West Coast handling some legal matters for my law firm in Washington DC. The Balcfutha was of special interest to me, since my law firm represented the Washington Waterfront Development Company, and I was directly involved in the planning of the proposed Maine Avenue Washington DC waterfront. It seemed to be shaping up as some sort of riverfront mall, and I suggested the need of an historic sailing ship to give it a proper "salty" flavor, "j ust like San Francisco!" I asked a maintenance man on the Balciutha who was in charge of the ship, and he directed me to Karl Kortum at the San Francisco Maritime Museum. I walked alon g Fis herman's Wharf to the old WPA building converted into a maritime museum. At the museum I was sent to the top floor and entered an open spacious room with a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay. Beh ind a cluttered desk sat a big man with grizzled hair and broad hands like a seaman. I knew nothing about Kortum or the marvelous work he had done in saving the Balcfutha and organizing the museum. I presented my business card to Kortum and told him about the waterfront project in Washington and my quest for an historic sailing ship . If Kortum was am used with my ignorance, he didn't show it. Instead he produced a massive photo album and told me there was only one ship lefr in the entire world worthy of being in the nation's capital: the bark Kaiulani, the only surviving American-b uilt squarerigged merchant ship left in this world. There were two square-rigged naval vessels and a square-rigged whaler, but this was the on ly sailing merchant ship! The photo album contained wonderful black-andwhite photographs taken aboard the Kaiulani by Kortum himself in 1941 when she sailed from San Francisco to Grays Harbor to pick up a cargo oflumber and then on to Durban, South Africa.
I
6
Kortum told me the story of the bark and then showed me recent photographs taken by a US merchant marine captain of the Kaiulani in the Philippines serving as a lumber barge under tow. Kortum told me it was my mission to rescue the Kaiulani, refit her as a sailing vessel and sail her to Washington, where she would become a national monument. I left the maritime museum in the fading light of late afternoon and said I would be in touch. No papers, no agreement, just my business card and a handshake and he turned the precious photo book and the Kaiulani over to me ... a 32-year-old Washington international tradelawyer. Flying back to Washington that night I had roman tic visions of the Kaiulani, but how do you get started on a project like this? Back at the office I had a brainstorm and called an acquaintance at the Washington Post and told him about the Kaiulani. He called me back later and asked me to come over at the end of the day with Kortum's photographs to show to the editor of the Posts Sunday supp lement, Potomac. The editor was obviously a square-rigger buff, because within a month the Washington Post Potomac ran a co lorized version of one of Kortum 's photos on the front cover, along with an article I had written about the Kaiulani. There was a small box on the upper corner of one page which stated if you were interested in supporting the restoration of the bark to write to the Committee for the Preservation of the Kaiulani, with my law firm's address. My senior law partner, Jim Sharp, was thrilled with the idea of the Kaiulani on the Washington waterfront and went along with using the firm as headquarters for the Committee. The article produced an avalanche of calls and letters from interested parties, including Captain Fred Sable, an 81-yearold master mariner who not only had square-rigger experience, but had spent most of his career in the Far East, ending up as the first and only American to head the Chinese Customs Service. We discovered the log barge Kaiulani was owned by the Madrigal Shipping Company of Manila and that the owner of the firm, Tony Mad-
rigal, was a graduate of Catholic University of America in Washington. We wrote to him about the barge. He told us he would be in Washington soon and would welcome a talk with us. As it turned out, he wanted us to arrange an even swap of the log barge for a surplus Federal Maritime Administration cargo ship. I didn't get very far with that proposal. Our committee developed a small group of enthusiasts of all backgrounds. O ne of our members, a self-described "spook for the Company," told us he had worked with a retired Filipino colonel who might be in a position to help us. He arranged an evening meeting, and my friend from "the Company'' and I drove out to the colonel's large, impressive and obviously expens ive home. The co lonel was a round-faced, somewhat plump, middle-aged man with a most friendly personality. He had already been briefed on theKaiulani project and thought it was a great idea. He told us he was a close friend of Tony Madrigal and also had a protege, a young naval officer, working as chiefofstaff to Diosdado Macapagal, President of the Philippines. This yo ung officer, Alejandro ("Alex") Melchor, was an Annapolis graduate, and the colonel said he had arranged his academy appointment. Furthermore, President Macapagal was coming to the US soon to confer with President Johnson and it would be a good idea if he gave us the Kaiulani as a gift! All we had to do was provide the colonel with a round-trip ticket to Manila and he would be happy to work out the details. Personally, I felt the colonel was genuine, but we could not afford the ticket. I went to Jim Sharp, who said he wo uld be glad to place a bet on the colonel and buy the ticket. I called the colonel to give him the news and he advised me he only traveled first class! Jim said: "in for a penny, in for a pound" and came up with a first-class ticket. The colonel went off to the Philippines. Weeks went by and not a word from the colonel. Had we been taken? I called his home in Maryland. The colonel answered. Oh yes, he had been back for a couple of weeks and he had fixed everything up with Alex. Commander Melchor wo uld be comSEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
ing to W as hington soon to do the adva nce work fo r President M acapagal's visit. A few weeks later I had a call fro m Commander M elchor. H e was in Was hington and wanted to see me. M elchor was a few years older than I, a completely Americanized Filipino and a great believer in the Kaiulani proj ect. But he was a little taken aback with our modest committee. So mehow he thought we were something like the National Geographic Society. I told him not to wo rry, we would soon beco me the National Maritime H istorical Society, a title I thought wo rthy of our proj ect. Alex thought it was a capital id ea, and I quickly incorporated th e Nati onal Maritime Historical Society as a D istrict of Columbia non-profit organizatio n with an IRS tax-exempt ruling. W ithin a month I received a telex from Alex. Ir is a message I will never forget, even though it was over 35 years ago. It said, simply: "Kaiulani all systems go. Alex." I called Ko rtum with the good news who, so mehow, while very pleased, did nor seem too surprised . I invited him to join us at th e White H o use wh en P res ident M acapagal presented the Kaiulani as a gift from the people of the Philippines to th e
Presidents Macapagal andJohnson, standing in front ofthe Kaiulani s wheel (now at NMHS headquarters), admire a model of the Kaiulani and Oswald Bretts painting ofthe bark. people of the United States of America. Pres ident Lyndon Johnson accepted the gift, then turned to Karl Kortum, Jim Sharp, and myself and charged the Natio nal Maririme Historical Society to rake possession of the Kaiulani as trustee for the American people, to restore the vessel to her fo rmer glory as a square rigger and berth her on the Maine Avenue waterfront as a las ting monument to the eternal frie nd-
ship between the people of rhe United States and the people of the Republ ic of the Philippines. The National Maritime Historical Society, first incorporated in 1963, really rook wings on that day in 1964! .t Mr. Hutchison was founding president of NMHS and now serves the Society as Overseer. Part 2 ofhis story will be taken up in Sea History 95 (Winter 2000-2001).
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SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
7
USS
OLYMPIA
A Survivor of the New Steel Navy Poses a Big Question for Today's Americans SS Olympia, launched in 1892, was a brilliant addition to the new navyrhe US had finally got around to building in the mid- l 880s after the long years of neglect following the Civil War of a quarter century earlier. She was built to extend American reach in the Pacific world, where the nation had growing interests, ranging from the "Open Door" policy in China, to how the Pacific islands should be governed. Appropriately, Olympia was built in the Union Iron Works in San Francisco, with armor plate, guns and armament imported from the East Coast where the heavy industry needed to produce such things was located. Strong as she was, she would nor have stood up against a European barrleship, which ran to over twice her size with guns firing projectiles weighing four rimes as much as the shells thrown by Olympia's guns. Bur in Far Eastern waters, where Japan and China had no modern warships and where British and European powers posted their old cruisers, she was indeed, as Franklin Cooling says in his biography of this remarkable survivor, a queen.
U
America on the World Stage Ir is fashionable to decry United Stares "imperialism" in this era when America's Manifest Destiny ro expand and become a major actor on the world stage was widely routed. Bur after the century just ended, when liberal democracy (including its basic conservative values) was again and again on trial for its life throughout rhe world, we may be grateful rhar America did resolve to become a power on rhe world stage. Britain,
8
Edward Moran captured the exuberance ofthe day in his painting ofUSS Olympia'sfirst visit to New York harbor in 1899 in a navalparade celebratingAmerican victory over the Spanish. (US Naval Academy Museum) the European nations, and Russia would nor be free rodaywirhour rhe heroic efforts of the American intervention in two World Wars and in the more recent perilous Cold War confrontation. China and India would be under foreign domination as would other Asian nations. These are hard facts we might deplore bur would be powerless to change-if America had nor played its interventionist role. How long American freedoms would have lasted in such a world is an open question. The confrontation with Spain was our first major step into world politics. Thar step was nor based simply on American aggrandizement, bur on American principles shared by free peoples everywhere. C uba was seething with revolt, which the Spanish Empire suppressed ruthlessly, and rhiswas rhe proximate cause of the war set off by the accidental explosion of the US barrleship Maine in Havana in 1898. The situation in the Philippines was similar. Both nascent nations became free, rhe Philippines under a US prorecrorarewhich Filipinos supported then and later, despite the Moro revolt.
Like any great movement in history, the US awakening to great power status was a mixed bag, with accompanying errors and, yes, some crimes which most Americans rue today. Bur rhe American Republic can confuse rhe world and itself by decrying the enormous, critically important achievements of its free people intervening on behalf of freedom throughout the world. If that confusion ever becomes serious enough, freedom will be the loser, and may soon find itself again at risk through our the world. Where rhe balance should be struck, short of mindless triumphalism on one hand and abnegation of rhe responsibilities of power on the other, is a question for each citizen ro decide. Olympia's story poses rhar question as ir was mer by Americans just over a century ago . -PETER STANFORD NOTE: Paul Quinn s story ofanother notable
survivor, Chiles Huascar of1865, traces the technological change which ushered in the New Navy. In our next, the story ofthe New Navy will be continued into the age of the submarine and aircraft carrier. SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
OLYMPIA: Queen of the Pacific by B. Franklin Cooling n her prime, her sailors called her the "Queen of the Pacific. " Bureaucratical ly, the Department of the Navy styled her Cruiser N umber 6, positioning her in the new class forming the vanguard of the NewSreelNavyofrhe 19th century. Officially, she was named in honor of rhe capital of the new state of Washington. Today, USS Olympia is the pride of Penn's Landing on the Philadelphia waterfront, where she is maintained by the Independence Seaport Museum. Here, vis itors can tour this oldest survivor of the world's imperial fleets and savor her history, rich with variety and prominence including firing the opening shots at Manila Bay in 1898 and returning America's Unknown Soldier from France after World War I.
I
Authorized in 1888 and laid down in 1891 by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco (as part of the Navy's effort to help underwrite a West Coast shipbuilding capability), Olympia incorporated steel plates and armor from Carnegie and Midvale mills in the east, ordnance from the naval gun factory at Washington D C, together with pine decking from Oregon. Commissioned four years later, she was sent our to the Asiatic fleer as flagship. In fact, that was what she was designed fora sort of "colonial battleship" in the view of one naval histo rian. Clad in the Navy's peacetime livery of "buff and white," she made a distinctly patriotic spectacle steaming our through the Golden Gare en route to the Far East in 1895 .
The New Navy of Empire Economically, the United Stares has always been expansive, even imperial. Occasionally territorial expansion has accompanied economic imperialism. When taken beyond the continental US, such movement has required the protection of a navy. T he flag has followed trade (and vice versa) in a never-ending symbiotic relationship that continues even now from the Persian G ulf to the Taiwan Straits. Often combat has intruded upon peaceful commerce and competition. Ir is not surprising, then, that after the Civil War, when domestic markets and territorial growth appeared at an end, moving overseas to the Caribbean and especially to Asia became very attractive. Such markets also captivated European countries and a race for trade and empire combined with the new industrial technologies to produce steam-powered, ironand steel-hulled, fast cargo and passenger ships to meet new demands. So it was, too, that industrial nations felt constrained to build new and more powerful warships to protect the trade. The US was rather late to the game. But, by the end of the 1880s, the government and the commercial sector had entered into an embryonic partnership of commercialism, diplomacy and navalism that presaged the so-called American century j usr ended. USS Olympia was part of this boisterous and exploitative rime, part of a nascent military-industrial complex developed to support overseas expans ionism.
Asiatic Squadron Flagship The million-dollar warship that rhe U nired Stares dispatched to the Orient was srareof-rhe-art. Termed a protected cruiser because of her armored deck, Olympia's statistics were impressive. The 5,870-ton vessel was 344 feet in length and 53 feet in breadth with a mean draft of2 l .5 feet. H er anrici pated endurance (6,000-mile cruising range) and speed (over 2 1 knots) wo uld come from twin 9,000-horsepower vertical inverted triple expansion engines, driven
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
by steam from six Scorch boilers. A nod to tradition gave her a two-masted schooner auxiliary sail rig. As a fighting ship , she sported unusual cylindrical full turrets fore and aft that mounted two pairs of 8-inch/35-caliber breech-loading rifled guns . H er firepower further comprised ten 5-inch/40-caliber breech-loading rapid-fire guns mounted singly in casemares in a 12-sided "citadel" amidships, fourteen 6-pounder quick-firing rifles in small sponsons on the second deck and shielded open mounts in the superstructure, six one-pounders, four Garling repeating guns in the fighting tops of her two military masts, and tubes for launching six 18-inch Whitehead torpedoes. The distinctive armored conning rower as well as the 2- to 4-inch protected deck added to her combat qualities . Beautifully appointed quarters for flag officer, ship's captain, and 32 otherofficers and ample space for nearly 400 enlisted men had been fitted our at Mare Island Navy Yard along with all the other necessary appurtenances, gear, supplies, fuel, and ammunition due for her departure. A ship's band and complement of marines added to Olympia's fl agship role. Passage across the Pacific was stormy, with fires in the coal bunkers and little chance for set-
Steel launched into the Pacific transformed America's navy. . .. A fleet of sailing ships overlooks Olympias launching in 1892 while tugs and small craft hover around. (Photo: Navy Photo Center, Washington Navy Yard; courtesy Independence Seaport Museum)
9
The opulence of 0 lym pia s captains cabin and the vigor ofher armament complemented Americas vision of imperial destiny in the Pacific. (Photos: National Archives (left); courtesy Independence Seaport Museum (above))
ting the speed records desired by Washing- 1898. It wasn't much ofa battle-more like photographs, meanwhile, showed the ship ton officials. Nevertheless, her first cap- a turkey shoot, for the Spaniards lay at back in resplendent white and buff after the tain, John Reed, declared her "the best anchor and both sides' gunnery wasn't very momentary gray battle drab for combat. weather boat I ever sailed in." good. But, with a new captain at the helm For the next three years, Olympia cruised and a feisty commodore directing the desYears of Peace the waters off China, Japan and Asian tiny of the US toward its imperial moment, Olympia badly needed refitting, which she Russia, showing the flag, testing speed and Olympia fired the first shots when Admiral received at Boston between 1899 and 1902. gunnery, and performing her appointed George Dewey uttered those immortal Meanwhile, advancing naval technology role. Officers and crew savored shore leave words to Captain Charles Vernon Gridley: and Spanish war victories had changed the and shipboard holiday celebrations and "You may fire when ready, Gridley." size and dimensions of the American Navy. endured hard duty in different climes from America was never the same. Larger and faster battleships, armored cruisVladivostok to Hong Kong. They sufers, and a host of torpedo boats and fered occasional loss of men and a destroyers now crowded protected typical turnover of officers and comcruisers off the front of the line. It was Olympia fired the first shots rades, deploring the dirty duty of coaltruly the glory days of empire and when George Dewey uttered ing ship , subsisting on "fluff' and spread-eagle diplomacy under Presithose immortal words to beans, and enjoying the periodic dents Theodore Roosevelt and Willbumboat visits of trinket salesmen iam Howard Taft. When recommisCaptain Charles 14-rnon Gridley: when in port; one crew member mansioned, Olympia (sporting gilded bow "You may fire when ready, Gridley. " aged to print a ship's newspaper, The and stern ornamentation befitting her Bounding Billow. Meanwhile, absent success) was assigned to the North modern communications, the admiAtlantic Squadron as flagship of the ral, the ship's captain and the Asiatic SquadFame and glory attended the triumphal small Caribbean division. She returned to ron with Olympia in charge were virtually New York homecoming for Dewey and his showing the flag but this time in Latin a law unto themselves for the United States flagship a year later. But the unfortunate American and Middle Eastern waters. Dewey's old flagship participated in fleet in the Far East. But war clouds lay on the Gridley, who had died meanwhile of "an horizon. affliction of the liver," was not there to bask maneuvers involving joint army-navy coin the welcome. And the victors of Manila operation for homeland defense and was The Fame of Manila Bay Bay had not stayed around for the nasty among the first navy ships fitted with radio Trouble between the US and Spain had insurrection that was broiling up among communication. By 1907, she removed to been brewing for years. The main cause Filipinos who had no desire to exchange Annapolis as part of the Practice Squadron, was Cuba, but out in the Far East lay the Spanish colonial masters for the Americans. or midshipmen's summer cruise flotilla, at Spanish Philippines, and politicians and Nonetheless, Americans back home went the Naval Academy. Here, Olympia still policy makers had a gleam in their eye wild with Dewey commemorative pitchers, showed her mettle to the middies as the about taking the place for America. Olym- plates, and scarves while Olympia was me- fastest (and most famous) of any ship in the pia's greatest moment of fame came when morialized in paperweights and butter and squadron, proving fully as commodious as she led the American battleline against a candy dishes as well as obligatory honorific the newer, glamorous battle wagons. Her Spanish squadron at Manila Bay on 1 May lithographs of the battle. Contemporary fame made her especially welcome when
10
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
the middie flotilla put in at New England spa towns from Newport to Bar H arbor. Civilians swarmed over her in full appreciation of what she had done for the nation.
in the Capitol before final burial in Arlington National Cemetery. A Pulitzer Prizewinning Associated Press correspondent caught th e tone: "Under the wide and starry skies ofhis own homeland, America's unknown dead from France sleeps tonigh t, a soldier home from the wars." Olympia had brought that young warrior back from the cauldron of conflict.
ment at the local navy yard, saved fro m the scrap heap in World War II only wh en President Franklin D . Roosevelt traded Olympia's venerable Spanish War sister ship, the battleship Oregon, fo r such war World War I drive sacrifice. Olymp ia also proved among the costlier Finally, by 1954, preservation efforts by ships to maintain in peacetime, as a succeslocal veterans and patriotic societies in sion of Navy Department officials discovPhiladelphia secured Navy permission to ered about the coal-burning, slowly obsorepair and resto re Olympia and put her on lescing fleet. By 1912, the aging cruiser had Preserved as an Historic Ship public display. U n fo rtunately, costly hisbeen relegated to reserve as a barracks ship Olymp ia's wo rk was done and she went off to ric ship m aintenance and preserva tion at Charleston, South Carolina. Advent of to Philadelphia and a late spate of ceremo- (sans full Navy crew and normal fund ing) the Firs t Wo rld W ar, however, gave her a nial and Fleet Train duties. Finally, on 1 provided yet an other fo ur decades of handnew lease on life. Brought out of retire- September 1922 she was decom m issioned ro-mouth existence befo re the advent of ment, rearmed with twelve 4-inch /40city-developed Penn 's Landi ng Macaliber guns, she went on patrol duty rina and more recently the ass umption "Under the wide and starry skies of off NewYo rk. In January 19 17, howof care by the Independence Seaport his own homeland, America's ever, she hit a shoal in Long Island Museum. We may hope matters have Sound and while in repair dock, was now stabilized for the "Queen of the unknown dead from France sleeps once again rearmed, this time with ten Pacific." ,!, tonight, a soldier home from the new 5-inch/5 1-caliber guns. wars." Olympia had brought When the US became a belligerent D r. Cooling is Professor ofGrand Stratin 19 17 the cruiser rook on patrol and that young warrior back from egy and Mobilization at the I ndustrial convoy du ty in the N orth Atlantic. College of the Armed Forces, National the cauldron ofconflict. She was pressed into flagship service D efense University, Washington D C once more in 19 18 as head of an antiThis article is based on his new book, Bolshevik Allied expeditionary force to one las t time and committed to history. Olympia: H erald ofEmpire (Annapolis M D : Murmansk and Archangel in northern For the next 30 years she rusted in retire- Naval I nstitute Press, 2000) . Russia. At war's end, she shifted to the wa rmer waters of the M editerranean , Adriatic and Black Seas, helping to stabilize the turbulent Balkans while continuOlympia steams off to new pastures, now obsolescent ing to serve as squadron command ship but a revered idol, in 19 01. (National Archives) due to her speed and radio communication configuration.
Return of the Unknown Soldier Possibly Olympia's proudest moment came in 192 1 when, as the most famous Navy craft (the Constitution hardly able ro undertake transoceanic missions anymore), the government chose her to transport the remains of America's Unknown Soldier home from Le H avre, France. Once again wearing the drabness of wartime gray and no longer configured in the manner of her salad days after Manila Bay, Olymp ia braved a stormy crossing and the passage through Chesapeake and Potomac waters before reaching her destinatio n point at the Washington Navy Yard. H ere, she relinquished her charge to the Army as her ship's band played a dirge, her 5-inch guns boomed out 21 times, and the casket went through the railings to a waiting Army caisson and an overnight repose SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
11
Olympia as Flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay At dawn on 1May1898, USS Olympia led a squadron of six American ships, displacing over 19, 000 tons, into Manila Bay to do battle with the Spanish squadron of two unarmored cruisers and five gunboats, displacing in all 11,300 tons, which lay moored behindprotective booms inside the bay. The American ships carried 53 guns of 5-inch caliber or better (ten were 8-inchers), while the aging Spanish ships carried only 31 major guns, the heaviest being seven 6.2-inchers. The scene was set for the Battle ofManila Bay. At 5: 15 AM, the guns on Sangley Point and aboa rd the Spanish ships opened an inaccurate fire . Dewey, anxious to conserve his ammunition until close enough to ensure hits, did not respond. "O ur hearts threatened to burst from desire to respond, " recalled "Lieu" Tisdale aboard the flagship as they listened to the calling of the ranges. "I sat upon the gun-seat repeating to the rhythm of the engine's throb , 'Hold your fire ... hold yo ur fire ... hold yo ur fire until the bugle sounds,' while my fin gers grew numb upon the spark," he continued. Several Spanish mines exploded ahead of the Olympia, and the naval and fortress guns seemed to be probing for range. Dewey had instructed Gridl ey to go to the armored conning tower and direct the ship's gunfire in the impending fight. The commodore, together with Lieutenant Calkins, would stay on the bridge or possibly climb to the raised compass platform above that bridge in order to direct the entire squadron's activities. G ridley obeyed reluctan tly. Obviously, it would not have been wise to have both fleet and ship commander together on the same bridge in the event of an enemy hit. While not in good health, Gridley's sense of duty held him close to the helm. At approximately 5:22 AM, with the range still a distant 5,500 yards, the flag officer turned and spoke into the brass communication tube between bridge and conning tower those simple but im mortal words, "Yo u may fire when you are ready, Gridley." According to Olympia's logbook, the starboard 8-inch gun in her fo1ward turret fired the first shot at 5:35 AM, soon followed by her companion. T he battle of Manila Bay had been joined.
* * * * * Atabout7:00AM, Montojo suddenly counterattacked. Several ineffectual Spanish 12
Olympia Leads Baltimore, Raleigh, Petrel, Concord and Boston into action against the Spanish squadron holed up in Manila Bay. The Americans are confident, but not fu lly aware how totally they were to dominate the hapless Spanish squadron, putting an end in a few hours to the centuries-old Spanish naval dominance in the Philippines. ("USS Olympia: Dewey's Flagship Leads Navy Victory, Manila Bay, 1 May 1898, " by Carl G. Evers; printed with the permission ofhis estate) torpedo boat sorties had already been beaten back by the Olympia's rapid-fire guns. Now, the Spanish admiral ordered his flagship to leave its mooring and assault Dewey's counterpart just as the Americans made their second sweep westward. "As the Reina Christina came out from the yard to meet us she plamed a shell into the side [of the Olympia] right at my gun port, " recorded Longenecher, "but, it was spent and did not come all the way through, it burst." The Spanish flagship 's slower speed, as well as the full fury of all the American guns, quickly cut short her sortie. Dewey's ships raked her from bow to stern, said Gridley, his own ship obtaining range by cross bearings from the standard compass and the distance taken from the chart. Olympia crewman Tisdale in the sh ip 's aft turret remembered how one of their 8-inch shells ripped "through and through" the enemy ship, yet "like an enraged panther she came at us as though to las h sides and fight us hand to hand with battle axes, as in the olden Spanish wars." Swathed in fire and smoke, the Spanish vessel limped back mortally wounded to her moorage. Tisdale noted how the Spanish admiral soon transferred his flag from hi s dying flagship to the Castilla. (Montojo said it was the Isla de
Cuba). Then, about a half hour later, Dewey
received disturbing news from Gridley. The Olympia had only fifteen rounds of amm uniti on left for each of her 5-inch guns. "It was a most anxious moment for me, " the commodore recorded in his memoirs. T he battle seemed far from over; the enemy remained essentially unbowed. In fact, the Spanish ammunition supply seemed to be "as ample as ours was limited," thought the Vermonter. Assistant Surgeon Carpenter opined that "it did seem as though we had wasted a lot of ammunition for the true state of affairs was not obvious till later." Besides, Dewey knew that fifteen rounds could be used up in five minutes ' sustained fire. He immediately broke off the action so that his flotilla might count its remaining supply of shells. The tired and dirty tars also welcomed the respite to enjoy a hot breakfast. As it turned o ut, Grid ley's communique h ad been garbled. Only fifteen rounds had been expended and, with the smoke of battle temporarily lifted, Dewey and his ships' captains now could see the results of their fire-death and destruction were clearly 1evident aboard the enemy ships.
This excerpt is taken from B. Franklin Coolings book USS Olympia: Herald of Empire, availablefrom Navaflnstitute Press in November 2000 (see ad on page 47). SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
The Course Aheadfor USS Olympia: ''Let the Ship Be the Ship" Olympia epitomizes the emergence of the United States and its Navy as a significant global force at the dawn of the "American Century." Like che Statue of Liberty, she is an icon of this nation's history and present strength. Independence Seaport M useum considers it a privilege to have been entrusted with the preservation of Olympia. Olympia lay at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard from 1923 until 1958, when local citizens created the Cruiser O lympia Association to turn the ship into a museum. By 199 5 the Association, in financial difficulties, asked the Independence Seaport Museum to ass ume responsibility for the preservation of the ship. Initial assessment showed Olympia to be amazingly complete and authentic in many ways, bur also seriously deteriorated in critical areas. In addition, numerous "restorations" were carried out over the years without adequate documentation or research. The Museum has examined all aspects of the ship to differentiate between authentic historic fabric and sometimes fanciful reconstruction. A comprehensive Historic Structure Report was completed in 1999. More detailed surveys of structure, fittings,
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furnishings , plans, photographs, and artifacts are on-going. The Museum's highest priority has been the protection of the ship: prevention of fire and flooding, new electrical and alarm systems, mooring improvements, visitor safety, and the like. Artifacts have been removed for protection and cataloging, spaces have been cleaned and painted, and clearly alien elements (such as plywood partitions) removed. An interim interpretive program on board is consistent with the philosophy "let the ship be the ship" (i.e. , the visitor experience should be of the ship herself, nor
Today, Olympia is open to visitors at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, docked beside the submarine USS Becuna. (Photo: Independence Seaport Museum)
exhibitry or artifacts not aboard during her active career). She is again hosting visitors at the rate of nearly 100,000 per year. Bur Olympia needs significant repairs. Her hull plates are dangerously thin in places (she was last drydocked in 1946). Her completely deteriorated wood decks must be replaced. Her deck structures and rig are wasted and must be strengthened. Her boilers and fire rooms are in bad shape, and their preservation will be expensive. The Museum is now developing estimates so that the search for funding can begin. Once preservation of the structure is assured, work can begin on the interior. It is here that Olympia shines; extraordinary amounts of original equipment and fittings remain intact. The goal of the Museum is to repair the ship so that she can be presented as Olympia, the cruiser of 1895, not as a reconstruction. Current, incomplete estimates indicate that the full process will cost in excess of $20 million and take nearly a decade to complete. -PAUL DE 0RSAY, Vice President Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia PA 19106; 215-925-5439
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Huascar Shows What the Turret Ship Can Do! by Paul Quinn ortunately for mankind, the overwhelming superiority of the Royal Navy preserved the "Queen's Peace" on the oceans during rhe 1800s after the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Even if this was accompanied by a certain overbearing arrogance, it enabled the developed nations of the world, particularly Britain, to grow rich on trade at an unprecedented rare. The question must be asked whether this superiority was as real as it looked after the introduction of armor. The opinion has often been expressed rhar it was illusory and was maintained only because it was never challenged. Were ships like Warrior, the turret rams, Monarch, Captain and their successors really all they seemed? As Britain was never at war with a serious naval opponent during the period, we must look at the performance of this type ofship elsewhere than in British hands. We can use this experience and rhe rests on gunnery and armor to consider whether there was any equal or superior opponent. Only one of these ships-Huascar-saw extensive action against a range of opponents. Although she was minute compared to the British capital ships, her involvement in at least six major engagements in the 25 years to 1891 enable us to obtain some idea of the capabilities of this type of ship. They prove to be better than the cold figures of her armor and guns suggest.
F
The Turret Ship Huascar Toward the end of the American Civil War, Spain made a serious attempt to restore her South American empire, sending an expeditionary force to Chile and Peru and capturing the Chincha islands. Peru had Huascar built to defeat the men-of-war sent by Spain. Due to financial constraints, she was the smallest armored vessel that could carry a single Coles turret mounting rwo 10-inch muzzle-loading rifles. Often regarded as a seagoing monitor because she has no permanent sailing rig, Huascar is really a small turret ram. She was ordered from John Laird of Birkenhead, England, for the Peruvian Navy on 12 August 1864 and delivered in] anuary 1866. Her cost without guns and ammunition was ÂŁ65,219. Huascar is 191 feet 6 inches long and 35 feet 4 inches in beam, with 17 feet lO'h inches depth-in-hold, of 1, 131 tons buildSEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
ers measure, 1,870 tons displacement, single screw propelled, with engines of260 nhp . She has a freeboard of about five feet and a slight sheer to provide protection from the sea; her poop and forecastle are raised for the same reason. She had to sail out to Peru and was rigged as a brig. To ensure her safety on the ocean, bulwarks were provided; they hinged down for action in way of the turret. After her delivery voyage she was unrigged, making her a pure steamship. She could not fire her guns fore-andaft; her arcs of fire were masked from dead ahead to 20 degrees on either bow and 25 degrees either side of astern. The hinged bulwarks were replaced with a stanchion and rope rail near rhe turret after her engagementwith HMS Shah. After rhe Barde ofiquique, 21May1879, Admiral Grau had rhe foremast removed as it had been damaged in the action and irs only remaining purpose had been to house a Gatling gun in its fighting top; the gun was rehoused alongside the pilot house. For 110 feet amidships the iron armor is 4 1I 2 inches thick backed by 9 inches of teak. T his tapers by 15 foot steps over the next 45 feet fore and aft to 2 inches of iron and 6 inches of teak. The armor runs from three feet below the waterline up to her weather deck, about eight feet in all. Her deck armor is specified as 15 lbs. per square foot (3/s inch), bur was increased to rwo inches in most areas at some time. It is overlaid with heavy hardwood planking. She therefore carries some armor over all her hull up to the weather deck, instead of
it being restricted to a citadel box as in Warrior and some other capital ships. Internally she is subdivided by eleven athwartship watertight bulkheads; five extend to the upper deck and the rest to the lower deck. She also has rwo longitudinal bulkheads either side of her machinery spaces for a distance of ninety feet, creating wing spaces that are a defense against the ram as well as other weapons. Her ram is solid forged from wrought iron and supported locally by extra-heavy hull plating. The turret armor is 5 1h inches thick and is backed by 14 to 15 inches of teak while the turret top is armored by 2-inch plate.
Fighting the British Huascarwas involved in the Peruvian revolution in 1877, as insurgent leader Nicolas de Pierola persuaded the officers ofHuascar to join him. The Peruvian government received complaints after the ship committed some fairly tame "outrages" against British ships and citizens (largely a matter of stealing provisions and coal), but disclaimed responsibility and declared her to be a pirate. Britain's Admiral Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey, in the iron steam frigate Shah, went looking for her to persuade her to desist from her depredations. Shah, the flagship of Britain's South American squadron, was accompanied by the wooden steam corvette Amethyst. Shah was armed on the broadside. She was not armored, but her iron hull had a coppered wooden casing as a means of avoiding fouling during her prolonged cruise rather
Huascar, rigged for delivery passage to Chile, Looks hardly fit for a Cape Horn passage-but she survived this as weLL as six major battles after reaching Peru. This Lithograph by Samuel Walters shows the drop-down bulwarks. (Courtesy the author)
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Red marks on H uascar sColes turret show where battle damage occurred and vertical red lines indicate a slight displacement ofthe armor. Chile replaced the originalguns with these two Armstrong breech-loading rifles in 1874. (Photos: Gerald L. Wood; courtesy the author) than for defense. She was designed for speed, being about four knots faster than Huascar, and much larger at 6,250 tons; her armament was two 9-inch muzzleloading rifles (MLRs), sixteen 7 -inch MLRs and eight 64-pounders. Amethyst had fourteen 64-pounders. Shah found Huascar off the town ofllo. A parlay was arranged, and de Horsey demanded that the rebels surrender the ship; the demand was refused. The British vessels then opened fire at a range of 1,500 yards. Huascar initially operated in water within the estuary that was shallow and reef-strewn and was able to keep the range at 1,000 to 2,500 yards. She proved to be a difficult target because of her small size. Shah fired 280 rounds, hitting Huascar with her heavy armament about 30 times. Two British officers later visited Huascar and concluded that she had been hit about 70 or 80 times in all, including rounds from Shah's Gatling gun. All this had no significant effect on Huascar. Only one round fully penetrated her armor near the end of the ship and that failed to inflict any significant damage. Another round hit exactly on the joint between the deck and the side armor. It burst in the wooden backing of the midships armor, and the head of the round embedded itself in the backing on the opposite side of the ship but inflicted no structural damage; this round caused the sole casualry. Huascar' s woodwork on deck was full of shell splinters, and three rounds put holes in her funnel. One hit on the turret slightly depressed some of the armor but had no effect on the turret's operation. She had a poorly trained gun crew and slowly blasted away at the British ships without ever hitting their hulls, although she did cut up Shah's rigging. After two hours fifteen minutes Huascar closed the range and made several attempts
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to ram. Shah's crew found that their relatively large and slender ship had to be handled with care in the restricted water of the estuary or Huascar's superior maneuverabiliry might have made it possible for Huascarto ram her. Shah took advantage of the short range during just such a ramming attempt to fire a Whitehead torpedo at
Huascar. At that stage in its development the torpedo had a speed of seven knots and a range of about 300 yards. Huascar turned in the same direction as the torpedo, put on full steam and kept going until the torpedo reached the end of its run. It was not difficult as Huascar had a best speed of 11 knots; most observers concluded that the range was too great anyhow. By now it was getting dark, and, when Shah's boats made an attempt to cut out Huascar, they found she had sailed off into the foggy night. Shah's presence prevented her renewing her coal supply, and she was forced to surrender to Peruvian forces. Much to de Horsey's chagrin, the "pirates" were not tried and hanged; there was much public support for their politics, and they shortly afterwards formed a new Peruvian government. The inability of Shah to harm Huascar in any serious way is impressive. She was more heavily armed than Huascar, and, given the right conditions, her 7-inch shells should have been able to penetrate 5.6 inches of iron at 2,000 yards and her 9inch, 8.4 inches at the same distance. Huascar's maneuvering seems to have caused almost all the rounds to strike obliquely and glance off. This general failure of the rounds to penetrate her armor was a matter of some surprise to the Royal Navy. The engagement is also noteworthy as the last time a wooden British sailing ship (Amethyst) was in combat. The British ships were lucky in that the rebels' gunnery was totally inept. Had they
been able to hit Amethyst's hull, the wooden corvette would have been demolished. It even seems possible that Huascar could have overcome Shah if her gunnery had been better, as Huascar's large guns could have wrought vital damage on her unarmored opponent. What is certain is that an iron steam frigate over three times Huascar's size and fitted with more guns that were almost as large and more modern in design than Huascar's could not silence her. This point was not overlooked in Whitehall, and subsequent flagships on the South American station were second-rate turret battleships carrying side armor. The incident was also the first example of the attempted use of the Whitehead torpedo in battle and showed the deficiencies of the contemporary version when used against a small agile steamship.
A Lugging Match with Chile Huascar came under fire again in the Pacific War of 1879, a conflict resulting from the nitrate business on the west coast of South America. Chile had first developed the nitrate business on her own territory and then in Peru and Bolivia. The industry had prospered, and Peru and Bolivia imposed penal taxes on the Chilean companies on their territory. Chile suspected this to be the beginning of a takeover of the nitrate industry that would threaten her national treasury and in 1879 declared what is known as the Pacific War to protect her interests. Huascarused Iquique as a base to harass Chilean shipping, and the threat she posed was taken so seriously that the naval forces Chile possessed were circumscribed in their counteractions. The corvette Esmeralda under Captain Arturo Prat together with the smaller corvette Covadonga under the command of Lieutenant Commander Carlos Condell were sent to keep an eye on Iquique
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
The inability ofHMS Shah to hmm Huascar in any serious way is impressive. ... This general failure of the rounds to penetrate her armor was a matter ofsome surprise to the Royal Navy. wh ile rh e main C hilean force ser our ro look for H uascar. The main force fai led ro find her, but H uascar and the ironclad Indep endencia found the two Chilean ships off Iquique. The date was 21 May, later ro become C hile's national Navy Day in commemoration of a fin e act of bravery by Arturo Prat. It was a totally unequal con test. Esmeralda, built on the Thames in 1864, was wooden hulled and had a steam engine of limited power. Huascar's guns, this tim e underwell -trained gunners, quickly caused much damage and brought her to a stop without the co rvette being able to do much to co unter her. Huascart hen ramm ed. Prat reali zed that this was the end of his ship an d boarded Huascar during the ramming, accompani ed by a marine sergeant, Juan de Dios Aldea, and a handful of men. The men made a desperate attempt to take Huascar, but Prat was killed before they could do so. Huascar th en rammed Esmeralda again, and a group of marines made a seco nd fai led attempt to take H uascar by boarding. A th ird ramming fini shed Esmeralda off. Covadonga had been ordered to escape to the south before the battle, as she o nl y had two 70 pounders mounted fore and aft. Independencia pursued her. Covadonga wo uld certainly have been destroyed if she had been caught, but Condell turned her small size for her advantage. H e kept to shallow waters, and, in attempting to catch the Covadonga, the I ndependencia ran aground . What now transpired was the supreme demonstration of the weakness of the broadside ship in the face of stea m power. Covadongawas now in a position to bombard Independencia without co min g under her broadside. She did so, and set the Peruvian sh ip on fire, burning it to the waterline. Condell 's handling of his outclassed sh ip was brilliant, and he deserved his victo ry. T he day was a pyrrhi c victo ry for Peru. She had lost half her major naval units, destroyed one wooden co rvette, and given C hile a great naval hero in Prat. C hile decid ed that H uascar would have to be stopped ifthewarwas to succeed . H er major units were sent into port for provi sioning ready for a fo ray to hunt down Huascar and win at all cost. Five warships were concentrated in Mejil lones for the purpose. They were formed into two divisions. Almirante Cochrane, a 3,500-to n-
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
displacement central-battery ironclad b uilt at Hull in 18 7 4 and mounting six Armstrong 9-inchers (more modern than Huascar's two l 0-inchers) , O'Higgins, a composite-hulled corvette built at Rave n hill in 1865 wirh rhree 7-inch 115-pounder MLRs, an d Loa, built as a merchantman by Reid in 1873 carrying two 6-inchers, formed one division; the other division was Covadonga, built ar El Ferro! in 1858, and Cochrane' s twin, Blanco Encafada, also built at Hull in 1874, supported by an auxiliary, Matias Cousino. Both di visions sai led for Arica, where it was thought they would encounter Huascar. Learn ing that Huascar and Union had left on 30 September head in g south , the force commander, Galvarino Riveros, decided to go back to Mejillones wirh his division keeping close to shore and sent Juan Jose Latorre in Cochrane with his division fartheroffshore, hoping to intercepr the Peruvian. They arrived wirhour sighr of her on 6 and 7 October. From merchant ships and on-sho re observe rs, it was es ta bl ished rhar Huascar was to the so uth . Latorre's division was placed some way offshore, whi le Riveros posirioned himself inshore and slightl y to the so uth of Latorre. The intention was that w hichever intercepred would drive the ram onto the ocher Chi lean division when she came back north. The rrap was sprung on 8 October 1879, when Bianco's lookout spotted the Peruvian ships in the dawn. The Peruvians headed inshore wirh rhe intention of rurnin g north and escaping. They slowly drew away from rhe C hilean ships, indulging in some desultory firing to discourage pursuit. Cochrane was lying to seaward off Angamos Point. She rhen moved insho re, virtually closing off Meji-
llones Bay. The Peruvians were ar that ti me entering the bay with the other division in pursuit behind them. Huascar was co nsequently trapped in the bay and compelled to Face either Cochrane or Blanco Encalada. Union separated from H uascar pursued by O'Higgins and Loa. Meanwhile, Latorre in Cochrane had decided to close rhe ram as quickly as possible, even though this m eant that he would have to endure her fire wirhout rep ly until he was close enough for his broadside to be effective aga inst her armor. To keep his exposure to Huascar's fire as brief as possible, he gave orders for all speed. Cochrane's engin eer, MacPherson, kept up a very good, not to say excess ive, head of steam, but he was hav ing trouble with the safety valve. A shell from Huascar exploded against Cochrane's armor at the same instant her safety valve finally lifted. Latorre thoughr that she had been hit in rhe boilers and was disabled. MacPherson assured him that chis was not so, and in relief Latorre commented thar the incid ent was norhing. MacPherson indi gnanrl y rep li ed rhar rhe incident was nor norhing, and had rhe safety valve nor lifted when it did they wou ld all have gone a great deal fasrer, but in entirely the wrong direcrion. His insubordination was taken in good part. Cochrane broughr Huascar under her broadside, and the pair carried o n a slugging match for over an hour wirh Huascar slowly losing the battle. One of her engineers, Carlos Warner, gave a detailed acco unt of the engine room experience, written down by an Irish-C hilean engi neer, Samuel MacMahon, when Warner was a prisoner-of-war in the transport Copiap6 after rhe barrle. They managed to keep her going ar eleven knors. The first shell to affect the engine room hit the port side,
This was a beating/or any ship to take. Huascar maneuvered to take most hits obliquely, but finally surrendered due to heavy casualties in the battle against Alm i ran te Cochrane in 1879, though guns and engine were still in working order. (Brassey's Naval Annual, 1886) rLA~ OF THE
I
JI U.ASCAH' (suownm HITS RY 8J10T).
(l, m, n, o, glnucing shots.)
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This must be the only time in history that one ship's actions gave rise to two national heroes on opposite sides in one war. exploded abaft the cylinders and broke the stateroom skylight. It also detached some of the bolts securing the armor, which flew around like missiles. A small fire started . A second hit blew away the engine room skylight, showering debris everywhere. The next destroyed the engineers' cab ins and damaged the engine cover. The fourth penetrated the staterooms, killing the doctor Tavara and the editor of the newspaper Coquimbo. The engine itself was not damaged, and the boiler room escaped serious injury. Warner lost count of the number of hits on the ship. The funnel was riddled with shot and shrapnel. This resulted in the engine spaces being full of soot and smoke, making the ga uges impossible to read. Her helm was put out of action. Things were far wo rse above decks. The turret was hit three times by armor-piercing shot. One round bounced off, caus ing some displacement of the armor. Two penetrated, and one of these struck the breech of the left-hand gun. Explosive shell also struck the turret, but caused only superficial scarring of the armor. The thinner sections of the hull armor toward the bow and stern were penetrated eight times above the wa terline. The thicker armor am idships deflected most rounds, but three penetrated, again above the waterline. The pilot rower and bridge were totally destroyed by a shell that exploded under the pilot rower. Grau and his four senior officers were killed and 59 other crew members out of her complement of 135 were killed or wo unded. Huascar's colors were hauled down, and a boarding party set out under the command of Lieutenant Simpson to secure the prize. On boarding they were met by the surviving crew with their hands in the air. Then an officer, Lieutenant Ugarteche, appeared from below, covered in soot. He stated that they were not formally surrendering Huascar. T here was a fire in the magazine and she was about to blow up. They had hauled down colors as they wished to have a cease-fire so that they could abandon sh ip . Simpson pointed out that Ugarteche was in no position to enforce this interesting proposition, stating that no one was to get into the boats, and they would all go up together if the magazine went. An officer sent to assess the situation reported that there was only a small fire in the turret. T he Chileans had no difficulty 18
persuading the Peruvians to help put it out. The boarders found that the sea cocks had been opened and smashed. The crew had also begun to remove the condenser doors to allow sea water to enter, and there was three feet of water in her engine room bilges. This was serious, as she had settled to the point where water wo uld soo n enter through the holes in her hull caused by Cochrane's gunfire. The Peruvians were persuaded at pistol point to rectify matters. All manner of improvised stoppers were pressed into use, the flooding was halted, an d Huascar was brought into port. Peru had now lost her seco nd major unit, but like the Chileans at Iquique she had gained a national hero in Huascar's captain, Miguel Grau . This must be the only time in history that one ship's actions gave rise to two national heroes on opposite sides in one war. This action put C hile in undisputed control of the sea off the western coast of South America. She was eventually the victor, and the Treaties of An con in 1883 and Valparaiso in 1894 left her with her territory expanded to include all the Bolivian littoral, land-locking that country. Huascar has remained in the C hilean Navy ever since the Battle of Angamos, and Peru acknowledged her Chilean ownership in the treaty documents.
Under a New Flag Huascar' s original short 10-inch muzzleloading rifles were replaced after her capture by long 8-inch Armstrong breechloading rifles. The smaller caliber should not be regarded as a reduction in capabilities; the new guns had high er muzzle velocities (2, 150 feet per second as against 1,290) and greater penetrating power than the old ones. After repairs, Huascar rook part in naval actions at the Battle of Chorrillos and the Battle of Miraflores as part of the Chilean Navy. These actions add little that is new to our knowledge of the ship's capabilities. She was also involved in the Chilean revolution in 1891. This is well worth studying, as it was essentially a war of the navy against the army, and the navy won because they got their strategy right.]. M. Balmaceda, the president of the Republic of Chile, came into conflict with the majority of Congress because he wanted to dictate who would succeed him.
On 7 January 1891, matters came to a head, the navy supporting Congress almost to a man and the army supporting Balmaceda. The navy mopped up what small naval forces the President had and withdrew beyond the reach of the army to establish a base. North-so uth roads in the mountainous country were almost nonexistent, the sea being the main means of commun ication between the mouths of the rivers that supported population centers. The navy then started to form and equip Its own army. The Balmacedist army rook possession of two torpedo gunboats on order from Lairds and tried to make them into an effective navy. Named Almirante Condell andAlmirante Lynch, they did torpedo and sink Blanco Encalada in a surprise night attack when she was at anchor. (Huascar was anchored next in line to Blanco.) This was the first sinking by a Whitehead torpedo. Further success eluded the vessels once the surprise element was lost. Huascarand Cochrane used their 8-inch breech-loading Armstrongs to bombard the Balmacedist bases and fortifications, but under novel conditions. In addition to 11-, 15-, and 20-inch Dahlgrens, the army possessed 7-inch rifled Armstrongs in fair numbers, so a close bombardment could prove highly dangerous. T he two ships therefore always stood off abo ut 7,000 yards if Armstrongs were known to be part of the defenses, but co uld risk Dahlgrens alone at 500 yards. The longer range had not previously been regularly employed for maritime bombardment. Ir was surprisingly effective, and the return fire always fe ll about a mile short, as the ships were hull-down and the splashes of the shells were not easily seen by the sho re gunners. How the ships ranged their shots is not recorded, but it is supposed that dust raised by the explosions indicated whether the range was set long eno ugh to reach shore. The navy transported and supported their new army in combined operations, which proved m ore successful than either side expected. Once recruited, trained and equipped, the smaller Congressional army rapidly destroyed the Balmacedist regular army, and Balmaceda fled the country.
An Engine of Fearful Destruction Huascar' s history shows that her hull armor adequately resisted muzzle-loading rifles of SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
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Captured at last in 1879 after merciless pounding by Almiran re Cochrane, a much newer ship twice her size, Huascar went on to serve in the Chilean Navy and is preserved as a museum and naval memorial at Talcahuano, Chile. (Photo: Gerald L. Wood; courtesy the author) up to 9-inch caliber striking obliquely. A Brirish rule of the rime for gunners at tacking an armored vessel scared that at a velocity of 1,000 feet per second a round from a rifle should penetrate armor equal to the caliber of the round. Th is was derived from resrs carried out with rhe round striking at right angles to the armor, which was the expected case with broadside ships that had to sail parallel to each ocher at short range to engage. In com bat Huascar rarely presented a broadside targer; she was normall y end-on for most of rhe rime, turning as far as necessary to fire her guns . Mosr rounds rherefo re srruck her obliquely. Under rhese conditions her armor was ab le to deflect rounds ar velocities up to about 1,500 feet per seco nd and of rwice rhe caliber of irs rhickness . These factors were well understood by her commanders and exploited during her engagements with Shah and Cochrane. Her small size and extreme maneuverability were essential when employing these ractics. Protection for personnel above decks was unsarisfactory. H er casualty rate in the battle wirh Cochrane was very high, parricularly among senior deck officers. This and the disabling of her steering shows char bridge, pilot rower and srern prorecrion were deficient. Her greatest tactical weakness was char she only had rwo large guns, so that her return fire against large armored opponents was nor sufficiently abundanr. There is an air of indesrr ucribili ty surrounding H uascar rhar demonsrrates char a small ship of chis type was a serious oppoSEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
nent even for a large broadside-armed ship, armored or nor. Ir implies that the large r Brirish armored turret ships were engines offearful desrrucrion during their era, and , had they ever been deployed in wa r against any contemporary opponent, they wo uld have wrought merciless havoc. Ocher nations' attempts ro build ships equal to chem were only partly successful, as Britain always could and did our-build such ventures until after the turn of the century. T he only po rent counters to them were the mine and rhe rorpedo , which anacked rhe hull below rhe armored belr. These took rime ro develop inro effecrive weapons. Meanwhile, such ships presented an awesome roken of war rhat was ri ghtl y dreaded by potential enemies of Britain and did much to keep rhe peace on the oceans for half a century. The Bard e of Angamos also showed that rhe Brirish-built broadside-firin g armored steamships armed with rifles were likewise ships to be respected in the right hands. But rhey wo uld have srood little chance against a turret ship of equal size . .!
Paul Quinn s p rofession was in the engineering and computer industries. Now retired, he follows his lifelong interest in maritime history, particularly that of the 1800s. This article is extractedfrom his forthcoming book on the history ofjohn Lairds ships. The author is gratefal to Dr. Michael Dujfj, Hon. Editor of the Societyfor Nautical Research,for permission to use material describing the conflict between Huascar and Shah that haspreviously appeared in Mariner's Mirror (83).
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Preserving Our Fleet of Historic Naval Ships: The Continuing Challenge by Channing M. Zucker
V
sitation to historic naval ship museums and memorials has shown a signifi cant upsurge in recent years . In 1994, some seven million people boarded the vessels. In 1999, the total was over nine million, a nearly 30 percent increase. In yea rs past, as expected, veterans of World War II and Korea and their families made up a significant portion of the visiting public to the fleet of warships, most of them veterans of those two conflicts as well. This is no longer the case. Surprisingly, today's visitors are more likely to be a young couple and their children; and the chances are good that neither parent served in the military. Why is this younger generation attracted to the ships of the historic fleet? It could be because one of the children spent a weekend camping aboard a battleship or destroyer with his or her Scout troop. Or it may be because an educator from the aircraft carrier's staff spoke at the youngsters' school. Another reaso n might be a newspaper article, periodical or travel publication description of interesting exhibits aboard the ship that appealed to the husband or
wife. Yet another possible lure could be a catchy description of the ship museum that a member of the family clicked onto while surfing the internet. The ships now mount exhibits and hold events to attract the full spectrum of our citizenry. Special efforts are made to cater to the younger generation. No longer need one have had military expe rience in order to enjoy and bring away an appreciation for the accomplishments of the ships and their people in defending their nations. Their exploits are interp reted in such a manner as to appeal to all ages and backgrounds. Volunteer tour guides, ranging from grizzled veterans to fresh-faced teenagers, tell th e stories of the ships and their crews in ways that excite visitors as they walk through the narrow passageways and gain a sense of what it was like to take the ship into battle. Docents also make a point of describing how the crew spent their time in the cramped quarters aboard the submarine or frigate when not engaging the enemy. Just the very idea of being able to enter an artifact; to touch, feel, and even smell "the real thing" can be an exciting
THE HISTORIC NAVAL SHIPS AsSOCIATION The Historic Naval Ships Association was founded in 1966 by five organizations with historic naval vessels. Today it promotes the preservation and exhibition of more than 120 Naval, Coast Guard, Army and merchant ships and boats in seven countnes. The Association assists both organizations with ships in place and groups working to obtain them. Information is provided on sources the organizations can turn to for all aspects of operating their museums. HNSA also publicizes the historic naval fl eet through a Visitors' Guide, a web site, presentations to interested organizations, and articles in periodicals. In addition, HNSA conducts economic impact surveys, consolidating data provided by the museum ships to determine just how significant they are to the communities in which they are located. The Association's annual conferences are hosted by a member vessel museum.
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The delegates discuss such matters as educational programs, preservation methods, collections management, insurance, exhibiting, fund raising, and marketing ships and programs. This year's conference is being orchestrated by HMCS Sackville in H alifax, Nova Scotia. In 2001 the battleship USS North Carolina will do the honors in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Association operates an Individual Member program, allowing persons interested in supporting the preservation and exhibition of the ships to be a part of the organization. Free or reduced admission to most of the ships, a quarterly newsletter and the biennial Visitors' Guide are among the benefits. -t
Executive Secretary, Historic Naval Ships Association, US Naval Academy Museum, 118 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis MD 21402-5034; web site: www.hnsa.org
venture for parents and children alike. Education directors on the larger shipsprimarily aircraft carriers and battleshipsrun programs for students from elementary school age up through high school and even college level. Overnight encampment programs are now conducted by sixteen museums, and others are working to implement such programs. In 1999, over 100,000 persons, mostly yo ungsters , participated in these live-aboard events. During their time aboard, they learn about the shipboard routine, are given demonstrations of seamanship skills, and are shown films depicting the Navy in action. But ship museum education programs are not limited to the young. A dozen of the Navy vessels participate in the Elderhostel Program. As attractive as the ships have now become to the public, they also require agreat deal of time and effort to keep them properly preserved. The prob lems associated with, quite literally, keeping the vessels afloat, are significant. Hull preservation, as one might expect, is the major maintenance issue. Drydocking of active naval vessels is normally performed at about fiveyear intervals. With museum ships, however, that is just a dream. The problems brought on by extended time between overhauls can be severe. The sloop of war USS Constellation's restoration completed in 1999 cost $9 million. The battleship USS Massachusetts and submarine USS Lionfish were recently drydocked for a total of $10 million in repairs. The dreadnought USS Texas was nearly lost before beingdrydocked in 1988. Her repair bill exceeded $1 1 million. In the case of both battleships, more than 40 years elapsed between the overhauls. No museum aircraft carrier has ever been drydocked. The annual costs of operating museum ships range from an average of $500,000 for small ships such as destroyers and submarines, to over $2 million for battleships and more than $3 million for aircraft carriers. In nearly all cases, the income from admissions, special events, encampment programs, gift shop sales, and foundations is not sufficient to cover all required maintenance after wages, utilities and other operating costs are paid. For the dozen ships
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
char gee underway for guest cruises, there are additional costs associated with meeting requirements for compliance with Safety at Sea regulations. In 1999, the ships of the historic fleet incurred total operaring expenses of more than $65 millio n. The sraffingofhistoric naval ship museums presents another challenge to their managers. On battles hips and carriers, manned in service by more rhan 2,000 men, the number of paid museum staff, both full and part time, averages about 20 persons. Most of the larger ships also rely on volunteers to augment their staffs. T he average is jusr over 60 per ship . The small ships-destroyers, submarines, amphibious vessels, patrol craft and the like-rely on a significantly higher percentage of volunteers to keep them operating. Nearly all tour guides and docents are volunteers, as are those who perform mosr of the maintenan ce and repair work. The average number of paid staff on small ships is just 13 persons, with the number of volunteers averaging about 70. Those ships that get underway must augment rheir staffs by a considerable number for the crmses.
Interest in esrablishing more ship museums is at an all-time high. Presuming a goodly portion of the projects are successfu l, they will substantially increase the size of the historic naval ship fleer. Some 30 organizations in the Unired States are currendyendeavoring to acquire ships. Among the vessels they are working to obtain are the super carriers USS Forrestal and USS Saratoga; battleships USS Iowa and USS Wisconsin; cruisers USS Des Moines and USS Sterett; desuoyer USS Charles F. Adams; frigates USS Knox and USS Oliver Hazard Perry; amphibious vessels USS New Orleans, USS Westchester County and USS LST-325; and rhe yard rug Hoga that did heroic duty during rhe Japanese arrack on Pearl Harbor. As one wo uld expect, there are significant costs involved in taking possession of a ship before it can be opened for visitors. Repairs and modificarions for the safety of the public and an adequate berth for the ship must all be completed before visitors can be welcomed aboard. These makeready costs can range from $2 million for a small ship to upwards of $20 million for a bartleship or aircraft carrier.
The primary source of museum shi ps has been the US Navy, through their ship donation program. In recent years, however, groups in the US have also searched out former US Navy ships operated by foreign nations and arranged to have them rowed back to the US when rerired by chose countries. The destroyer escort USS Slater in Albany, New York, rheamphibiouslanding ship USS LSM-45 in Omaha, Nebraska, and the destroyer USS Orleck in Orange, Texas, are three success srories. The Historic Naval Ships Association was founded in 1966 by five organizations with historic naval vessels. Today ir promotes the preservation and exhibition of more than 120 Naval, Coast G uard, Army, and merchant ships and boats in seven countries. T he historic fleer includes four aircraft carriers, eight battleships, six cruisers, rwelve destroyers, more than 30 submarines, plus curters, gunboars, Liberty ships, motor torpedo boars, corvenes, minesweepers, lightships, tugs, amphibio us landing crafr, a frigare, a sloop of war, and a brig . .t Channing Zucker is Executive Director ofthe Historic Naval Ships Association.
Sponsored by the World Ship Trust ... is proud to announce the third edition of the
SEA HISTORY PRESS
International Register of Historic Ships by Norman J. Brouwer This new edition of the World Ship Trust's authoritative Register is the most comprehensive listing of surviving hi storic ships ever published, featuring nearly 2,000 historic ships from over 50 countries. Not only does the Register catalogue these historic ships, but it also provides updates on restoration projects, lists the remains of historic ships preserved in museums, and includes contact information for all the vessels. All of this is introduced by a new Preface by NMHS President Peter Stanford. Price: $75 for the hardcover edition ; $46 softco ver, plus $5 each shipping and handling in the USA. Foreign shipping varies.* Price for members of the National Maritime Historical Society (l 0% member's discount): $67.50hc; $41.60sc+$5s/h) *Forforeign shipment, please fax usat9 14-737-78 16 ore-mail us at books@seahistory.org. To order by credit card, call 800 221-NMHS (6647), or visit us at www.seahistory.org. Or pay by check and mail your order to:
National Maritime Historical Society, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566. SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
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Observation, Memory, llllagination by Joseph McGurl
T
he coastal realm holds a continually re newing fasc ination fo r me. W hile the subjects of my painting vary fro m the Ari zona deserts to No rthern Cali fo rn ia and Euro pe, I always return to the New England shoreline, the pl ace to which I am most deeply connected and
where I feel most emoti onally charged. I spent my yo uth swimming, sailing, and exploring the islands and bays in the wa ters around Bosto n harbor. O ur fa mily always had an assortment of small boats. In college, my brother and I bought an old wooden yawl in quite rough shape, and,
with a liberal dose of Git Rot and our limited funds, we got her sailing again. Later I wo rked for a period of time as a yac ht captain sailing from M aine to the Caribbean. Fo r the past several years, I've been cruisin g th e New England coas t on my down eas t crui ser,Atelier, which I use as a fl oating studio. Concurrent with my obsession with things maritime, I have known from early childhood that I wanted to become, as my fa ther was, an artist. It was inevitable that the two should become one. H owever, my paintings are not marine paintings in the classic sense of the word. As marine art authority Russ Jinishian has noted previously in this publication, marine has "grown to embrace wider and diverse treatm ents." My work falls into this category. I must have a personal and interactive conn ection with the subject I am describing. For this reason and other tech-
"Cloud Shadow, " oil, 16 x 20. This painting was the result ofa sketch made on Cuttyhunk, a small island at the end of the Elizabeth Island chain. It is noted for its superb bass fishing, which has earned that fish its lofty perch atop the steeple.
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SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
At left, ''Ear/,y Morning, Coast ofMaine," oil, 20 x 36 inches. The classic Luminist painting was horizontal in format, had a light source which was crisp and clean, contained reflecting calm water, and conveyed a stillness and quiet which intimated a sense ofthe sublime in nature. In this scene, the 2 0th century intrudes with its approaching bank ofclouds soon to obscure the clarity of the light. The passing lobster boat is breaking the silence with its muffled dry stack exhaust. Its motion disturbs the stillness, and the reflections are about to be destroyed by the wake. Nevertheless, beauty and the sublime in our world are still to be found if we are receptive to it. And they will, once again, return to this scene.
nical ones, I never painr from photographs. All my pi ctures are from direct observation, my m emory, or my imaginationusually it's a combination of all three. I strive to make my painrings interesting as a wo rk of art and frequently sacrifice their specifi city in order to better exploit their artistic possibilities. Ultimately, the painring must exist on its own merits. Artistically, som e of my strongest influences have been the American 19th-century landscape painrers and, in particular, those who wo rked technically and philosophically in a style we have come to call Luminism. Some of the artists who fre-
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
"Rounding the Point, "oil, 16 x 20 inches. The original field study of this promontory off Ocean Point in Maine showed a lobster boat scooting along the shore hauling traps. Back in the studio, I altered some of the elements. I imagined an old coasting schooner rounding the point ofland, rolling rhythmical/,y from side to side, a boil of water under the bow. The schooner is complete/,y from my imagination, though I've seen many similar vessels in the Maine windjammer fleet.
"Morning Light, "oil, 18 x 36 During a painting trip to Mount Desert in 1999, I stopped at Somesville and sketched from a vantage point close to that chosen by Fitz Hugh Lane for his painting "Bar Island and Mt. D esert Mountains from Somes Settlement" painted in 1850. I subsequently produced this version based on the sketch I had made of the scene. The channel marker, boathouse and post in the foreground were contrivances of mine made up to fanction as compositional aspects. They are also reflective of mans imprint on our environment, which can at times be quite benign and aesthetically pleasing.
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"Somes Sound, Mt. Desert Island, "oil, 24 x 36 inches. One ofthe beauties of Maine is its large concentration ofgood-looking boats. The boats in this scene are typical of what one would see in Maine waters. I cannot include ugly boats in my pictures; to do so would lend legitimacy to their form. It 's sad to see many contemporary designs with a staircase leading up a fat stern, which was once the most elegant part ofa boat. Boating can and should be an aesthetic experience.
quenrly painted in this manner we re Frederick C hurch , Fitz Hugh Lane, Martin]. Heade, Alfred T. Bricher, Sanford R. Gifford and John F. Kenserr . Overrhe past few years, I have been revisiting this school of painting and philoso phy with two colleagues-the landscape and marine painters William R. Davis and Donald Demers. We are investigating their technique and philosophy and comparing and co ntrasting it with our own, which has
been co lored by the intervening century and a half. There are events which happen in all our lives which make deep impressions upon us, and many artists return to those experiences in an effort to berrer understand them, to relive them, or to share the impact they had with their fellow man, for there li es within us the almost obsessive need to comm uni cate with one another. I hope the few lin es of text accompanying
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Joseph McGurl is a member of the Guild of Boston Artists. H e is represented by Robert Wilson Gallery, Nantucket; Hammer Galleries, New York; joh n Pence Gallery, San Francisco; and Alfred J Walker Fine Arts, Boston.
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SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
Scenes from our glorious and colorful maritime past are captured by twelve of America's best known marine artists. Royalties from sales ofthis calendar benefit the National Maritime Historical Society, which promotes the appreciation and preservation of our maritime heritage through education, publication and seamanship. Calendar is wall hanging, full color, 11 x 14" $11.95 + $3 s/h. To order send $14.95 (or $ 13 .75 for NMHS members) check or money order to : NMHS, P O Box 68, P eekskill NY 10566 Or phone
1-800-221-NMHS (6647) to order by credit card. 25
MARINE ART NEWS Dutch Masters Land in California The Ventura Cou nty Maritime Museum will be recognizing l 7 thcentury Durch masters in an exhibit opening this October. Considered by many to be the fathers of marine art, the artists of the day actively captured sea battles, maritime voyages and the work of local craft for merchants, seam en, shipowners, naval officers, and governments. Many of the artists of that era had seagoing "Fishing Boats in an Estuary, "mid-1800s, experience themselves and painted oil on canvas, by Abraham Hulk with such accuracy chat they are studied by historians for insights on maritime history, ship design and maritime activity. Paintings in the exhibit are from the Nelson Maritime Arts Foundation and sources in Europe, offering a rare opportunity to view these works on the West Coast. "Durch Masterpieces from the 1600s: T reasures from the ALMAR Collection of Marine Art" runs from 7 October 2000 to 31 January2001. ,t VCMM, 273 1 South Victoria Avenue, Oxnard CA 93035; 808 984-6260
'/! Dutch Naval Action including the Flagship Zwolle and Barbary Corsairs," 1645, oil on panel, by Bonaventure Peeters
Carl G. Evers, 1907-2000 "The fervor of his life is embodied in his art, which is luminous, challenging, utterly unique, as though hours, years of study had produced a kind of freedom to do in paint what can hardly be painted : the coldness of the sea, the integrity of design of ship, the play through everything of a sea wind which you can smell in his paintings." Thus artist Charles Lundgren celebrated Carl G. Evers's work in the Sea H istory article accompanying the National Maritime Historical Society's 1977 exhibit "Marine Art Lives! " And in commemorating his life, the American Society of Marine Artists' newsletter 0 uly 2000) calls him the "Dean of American Marine Artists." A 40-yea r career in marine art began after a childhood in Germany-the son of a British father and German mother, who was an artist herselfhonors at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, a few years in Germany as a marine and civi l engineer, and 16 years as a commercial artist in Sweden, where he was known for his automotive illustrations. His move to the US in 1947 was motivated, so he said, by a desire to have people hang prints of his wo rks on the wall. In pursuit of this goal, many of his paintings were produced as prints through the US Naval Insciture's marine Carl G. Evers print program. A stroke in 1993 left him unable to draw and paint, but his body of wo rk leaves admirers with a legacy of marine images that reveal his dedication "to getting at the truth of a ship, a scene, a situation." ,t Excerptedfrom "Marine Art Lives!" by Charles Lundgren (Sea History 6 (Winter 1977)) and '1n Memoriam: Carl G. Evers," by James Mitcheff (ASMA News (!ufy 2000))
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CALENDAR • Farnsworth Art Museum and Wyeth Center: 25 June-15 October 2000, "On Island: A Century of Co ntinui ty and Change," 100 years of pain ring on Maine islands (356 Mai n Street, PO Box 466, Rockland ME 04841-0466) •Freeman's: 6 October 2000, Maritime Arr and Antiques Auction (1808 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19103; 215 563-9275; fax: 2 15 563-8236; WWW .freemansauction.com) • The Mariners' Museum: from 28 October 2000 , "Reflections on the Bay": The Photography of A. Aubrey Bodin e (100 M useum Drive, Newport News VA 23606-3759; 757 596-2222; web site: www.mariner.org) • Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport: 23 September-5 November 2000, 2 1st Annual Internatio nal Marine Art Exhibition (47 GreenmanvilleAvenue, PO Box 6000, Mystic CT 06355-0990 ; 860 5725388) •The Noble Maritime Collection: from 4 November 2000, "Thomas Randall and the Early Days of Sailors' Snug Harbor," "In the Shadow of W ichita Bill," "American Masters from the Firm of George C. Miller and Son" (1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island NY 10301; 7 18 4476490; web site: www.noblemaricime.org) •Ohio State University William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library: 6 September-15 December 2000, "Echoes in the Ice: Collages of Explorers to the Amarctic" by Rik van Glintenkamp with materials from the Richard E. Byrd archives (1858 Nei l Avenue Mall, Columbus OH 43210; 614 292-3387) • Society of Model Shipwrights: from 7 October 2000, Biennial Exhibition of Ship Models and Marine Paintings (c/o Peter Rogers, 5 Lodge Crescent, Orpington, Kent BR6 OQE, UK) • South Street Seaport Museum: from 25 June 2000, "The Alan Villiers Collection: T he Last of the Tall Ships" (207 Front Street, New York NY 10038; 2 12 748-8600; www.sourhsrseaport.org) •Ventura County Maritime Museum at Channel Islands Harbor: 2 October 2000-5 Jan uary 200 1, Durch Masterpieces from the 1600s: Treasures from the ALMAR Collection of Marine Arr (273] South Victoria Avenue, Oxnard CA 93035; 805 984-6260) SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
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ROBERT FOULKE
"Standing on the ramparts of El Morro at the entrance to San Juan harbor, we saw a clipper ship running down the trade winds toward us. "
Brazil's brand new Cisne Branco offEL Morro, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
From the foreground, Capitan Miranda, U ruguay's three-masted staysail schooner; Dewaruci, the Indonesian barkenrine; and Germany's bark Gorch Fock II present an imposing forest of masts in Baltimore, one of America's most historic seaports. (Photo: Bruce Carruthers)
Cisne Branco-The Clipper Revived! le might have been a scene our of an historical novel, bur we were there, and so was a brand new clipper ship, the Cisne Branco ("White Swan"), leading a parade of rail ships past Sa n Juan's landmark forr on 29 May. The "romance" of the clipper ships has most often been a marrer of the eye, as it was this day-appreciated fully by those who observed from ashore. The Cisne Branco, built in Amsterdam, is the Brazilian Navy's first sail training ship since 1962 when Brazi l handed over the Albert Leo Schlageter to Portugal, which sti ll sa ils her as Sagres II.Now Brazil has entered the sail training wo rld with a shining example of our heritage and our future in sail-a vessel that can truly claim the name of "clipper." A sharp, elegant hull , clean upper deck, a main skysail and smn 'sai l yards borrow from the past, wh ile new techniques and materials, such as high-tech alloys in some masts, yards and bowsprit, make the fu ll rig more manageable and hold down the weight aloft, thereby increasing stability. Heavy work, like manning the capstan, can be accomplished manually or with power. Throughout the ship, great arrention has been paid to aesthetics: a beautiful etched mural in the entrance to the officers' quarters is accompanied by an icon of Mary and Jesus taken from previous training vessels; mahogany paneling is set off with blue and gold carpeting; spacious crew cabins, each with its own head, shower, and air conditio ning, house four crew or cadets in luxury never experienced by the men who drove such vessels to exhilarating speeds in the 1800s. -ROBERT AND PAT FOULKE
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SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
Unforgettable Tall Ships! Nightfall did not dim the enthusiasm ofthe crowds visiting and admiring tall ships from around the world at dockside in Miami.
It was a grand visitation that drew crowds to city waterfronts and set peo pl e of all ages dreaming the long, long thoughts of yo uth and the sea. The oldest ship among the fl eet was the 1883 Grand Banks veteran the Gaze/a ofPhiladelphia, the yo unges t, the handsome schoo ner Amistad, launched this spring by Mystic Seaport to sail fo r A mistad Ameri ca in th e cause of bro therhood. Amistad joins a slightly older sister, the Pride ofBaltimore, another of the breed of Baltimore schoo ners whi ch had beco me extinct but which now once again grace our waters. Bo th can be seen under sail on the next page. O n this page, another very new ship , the full -blooded clipper Cisne Branco, is reviewed by the Foulkes, longtime NMH S members who travel the wo rld in quest of wo rki ng square rig-once a dying breed but roday going thro ugh a glorious revival. T he public in te res t that makes all this possible speaks fo r itself in the dockside crowds in Baltimore and Miami shown here.
MYSTIC SEA PO RT
BRUCE CARR UTH ERS
Pride ofBaltimore gave a grand show in her home waters. A month later she joined the international fleet in the Tall Ships' Race from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Amsterdam, and was the second vessel to cross the finish line, ending up fifth overall and first in Class B.
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C lose-reaching on builder's trials fo llowing her launch from Mystic Seaport this spring, the long-awaited Amistad cuts a clean wake. She carries a message of cooperation and understanding in honor of the Amistad revolt involving America's first successful civil rights case, which brought fresh life to the antislavery cause in the 1840s. Amistad made her debut in OpSail New York on 4 July, then took up her educational voyaging .
: ~ The masts of sailing ships tower over the Inner H arbor of Baltimore. The cadets aboard Simon Bolivar, here in Baltimore, always draw appreciative cheers from watching crowds as they man the yards of the Venezuelan bark, one of four sister ships built in Spain in the 1960s and '70s. (Photo: Bruce Carruthers)
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SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
New Interactive Seagoing CD-ROMs!
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Taff Ships the Official OpSail200()rM Edition
It's 1799 and you are aboard the US frigate Declaration at a time when America and France are locked in a fierce struggle for control of the Caribbean. You are Nathaniel Thorne, an officer in the fledgling US Navy, charged with the mission to find and recover the privateer Golden Dolphin. Produced with Mystic Seaport, National Maritime Historical Society and the frigate "HMS" Rose. To accomplish your task, you must advance through eight exciting adventures that require mastering nautical skills, solving problems, and interacting with colorful characters. Includes: • Over 100 video segments, including live action characters • Dozens of animation sequences • More than two hours of voice-over narration • Extensive special effects and authentic sea music • 1,700 navigable 3-D environments • Web links to naval historical sites and museums
Celebrate the "Greatest Event in Maritime History" with the all-new interactive CD-ROM from Cinegram Media, produced in association with the National Maritime Historical Society and Operation Sail, Inc.: • Dramatic color photos on your computer screen of the world's most famous tall ships-182 ships! • Narrated histories of ships and ports and relevant anecdotes • Interactive ship and rig identification • Tall ships screensaver and wallpaper programs • Interactive Picture Pak™; expand your collection with more photos, more in-depth information • Your personal pictures may be added in a digital album • Daily"things-to-do" calendar featuring a different ship each day
Requires Windows 95 / 98® or Mac System 7.1 or higher.
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$59.95 + $5 s/h= $64.95 NMHS members all inclusive price = $59.95!
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Tlie Amistad Incident Produced with Mystic Seaport and Amistad America, this multimedia adventure focuses on an important event fo US history that tested the laws and the conscience of America. It recreates the mood and turbulence of the times. • Compelling subject matter • Exciting challenge games • Full program narration • Captivating Mende music • Special effects & full library Requires Windows™ 3.1 or higher.
$44.95+$5s/ h=$49.95 NMHS members all inclusive price= $44.95! Attn: Teachers! Teacher Resource Guide= $19.95
Order from NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY 5 John Walsh Blvd., PO Box68 Peekskill NY 10566
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Phone credit card orders to 800-221-NMHS (6647)
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Or purchase on our website at
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Victoria Restored by Richard Hunter
n rhe universiry town of Aberysrwyrh on rhe mid-Welsh coasr is a merchanr ship's figurehead of rhe young Queen Victoria in full coronarion regalia srandi ng on a small iron bracker high above rhe srreer on a building formerly known as rhe "Vicroria Inn " public house and recendy resrored as a resrauranr. The name "Vicroria Inn" firsr appeared in the local rown census for 1881; ir may be rhar she has been in Aberysrwyrh from ar lease chis dare. When rhe inn closed ar rhe beginning of rhe 1920s and rhe building rurned over ro purely commercial use, Vicroria remained in siru, and rhe building became known as "Vicroria House. " The cask of finding rhe rrue idenriry of chis parricularcarving has been quire daunring. Vicroria was one of rhe mosr enduring and popular monarchs in British hisrory. During her 60 years on rhe British throne she was immorralized in wood on rhe bows of co undess vessels borh merchanr and naval rhroughour her vasr empire. Several figureh eads like rhe one in Aberysrwyrh have survived and can be seen in public collections all over rheworld, in rhe Un ired Kingdom, Sweden, Ireland, Iraly, rhe Un ired Scares, and Ausrralia. Several come from idenrified vessels; ochers, like our Vicroria, have nor been idenrified. Any arrempr ro dare rhe carving by her appearance is complicated by rhe face char, as in
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rhe case ofborh rhe coinage and scamps of rhe rime, images of rhe Queen for popular consumprion only changed toward the end of her reign, making ir possible char rhe figurehead was carved any rime wirhin a 30- ro 40-year period. By rhe earl y 1990s rhe co nditions of rhe carving and rhe small iron bracket beneath rhe figurehead were caus ing rhe owners of Vicroria House and rhe local civic sociery concern. The bracker and supporr had become corroded after years of exposure ro rhe relatively high salr co nrenr of rhe local misr and vehicle pollution. Ir was decided ro rake Vicroria down for a full conservation and resrorarion program. This would be rhe first rime in well over 100 years rhar Vicroria would be removed and brought down ro ground level. On close inspection, ir was found rhar over rhe pasr 50 years or so she had been heavily overpainred wirh several coats of whar, on initial inspection, looked very much 1ike a black rar preservative material, which obscured rhe original , intricate derail. This had builr up to approximately 10 ro 15 mm over rhe enrire figurehead, and while ir acted as a preservative, ir had almost mummified Vicroria wirh a black shroud. Removing her from rh is rhi n layer of rar proved ro be an exrremely arduous project, raking ar least a year and a half. The chick rar had ro
be painstakingly ch ipped awaywirh a chisel before more traditional methods of paint removal co uld be used, such as a small blow rorch and h eat gun. Finally Nirromos was used ro strip away rhe final laye rs of paint and original undercoats. When this was all removed ir was again possible to see rhe beautiful arrisrryofrhis unknown carver. Ir was quite remarkable ro stand face-co-face wirh rhe you ng Vicroria and see her very much as rhe original carver had envisaged her over 150 yea rs or more before. The final layers of old paint were rhen removed and small samples were senr ro rhe conservation department of rhe National Mari rime Museum in Greenwich for analysis. Ir was found chat rhere were well over 30 layers, ranging in color from off-white ro a very dark blue, wirh many combinations in between. Ar one poinr she was apparen tl y painred an overall black. One may conjecture thar rhis could have been done around the rum of the last cenrurythe rime of rhe old Queen's death, when monumenrs of rhe Queen would have been draped in black material. At rhis point in rhe projecr all rhe hirherro hidden damage ro the original carving
Figurehead researcher and restorer Richard Hunter carefully cleans the Victoria figurehead in preparation for returning her to her former glory.
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
was revealed, together with the fact that over the years a lot of the original detail had been lost. Now that Victoria was exposed to the elements for the first time since the day she left the carver's workshop, she had to be fully treated with a number of preservative fluids injected into the body of the carving over a long period of time. Cosmetic repairs to small splits in the wood were undertaken with epoxy wood fillers . At the same time it was possible to identify and re-carve elements oflost detail, in areas around the top of the crown and the top of the scepter. The damage looked to be quite old and showed evidence of weathering and quite probably occurred during her life at sea. With the figurehead now stripped down to bare wood and thoroughly cleaned using distilled water to remove all traces of paint stripper, attention was given to the start of her repainting. With the help of paint samples taken from various areas at the beginning of the project, it was feasible to predict with a certain amount of confidence the original paint scheme used when she was first carved. Several layers of exte-
~
rior-grade primers were used, then equal numbers of undercoats; in between each coat the carving was lightly sanded down. Finishing coats of high-gloss enamel paint help protect the carving now she is back in position on Victoria House and exposed to the elements. Gold leaf was replaced on the Royal Crown and other elements of the Regalia, the orb and scepter. By the end of September 1998 the figurehead of Queen Victoria was looking as good as she was on the day her vessel was launched, with her original color scheme of an overall white with burgundy and dark blue accessories to the gown, a gold crown and regalia. While work on the fabric of Victoria House and a new bracket and support was finished, she was displayed on the stage of a former Edwardian theater, now the local Ceredigion museum. In November an attempt was made to place her back in her original position, to test the position and suitability of the new bracket. During the lifting process, with one rope aro und the neck of the carving and another round her body, there was a loud crack, as Victoria's head separated
Ship Model Collection Limited Editions Built by Master Craftsmen
from her body and fell 15 feet onto the hood of a car before landing in the road while horrified onlookers stood speechless. Victoria was hastily removed to the workshops of the university's maintenance department for repair. Fortunately, the head and neck had originally been carved as a separate element and had been attached to the body; it proved to be a relatively simple task to replace it. After repair and a repaint, she was successfully and safely hoisted into position in December of 1998 to the great relief of all concerned. Today Victoria once more looks down over Aberystwyth-a worthy landmark and a tribute to the unknown carver who made her and to the unknown ship she once adorned. Each year investigations turn up new information on Victoria figureheads all over the world. I am sure that one day, the beautiful lady of Victoria House will be given back her true identity. .t
Freelance writer and designer Richard Hunter has been researching and restoring naval and merchantfigureheads and other marine carving for the past 25 years.
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covers the technical history of ships and boats, their uses, and the lives they touch. Its forum li nks builders of the highest quality sh ip models, marine artists, writers, and nautical collectors. The international Guild supports annual Conferences and provides special services for members including ship model analysis and model buildi ng assistance by experts. US$35.00.
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33
The Unique Lf.9'19' of tlie Navesink 'I\vin L191its by Paul Maxwell
T
o a sailor at sea, perhaps nothing can equal rhevalueofthe sight of a lighthouse. As mariners make rhe western approach to NewYorkharbor,an almost Gothic, medieval-type structure rises from the bluffs of the Highlands of Navesink, New Jersey. The somewhat ominous lighthouse consists of nor one, bur two lighted rowers. Once dual beacons oflighr broadcast our to sea, like the jeweled eyes of a giant car staring out over the waters, administering an occasional blink from one of irs optics. The Twin Lights Lighthouse has pa-
tienrly observed a rich bounty of our history at sea, which has sailed before her two luminous eyes, en route to one of rhe world's busiest ports. She has witnessed events from a unique vantage point and shared as well in the making of her own maritime history. The Twin Lights sit 226 feet above sea level, atop the highest bluff along the New Jersey Highlands. From early in the American story, rhe bluffs along the Highlands provided the colonists with a perfect location for an advanced warning system. As early as 17 46, watchmen were to light fires to signal the approach of potentially unfriendly convoys. A navigational aid was built in 1828; it consisted of two separate octagonal light rowers built ofblue split stone and stood in
service upon the bluff until 1860. By the late 18 50s, deterioration had beset the wood frame building and keeper's house, as well as the cowers themselves. Plans were made co build an entirely new station-the present lights , completed at a cost of $74,000. Construction began in 1860 on the uniquely designed lighthouse rhar stands today; it was completed in 1862. This brownstone light with its decorative stonework measures 350 feet in length from cower to tower. Its architectural design appears to be a combination of styles. Its overall appearance is reminiscent of a castle or, from a distance, a cathedral of the Middle Ages, combined with contemporary Victorian style. From a distance iris easy to see why the towers are coined the Twin Lights, but closer inspection shows
"Twin Lights ofNavesink, New j ersey, ca 1892" by Stephen Harrington, copyright 2000. (See ad for Coastal Guardians, p41)
34
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
The imposing Twin Lights of1862 still commands a dramatic view ofthe New Jersey coast, the entrance to New York harbor andfar out to the Atlantic. (Photos by the author) they are not twins at all. The south rower is square and its light is reached by 65 steps. The north tower is octagonal and, just slightly shorter, has 64 steps. The light was designed thus to set it apart from other more traditional lighthouses. The view from atop the two rowers is astounding. The panoramic vista takes in an area of overwhelming maritime importance, encompassing Lower New York Bay, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Light, and Fort Hancock on the Sandy Hook peninsula, which forms the lower western entrance to Lower New York Bay. To the south are the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers and the continuing coastline of New Jersey. To the north is the unmistakable modern skyline ofNew York City and to the northeast, the shoreline of Long Island. In clear weather, a number of Lower Bay range lights are visible; due east extends a glorious view of the boundless Atlantic. At the time of the Twin Lights' debut, New York City was a thriving port of call, and as the years progressed countless ships traveled the seven seas to make her acquaintance. From naval transports to colossal ocean liners, from sail to steam, the Navesink lighthouse has seen it all. A Record of Innovation This distinctive and preeminent fortress light boasts her own record of innovations in lighthouse technology. In 1838, in the time of the first dual rowers, the Congress of the United States approved the importation of a revolutionary lens. The National Lighthouse Service dispatched Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Paris to purchase the acclaimed Fresnel lens, developed by a French experimenter in the field ofoptics, Augustin Jean Fresnel. Perry returned with two state-of-the-arr
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
lenses. In 1841, a fixed first-order optic was placed in the north rower. A revolving second-order lens was set in the south rower. The Twin Lights became the first lighthouse in the nation to implement this innovation of modern science, and the two optics were proclaimed to be the finest lights in service along the US coast. By 1883, the north octagonal rower set another precedent by becoming the first first-order optic to be operated using mineral oil, or kerosene. The kerosene burned cleaner than lard oil, cost less money, and required less attention from the keeper. In 1898, the twin rowers established another first. The south rower was fitted with one of the brightest lenses ever to be manufactured, constructed in France in 1893 for formal display at the World's Columbia Exposition in C hicago. This second-o rder bivalve lens, so metimes known as the "clam shell," was delivered to Navesink. It measured 9 feet in diameter, weighed over 7 tons and made a complete revolution of 360 degrees in only 10 seconds. The light's revolving mechanical action was supplied by a 700-pound descending weight. The beam was so powerful that it completely washed out the illumination the north rower was emitting. Proven impractical, the north rower's use was discontinued that same year. The south rower with the latest technological lens of the day also became the first seacoast lighthouse on the American coast to be electrically powered. The energy required was produced by its very own power plant, built adjacent to the light station, providing the brilliance of 25,000,000 candle power. The resulting beacon had a range of 22 nautical miles. Observations made from aircraft reported viewing the incandescent reflection from an incredible
distance of70 nautical miles. The electrical plant was removed in 1917, possibly due to the expense of repairs, and incandescent oil vapor lamps were felt to provide sufficient light. In 1931, however, an electric lamp cluster of three 500-watt lamps brought the beacon up to 9,000,000 candle power, making it once more one of the most powerful lights in the country. Decades earlier, in 18 99, the Highlands Light shared in another impressive historical feat, contributing to what would become one of the most world-changing innovations in history. Erected beside the north rower was a 100-foot antenna. It was from here that the first wireless-transmitted telegraph message was sent in the United States. The inventor of the first practical radio-signaling system, Nobel Prize recipient M. G. Marconi, successfully transmitted a ship-to-shore message on 30 September 1899, dispatched from aboard USS Ponce during the America's Cup Race. The remarkable beacon of the Twin Lights south rower was automated in 1949, and the light was deactivated in 1953 as more sophisticated navigational equipment provided sailors with safe passage into New York harbor; the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and contains a museum. Today, she is still a haunting presence on the bluffs of the New Jersey Highlands-a true and lasting testament to man's attempt to meet the formidable realities of the sea. .t
Twin Lights Historic Site, Lighthouse Road, Highlands NJ 07732; 732 872-1814; email: twin_lights@hotmail.com Paul Maxwell is a freelance writer and photographer who is also a frequent contributor to The Compass Magazine. 35
Sail with us! . â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ on the legendary
SEA CLOUD to the Turkish Coast & Greek Islands, 11 to 21 July 2001 , with friends from National Maritime Historical Society! COME SAIL WITH US on this spectacular voyage along the Turkish Coast and among the Greek Islands. Sailing on the unique and elegant Sea Cloud, we' ll explore fabled Istanbul, vi sit ancient Ephesus, and walk through the Museum of Archaeology in Bodrum, founded by our colleague and fellow member George Bass. We will sail to the volcanic island of Santorini and see the remarkable excavation of Akrotiri, the Minoan seaport we have read about in "The Cape Horn Road." Then, we go on to Delos, Mykonos, Patmos and Pergamum and then sail back through the Dardanelles to Istanbul. We will be accompanied through these legendary places by Dr. Faith Hentschel, PhD, professor of art history at Central Connecticut State
University, who has worked with Dr. Bass at Bodrum. President of NMHS Peter Stanford will be there to welcome all NMHS members and will offer a maritime perspective on the history of the sites. This is a trip like no other and
one you won ' t want to miss. Along with the spectacular places we will visit, you 'll enjoy the camaraderie of fellow members and the company of people deeply interested in history and the history of seafaring.
The incomparable Sea Cloud (top ), beautiful when seen under sail, has equally elegant interiors. At left, the carved mahogany dining rooms, where the chefs will serve their gourmet dinners.
For Information and Reservations:
ANNEMARIE VICTORY
ORGANIZATION, INC. 136 East 64th Street, New York NY 10021
Tel: 212-486-0353 Fax: 212-751-3149
SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS SPUN YARN
Irving and Exy Johnson Honored in New Brigantines
The National Maritime Heritage Act, established in 1994, provided for federal funding for maritime heritage projects from the scrappi ng of ships in the US National Defense Reserve Fleet. That source has dried up and the National Maritime Alliance, under the leadership ofTim Runyan of East Carolina Universiry, is seeking to have the grants funded through the historic preservation section of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act, which gets monies from offshore drilling. NMA' s goal is to include in CARA an amendment to fund the NMHA. To help support the amendment, please write to your Congressmen asking them to support the National Maritime Heritage Act amendment to CARA. (NMA, c/o Dr. Timothy Runyan, Maritime History & Nautical Archaeology Program, East Carolina University, Greenville NC 27858-4353) ... The Sydney Heritage Fleet's four-year restoration of the hark fames Craig is reaching its culmination (see Sea History 83 for the ship's history and the restoration work). The 124-year-old vessel made its first voyage in 75 years under her own sail power on 12 August 2000. In December the ship will go on public display, and it is planned to take her to sea every Saturday with up to 100 passengers, as well as to use her as an entertainment venue and for school overnights. With her expected restricted survey (Class 1C) she will be allowed to take passengers to sea within 30 nautical miles of shore. Qames Craig Restoration Division , Sydney Heritage Fleet, PO Box 431, Rozelle NSW 2039; e-mail: jamescraig@seaheritage.asn.au; web site: www.seaheritage.asn.au/jamescraig/index .cfm) .. . At the San Diego Maritime Museum , the little wooden workhorse Pilot, whi ch carried generations of harbor
T he keels of the Los Angeles Maritime lnstitute's two 90-foot brigantines were laid in February in the San Pedro district of Los Angeles. The new vessels will be named for Irving and Exy Johnson, who took yo ung people to sea as crew under sail aboard their three Yankees and served as inspiration ro today's sail training movement. T he communi ty boatworks is visitor friendly and set up as a living history exhibit of the museum. As of midAugust, builder Allen Rawl had erected 38 of 51 frames, and the lead ballast was being fitted. The launch is scheduled for Summer 2001. The TopSail Youth Program, which received, amo ng other awards, the National Maritime Historical Society's Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Maritime Education , has served thousands of Southern California's at- risk yo uth by taking them off their "turf" and onto the ocean in a demanding sailing environment where they are guided and tested by the fair, consistent and logical rules of nature. Founded by Capt. Jim Gladso n, the program provided over 8800 yo uth days of sailing and logged over 4 5 ,000 job-specific, documented volunteer hours in 1999. While the vessels are being built, LAMI's programs are proceeding aboard the Bill ofRights and Swift ofIpswich. To date, $ 1.5 milli on has been provided for the project by organizations such as the Crail-Johnson The Irving Johnson and Exy Johnso n rise on the ways in San Pedro. Foundation, the Harriet Glickman Foundation for Children, the Constellation Foundation, the Co nfidence Foundation, the Jero me Foundation, Home Depot, IBM and private donors. A total budget of $5.62 million will be needed for construction and initial outfitting of the two vessels. !. (LAMI, Berth 84, Foot of Sixth Street, San Pedro CA 90731; 3 10 833-6055; fax: 310 548-2055; web site: www.brigantineboatworks.com)
James Craig motors in Sydney Harbor and,
a few weeks Later, steps out under sail power. (Photos: Sydney Heritage Fleet web site)
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
pilots in San Diego Bay, is undergoing restoration. Launched in 1914, the 52foot vessel was the first auxiliary power boat in San Diego and is believed to have had the longest working life of any vessel in the Western H emisphere. The restored Pilot will become an operating platform for
a middle-school program that puts environmental issues in an historical co ntext. (SDMM, 1306 North Harbor Drive, San Diego CA 92101; 619 234-9153; web si te: www.sdmaritime.com) ... In May 2000 an application for the destruction of the clipper ship City of Adelaide was fi led with the Planning Committee of North Ayrshire Council in Scotland. The Scottish Maritime Museum, which owns the ship, does not have the funds to restore the clipper nor to maintain her in the hopes of funding becoming available. To leave her in her present condition for one year would cost approximately ÂŁ 100,000, while a complete restoration is estimated at ÂŁ5 milli on. Built in England in 1864, she carried passengers and general cargo between London and Australia and later served in the coal trade, in the North Atlantic timber trade,
37
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Holiday Cards & N ote Cards
for Those Who Love the Sea!
This handsome painting by Len Tantillo shows the steam tug Edna G. approaching a disabled frei ghter on Lake Superior. Cards measure 6 1/ â&#x20AC;˘ x 4 1'2, greeting: "With every good wish for the Holidays and for the coming year. " Box of ten: $13.95, or $12.55 for NMHS members . All orders add $3 s/h. Send check or money order to:
NMHS PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566 Or phone in your credit card order to
1-800-221-NMHS (6647) 38
AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE M USEUM N EWS M useum Offers Valuable Research Assistance: The fact that 1,000 World War II veterans pass away each day has recently been brought into the public awareness. We are rapidly losing the generation that fought for the freedom from oppression that we too ofren take for gran ted today. It is important, therefore, to know that sources of information on the accomplishments of the World War II generation and subsequent generations exist. The American Merchant Marine Museum is one such institution. Ir has been a valuable source of research material on the 20th-century American merchant marine since its inception over 20 years ago. The Museum promotes awareness of the accomplishments of rhe merchant marine in this country and explores its history from the Civil War to rhe modern era. A strong emphasis is placed o n rhe merchant marine in rhe 20rh century, particularly during World War II, when thousands manned Liberty ships, Victory ships, and merchant vessels of all kinds, delivering vi ral cargos to rhe war fronts. The Museum responds to requests for information and research. Two volunteers, Ned Hammond and Herb Lowenthal, deal exclusively with answering the numerous research requests that come. Our location on the grounds of the United Stares M erchant Marine Academy allows the volunteers to supplement the Museum's archives with access to the campus library. The Schuyler Otis Bland Library is one of the most extensive maritime libraries on the East Coast, housing over 16 5 ,000 books and 1,200 periodicals, rare books, navigational charts, and ship registers and histories. Requests can be sent via regular mail to the address below, or e-mailed to us at ammmuseum@aol.com. In a request for research or information, please indicate the name of the person or vessel yo u would like our staff to research, as well as what information in particular yo u would like us to find. Also, please provide any background information that is available, as this can aid our researchers in their responses. If yo u live in rhe Long Island/New York metro area and would like to join our staff as a research volunteer, please contact the Museum at 516 773-55 15. -DAN TRACHTENBERG AMMM, US Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point NY 11024; 516 173-5515; Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 1 OAM to 3PM, Saturday and Sunday, 1PM to 4:30PM; closed during the month ofJuly and for all Federal holidays.
as an isolation hospital, as a drill ship for the RNVR (as HMS Carrick) and as the Glasgow RNVR's club premises. In January 1992 the Scottish Maritime Museum acquired her for ÂŁ1 and she was bro ught ashore in preparation for restoration in Irvine, Scotland. Meetings to determine her status are scheduled for September. An informative web sire is: www.classicboats.co.uk/carrick. (Scottish Maritime Carrick (ex-City of Adelaide) awaits her fate in I rvine, Scotland in August 2000 (Photo: Harold D. Huycke)
Museum, Harbourside, Irvine, KA12 8QE, Scotland) ... The schooners A dventure and Ernestina w ill receive fo r use in their r estoration nine white sp ruce, fe lled in Massachuserrs by the Department ofEnvironmental Management as part of state forest maintenance. (Schooner Ernestina Commission, PO Box 2010, New Bedford MA02741-2010; 508 992-4900; web site: www .e rnestin a .org; e- mail: swanzey@ a\ultranet.com; G loucester Adventure, Inc., PO Box 1306, Gloucester MA01930; 978 281-90 79; web sire: http://schooneradvenrure.org; e-mail: advent u re@cove .com) ... The Vancouver M aritime Museum and the Roy al Canadian Mounted Police are working together in the Voyage of Rediscovery to follow the historic route ofRCMP St. R och . From 1940 to 1942 the auxiliary schooner was the first vessel to transit the Northwest Passage from west to east. The St. Roch later became the first vessel to circumnavigate North America.
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
The modern voyage began on 1 July 2000 and is being undertaken to educate the public about Canada's history in northern waters and raise funds for the St. Roch preservation campaign at the museum. (VMM, 1905 Ogden Avenue, Vancouver BC, V6J 1A3, Canada; 604 25 7-8300; web site: www.vmm.bc.ca) . .. The Wisconsin Lake Sch ooner Denis Sullivan was launched on 22 June and is being prepared for her commissioning on 30 September. The 137-foot vessel is the first schooner to be built in W isconsin in over a century. (Wisconsin Lake Schooner Education Association, 500 North Harbor Drive, Milwaukee WI 53202; 414 276-7700; e-mail: schooner@execpc.com) .. . The New Bedford Whaling Museum received a collection of the papers of whaling master and agent Joseph C. Little, including journals Little kept as master of the ships Florida and Marengo in the mid-1800s. The gift brings the museum's collection of logbooks to 1,176. (NBWM, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New BedfordMA02740-6398; 508 997-0046; web site: www.whaling museum.org) . .. T he Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum in Essex, Massachusetts, is the beneficiary of a major donation of documents, artifacts, books and slides. Shipbuilder, historian and author Dana Story, who has contributed his expertise, as well as photographs, tools and plans to the museum over the years, has donated two suitcases fu ll of documents and artifacts as well as a collection of books and over 1,500 slides documenting Essex history, including the records of the A. D. Story shipyard. (EHSSM, PO Box277, 66 Main Street, EssexMA01929) . . . The Great Lakes Historical Society opened the Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center on 24 June. In its first year, the Center will be open for researchers on Fridays and Saturdays from lOAM to 5PM. (GLHS, 480 Main Street, PO Box 435, Vermilion OH 44089-0435; 440 9673467; web site: www.Inland.Seas.org) ... The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has been named the first Gateway Hub in the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Water Trails Initiative, a program to develop a network of linked natural, cultural, historical, and recreational sites throughout the Bay region. The initial 23 locations include one Gateway hub, two regional information centers, eight
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
Historic, antique U.S. Coast Survey maps from the 1800s Origi nal lithographs, most American seaports and shores. Reprints, too. Unique framed, great gi fts. Catalog, $1.00. Specify area.
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Compact Oisc ... $15. Tape ... $10. Includes postage. AmeH / UISA / MasterCard 97th, P. 0. BoH 2208E, Largo , FL 3377 9-22 08 . Allow 6-8 weeks. Phone : 727-3 91-4565 . FAH : 407-737-6093.the97th@aol.com
TALL SH I PS 2001 Calendar,
by Thad Koza
Beautiful photo portraits of twelve of the world ' s best known tall ships wi ll keep the sea heritage on your wall and in your thoughts for the coming year. Calendar is wall hanging, full color, 11x14" $11.95 + $3 slh. To order send $14.95 (or $13.75 for NMHS members) check or money order to:
NMHS, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566 Or phone 1-800-221-NMHS (6647) to order by credit card. 39
SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS
The Visolette Loupe is a unique combination of condenser and 2.7X magnifier. Its ability to bundle ambient light makes the reading within the glass easier. T his 65mm (2.5") diameter lens is precision ground and polished, mounted in a solid brass ring with anti-slip bottom and enclosed in a solid walnut case. It makes a stunning addition to any chart table or desk and a beautiful and useful gift for any flat piece collector. $69.00 plus $3.00 shipping per order.
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Souvenirs of the Great Gathering of Sailing Ships in the Year 2000
Our handsome Ts show four sailing sh ips passing Miss Liberty, sil k screened in blue, light blue and crimson . The official OpSail 2000 program has photos & stories of the ships and the people who sai l them . Both commemorate a great occasion on 4 July 2000! Shirt: $12.50 + $2.50 s/h; availab le in S, M, L, XL, XXL Program: $6 + $2 s/h
Send check or money order to National Maritime Historical Soc. PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566 Or phone in your credit card order to 1-800-221-NMHS (6647) 40
trails and twelve sites over a five-state area (CBMM, PO Box 636, Mill Street, St. Michaels MD 2 1663; 410 745-2916; web site: www.cbmm .org; CBGN, Jonarhan Doherty, 800 YOUR-BAY) ... The New Jersey Museum of Boating, housed in Building 12 of the former Johnson Brothers Boat Works, once one of New Jersey's premier boatbuilding facili ties, opened 22 April. The institution wi ll provide the public with an overview of boating and boatbuilding in New Jersey, including a display of small boats common to New Jersey waters, a history oflocal boat builders, typical construction tools an d techniques and historic photographs. (NJBM, Building 12,Johnson Brothers Boat Works, 1800 Bay Avenue, Point Pleasant NJ 087 42; 732 295-2072) ... The Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley, which sank USS Housatonic in 1864, was raised intact from the waters off Charleston, South Carolina, on 8 August 2000 and brought to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston, where sh e is lying in a 55 foot- long tank of cold water. The vessel and irs artifacts will be displayed at the Charleston M useum fo llowing conservation. Meanwhile, Friends of the Hunley, the non-profit organization spearheading the work, has an excellent web site for photographs and updates and a traveling exhibit including the submarine built for the TNT movie on the Hunley. (Friends of the Hunley, 255 King Street, C harleston SC 29401; web site: www.hunley.org) ... Archaeologists from Texas A&M U niversity's Institute of Nautical Archaeology recovered the connecting rod of the British paddle steamer Denbigh, one of the most successful blockade runners of the American Civil War, in Galveston Bay, Texas. (INA, PO Drawer HG, College Station TX 7784 1-5 137; 409 845-6694; web site: http: //nautarch .tamu.edu) .. . The eight-foot connecting rod recoveredfrom the British blockade runner Denbigh. (Photo: INA web site)
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's 1999 Lake Survey revealed W reek MM, a railroad drawboat, a heavy barge that served as a temporary bridge for trains to cross the lake. Wreck MM, possible the largest shipwreck in the lake, is 250 feet long, 34 feet wide, and stand s almost 8 feet off the lake bottom. T he. drawboat illusWreck MM (Sketch by Adam Kane)
trates the compromise between sailors who depended on the open passage of vessels and merchants whose goods were shipped overland by train and needed a safe lake channel crossing by rail. The drawboat co uld be maneuvered in and out of position, floating out of the way of lake traffic when not needed. (LCMM, 4472 Basin H arbor Road, Vergennes VT 05491; 802 475-2022; web site: www.lcmm.org) ... A provision added to the Interior Department appropriations bill at the end of the 1999 Congressional session calls for a study on the question of designating Midway Atoll a national memorial. The International M idway Memorial Foundation, Inc. has been meeting with the Fish and W ildlife Service to determine what steps must be raken to create and maintain Midway as a memorial. (IMMF, 11004 ArroyoDrive, Rockville MD 20852; 301 652-0677; web sire: www. immf-midway.org) ... T h e Naval Historical Foundation has published proceedings from two of its 1999 conferences: "Changing Tides: The History and Evolution of the Philadelphia Shipyard, 1801to1998 and Beyond" ($12) and "Pearl Harbor and the Kimmel Controversy: The Views Today" ($18) . (NHF, 1306 Dahlgren Avenue SE, Washington Navy Yard, Was hington DC 2 0374-5055; 202 678-4333; e-mail: nhfny@msn.com)
Full infonnation on these and other stories can be found in Sea History Gazette, July! August2000. To subscribe to the bi-monthly Gazettefor oneyear, send $18. 75 (add $10 for foreign postage) to NMHS, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566. For credit card orders, call 1800221-NMHS (6647) or sign up on-line at www.seahistory.org.
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
CALENDAR Festivals, Events, Lectures, Etc.
• Independence Seaport Museum: from 24 June 2000, "Boats Float," new permanent exhibit (Penn 's Landing, 2 11 S. Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia PA 19106; 2 15 925-5439; web sire: www.libertyner.o rg/seaport) • Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum: April 2000-S umm er 2001 , "Prepare to Dive" (46rh Street and 12th Ave nu e, New York NY 10036; 2 12 245-0072; www. intrepidmuse um.org) •Maine Maritime Museum: from 18 September 2000, "Sewall's Ships of Steel" (243 Washington Street, Bath ME 04530; 203 443- 13 16; web site: www. barhmaine.co m) • Michigan Maritime Museum: 2 December 2000-3 March 2001 , "Fish for All: The Legacy of Lake Michigan Fisheries Policy and Management" (260 Dyckman Avenue, South Haven M I 49090; 6 16 637-8078) • Mystic Seaport: from 17 June 2000, "Voyages: Stories of America and the Sea" (75 Greenmanville Avenue, PO Box 6000, MysConferences tic CT 06355-0990; web sire: www.mysric •Anglo-French Naval Historians Confer- seaport.org) ence: 30 April-3 May 2001, "The Rational • Nantucket Historical Association: 26 and the Irrational: Science and the French May-26 Nove mber 2000, "The Tragedy of and British Navies, 1700-1 850" at the Na- rhe Whaleship Essex" (Peter Foulger Mution al Maritime Museum, London (Helen seum, 15 Broad Street, Nan tucket MA; 508 Jon es, Resea rch Administrator, National 228-1894) Maritime Museum, London SElO 9NF; (20) •The Navy Museum: from 23 Jun e 2000, "Korea 1950-53: The Navy in the Forgotten 8312 6716; fax: (20) 8312 6722; e-mail: research@nmm.ac. uk) War" (Washington Navy Yard, 805 Kidder • Society for Historical Archaeology: 10- Breese Street SE, Washington D C 2037413 Janu ary 2001 , Conference on Historical 5060 ; www. histo ry. navy. mil) • Newport Harbor Nautical Museum: 9 & Underwater Archaeology (2001 SHA Co nference, PO Box 2667, Long Beach CA 90801; J uly- 10 November 2000, "Marin ers and Mandarins: Seafarin g in the China Trade" (15 1 562 424-0201 ; fax: 562 290-0064) East Pacific Coast Highway, Newport Beach Exhibits CA 92660; 946 673-7863) • Connecticut River Museum: from 9 Jun e •Penobscot Marine Museum: 27 May-15 2000, "Framing the Pas t" from 11 August October 2000: "Chinese Cargo for the Ameri2000; "The Battle of Midway," a National can Table: 18th and 19th Century Exporrs Geographic Society exhibit (Steamboat Dock, for the American Table" (5 Church Street, 67 Main Street, Essex CT 06426; 860 767- PO Box498, Searsport ME 04974-0498; 207 8269; web site: www.ctrivermuseum .org) 548-2529; e-mail: PMMuseum@acadia.net) • DoorCountyMaritime •The Whaling Museum: Portrait in the "Shipbuilding in Museum: from 3 Ap ril 1 July 2000-J un e 200 1, 2000, "The Time Line of Colonial Virginia" exhibit at the "Splendid Voyage: Life on Yorktown Vict01y Center. (Courtesy a Long Island Whaler" Shipbuildin g in D oor The Mariners ' Museum) County," a new permanent (PO Box 25, Main St., exhibit (120 N. M adiso n Cold Spring H arbor NY Avenue, Sturgeon Bay WI 11 724; 631 367-34 18; 54235, 920 743 -5958 ; web sire: www.cshwhaling web sire: www.dcmm.org) museum.org) • The Field Museum: 7 •Yorktown Victory CenOctober 2000-14 January ter: 1 Jun e 2000-Febru2001 , "The Endurance: ary 2001 , "Shipbui lding Shackleton 's Legend ary in Co lonia l Virginia " Antarctic Expedition " (J am estow n-Yo rkrown (1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Foundation, PO Box 1607 Chicago IL 60605-2496; Williamsburg VA 231873 12 665-7100; web sire: 1607; 757 253-4838) ,t ,t ,t www.fmnh.org) • Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum: 4 November 2000, OysrerFest 2000 (M ill Street, PO Box 636, Sr. Michael's MD 21663; 410 745-29 16; we b site: www.cbmm. org) • Freemans: 6 October 2000 , Maritime Arr andAnriquesAucrion (1808 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA 19 103 ; 2 15 563-9275; www.freemansaucrion.com) • San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park: 10 December 2000, Christmas at Sea (B uilding 35 , Fort Mason, PO Box 47031 0, San Francisco CA 94147-031 O; 415 556-6662; e- mail: sfnmma@aol.com; web sire: www.n ps.gov/safr) •Texas Maritime Museum: 4-5 November 2000, Music of the Sea (1202 Navigation C ircle, Rockport TX 78382; 36 1 729- 1271; e- mail: tmm @2fo rds.net; web site: texas maritimemuseum .org)
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
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The Last of the Windships, by Alan Vilshore-dwellers, and if we delude ourliers, Introduction by Basil Greenhill selves- why, we are the better for (W.W. Norton & Co., the thinking, anyway. Villiers's artistry as photographer illuLo ndon UK & New York NY, 2000, 216pp, mines these pages-we get wide perspec71 photos, maps & line tives of the lonely sea and the sky in all weath ers, as well as huge swatches of straindrawings, ISBN 0-393ing canvas and close-up involvements with 05033-5 ; $55hc) Alan Villiers's life in the people working the ship. A nd his words simply resonate in truths sail is well observed in of the deepwaterman 's experience. H e also his own photographs and sounds the depths of confronting the sea in his own words in this marvellous new compendium of his work. its anger. He comments, when the Parma, Villiers, it should be remembered, was a nearly overwhelmed, broaches to, that he professional journalist. That is how he tho ught he was now go ing to see the las t earned the living that took him on the moments of a ship and all her crew, a scene Cape Horn road around the world in quest n o on e had ever described because no one of the truths of ships and seafaring in the comes back from it. last age of sail. Greenhill's introduction gives a comThese words and pictures cover three prehens ive portrait of Villiers and his life voyages. The first is in the Herzogin Cecilie in ships, together with a remarkably wellfrom Melbourne, Australia, to Falmouth, informed picture of G ustaf Erikson, the England, in 1928 . Excerpts for this section Aland Islander who kept these last great are from Villiers' s Falmouth for Orders and Cape H orn sailing ships voyaging. PETER STANFORD The Set ofthe Sails. The second voyage is in the Grace Harwar from Port Lincoln, Australia, to Queenstown, Ireland, in 1929- Naval H istory an d Maritime Strategy, a voyage in which his great pal Ronald by John B. Hattendorf (Krieger Publishing Walker was killed while working aloft. Co., Malabar FL, 2000, 248pp, illus, inExcerpts are from By Way ofCape Horn and dex, ISBN 1-57524- 127-7; $29 .50hc) Naval History and Maritime Strategy The Set ofthe Sails. In the Parma in 1932, sailing from Port Lincoln to Fal mouth, he illuminates intellectual areas beyond the is a veteran deepwaterman and part owner roma ntic allure and adventure we associate with ship's captain Ruben de C loux. Ex- with the sea. The author, John Hattendorf, cerpts for this section are from Voyage ofthe Ernest J . King Professor of Maritime History at the US Naval War College, has Parma and Last of the Wind Ships. Never before has this vivid testimony assembled sixteen of his own essays-writbeen assembled to make one book of ten over a span of30 years-that provide a Villiers's extraordinary range and artis try tho ughr-provoking historical context to in capturing the living realiry of tall ships American naval power. And rhe book, raken and high canvas. He lived and wo rked as as a whole, is particularly important readone of the ship 's people who made the ing at a rime wh en there is diminishing ships go, moving cargo with the puny understanding of the relevance of naval power of their hands and the teamwork power to America's peace and prosperiry. and courage of a disciplined crew. H ere is In addition to this important historical a typical tribute to the yo ung crewmen: perspective, the collection provides fasciCape Horn ships form a wo nderful naring insights into the relationship bebackground for the building of tween American naval history and the yo uthful character, but it usually navalists who have been both prophets and shapers of modern history. Among those follows that the boys who go in them who play prominent roles in this naval are pre try strong-charactered already. "theater of thought" are Rear Admiral The saps and the yahoos stay ashore, Alfred Thayer Mahan, arguably the princito grow up in pampered jobs and to look down on mariners. Well, we all pal agent of change in the American tranlive but once, and a short span then; sition into a global sea power, and Britain's we think that here we get something Sir Julian Corbett, who has been called from our span which is hidden from Britain's greatest maritime strategist.
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
Equally interesting is Professor Hattendorf's focus on the lesser-known thinkers who have contributed to the rational underpi nning of no t only US maritime strategy but also such naval nitty-gritty as force structure and weapons development. Individuals li ke Rear Adm iral J. C. Wylie and Adm iral Richard G. Colbert are no t exactly famo us personalities, except perhaps within a small segment of the nation 's professional naval community. However, each made significant contributions to the development of today's US naval power. Other essays focus on such subjects as the genesis of the Naval War College, American strategies in the Pacific during WWII, and sea power and con trol in contemporary times. In a society created by an un usually rational process, and at a time when we are too often mesmerized by the marvels of technological development, Hattendorf has presented a particularly interesting view of an important aspect of our national security. His book provides a welcome antidote to the sound-byre analysis and oblique political manipulation that freq uently obscure the fundame ntals of national security. At least in the area of naval power, he helps one to get back to the basics. RADMJOSEPHF. CALLO, USNR(RET) Kansas City, Missouri
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John Ro bson Millions fo r D efense: The Subscription Warships of 17 98 , by Frederick C. Leiner (Naval Instimte Press, Annapolis MD , 2000, 288pp, illus, appen, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 1-55750-508-x; $36.95hc) In 179 8 the fledgling United States was essentially without a navy, even though six frigates, three heavy 44s and three 36s had been contracted for with several building yards. The previous two years had shown a steadily deteriorating relationship with Franee which, by 1799, had reached a level of continuing attacks on US merchant shipping throughout the West Indies. T he merchants of the major seaport towns were desperate for assistance from the Federal government-a government which was, for the most part, powerless to offer them the protection they needed for their ships. The citizens of Newburyport, Massachusetts, acted: they raised through subscription enough money to build a 35 5-ton ship, armed with 20 six-pounder cannon, which they donated to the Federal governSEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
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This fascinating atlas, chronology, and biography of th e li fe and voyages of Captain Cook, with a set of 128 sp ecially drawn maps, provides a detailed overview of his life.
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John Bockstoce Presents vivid images of sailing, researching, and photographing in Alaska and the North Pacific, the Canadian Arctic, and the North Atlantic. "John is an outstanding photographer and author and a true northern voyager. " - fames Hou ston, O.C. Published with the History Bank Paperback, $29.95
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REVIEWS ment. In return, the government would give them a return of 6 percent per annum on the "net cost of the vessel and its equipments," with final reimbursement to come at the "convenience of the government. " T hus started a trend, albeit short-lived , of seaport towns putting up the money and building, for the use of the Federal government, a series of warships ranging from armed Baltimore pilot schooners to the 36gun New York. Most were so ld out of the navy by President Jefferson in keeping with his policy of a "gunboat" navy; only a very few ever saw service in future wars. John Adams and Philadelphia made it to the coast of Tripoli where, after capture by the Bey, the latter was burned by Steven Decatur. T hi s eminently readable, well-researched and well-documented book, while somewhat repetitive by its nature and layout, is likely the best account of this generally forgotten period of our nation's history currently available. I look forward to future offerings from Mr. Leiner. WILLIAM H. WHITE Rumson, New J ersey Warships of the Napoleonic Era, by R obert Gardiner (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1999, 160pp, illus, appen, ISBN 1-5575 0-962-x; $49.95h c) At last! Someone, in the person of Robert Gardi ner, has put together a quite comprehensive portfolio of the plans/blueprints/ draughts of not only English vessels, but also those of foreign nations whose ships the Royal Navy captured. T he diagrams are copies of those on file in England's National Maritime Museum with the legends and notes intact. Information is included on the builder, intended use, and strengths and weaknesses of each vessel, derived not only from the plans themselves, but also from Gardiner's research . His text, in many cases, details the changes made in subsequent iterations and the reasons for those changes. An additional useful feature is the listing of vessels in the class, their dimensions, armamen t, and use, as well as comparable ships of other nations , including Denmark, F ranee, and the United States. A separate section shows the lines of captured vessels, among them USS Chesapeake, President and the French flush-decked corvette La Bonne Citoyenne, which was influential in the design of the English frigate classes of 18 10-12. SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
While clearly not a "cover-to-cover" read, this volume, coffeetable-sized, is a splendid reference for anyone who paints, writes about, or models sailing warships of the 1789-1815 period. The text is readable, informative, and, most important, complementary to the plates which, of course, are the real meat of the book. Detailed footnotes and source references are provided for those desiring more information. Thumbing through this book will delight and intrigue any with even a mild interest in these wonderful vessels. WILLIAM H . WHITE The Boats of Men-of-War, by W. E. May (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, in association with the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich UK, 2000, 128pp , illus, ISBN 1-5575 0-190-4; $34.95hc) This new book is based on work the late Commander W. E. May, RN, published in 1974. May was Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, from 19 51 to 1968 and a recognized expert on many details of naval history such as navigation and the equipment of warships, including their boats. Simon Stephens, also of the Museum, has preserved May's original text and notes while adding a significant amount of tabular data, illustrations and captions. The result is a magnificently illustrated presentation on British ships' boats from the long boats, cocketts and skull es of 1345 to the steam pinnaces of pre-World War I, with the emphasis on the period of sail. T h e complexities of fittings, rigs, propulsion and armament are well covered, to the benefit of historians and modelers. Artwork includes many original black-andwhite naval boat draughts and paintings showing historical detail. There are tables showing boat dimensions, scantlings and other data from vario us eras as well as evolutionary changes. This will be the standard work on its subj ect. TOWNSEND HORNOR Osterville, Massachusetts Fort Anderson: Battle for Wilmington, by Chris E. Fonvielle, Jr. (Savas Publishing Company, Mason C ity IA, 1999 , 12 lpp, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 1-8828 1024-4; $ 12.95pb) In Fort Anderson: Battle fo r Wilmington the avid Civil War reader will find a thor-
oughly researched and well-illustrated work on a Confederate Civil War fortress that defended the seaward approaches to Wilmington, North Carolina. The thoroughness of Chris E. Fonvielle's wo rk in the primary source material results in an interesting social history as wartime even ts associated with Fort Anderson unravel not just from the generals' points of view, but from the perspective of the ordinary soldier. Fort Anderson is a rewarding reading experience. The relative significance ofFort Anderson to the defense of Wilmington is debatable, however. Like a Gibraltar of the No rth Carolina coast, the more strategic Fort Fisher defended the approaches to the Cape Fear River and helped deter Union forces from assaulting Wilmington throughout most of the war. Once Fort Fisher fell into Union hands, enemy army and navy units quickly rolled up Confederate resistance along the Cape Fear. There was little the outnumbered and undergunned garrison at Fort Anderson could do to oppose this force. For a more comprehensive study of the Battle for Wilmington, read Fonvielle's earlier book, The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of D eparting Hope (Campbell California: Savas Publishing Co., 1997) . WILLIAM H . T HIESEN Greenville, North Carolina The Bismarck Chase: New Light on a Famous Engagement, by Robert J. Winklareth (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1998, 188pp, illus, appen, biblio, index, ISBN 1-55750-183-1 ; $36.95hc) The fascination with one of the most famous naval battles of the modern age has not dimmed in the 59 years since that day in the North Atlantic when Bismarck and Prinz Eugen engaged HMS Hood and Prince of Wales. Nor has the controversy surrounding this battle diminished with the passing of time. In this new study, the author brings to light some inconsistencies in previously written histo ries of the battle and provides clarification on a number of issues through a detailed study of written and photographic evidence. While he concentrates primarily on the battle berween Bismarck and the British ships on 24 May 194 1, he also provides a solid historical backgro und to this important battle. Attention is given to the design and construction of battle-
45
REVIEWS
CLASSIFIED ADS Peter Williams/Museum Services. New England's prem ier resource for rhe resrorarion of maririme paintings. Copies of old ship paintings. 30 Ipswich Sr., Bosron MA 022 15. By appoinrmen r: 617-536-4092 Chart Your Course rhro ugh New England's maririme herirage. Send for your free copy. Cubberley & Shaw Maritime Museum News, Box 607NM, Groron MA 01450-0607 Custom Ship Models. All types. Contacr S.J. Whire, 132 Sronegare, Quakerrown, PA 1895 1 Art Prints. NYC Fireboars 16 x 20", $18 each. Also available for commissioned work. Call Sreve Whi re 718-3 17-5025, e-mail: fdnya rrisr @aol. com Marine Paintings by Roberr W. Yo ung. 411 Elliorr Sr., Beverly, MA 019 15-2353 . Free brochure. Websire: hrrp:/ I shop. rownonline.com/ marinepaintings. Tel: 978-922-7469 , e-mail: RY192l@aol.com Your Vessel or Raft scrimshawed? Yes, doing special orders fo r 25 years. David Huls 's ScrimshawSrudio, POB 721 ,Julian, CA92036 Visit Northwest Florida and Pensacola rhrough rhe web sire of Brown Marine Service, Inc. Phoros, producrs, boari ng educarion, and links ar www.brownmarine.com Pitcairn Island Video "Bounry's Herirage: The Legacy of Flercher Chrisrian ''. Six hour series with twelve separare programs. Pircairn as ir was and as iris roday. For more informarion see: hrrp://www.in.ner/-clements/pv/ or call 619-422-3006 Museum Quality Ship Model, USS North Carolina BB-55, 1116" = l ', 46" long, $7,800. Paul Douglass 508-888-2282 The Hyde porrrays rhar beauriful downeasrer and recounts her amazing Cape Horn career. 167 pages, pictures, plans, $23.95. DB Publishers, 84 Sourh Sr., Barh, ME 04530 Ship Modeler's Workbench. Unique, one of a kind cusrom cherry workbench for rhe discriminari ng hobbyisr. Designed by a model maker - builr by a cabinermaker. View the detai ls at www.rareb uild.com or call 603-6432822. Made ro order. To place your classified ad at $1.60 per word, phone Carmen at 800 221 -NMHS (6647), exr. 235 . O r yo u may mail yo ur message and payment ro Sea History, Attn: Advertising Desk, PO Box 68 , Peekskill NY 10566. Dailey International Publis h e r s 19 Brooks ide C ircle, Wi lbra ham MA 0 1095 an no unces
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!t.
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cruisers culm inating in H MS H ood, rhe rebirth of German seapower during rhe 1930s and rhe construction of Bismarck. M any questions are answered in this interesting study. Why did British Admiral H olland expose H MS H ood to rhe plunging Germ an shellfire that rook advantage of H ood's vulnerable deck armor? H ow could the gunnery officers aboard H ood mistakenly open fire on Prinz Eugen at firs t insread of the m ore deadly Bismarck? What types of fire control op tics were employed that enabled the Germans to hit H ood by the fifth German salvo and ye t rendered British fire so ineffective? T hese and other questions are answered in this almost roundby-ro und study of the battle. Additionally, Appendix A presents an excellent discussion of naval gunnery as it was practiced d uring the Second Wo rld War. While not the las t battleshi p-versusbartleship engagement ofrhe Second World War (that honor goes to the sinking of the Japanese Fuso and Yamashiro by the US Navy during the battle of Leyte G ulf, 25 Octo ber 1944), rhis is by far the bestknown by the general public. Winklareth has indeed shed new light on a battle that will continue to fasci nate readers and historians alike for many years to come. HAROLD
N. BOYER
Asto n, Pennsylvania
Joining the War at Sea, by Franklyn E. Dailey, J r. (D ailey International Publishers, Wilbraham MA, 1999, 460pp, illus, appen , ISBN 0-966625 1-0-2; $2 1.95pb) The autho r grad uated fro m the US Naval Academy in June 1942 and, as an ensign, was ordered to USS Edison (DD439) for h is firs t d ury assignment. H e remained aboard until September 1944, when he was detached for fli ght training. D uri ng that rime Edison rook part in the amphibious landings at Casablan ca, Lake Bizerte and Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, and southern France, m ainly as a shore bombardment vessel. T he book is substantially a narrative of Edison fro m launching in 1940 to scrapping in 1965 . D ailey intertwines WWII history in the story of the ship, starting in 1939 and going thro ugh rhe surrender on USS Missouri. T he author's personal experiences and descriptions of action on his ship give one a first-hand feel for what it was like, altho ugh his digressions into the history of
the war glo bally and h is fre quent references to Admiral Morison 's histo ry of the Navy in that war tend to co nfuse the narrative. H owever, as D ailey says: "This autho r is in a bit o f a discovery process himself, as the connection between theater events in Wo rld War II becomes clearer to him. I am on a journey of my own here, no t so much to recall wh at I did know (som e of which was in error) but to recall what I did not know." For the reader who is no t familiar with the history of that war at sea, this is a very complete treatment. It also convincingly conveys the thoughts of a young officer and his persp ective on the war, reached without benefit of much info rmation beyo nd his immediate ship's orders. T his reviewer can remember his own fr ustration in trying to sense h ow his ship's activities fir in to the "big" picture while serving on a small naval ship in the Pacific during the sam e war. TOWNSEND H ORNOR
The Hungry Ocean, by Linda G reenlaw (Hyperion, New York NY, 1999, 265pp, map, appen, ISBN 0-7868-6451 -6; $22.95hc; ISBN 0-7 868-854 1-6; $ 14pb) T h is hard-eyed, no-nonsense acco unt of a 30-day longlining trip to the G rand Banks is written by the captain of the H annah Boden, sister ship of rhe Andrea Gail, th e vessel m em orialized in Sebastian J unger' s The Perfect Storm. Greenlaw, who survived the H alloween Storm of 199 1, sketch es a way of life and a cast of characters th a t is full of hard truths and surprises . H er style is as direct and unprettified as the scenes sh e writes about. The grinding ro utine of longlining, the long hours (fo ur hours sleep in every 24) the technique of selecting a prime spot for locating swordfis h, th e strategy of working with other captai ns who are at once your competito rs and yo ur friends, rhe challenge of keeping yo ung and aggressive crewmen from physical conflict- these are some of rhe daunting tasks that com e with the job of running a fishing boat. G reenlaw, wh o was raised in M aine, came to fis hing as a summer job during h er college years. A graduate of C olby College with a degree in English, she nonetheless continued fishing after graduation, having discovered that she enjoyed the life and was good a t the job. She is forthri ght about her own ~s ho rtco mings and abo ut those of her crew and the vessel's owner and taskmas-
SE A HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000
ter, Bob Brown. Yet the strengths-her own, Brown's, and those of the quarrelsome, impatient and hardworking crewshine through. At the end of the book, the loss of Brown is keenly felt by the author and this reader. What is lacking is a good selection of photographs. The description of the vessel's structure and layour and the working of the deck gear would have been much more comprehensible with illustrative photos. The Hungry Ocean was recommended by a fisherman who calls it "the most realistic book I've ever read about commercial fishing. " NORMA STANFORD
Nineteenth-Century Lights: Historic Images of American Lighthouses, by J. Candace Clifford and Mary Louise Clifford (Cypress Communications, Alexandria VA, 2000, 296pp, illus, appen, biblio, index, ISBN 09636412-3-9; $24.96pb) T his collection of photographs and drawings of 230 lighthouses in the 1800s depicts both extant light stations now recognized and preserved as historic sites and those obliterated by the elements or by fire or demolished when they were no longer seen as useful. Each photograph is accompanied by a brief history of the light station, featuring fascinating incidents in some of their stories. The history of the triple light tower ofNauset Beach is an example of the strange things that have happened to these stations-the three small wooden towers were sold and removed from the site only to be repurchased, returned, and restored many decades later to their original condition on their original sites. The reader will also find of great interest the many photographs oflights under construction such as Minors Ledge, Cape Henry and St. George Reef, illustrating the complex and difficuh work necessary to build these beacons. N umerous sidebars throughout the book provide insights into the technical aspects of lighthouse construction and operation as well as details of the lives and duties of the keeper of the stations and the lighthouse tenders and depots that supported these operations. The authors have done an excellent job of making a very enjoyable account of lighthouses of the preceding century. DAVIDE. PERKINS
The Aesthetic Glencannon, by Guy Gilpatric (The Glen cannon Press, Palo Alto CA, 2000, 206pp, illus, ISBN 1-88990113-x; $35hc plus $4s&h) Chief Engineer Colin Glencannon of SS lnchcliffe Castle blusters and wheedles his way through nine seagoing and longshore adventures, amply fortified by dollops ofDuggan's Dew, his Scotch whiskey of choice, in this handsome volume, enriched by the paintings of Anton Otto Fischer. PS Ring of Ice: True Tales of Adventure, Exploration, and Arctic Life, edited by Peter Stark (The Lyons Press, New York NY, 2000, 464pp, ISBN 1-55821-537-9; $29.95hc) This collection of firsthand letters and journals of Arctic explorers, including the Inuit and American Indian side of the experience, shows the remarkable variety of people involved in these hazardous, toooften fatal expeditions. PS
USS OLYMPIA Herald of Empire By Benjamin Franklin Cooling 264 pages. 40 photographs. Notes. Bibliography. Index. 1-55750-148-3/$34.95 (Available to ship in November)
TIIE TUDOR NAVY The Ships, Men, and Organization, 1485-16o3 By Arthur Nelson 240 pages. 120 illustrations. 1-55750-816-X $56.95 (Available to ship in October)
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Boat Plans at Mystic Seaport, by Anne and Maynard Bray (Mystic Seaport, Mystic CT, 2000, 207pp, illus, ISBN 0-91337286-2; $24.95pb) Robert Blake: Admiral and General at Sea, by Hepworth Dixon (Regatta Press Ltd., Mount Kisco NY, 2000, 372pp, index, ISBN 0-9674826-1-5; $69.95hc) Off Soundings: Aspects of the Maritime History of Rhode Island, by Alexander Boyd Hawes (Posterity Press, Inc., Chevy Chase MD, 1999, 330pp, illus, appen, notes, index, ISBN 1-889274-05-4; $39.95hc) War, TechnologyandExperienceAboard the USS Monitor, by David A. Mindell Qohns Hopkins University Press, BaltimoreMD, 2000, 186pp, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 0-8018-6249-3; $35hc; ISBN 0-8018-6250-7; $14.95pb) Confederate Admiral: The Life and Wars of Franklin Buchanan, by Craig L. Symonds (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1999, 274pp, illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 1-55750-844-5; $32.95hc)
Her Construction, Career, and Restoration By Alan McGowan 256 pages. 300 photographs and illustrations. 1-55750-387-7/$59.95
FRIGATES OF TIIE NAPOLEONIC WARS By Robert Gardiner 192 pages. 150 photographs and illustrations. 1-55750-288-9 $59.95
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