Sea History 096 - Spring 2001 by National Maritime Historical Society & Sea History Magazine

No. 96

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

SPRING 2001

SEA HISTORY

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

MYSTIC'S CHARLES W MORGAN: Innovating by Going Back to the Way Things Were Done PASSAGE MAKING: The Case for Our Society ODYSSEUS'S OAR: Good for a Millennial Trip

300 Years of Service "Your staunch pilot boats are always ready in storm and fog, and it takes skill, courage and long years of experience to carry on this important and hazardous work so necessary to our commerce. I congratulate you on your remarkable record..."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

201 EDGEWATER ST. , STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. 10305 â&#x20AC;˘ 718-448-3900

SEA HISTORY

No . 96

SPRING 2001

CONTENTS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE 9 Odysseus's Oar, by Robert Foulke In sea stories as ancient as the Odyssey and as recent as Joseph Conrad's novels, characters experience and act upon the conflicting desires ofescape and homecoming, expressing the range ofhuman emotions in the isolated world of a ship at sea, separated from the rules established on Land. 13 Celebrating Mystic's Charles W. Morgan 13 The World Ship Trust Celebrates the Charles W. Morgan, by Paul Ridgway and Jacques Chauveau 14 Our Historic Ships: Not Just a Hobby-An Urgent Priority, by Senator Christopher J. Dodd 15 Needed: New Funding for the National Maritime Heritage Act, by Timorhy J. Runyan and Duncan Smirh 16 Greasy Luck for the Charles W. Morgan: A New Idea-Doing Things the Old Way, by Perer Sranford 18 A Look in on the Living Act of Restoration Done "As the Original Builders Did in 1841" 19 Revell Carr and the Museum of America and the Sea, by Perer Sranford

COURT ESY PEA BODY ESSEX MUSEUM

22 MARINE ART: "Scanning the Foaming Deep Before": John W. Mason, Shipcarver, by Adelbert Mason The remarkable sketches by a Boston figurehead carver whose career paralleled the great age ofthe American clipper ships. 22

29 Fouled Anchors, by David Sills How did the fouled anchor, a mariner's nightmare, become a popular symbol for maritime institutions? 46 DESSERT: The Charles W. Morgan Under Sail in Distant Seas, by John F. Leavin · In her long Life as a working whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan was considered a Lucky ship, but she experienced adventures good and bad in the eighty years she sailed the world's oceans.

COU RTESY M YSTI C SEA PO RT, INC.

COVER: The bluffbows ofthe Charles W. Morgan of 1841, veteran of Cape Horn seas and Arctic gales, are recaulked for her next whaling voyage, in times past. This job is done the same way today at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. The Morgan, which received the World Ship Trust Award this past September, represents the most advancedphilosophy ofship preservation-which is to do things just as they were done in the first place, with maximum respectfor surviving original structure. (Photo courtesy Mystic Seaport, Inc.) (See pp. 13-20 and 46--47)

DEPARTMENTS 2 DECK LOG

NMHS:

& LETTERS

A CAUSE IN

26 MARINE ART NEWS

AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE M USEUM NEWS

MOTION

32 SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM N EWS

38 CALENDAR 39 REVIEWS

PATRONS

46 SEA HISTORY (issn 0146-9312) is pub lished q uarterly by the Nat ional Maritime Historical Society, 5 John Walsh Blvd., PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566. Periodicals postage paid at Peekskill NY I 0566 and add' I mailing offices. CO PYRIGHT © 2001 by the National Ma ritime Historical Society. Tel: 914-737-7878. POSTMASTER: Send address changes w Sea History, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566.

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

DECK LOG

LETTERS

Senator Chris Dodd, presenting the World Ship Trust Award to the whaleship Charles W Morgan at Mystic Seaport this past fall, took the occasion to reflect a little on our work with historic ships. Of these ships, which hold us enthralled, he said:

Queen Mary Came Through I read Peter Stanford's article in Sea History 95 on 'The Queens at War" with great interest. I was on a troop ship in a large convoy heading to Europe in late 1943. The co nvoy crawled along, adapting its speed to rhar of rhe slowest vessel, zigging and zagging every half hour or so. Suddenly the Queen Mary came through, on an absolutely straight line, never changi ng course, and plowed through rhe center of our 52-ship convoy, with a great bon e in her teeth. Inside of twenty minutes, she was our of sight, leaving all of us in awe. I might add that I was just one of 500 soldiers on board our Liberty ship, which was one of fifteen such troop carriers in the convoy. What we wouldn't have given to be aboard th e Queen Mary! It took us eighteen days to make port, and by that time the Queen was probably on her way back. Your magazine has always been an informative, enjoyable, and eagerly awaited publication . I hope that sometime in the future it will be possible to increase the frequency of publication. Regarding the Society's "Vision for rhe Future" as reported in Sea History 95: The American Museum of Natural History in New York has started a "gifr subscription" program through whichAMNH members donate subscriptions to schools or libraries. I have given two. IfNMHS could start such a program I would gladly donate at least two!

They speak not only of what is past, but what endures-ingenuity, intrepidity, and an insatiable appetite for freedom and a better life in a better land. Bully for the senator! We are not just purveyors of nostalgia or things quaint or unusual in the attics of our past-but keepers of what endures in the rough and tumble of time's passage through our lives. We've got to get that message across to meet the challenge of our business in great waters. Let me commend to you, therefore, the senator's full remarks, set forth on page 14. Our work for historic ships is not "just a hobby, but," in Senator Dodd's words, "an urgent priority." In that spirit, let me invite NMHS members to get in touch with their senators and congressmen about the allocation of historic preservation funds to the maritime heritage. Tim Runyan, chairman of the National Maritime Alliance, reports on page 15 what's afoot to secure these funds. As we learned in securing the Maritime Heritage Fund of 1979, these government funds attract citizen donations and grants from the philanthropic establishment and that is what our historic ships need to continue their voyage through time. Surely it is time that we funded the difficult but infinitely rewarding legacy of the ships that brought us so far. Our Society is dedicated to that cause. And we ask your help to strengthen our work for the cause of historic ships and, indeed, the whole cause of the seafaring heritage we serve.

Passage Making As members know, we are in the process of re-forming the Society on a broad, firm basis, to do its job as it should be done. In the words of the old song, "We'll build us a ship of a thousand ton"-a deepwaterman, that is, fully able to make our voyage into history, and on the required scale to open this vital heritage to all Americans. We call our statement of the case for support to build this bigger, stauncher hull "Passage Making." "Passage Making," which is introduced in summary form on pages 6-7, is not the work of one person, but the fruit of many conversations, weighed by our board of trustees under Chairman Clay Maitland and Executive Vice Chairman Howard Slotnick, with strong participation from other board members. Important friends and supporters from outside the board have also been heard from in shaping this document, notably Peter Aron, former chairman of the South Street Seaport Museum, and Rafe Parker of the Sea Education Association, whose good words were published in Sea History 95, and Donald C. McGraw, Jr., publisher, sailor and philanthropist. We need to hear from you, too. The Case Statement is a work in progress, and it needs your touch, your interest and your support to move forward as it should. PETER STANFORD, Pres. 2

EDWARD

PERRY

via e-mail

NMHS has such aprogram! We hope everyone will buy a gift membership in NMHS for a local school or libraryfor just $20, 43 % offthe cost ofa regular membership. We have also reduced the cost ofthe third edition of T he International Register of Historic Ships to $50 for the hard cover and $30 for the soft cover (see ad, p 15). Buying a copy ofthis fandamental reference book for a school or library is a gift to NMHS and a gift to those for whom it will open the door to our priceless heritage in historic ships. Call us at 800 221-NMHS (6647) to order by credit card, or send your check to NMHS, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566 (add $5 shipping). More on the ''Vision for the Future" Sea History is a joy-especially its ship and other maritime illustrations in color. ProSEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

grammarical ly yo ur work ro help yo ung people (and old!) experience hisrory ar sea is mosr imporranr, especially for rhose far from any ocean. I wo uld welcome a seri es o n a few of rhe really grear fighring ships of World War II: Enterprise, Boise, 0 'Bannon-rhose which really sank or damaged rhe enemy, nor just absorbed a lor of punishmenr. Is ir possible ro negori are a visible Sea History presence ar such places as rhe USS Imrepid Museum, H erirage Cove (Fall River MA), Mysric Seaporr, Asroria and Maine maririme museums? As a visiror ro all, I can recall no Sea H istory nor NMHS presence. Keep up your good work! RICHARD C. NOYES Farmingron, Connecricur Rumbustious Keeps Rolling Along In regard ro rheword "rumbusrious," used in Sea History 94 ro describe rhe remrn of USS Olympia afrer rhe Spanish-American War and quesrioned by a lerrer wrirer in Sea History 95: M y uncle, Henry Fox G reiner, learned seamanshi p on rhe Pennsylvania Schoolship Annapolis in rhe 1920s. I clearly remember his relling of "mixed-company" seafaring slang when I was qui re you ng. Ar one rimeoranorher, rheword "rumbustious" came up .My uncle said rhar rh is parricular word had rhree slang meanings: 1) a choppy, confused sea srare in clear wearher; 2) a sream engi ne, usually a donkey, being run as hard and fasr as possible, and sounding like ir; and 3) referring ro any sailor who was rhree sheers ro rhewind bur srill able ro navigare on his own. This meaning almosr always was used ro describe a happy drunk. CHRJSTOPHER N. THORPE, C hi ef Mach inisr's Mare, USNR (Rer) Malvern, Pennsylvania

Bad Luck for Athenia I read with imeresrJohn Maxrone-Graham's arricle "Mr. C unard's Line Celebrares Irs 160rh Birrhday," which appeared in rhe Winter 2000-0 1 issue of Sea History. I noted, however, that on page 13, the arricle reporrs the liner Athenia, which was the first British vessel robe sunk in World War II, as being a C unard liner. Casualty lisrs and Lloyd's Register indicate she was owned by Donaldson Anchor Line, which was formed in 1916 and jointly owned by the Anchor Line and the Donaldson Line. SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

At the same time the Anchor Line rook over the managemem of Donaldso n's service between G lasgow and Canada. The Athenia and her sister Letitia, when engaged in the G lasgow to Canada run, wore the Donaldson Line livery. In rhe slack season (winter) rheyshifted roAncho r Line's Liverpool-New Yo rk service and wore th e Anchor Line livery. In 19 12 C unard acquired co n trolling interest in Anchor Line, holding it until 1935 when C unard's interest was acquired by Runciman in rerests. T he Athenia and Letitia were then operated by Donaldson Atlantic Lines. The Athenia was rherefore in Donaldso n's service when she was losr. It is of interesr ro note that the Athenia ofl923, rorpedoedands unk on 3 Seprember 1939, was the namesake of th eAthenia of 1904, operared by Anchor Donaldson Lines, which was rorpedoed and sunk on 10 Augusr 19 17. WARREN G. LEBACK, Former MARAD Administraror Princero n, N ew Jersey Smoke Without Mirrors Readers, including Capt. David G. Ho wland of Bar Harbor ME, Ralph N Nilsen of Richmond TX, CDR]oseph T Neville, USN (Ret) of Tallahassee FL, and Robert S. Chase ofPo rtsmouth RI, commented on our article "History and Reminiscence on the john W Brown" (SH95) in which black smoke from the stack was attributed to too much air in the Liberty ship's boiler. The writers noted that

too much air actually results in white smoke and too little air in black smoke, while the right amount produces a light-brown haze. We asked our trustee and Liberty ship veteran H arry M arshall, who was on board the Brown far her sail out of Cleveland this summer, to comment: Most of my rime aboard was spent on the fo redeck, in the saloon and on the flying bridge, and I saw no smoke. My understanding is that the vessel now burns on ly the cleaner-burning No . 2 Oil, a distillate, and not No. 6 Oil, a residual normally burned by commercial steamships. Excess air from the blower can res ult in whire smoke, as was stated by your readers. T he blower set ro roo low a speed can result in insufficient air, causing black smoke. In World War II convoys, the Commodore was mosr crirical of any vessel emitring smoke and signalled her ordering it ro

Os Brett's sketch ofthe Liberty ship steaming along (Project Liberty Ship)

desisr. On my seco nd voyage as a new third mate, we were en route from New York ro England in May 1944 on Wildwood, a H og Islander with GE turbines and three boilers. I was on wa rch and saw light brown

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 you 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:

1 800 221-NMHS (6647) or visit us at: www.seahistory.org.

Yes, I want to joi n the Society and recei ve Sea History quarterl y. My contributi on is enclosed. ($ 17.50 is for Sea History; any amount above that is ta x deductible.) Sign me up as: 0 $35 Regul ar Member 0 $50 Fam il y Member 0 $ I00 Fri end 0 $250 Patron 0 $500 Donor 96 Mr./Ms. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Z IP _ _ _ _ _

Return to: National Maritime Hi storical Society, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566

LETTERS NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY OFFICERS & TRUSTEES: Chairman, Guy E. C. Mairl and; Executive Vice Chairman, H oward Slotnick; Vice Chairmen, Richardo R . Lopes, Edward G. Zel in sky; President, Peter Stanford; Executive Vice President, Patri ck J. Ga rvey; Vice President, Norma Stanford; Treasurer, W illi am H . W hite; Secretary, Marshall Srre iberr; Trustees, Do nald M. Birney; Walter R. Brown, Richard T. du Moulin , Fred C. Hawkins, Rodney N. Houghton , Steven W. Jones, Warren G. Leback, Karen E. Markoe, David A. O 'Ne il, Cra ig A. C. Reyno ld s, Bradford D . Sm irh , David B. Vietor, Harry E. Vina ll , [Tl, Jea n Wo rr,Alexa nd er E. Zagoreos; Chairmen Emeriti, Alan G. C hoate, C raig A. C. Reyno lds FOUNDER: Ka rl Kortum ( 19 17- 1996) OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown; Walcer Cro nkite, AJan D. Hutchison , Jakob lsbrandrsen,John Lehm an, Wa rren Marr, II , Brian A. McAllister, John Stobarr, Wi lli am G. Wi merer ADVISORS: Co-Chairmen, Fra nk 0. Braynard , Me lb ourne Sm ith; D . K. Abbass, Raymond Aker, George F. Bass, Francis E. Bowker, Oswald L. Bren, Norman J . Brouwer, RADM Joseph F. Call o, W illi am M. Doerfl inger, Francis J. Duffy, John W. Ewald, Joseph L. Farr, Timothy G. Foore, W illi am G il kerson, Thomas C. Gillmer, Walter J. Handelman, Charles E. H erdendorf, Steven A. Hyman , Hajo Knunel, G unna r Lundeberg, Co nrad Milster, Wi lliam G. M uller, David E. Perkins, Nancy Hughes Richardson, Timothy J. Runya n, Shannon J . Wall , Thomas Wells NMHS STAFF: Executive Director, Patrick J. Garvey; Chief of Staff, Burchenal Green; Director of Education, David B. Al len; Membership Coordinator, Na ncy Sch naars; Membership Secretary, Irene Eisenfeld; Membership Assistant, Ann M akela inen; Advertising Secretary, Ca rm en McCa ll um ; Accounting, Jill Romeo ; Secretary to the President, Karen Ritell; SEA HI STORY STAFF: Editor, Just in e Ahl stro m; Executive Editor, No rm a Stanford; Editor-at-Large, Peter Sta nfo rd TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US:

Address:

5 Jo hn Walsh Bou leva rd PO Box 68 Peekskill NY 10566 Phone: 9 14 737-7878 Fax: 9 14 737-78 16 Web sire: www.seahistory.org E-ma il: nmhs@sea hi story.o rg

MEMBERSHIP is invited. Afterguard $ l 0,000; Benefacto r $5,000; Plankowner $2,500; Sponsor $ 1,000; Donor $5 00; Parron $250; Friend $ 100; Co ntribu tor $75; Family $50; Regular $35. All members outside rhe USA please add $ 10 fo r postage. SEA HISTORY is sen t to all members. Individual copies cost $3.75 . Advertising: l 800 221-NMHS (6647), x235

smoke coming from rhe srack. Before I co uld relephone rhe engine room, rhe Chief EngineerappearedarNo. 2 harch. I poinred ro rhe srack and he came up ro rhe fl ying bridge. He said, "Young Man, I have been a C hief Engineer for manyyears"-he becam e a CE of a Munson Line passenger ship ar 26 and was rhen abo ur 50-"and I have made a liferime srudy of combusrion . Today, I reached perfection with the lighr brown smoke, an d yo u obj ect." We both stayed with American Foreign Steamship Co rp. for many years and remain ed good friends borh before and afte r he rerired. HARRY W. MARSHALL Scorch Plains, New Jersey

account of Huascar's seco nd enginee r, Carlos Warner, given orally ro the lri shC hil ean engi neer Sam uel MacMahon jusr after the battle, when Warner was a prisoner in the C hilea n transport Copiap6. MacMahon's Span ish was less than perfect and my comm and of the language is lim ited. I translated his text as "so me people were killed and others wounded among which are.... "-it being undifferentiared as ro who was killed and who wou nded. Another document I have read says that the edi ro r died, and I have wro ngly ass umed that, as their names were coupl ed rogether by Warner, this must also have applied ro the docror.

An Important Huascar Survivor My compliments ro Paul Q uinn on his excellent article about Huascar in your Autumn issue (SH94, "Huasca r Shows What the Turret Ship Can Do! "). Ir was a balanced and informative piece. I would like, however, ro note one error: On page 18, in his description of the epic Barrie of Angamos in 1879 wh ere Huascar singlehandedly confronted the bulk of the Chilean navy, Mr. Quinn seated that "[t]he fourth [round] penetrated the stateroom s, killing the docror Tavara and rhe ediror of rhe newspaper Coquimbo." In fact, Huascar's senior medical officer (mygrear-grandfarher Santiago Tavara) was severely wo unded in rhe face and legs by shell splinrers and was taken as a prisoner of war by the C hileans. Although initi ally not expected ro survive, he ev.e ntually recovered eno ugh robe rerurned ro his fam ily in Callao after the Chilean invasion and occupation of 1880. H e li ved unril 1896, carrying out duties as the chiefmedical officer for Callao. In additio n ro bein g one of Peru's medical pioneers, he is recognized alongside Admiral Miguel Grau as one of Peru's naval heroes. His bust is o n the mo nument ro the Barrie of Angamos in Callao, and his nam e is engraved on the list of Huascar's heroes on rh e monum ent in Lima; the Peruvian naval hospital is named in his ho no r. CDR SANTIAGO NEVlLLE-TAVARA, USN via e-mail

A Searching Critique We received a critique from Geoffrey W Fielding on the fallowing points, all on p age 15 in Peter Stanford's "The Queens at War" (SH95): 1) We said Poland, Denmark and Norway had been conquered by the Nazis by March 1940, when the Queen Eliza beth arrived in New York; however, D enmark and Norway were not invaded untilApril; 2) "a cloud no bigger than a man's hand" is not proverbial, as we had it, but Biblical, from 1 Kings; 3) our reference to Winston Churchill as "an out-ofoffice Member ofParliament" might have been confusing, but we meant that, while he still held his Parliamentary seat, he held no office in the government; 4) in recalling his nightmares about the invasion of Ethiopia, the author was remembering the events of 1936 and did not intend to imply that these events took place in 1940; 5) several developments-the destroyers-far-bases deal cobbled together in 1940, the 1941 extension ofthe American Neutrality Zone to Iceland, and the involvement of American convoy escorts-were mentioned together, not to suggest they all happened at once, but to convey the urgency ofaction before official US entry into the war; 6) we stand by our description of Winston Churchill as "rotund, ''.__ defined by Webster as "chubby, ''._rather than the suggested alternate "stocky ''._Rocky Marciano could be called "stocky, " and Churchill was no Marciano. For his general good health and robust constitution, however, we may indeed be thankful. If Mr. Fielding had continued his goodhumored critique top. 16, he would have noted a staggering gaffe, where in a typographical error the surrender of Germany is given as May 1944 rather than May 1945.-ED.

Paul Quinn responds: I am deligh red ro hear that CDR Nevi lle-Tavara's fa mous ancesror did, in fact, survive the Barrie of Angamos. T he quote I used comes from the

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

GIBBS &

cox I~C

NAVAL ARCHITECTS & MARINE ENGINEERS

www. mod e l sa i !boat .co m 1- 80 0- 206 -000 6

SEA CHESTS Museum quali ty, handmade/pa inted, custom ized. personali zed choice of image/lettering, s ize, sty le & colors. In fo packet , $2.00 refu ndab le.

Ould Colony Artisans 169 Albert Ave., Edgewood , RI 02905-381 I Te l: 800-4 14-7906 VISA/MC web site: www.ouldco lonyarti sans.com

50 West 23rd St. • New York NY 10010

(212) 366-3900

ARGO TOURS, S.A.

Historic, antique U.S . , · Coast Survey maps , from the 1800s · Original lithographs, most American seaports and shores. Reprints, too. Unique framed ,

W e s how y ou the P anama Can al like only a native can!

great gifts . Catalog , $1 .00 . Specify area.

www.big-ditch.com 1 -88 8-PAN AMA-l

Simpl y the best se lec ti o n of

info@ big-ditch.com

CO NT EMPORARY & ANTIQUE One of a Kind Sh ip Models By Internationally Acclaimed Ma rin e Model Artists .

MARINE

Documented to Museum Standards

M 0 DEL

In P a n ama:

GALLERY

Custom Yacht Models

te ls 011(507)228-4348 or oJJ( 5o7)228-GoG9

App raisa ls • Re storati o ns Display Un its • Accesso ries Illustrated catalog\Je: $10 ($ 15 overseas) or free brochure

AMERICAN MARINE MODEL GALLERY, INC .

FAX 0JJ(So7)2110844 or 011(5o7)228-1254

12-SH Derby Sq., Salem, MA 0 1970, USA 978-745-5777 • Fax: 978-745-5778 Email : wa ll@s hi model. com • www.s hi model.com

www.panamacanalshirts . com

OUR 4TH ANNUAL TALL SHIPS RENDEZVOUS ABOARD THE LUXURIOUS SIX-STAR CRUISE SHIP

CRYSTAL ~Si~' SYMPHONY Join fellow cruise enthusiasts on July 21st, 2001 as we board the magnificent, six-star Crystal Symphony in Copenhagen co begin a glorious 12-day cruise of che Baltic, one of the most sought after itineraries in the world. This classic cruise will feature a visit to Helsinki, and we will enjoy very popular overnight stays onboard ship: in St. Petersburg; Stockholm; and then Bergen, where we will rendezvous with the Cutty Sark Tall Ships fleet. We will visit various Tall Ships, have an exclusive private cocktail parry aboard a Class A Tall Ship and participate in the pre-race festivities, including a spectacular fireworks display. The Crystal Symphony will be our ringside seat as we watch the Tall Ships' Parade of Sail pass close by, after which we will follow chem out co sea to witness the unfurling of the sails as they line up to begin their race! Our cruise will end in Dover, the port for London.

WE OFFER EXCLUSIVE GROUP PRICES ON THIS SPECIAL CRUISE! Plus . . . Our Exclusive Group Bonuses • • • • • •

RENDEZVOUS

$300 Per Couple Shipboard Credit BERGEN@~ . IN 2001 Welcome Aboard Cocktail Party Cocktails Aboard the Tall Ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl Celebrity Guest Lecturer Thad Koza Special Surprises & Gifts To Ensure Maximum Savings ... Farewell Cocktail Party Best Stateroom Selection ... Best Dining Preference .. . Be Sure To Book Early!

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

NMHS: A CAUSE IN MOTION

Passage Making OUR CASE STATEMENT IN SUMMARY

In 1963 a small group of maritime preservationists in the U nited States, led by the Cape Horn sailor Karl Kortum, came together to save the American-built square rigger Kaiulani. The group formed the National Maritime Histo rical Society and tried to raise public awareness and funding, bur their efforts ended in fai lure. The founders resolved to build NMHS as a national organization, one that would save future Kaiulanis and gain public support for preserving the nation's seafaring heritage. The National Maritime Historical Society grew from this effort, and in 1970, Peter Stanford, who had been the founding presi dent of the South Street Seaport Museum and a leader in the Kaiulani effort, was named the Society's president. Under his leadership , the Society moved forward as a membership organization that works to advance the seafaring heritage. NMHS members are a diverse group of individuals interested in the sea and maritime history: merchant mariners, ship builders, naval architects, recreational sailors, historians, educators, conservationists, preservationists, leaders of the maritime industry, military members of the sea services, and people from all walks of life interested in history. Now numbering some 13,000 , they share a common bond in their love of the sea, a fascination with th e challenge of seafaring, and a commitment to the preservation of our maritim e heritage in the broadest sense. Led by its current chairman, prominent maritime lawyer G uy E. C. Maitland, the Board ofT rustees of the Society, sustained by NMHS members and other supporters, have created, in the words of The New York Times, "a ri ch and varied record of achievement. " Following are highlights of that achievement.

COMMUNICATION: PUBLIC AND PROFESSIONAL Publishing: The Society began publishing Sea History as an annual in 1972 and as a quarterly from 1976 on. With a current circulation of25 ,000, Sea H istory is the mainstay in the Society's publishing effort and is widely recognized as the preeminent journal of advocacy and education in the maritime heritage fi eld. In Karl Kortum 's wo rds: "Sea History is how we all stay in touch. " In 1987, the Society established the bi-monthly Sea History Gazette, which reports up-to-date news of historic ships, maritime museums, maritime art, sail training and the maritime industry. Sea History Press publishes reference wo rks on maritime museums and historic ships, including Sea History's Guide to American and Canadian Maritime Museums and the International Register ofHistoric Ships (co-published with the World Ship Trust headquartered in London), together with several classics: Irving Johnson's The Peking Battles Cape Horn, Capt. Gordon McGowan's The Skipper and the Eagle and Peter Stanford's The Ships that Brought Us So Far. The NMHS also co llaborated in two films bringing maritime histo ry to new audiences. As part of its education program in reacher training, the NMHS is publishing two important guides to maritime sites and programs, one for the New York region, and a second for the Boston H arbor area. More will follow for other seaports . New Media: In 1999, the NMHS began a collaboration with C inegram M edia to create learning-adventure CD-ROMs about

sailing, sea histo ry and historic ships, a series of "Interactive Seagoing CD-ROMs" for use in schools. Institution-Building: T he Society has been guided by the principle "A rising ride floats all boats." Ir led in fostering cooperative action, collaboration and increased funding for the entire field . Ir played a leadership role in establishing the Co un cil of American Maritime Museums ( 1972), the American Society of Marine Artists (1977), the American Ship T rust (1978), the Wo rld Ship Trust (1979), the Hudson River Maritime Museum (1979) and the National Maritime Alliance (1987). In 1979, the NMHS initiated and secured adoption of the Maritime H eritage Act of 1979 which provided $5 million for histori c ships, monuments and programs. Leadership Recognition: T h e Society uses its unique position to focus international artenrion and recognition on innovative programs and effective leaders in the maritime history field through its awards program. We sponsor the NMHS Walter C ronkite Award for Excellence in Mari rime Education for individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to fostering greater awareness of our maritime heritage. The Society also offers the Karl Kortum American Ship T rust Award for outstanding service to historic ships; the RobertG . Albion/ James Monroe Award for Excellence in Maritime Historiography; and the Distinguished Service Award to leaders in the field. In a special effort on behalf of the merchant seamen who fought in Wo rld War II, the Society led a successful Seaman's Recognition Program to help secure veteran's status for these veterans.

THE MARITIME EDUCATION INITIATIVE The dean of American newsmen, Walter Cronkite, serves as C hai rman of the Society's Maritime Education Initiative. The Initiative h as fostered the development of adult and yo uth education programs, from sponsoring scholarly conferences in the field of maritim e history, to training institutes for teachers in secondary schools, to sail training and history cruises for students aboard tall ships. Building on its experience in New York and the interest generated by OpSail 2000, the Society expanded the Teachers Institute program to the Miami -Dade County Public School program, which serves as a prototype for future expansion to other communities. Young America Sails: The NMHS is co mmitted to provide maritime histo ry and sail-trai ning learning experiences for yo ung people aboard rhe tall ships of the historic and replica vessel fleer. By providing opportunities to explore and discover the sea and its traditions we afford young people the opportunity of a truly lifechanging experience that enco urages character development in such core values as teamwork, self reliance and self confidence. Peter Stanford captured the essence of the sea as a builder of character and co mpetence when he wrote:

The sea doesn 't let you get away with much; it's a medium in which no artful dodging will make up for failure to do the job right. The tall ships, having opened up the world to humankind, have a second great service to do, and that is to bring to life for cominggenerations just how they did what they did-and what it took to do it. SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 l

Scholarship and Research: T h e Education: U nder the leadership N MHS encourages the study of the imof Walter C ronkite, the Maritim e Education Initiative will continue the pact of seafaring on our lives in its histo ry, art, science and culture. In the Spring of Society's educational efforts with 2000, in cooperation with the Peabody teachers, students and school systems aro und rhe nation. Building on rhe Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, rhe Society co-sponsored the World MaNMHS students aboard USCG Eagle. success of our pilot programs in New rine Millennial Conference. No red scholars in the field explored the Yo rk and M iami, we want to expand rhe T eachers Institutes to broad sweepanddeeper meaningsofmaririme developmentsoverthe other communities across America. T he Society's schools effort past 2000 years, developing importan t new insights and perspectives. will continue to provide opportunities fo r our young people to It is a reflection of the Society's repu tation in the field that the experience life at sea. staff ro utinely responds to hundreds of inquiries every year, while T he NMH S will also reach out to college students with an serving as a clearinghouse fo r info rmation on all manner of issues extension course in American maritime h isto ry incorporating nautical and maritime. mari time and nautical themes fo r use in the study of science, mathemetics, history, social studies and economics. HISTORIC SHIP PRESERVATION Preservation: True to its heritage, the Society will continue to Ship Trust Activities: True to its pioneering heritage as a savior wo rk with other ins titutions to preserve and restore historic of h istori cships, the N MHS has been a leader in their preservation vessels. It will also continue its coll aboration with the fleet of and resto ration, collaborating with other institutions to maintain historic and replica vessels to encourage American s of all ages to vessels as focal points fo r sea history programs. The ships the experien ce life under sail. A nd the N MHS will suppo rt Society has led in saving range fro m the bark Elissa (1877) in opportunities to expand the fl eet with special focus on the G alves ton to the W orld War II steamer j ohn W Brown (1942) in construction of the sloop Experiment in New York. Baltimore. T he N MHS also seeks to support and enhance the invento ry ALL HANDS TO THE BRACES! of h istoric replica vessels and has developed collaborative relation- For the N MHS to accomplish these goals, we m ust strengthen its ships with many of the sai l training ships now active in the fl eet. finan ces. To build a sound financial future for the Society, the T rustees are initiating a capital campaign. STRATEGIC DIRECTION T he Trustees invite all members and other friends of the The NMHS Board of Trustees has determined to review the Society to join in the first phase of this effort which calls for Society's pas t accomplishments in order to provide a perspective $5 00 ,000 to begin the implementation of the strategic plan. and a framework fo r its future mission. As a res ult of its deliberaPhase 1 Goal, $500,000: T his provides for supplemental tions, aided byourside counsel, the T rustees redefined the Society's operating revenue to staff, plan and carry out a capital campaign m1ss10 n: to endow the Society's programs, services and publications so we can To p reserve andp erpetuate the maritime history of bring our maritime heritage to all Americans. The goal is broken down into three major program areas: the United States and to invite all Americans to share in the challenging heritage of seaf aring. • Education Programs: $ 100,000 The Trustees refocused the Society's strategic direction on the three • Sea History: $2 50,000 main program thrusts that N MHS has developed over the years: • Development D epartment: $ 150,000 • Communication Gift Table: T hese gifts are needed to reach our Phase 1 goal: • Education S IZE OF GIFT NUMBER OF GIFTS T OTAL • Preservation $ 100,000 1 $ 100,000 Communication: Sea History will remain at the heart o f the 50,000 2 100,000 Society's communications. Strategic goals fo r Sea History include: 5 125,000 25,000 • Increase N MHS membership to 50,000 10,000 8 80,000 • Strengthen Sea History edi to rial and circulation staff to 5,000 10 50,000 reach more people with articles in greater depth 2,5 00 12 30,000 • Establish a development staff to ass ure continuing 12 15,000 1,000 inco me, self-sufficiency and growth for Sea History 46 $5 00,000 T he Society will also expand its meetings and conferences to reach a broader public, stressing the importance of our maritime Yo ur questions and suggestions are welcome. For the full text of heritage fo r the nation 's economic and cul tural vitality under the the Case Statement, just call 1-8 00-22 1-NMH S or write NMH S, tide "Advancing the National Maritime Agenda. " PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566. .t

NMHS:

A CAUSE IN MOTION

Sea History's Guides to Maritime Programs and Cultural Sites T eachers have been telling us that they'd love to invo lve their students with a mari tim e history experience, bur that they are o nl y aware of the basic tourist-oriented p rograms in their areas. Educators ask, "Where can we find a meaningful m ari time experi ence for our students-o ne that is relatively inexpensive and easy to reach fro m o ur school?" Res po nding to this appeal, the N arional Maritim e Historical Society is developing a series of regional guides that explo re m aritime education programs avai lable in va rious parts of the country. T he first, for New York C iry, is made possible through the support of the H enry L. and G race Doherty C haritable Foundation , and the second, for Boston , through support fro m rhe Sunfield Fo undation . T he guides describe the types of m aritime education programs offered, in subj ects as va ried as boatbuilding, rowing, oys tering, marine art, and sail training, and p rov ide historical background so that teachers can develo p lessons based o n rhe ex perience.

In additio n, we offer practi cal informa- Long Island, the T uckerton Maritime Centio n about the sires and programs that is ter in New Jersey, and the arr program s critical for educators planning a visit, bur is now fea tured ar the N oble M aritime Colrarely found in other resources. T his in - lection in Staten Island. Eve n such ico ns of cludes advice fro m veteran teachers o n New York as rhe Staten Island ferry's daily lesson-plans as well as inforcommuter runs can be worked into fun , m ation abo ut res troom and histo rical, educatio n programs. parkin g facilities, food conAfter reviewing Sea H istory's Guide cessions and site accessibility. to M aritime Programs and Cultural To keep the data current Sites-N ew Yo rk Region, middle and accurate, we will feature school principal Felicita Santiago the sires and programs on the exclaimed : "This is exacrly the kind r====== of info rmation my teachers Sea H istory web site and invite teachers and o thers who have need . T his year, we' re going sailing 1" visited the sires to critique the programs and update rhe informati on. Wi th this issue of Sea H isN MHS m embers will also be intory, the Natio nal M aritime vited to recommend o ther maritime Histo rical Society anno unces cultural sires that o ur editors may have our second guidebook proj ect overlooked . fo cusing on the Boston area. As we wo rked on the New Yo rk W e ask the help of N MHS guide, due for publication this spring, we m embers who m ay have special kn owledge were happy to be surprised at the number of some lesser-known maritim e cultural and vari ety of maritime history experiences sires in the Bosto n area. Please send your available to the public. Amo ng the largely suggestions along with comments on the unknown sites and programs rhar we dis- site and its programs to D avid B. Allen, covered are such recent start-ups as The Director of Education , N MHS, PO Box River Project o n M anhattan's Hudson River 68, Peekskill N Y 10566 , o r e- m ail .t waterfront, rhe Flowers Oys ter Co . on david@seahistory.o rg.

NMHS Annual Meeting to be Held 19 May 2001 at the USS Constitution Museum in Boston W e wiU be traveling to the U SS Constitution Museum in Boston for the N ational Maritime Historical Society's Annual M eeting this year. The museum was founded in 1972 to foster and promote scholarly and popular understanding and appreciation fo r USS Constitution's role in American histo ry.

Registration and coffee begin at 9AM at the museum on Saturday, 19 M ay. Reports from the officers of the NMHS Board of Trustees, staff, and committee chairmen will be followed by introductions to the U SS Constitutio n Museum and updates on a variety of maritime proj ects.

-------- - ---- - -- --- - -- ---, NMHS Annual Meeting Registration I/we will ane nd the Annual Meeting and lun cheon . Please reserve __ places at $5 0 each. Please send me the Bosto n Visitor's Guide. Please make me a Patro n of the An nual Meeti ng. My $250 co ntrib ution incl udes two places at the luncheon; $150 of this amount is a tax-deductible donation. (I will use _l _2 _ neith er of these places.) Please make me a Sponsor of the Annual Meeting. My $ 1000 contribution includes rwo places at the luncheo n and a full -page listing in the Annual Meeting program; $900 of this amount is a tax-deductibl e donation. (I will use _l _ 2 _ neither of these places.) I wo uld li ke to hel p NM HS with this donation: _ __ My check fo r $_ _ _ is encl osed.

NAME _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _

Pl ease charge$ _ _ _ to my ~

Visa

Mas terCa rd

Am Exp

_ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ ZIP

SIGNATURE_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _

PHONE # _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __

EXP.DATE _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _

Mail to: NM HS, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566, or call NMHS at 9 14 737-7878 xO.

The gatherin g will then move to the Hull Room of the Navy Yard's Building 5 overlooking U SS Constitution for lunch from l-2:30PM . The afternoon schedule will include tours of the USS Constitution Museum and the great ship herself.

Meeting Information Cost of the lun ch, including wine, is $50 per person. U se the form provided, call us at 9 14 737-7 878 xO o r 800 221 -NMHS (6647) xO, or fax us at 91 4 737-78 16 to sign up for the Annual Meetin g and lunch. It helps us in planning if you reserve early. This is graduation weekend, so make your room arrangem ents quickly. W e have reserved a block of rooms for the night of 18 May at rhe Co nsrirurion Inn Armed Services YMCA Boston, 150 2nd Ave., a five-minute walk from th e museum, at $ 100/ night for a double. C all the Inn at 6 17 24 1-8400 as soon as possible; rhe block closes on 11 M ay but may sell out before then. Man y other hotels are listed in rhe Boston Visitors G uide.

ODYSSEUS'S

OAR by Robert Foulke

ne of the o ldest embl ems in sea literature is Odysse us's oar, symbolizing the unnaturaln ess of treading the "searoad," as the Homeri c formula is often translated , and introducing the motif of leaving rh esea forever. During Odysseus's visit to the underworld, the proph et Tiresias tells him what he must do to complete his penance for offending Poseidon . Not only had he tricked and blinded the Cyclops Polyphemus, bur he also had taunted this stricken son of Poseidon as he sailed away. The vengea nce of the god of the sea brings sufferin g to Odysseus throughout his long voyage ho me, destroys all his ships and men, and, after his las t shipw reck, leaves him a lo ne swimmer facing a brutal surf pounding into a towering cliff. As if this were no t enough penance, he must turn his back o n th e sea and make a journ ey inland after he has reclaimed his kin gs hip in Ithaca. T ires ias says: go forth once more, yo u must ... ca rry yo ur well-planed oar until yo u co me to a race of peo ple who know nothing of the sea, whose food is never seaso ned with salt, strangers all ro ships with th eir crimso n prows and long slim oars, wings that make ships fl y. And here is yo ur signunmistakable, clear, so clear yo u ca nn o t mi ss it: When another traveler falls in with yo u and calls that weight across yo ur shoulder a fa n to winnow grain, th en plant yo ur bladed , balan ced oar in the earth and sacrifice fin e beasts to th e lo rd god of the sea, Poseidon(Odyssey 11 : 138-49 (trans. Robert Fagles, New York, 1996) The theme of escaping bondage to the sea and li vi ng out of sight of it persists throu gho ut sea literature from H o mer to Conrad and beyo nd , and it is often associated with Odysseus's emblematic oar. In The Mirror of the Sea, Joseph Co nrad co nsciously draws a parall el between Dominic Cervo ni and Odysseus. Cervoni , who has had to deliberately wreck his ship to avo id capture by Spanish coast guardsmen, comes as hore with an oar: I gazed after th e strangely d eso late fi gure of that seaman ca rrying an oar o n his should er up a barren, ro ck-strewn ravin e under the dreary leaden sky of the Tremolino's last d ay ... walking deliberately, with his back to the sea .... And D omini c Ce rvo ni takes his place in my memory by the side of the legendary wa nderer on the sea of marvels and terrors, by th e sid e of the fa tal and impious adventurer, to whom the evoked shade of the soothsayer pred icted a journey inland with an oa r o n his should er, till he met men who had neve r set eyes on ships and oars. It seems to me I ca n see th em side by sid e in the

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

Odysseus taunts the Cyclops Polyphemus, son ofPoseidon, in a mural on the wall ofa school in Krakow. (Photo: Robert Foulke)

twi lighto fa n arid land, the un fort unate possessors of the secret lo re of the sea, bearing the emblem of their hard calling o n their sho ulders, surrounded by sil ent and curio us m en: even as I, too, hav in g turn ed my back on th e sea, am bearing those few pages in the twi li ght, with the ho pe of fi.ndin g in an inland vall ey the sil ent welcom e of so me pati ent listener. (The Mirror of the Sea, 182-3 (Lo ndon, 1946)) Like the Ancient Mariner who waylays an unsuspectin g weddin g guest in Co leridge's poem of the sa me name, both Odysseus and Con rad have sea tales to tell , o nes thar wi ll barely be understood o n land . A nd the lure of the sea is so stro ng rhar one must carry the oar fa r eno ugh inland to be out of its sight and so und. Writing about seafaring is loaded with di chotom ies between the sea and th e land , and am o ng rhem, in voyage narratives, th e stro ngest polari ty is the simultaneo us impulse to sail outward set again st the d es ire to return ho me. Such ambi valence of feeling is as un stable as the sea itself, and its currents ca n flow either way. Odysseus's voyage follows rhe ancient G reek pattern of the nostos o r return , yer most of his ad ve ntures and disasters co me from the opposite impulse, an in satiab le curios ity and brashness that leads him into trouble rime afte r rime. One of rhe most telling moments in the Odyssey occurs in the Aeolus epi sod e, when curious and avaricious crewmen unseal th e bag of winds and release gales that dri ve th e hom eco ming fl eet back to sea just as they have made a landfall on Ithaca-years before the return that no one but Odysseus wi ll see.

T he viciss itudes of Odysseus's long voyage home became the archetype fo r voyage narratives in Western literature, creating a trad ition that has survived through more than two millenni a and is still ve ry much alive today. It began in the ancient wo rld with the story of the Argo nauts as told by Apollonius of Rhodes in the third centu ry BC. T here man y of Odysseus's enco unters-with C irce, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and the wandering rocks-are repeated during Jason 's improbable and circui to us return route from the Black Sea. T he first half of Virgil's Aeneid has been regarded as a Roman Odyssey, co mplete with storms and a visit to the underworld. T he polari ty between the urge to expl ore unknown seas and the longing to return home emerges most directly and poignantly in an ano nymous Anglo-Saxon lyric from the tenth century. Little the landlubber, safe on shore, Knows wh at I've suffered in icy seas Wretched and worn by the winter sto rms, Hung with icicles, stung by hail , Lo nely and friendless and far from home. In my ears no sound but th e roar of the sea, T he icy combers, the cry of the swan; In place of the mead-hall and laugh ter of men My only singing the sea-mew's call, T he scream of the gannet, the shriek of the gull. ... Yet still, even now, my spirit within me Drives me seaward to sail the deep, To ride the long swell of the salt sea-wave. Never a day but my heart's desire Would launch me forth on the long sea- path, Fain of fair harbors and foreign shores . ("The Seafarer": 11-20, 34-39) T he tradition established by the Odyssey co ntinues in the medi eval wo rld with Canto 26 of D ante's Inferno, where Ulysses' des ire to return to Ithaca is overpowered by his lust for knowledge and exploration : Neither my fondn ess for my so n nor pity For my old father nor the love I owed Penelope, whi ch would have gladdened her, Was able to defeat in me the longin g I had to gain experience of the wo rld And of the vices and the wo rth of men ... . "Brothers," I said, "O yo u, who having crossed A hundred th ousand dangers, reach the wes t To this brief waki ng time that is left Unto yo ur senses, yo u must not deny

Experience of that whi ch lies beyond T he sun, and of the wo rld unpeopled ." (Inferno 26: 94-99, 112- 11 7) T his extension of Odysseus's voyage is entirely D ante's invention. H e reverses the direction of the return , taking Ulysses (the Lati n name for Odysseus) westward beyo nd the Pillars of H ercules (the SrrairofG ibraltar) out into the open Atl anti c rath er than eastward toward Ithaca. Dante hears the story of the voyage from U lysses, committed to the eighth circl e of Hell fo r many sins of arrogance, pride and deception-especially tricking the Trojans with the wooden horse. Dante has Ulysses sail arou nd the wo rld fo r five months until he sights the mountain of Purgatory, where a sto rm descends upon the ship and sinks it as punishment fo r his sins. That moral judgment is precisely reversed in Tennyson 's poem "Ulysses," where the return to Ithaca is also succeeded by a second voyage-o utward bound- undertake n by an older hero, safely home but bored. Tennyson 's restive U lysses, stuck with an aging Penelope and an unimaginative son Telemachus, ca n' t wait to clear out of the Ithaca he sought through te n years of the long an d diffi cult voyage home: T here lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail; T here gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners, Souls tha t have toiled, and wro ught, and thought with me;T hat ever with a froli c welco me took The thunder and the sun shin e, and opposed Free hearts, free foreh eads-yo u and I are old; O ld age hath yet his honor and his to il. Death closes all; but so mething ere the end , Some work of nobl e note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with gods. T he lights begin to twi nkle from the rocks; T he long day wanes; the slow moon climbs; the deep Moans round with many vo ices. Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer wo rld. Push off, and sitting well in o rder sm ite T he so unding furrows; fo r my purpose holds To sail beyo nd the sunset, and the baths Of all the western stars, until I die. ("U lysses": 44-61) This Victorian Ulysses strikes outon a new voyage of discovery, while one of his 20th-century successors, the hero of Nikos Kazantzakis' The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel, also leaves Ithaca to create new havoc in an after math of the Trojan War and embark on a symbolic dark journey th rough ancient Egypt and primordial Africa toward death. These rewo rked heroes, one romantic and the other thoro ughl y ironi c, reAect both the tenor of their ages and th e radically different poss ibi Ii ties inh erent in voyaging. Tennyso n and Kazantzakis did not misread the Odyssey but simply pull ed out of it the burning curiosity that leads to Odysseus's adventu res and usually gets him in to desperate troub le. Because the Odyssey tapped into the reali ties of sea experience and the perduring

The lure ofthe Sirens, from a drawing by Flaxman in an 1853 edition of the Odyssey published in London. (Courtesy the author) 10

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 l

human im pulses both to explore and to familiari ty and comfort of shoreside places In voyage narratives, the return home, ir continues to regenerate and provides a full range of potential testsstrongest polarity is the itself in new transformations. James Joyce storm, fire, stranding, collision, falling from simultaneous impulse to sail took it ashore in rhe streets of Dublin to aloft or overboard, disease, starvation, sinkoutward set against the produce Ulysses, one of rhe boldes t experiing-all threatening injury or death. desire to return home. ments in 20th-century literature. Back at W hen the test becomes more menacing sea, rhe basic structure of the nostos or and the probabili ty of failure greater, the return, rhe long and difficult voyage home, stakes change from growing up to risking recurs in wo rks as different as Conrad's n ovel The Nigger of the moral destruction. This is the usual case in Conrad . In Heart of "Narcissus," Eugene O 'Neill's play "The Long Voyage H ome, " Darkness Marl ow nearly loses his own identi ty in rhe voyage up rhe John Barth's novel Sabbatical, and D erek Walcott's epic poem Congo River to Kurrz' s Inner Srarion. Lord Jim in the novel of rhe Omeros. same name discovers a faral "soft spot" in his character when he Such persistence of underlying themes in rhe Odyssey springs jumps from the bridge of a steamship that he thinks is sinking. And from the fundamentally unchanging nature of rhe ocean world. in "T he End of rhe T ether" Cap tain Whalley violates all of a The sea borh arrracrs and repels, calling us to high adve nture and captain's responsibilities when he continues to navigate his ship rhrearening to destroy us through irs indifferent powe r. In The while going blind. Sometimes rhe protagonist is an averaged Mirror of the Sea Conrad untangles rhe intertwined bundle of innocent like Captain M acWhirr in Typhoon, who can ignore and human attitudes generated by rhe sea: thereby survive exposure to the "destructi ve element" in rh e ocean For all that has been said of the love rhar certain natures (on world. T he usual archerype fo r such a dark initiation is descent, shore) have professed to feel for it, fo r all rhe celebrations ir had both obvious and natural as a ship sinks to the bottom of the sea. been the obj ect of in prose and song, the sea has never been In this way sinking is a psychic repetition of myths of visiting the friendly to man. At most it has been the accomplice of human underworld- Odysseus in H ades or Jonah carried down in the restlessness, and playing the part of dangerous abettor of belly of a whale. Such myths are usually displaced (i.e., made more world-wide ambitions . Faithful to no race after rhe mann er of naturalistic) in modern literature. T he central scene in the storm the kindly earth, receiving no impress From valour and to il and section of Conrad's The Nigger ofthe "Narcissus" is a descent into self-sacrifice, recognizing no fin ality of dominion, rhe sea has rhe deckhouse of a nearl y capsized ship to rescue its source of never adopted th e cause of irs mas ters like th ose lands where rhe di ssension, James W ait, and the climactic scene in Melville's White victorious nations of mankind have taken roo t, rocking their j acket is a spectacular fall from high in the rigging deep into the sea. cradles and setting up their gravesto nes. H e-man or peo pl eCo nrad's "Yo urh" represents rhe characteristic bifocal vision who, putting his trust in the fri endship of the sea, neglects the toward seafaring, here ensconced in a retrospective tale. T he strength and cunni ng of his right hand, is a foo l! As if it we re voyage of the old and rotten Palestine, loaded with combustible too great, too migh ty fo r common virtues, the ocean has no coal, had been a disas ter fro m the outset- raking a severe battering compassion, no faith, no law, no memory. Irs fickl eness is to be from a No rrh Sea gale, decaying in porr while waiting for repairs, held true to men's purposes only by an undaunted reso luri on finall y serring our fo r Bangkok, catching fire ar sea, and sinking and by a sleepless, arm ed, jealous vigilance, in which, perhaps, just short of her des rinarion . Conrad 's narrator and protago nist, th ere has always been more hare than love. Odi et amo may well Marlow, looks back on his yo unger self as he tells rhe tal e of the be rhe co nfession of those who consciously or blindly h ave voyage to older, shore-bound men who had once been seam en. surrendered their existence to rhe fasc ination of the sea. H ere is rh e peroration: ("Initiation," 135 (The Mirror ofthe Sea)) "Ah! T he good old rime-the good old rime. Yo urh and rhe Ir is not surprising that such co ndi tions of seafarin g, taken sea. G lamour and rhe sea! T he good, strong sea, the salt, bitter together, have generated a rich and las ting lirerarure. One imporsea, rhar co uld whisper to yo u and roar ar you and knock yo ur tant literary pattern developed in voyage narratives-initiationbreath our of yo u ... and, rel! me, was n' t rhar rhe best rim e, grows from a seco nd voyage within the Odyssey as T elemachus sails rh ar rim e wh en we were yo ung at sea; yo ung and had nothing, out in search of his fa th er. In its simples t fo rm, an initiation at sea on the sea that gives nothing, except hard knocks-and someputs a yo ung person (usually a boy until recent decades) into an times a chance ro feel yo ur srrengrh- rhar only-whar you un fa miliar situation, tests his or her wo rth in a crisis, and rewards regret?" And we all nodded ar him: rhe man of finance, the man of th ose who pass muster with full acce ptance as adults. T his is rhe design of O utward Bound schools, and iris reflected in much sea acco unts, rhe man of law, we all nodded ar him ove r the literature li ke Rudya rd Kipling's Captains Courageous. M ore com polished table rhar like a still sheet of brown water reflected our plex versions of the pattern are innumerabl e, including T obias faces, lined , wrinkled; our faces marked by toil, by deceptions, Smaller's Roderick Random, Frederi ck M arrya t' s Mr. Midshipman by success, by love; our weary eyes looking still, looking always, Easy, manyofJ amesFenimore Cooper's dozen sea novels, Richard looking anxiously fo r something out of life, th at while it is H enry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast, H erman M elville's expected is already gone-has passed unseen, in a sigh, in a Redburn and White j acket, Joseph Co nrad's "Yo uth," Jack London's flash- together with rhe yo uth, with the strength, with the Sea Wolf Stephen C rane's "T he O pen Boat," and sco res of less romance of illusions. well known bu t memorabl e sea stories. T he mul titude of examples ("Yo uth ," 42 (Garden C ity, 1959) is not surprising, since life ar sea removes rhe initi ate from the Thar final phrase, "the ro mance of illusions," brings us back to rhe

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 l

ambivalence that seafaring always see ms to Mediterranean durin g the sixth and f1fth We embark on voyages ge nerate. centuri es BC; the Portuguese ex ploratio ns not only to get somewhere Ttis not surpri sing that such co nditions of the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, of seafaring, taken together, have produced at f1rst tentative then bold , as we ll as th e but also to accomplish a ri ch and lastin g literature. Because voyea rl y Spani sh voyages to th e Americas in something, and, in Western ages in real expe ri ence have built-in mothe 15th and 16th centuries; Ren aissance culture, often to discover more mentum and directionality, driven by the circumn av iga tions of the wo rld; exp lo raabout the ways human beings urge for ex ploration and discovery or sim tions of th e Pacif1c during the 18th ce ncan expect to fare in the world. ply by th e desire to reach a known port tury; polar expediti ons to the Arctic and safel y, their narration requires ve ry littl e Antarctic during the 19th and ea rl y 20 th artifice in plot. And they tap into an inn ate teleology, an undercur- centuries; and und ersea exp lo rati o n to profound d epth s of th e rent of human purposes and goals. We embark o n voyages not o nl y ocea n in rece nt decad es. From the Odyssey to th e prese nt, th e sea has served as a place for literary portraits of adve nture and di saster, to get somewhere but also to accomplish som ething, and , in W es tern culture, often to di scover more about the ways human for quests, hun ts, and tests of human enduran ce. Throughout all beings can expect to fare in the world . In this sense voyages are a centuri es, unlike the land , the sea has been a co nstant for those natural vehicle for the human im agination ex ploring the unknown , w ho sa iled o n it, va ri ab le in mood but immutabl e in essence-a wh ether it be discovering strange new lands, finding out the truth place wit h a character mu ch like that attributed to Pose ido n , by about ourselves, or searching for those more perfect wo rlds we call turns both placid and turbulent, serene and menac in g. For seafarutopias. T h ese purposes and intentions, as we ll as tension between ers, these are th e def1ning dim ensions of th e place they li ve in , the lure of new experience and th e desire to get ho me, mark every largely unchanged since th e f1rst se paration of earth and wa ter. .1 stage of Odysseus's return from th e Trojan War. As he recapitul ates th e whole of his extraordinary voyage to Penelope, he tells the first Dr. Robert Foulke is professor emeritus at Skidmore College. A sea returning seaman's yarn in th e W estern world. voyager for more than 40 years, he has taught for the Williams College The sea has been a "place" of extrao rdin ary importan ce in the Program at Mystic Seaport and the Sea Education Association at evo luti o n of W es tern culture. [t is the environment that has Woods Hole, Massachusetts. This article is adapted.from his book The encompassed human beings during major movem ents of ex- Sea Voyage Narrative (New York, 1997) and .from the paper he panded awareness-the Greek co loni za tion westward through the presented at the World Marine Millennial Conference last year.

NAME (Block capitals) DELIVERY ADDRESS

Qty

Total

The Sea Wolf £14.99/S29.95 Battleship £9.99/S19.9S The Great War at Sea £12.99/S2S.9S The Fleet th at had to Die £7.99/ S1S.9S .. P&P (please add 20%) Total now due I enclose a cheque made payable to Birlinn ltd

(Sterling (£) cheques only please) Post your com pleted order form and cheque to: Birlinn Ltd, 8, Canongate Venture, 5 New Street,

Edinburgh, Scotland, EHS SSH OR

order by credit ca rd - Access

Visa

M/C

THE ACCOUNT NUMBER IS

UWllll lllllll l IIIII

CARD EXPIRY DATE

I authorise you to charge my card acco unt. SIGNATURE . DATE .

www.birlinn .co .uk Te l: 01144 131 556 6660

Fax: 01144 131 557 6250

SEA HISTORY 96. SPRING 2001

CELEBRATING THE CHARLES W. MORGAN

The World Ship Trust Celebrates the Charles W. Morgan by Paul Ri dgway

he World Ship Trusr gave irs Mari rime Herirage Award to rhe lasr American sailing whaleship , Mystic Seaporr's Charles W Morgan, this pasr September. The Morgan, bui lr in 1841 , is rhe cenrerpiece of M ysric' s stellar collection of historic vessels known rhe world over. The award was presented by Senator Christopher]. Dodd of Connecticur. Wirh his leadership supporr, a special irem for $10 million for rhe maririme herirage is moving through rhe US Congress (seep . 15). An Award of Merit was made larer in rhe year to rhe square rigger BaLcLutha of 1886 in San Francisco, a ship whose preservarion under Karl Korrum 's direcrion was largely inspired by Mystic's saving of rhe Charles W Morgan. The World Ship Trust, founded by Frank Carr in 1979 wirh rhe active parriciparion of NMHS , works ro preserve hisroric ships and arrifacrs for rhe educarion and enjoyment of rhe public. To rhis end rhe Trusr publicizes vessels in need and works ro ra ise public awareness of rhe wo rl d 's heritage in hisroric ships rhrough publicarion of rhe quarterly World Ship Review, sent to irs members, and rhe aurhoritarive International Register ofHistoric

Ships. Each edirion of The World Ship Review carries news and views on rhe many aspecrs of historic ship preservation and maritime museum acriviries from around rhe world, including the eagerly awaited "Sea Pie," a miscellany of reporrs from all quarters. The mosr recent edirion covered ropics from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark,

Egypr, France, Germ any, Grear Britain , Japan , Myanmar, Norway, Russia, Spain , Sweden and the Un ired Stares. There were fearure articles, roo, on archives, the Ausrralian Register of Historic Ships and rh e restorarion of rhe 1896 Clyde-builr barque GLenLee. A diary of events is carried as we ll as derails of new books. The recently published 3rd edirion of

The International Register of Historic Ships conrains derailed background on approximarely 2000 historic vessels in 72 countries and contains a wealrh of other informarion in irs various appendices, updaring rhe reader on rhe change of vessel starns since rhe publicarion of the 2nd edirion, and providing a list of vessels by rype, a bibliography, and conracrs for vessel owners. The 383-page, large-formar Register is recognized as a valuable research rool and work is in hand in updaring rhe manuscripr for rhe next edirion. The nexr shor in rhe informarion locker of rhe Trusr is i rs web sire ar h rrp:// www.worldshiprrusr.org. This carries definirive secrions on rhe Trusr and its acriviries, including vessels rhar have received irs awards. The Trustees are listed and the reader can appreciare rhe truly inremarional membership of rhe organization wirh rhe Chairman, Jacques Chauveau, from France and Vice Presidenrs and Trusrees from Australia, Great Britain , The Nerherlands, Portugal and rhe United States . .t

The World Ship Trust, 202 Lambeth Road, London, SEJ 7 7JW, UK; phone/fox: 20 7385 4267; e-mail: wshiptrust@aoL. corn

The Art, Tradition and Know-How of Historic Ships O ur Wo rl d Sh ip T rust was first conceived in 1949. In rha t yea r, th e Royal Navy o ffered to rernrn th e Implacable (ex Dugay-Trouin) to France. A F rench shipof-rhe-line b uil r in rh e 18rh cenrury, she was captured after Trafalga r. Srill afl oa r, sh e was splend id , w irh all rh e glo ri o us armame nt of ships of rh ar rim e. Bur she was expensive to maintain and the French Navy had more urgenr and cos tly duties to cope wi rh , so th ey tu rn ed dow n th e offer. She was rowed into the C hann el an d su nk by gunfire fl yin g rhe fl ags o f borh co unt ries . Frank Carr was ri ghtl y horrified and decided th at such an acr o f internatio nal va nda li sm sh o uld occur "never aga in "-o ur m o tto to day. Ever si nce, o ur Trusr has rri~ d e ir irs business to kee p aware of rh~ co ndirio n and fare of every hisroric ship of capital interesr to rh e maririme h eritage of the wo rld. Yo u can no r com e to rh e rescue o f whar you d o no r kn ow, so we keep a reco rd of all histori c ships in rhe world, a record published in our International Reg-

ister of Historic Ships. T he Charles W Morgan is one o f rh e m osr historic of rh ese ships. She does no r need o ur Awa rd to be recognized as such . Sh e is an example o f what an aurh enric ship is and how a proper resrorari on should respect and preserve all th e art, rradirion , and know-how of truly histori c ships. T his is wh at rh e Charles W Mo rgan shows with glo ry, th anks to rh e enthusias m and love for qu ali ry of Mys ri c Seaporr, and rhar's o ne reaso n I've been a m ember of the Seaport for over 25 years. JACQUES CHAUVEAU, C h airm an Wo rl d Sh ip T rusr 23 Seprember 2000

THE SH!!' SAVERS. Front row from Left: Waldo Johnston, former Director of Mystic Seaport; Dana Hewson, Vice President for Watercraft Preservation; Mystic Chairman WiLliarn Cook; Jacques Chauveau, World Ship Trust Chairman; Senator Christopher }. Dodd; Back row from Left: Don Robinson, Mystic Seaport Trustee; Master Shipwright Roger Hambidge;j. ReveLI Carr, then President ofMystic Seaport; Peter Stanford, PresidentofNMHS; andMystic Trustee Maynard Bray (Photo: Mystic Seaport, Inc.) SEA HI STORY 96, SPRING 200 I

Our Historic Ships: Not Just a Hobby-lln Urgent Priority by Senator Christopher J. Dodd

Senator ChristopherJ Dodd (DCT) presented the World Ship Trust's Maritime Heritage Award to Mystic Seaport on 23 September 2000 for the preservation of the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan of 1841. Senator Dodd serves as a trustee of Operation Sail and played a leading role in bringing the tall ships to New London last summer for OpSail 2 000. He also championed the building and sailing ofthe schooner Amistad.

surrounded and permeared by warer. We remember rhar America was discovered accidenrally by a grear seaman searching for someplace else. Its earliest exploration was largely undertaken by those who hoped to get rhrough or aro und ir, not senle it. And when settlement finally took hold , it occurred along our coasts and rivers. Our subsequent rise as a powerful nation can be traced to our growing power on the seasto harvest food, to conduct co mSenator Chris Doddpresents the World Ship Trust Award to Mystic merce, and to defend our nahave the honor and rhe privi- Seaport for the preservation of the whaling ship C harles W. rional sovereignty. Indeed, it has been said thar lege rh is afre rnoon to presem Morgan in September 2 000. (Courtesy Mystic Seaport, Inc.) sea power is an indelible mark of the World Ship Trust's Maritime Heritage Award to M ys tic Seaport for who believe that the preservation of his- a free people. its rescue of the wo rld's last remainin g toric ships ought not be just a hobby, but The nations thar have enjoyed sea power, even for a brief period-Athens, Scand inasquare-rigged, wooden commercial vessel must be an urgent priori ty. At one time in our history, thousands of via, rhe Nerherlands, Britain and our U nired from our grear age of sail- rhe Charles W Morgan. ships like the Morgan graced our harbors Stares-are those that have preserved freeOn behalf of people rhroughour Co n- and p lied their trade o n the seas. Today, all dom for themselves and given it to orhers. necti cut and throughout our nation , allow save she are gone. And so this cherished vessel and others me to express deep gratimde to the World Over the yea rs, much effo rt and many like ir are far more rhan quainr reli cs of a Ship Trust for the award-and immense reso urces have been dedicated to the pres- bygo ne era. They embody the noblest aspipride in the achievement thar it recognizes. ervation ofour histo ric buildings and natu- rarions of a people. They speak nor only of Ir is richly deserved by Revell Carr and ral monuments. And rightly so. what is pasr, bur to what endures-ingenuRegrettably, the sam e can no t be said for ity, intrep idi ty, and an insatiable apperire everyo ne associated with Mystic Seaport. T hey co ntinue to perform a criri cally im- historic vessels. All but a few li e disregarded for freedom and a berrer life in a berrer land. Yes, th ey are old wooden boars. But in portam public service to our stare and our or discarded, ignored or scuttled by a wo rld country. too busy, ir seems, to care-too emhralled rhe historian 's words, rhey were "the mosr Some may wonder why, on this ea rly with machines and modems. beautiful creatio ns of man in America. autumn afternoon-a few rnomhs into a That is an observation, not a judgment With no extraneous o rnament except a new millennium, at a time when explora- - for the calculus of co mmercial life dic- figurehead, a bir of carving, and a few lines rion of new planets has become co mmon- tares rhar change be rhe only constant. of gold leaf, their ... purpose . .. was place, when peo ple routinely rravel ar twice Thar has been rrue of rimes pasr as much as achieved by perfecr balance of spars and rhe speed of so und, and when vast sums of of rhe presem . Indeed, iris quite likely thar, sails to rhe curving lines of the smoorh money and information can be moved in when rhe Morgan was ch risrened 159 years black hull; and this harmony of mass, form, seconds with the click of a computer ago-o n a day perhaps nor unlike this one, and co lo r was pracriced to rh e music of mouse-we have gathered here to celebrare jusr a few miles up th e coast in Fairhaven, dancin g waves and of brave winds whisMassachusetts- there were those who de- tling in the rigging. T hese were our Gorhic an old wooden boat. cried it as ye r anorher sign of the passing of cathedrals, our Parthenon. "* Allow me to propose an answer. Their preservarion is up to us . We dare T hree months ago, just over the hill in a simpler era in whaling. Yet, were our generation to shrug its not leave it to chance. New London, hundreds of thousands of And to thar end, I pledge to do all I can people witnessed the parade of rall ships shoulders, sigh, and say, "Ir's a pity rhey' re that played a key part in our nation 's mil- gone, bur such is life," it would permit rhe in rhe U ni red Stares Senare to co mmir our lennium celebration . What if al l of those perpetuation of an oversighr of enormo us nation to rhe preservarion of our rn aririme heritage-so rhar o ur harbo rs mi ghr alships, grand and glittering in the New En- and tragic proportions. gland summer sun, were to suddenly disapShips such as this embody o ur heritage ways be graced by ships such as the one we pear- never again to be seen or muched, as clearly and unmistakably as our great are privileged to honor rhis afrernoon. .t buildings and our natural wo nders. lost forever to us and future generations? America can no r be understood as a na- * Sam uel Eli or Morison, The Oxford History of T he image of an empty harbor co nveys the magnitude of the task faced by those tion until we understa nd iras a pi ece ofland the American People (1965)

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

NEEDED: New Funding for the

National Maritime Heritage Act NMHS led in securing the federal Maritime Heritage Fund of 1979. This provided $5 million and stimulated over $10 million in private funding, which proved vital in successful projects ranging from the Liberty ship Jeremiah O ' Brien (1943) in San Francisco, to the bark Elissa (1877) in Galveston and the ship Wavertree (1885) in New York. This program was not renewed, however, so in 1989 NMHS joined hands with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and others to found the National Maritime Alliance (NMA). The broad-based NMA secured adoption ofthe National Maritime Heritage Act of 1994, which provided limitedfunds from scrapping ships in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. This source dried up due to environmental problems after just $670, 000 had been securedfor maritime heritage gants in 1998. Of342 proposals, including more than 70for ship preservation projects, only 39 could be funded. Here, Alliance leaders report on progress toward new funding/or this vital Act. Over the past year rhe Narional Maritime Alliance idemified the Co nservation and Rein vestment Acr (CARA) as an ap-

propriare source of funding for rhe Narional Maririme H erirage grams program. CARA is fund ed by profirs from offshore drilling rights, a m aririme resource. The amendment to CARA we have proposed ass igns $ 10 milli o n to rhe Narional Maritime Herirage Acr grants program. T his amendment is included in the H o use version of CARA (HR701) introduced on 14 February 2001 by Rep. Don You ng (R-AK). CARA was assigned to the House Reso urces Commi nee. Rep. James Hansen (R-UT) is chairman , Rep. Young, vice-chairman , and Rep. Nick Rahall (DWV) , the ranking minority member. A companio n bill will be introduced in th e Senate where advocares of mari rime herirage came close to gaining inclusion of th e amendment at the end last year. This bi ll has the supporr of Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Olympia Snowe (RME), a sponsor of rhe 1994 Act, Jesse Helms (R-NC), John Edwards (D-NC) , and John Warner (R-VA). Supporr is biparrisan in rhe Senate and rhe Ho use, as was supporr fo r passage of the National Maririme H erirage Act in 1994 . Senator Dodd pledged to work for fed-

era! supporr for America's maririme herirage in his speech ar Mys ric Seaporr to honor the whaling shi p Charles W Morgan. Many of rhe grants from the o nly distribution made through the NMH Act in 1998 wem to ship preservation projecrs including: the Virginia V; USS Hornet; USS Massachusetts; the cruiser Olympia, Balclutha, the tugboar Luna; USS Constellation; LaSalle' s ship Be!!e; Blackbeard' s Queen Anne's Revenge; vario us small crafr and others. Bur toral requesrs for funding for ship preservario n pro jeers exceeded $2.4 million and separate req uests for fund ing made for USS Intrepid, U-5 05, and USS Missouri toraled $32 milli on . We urge supponers of America's maririme herirage to w ri re asking their represemarives and senato rs to vore fo r funding for rhe National Maritime Heritage Acr as included in rhe CARA bill. A d rafr lerter is available ar this web site: ht tp://www.ecu .edu/maritime/nma.htm. TIMOTHY J. RUNYAN, Chairman, NMA East Carolina U niversity, G reenville NC D UNCAN SMITH , Counsel, NMA Dyer, Ellis and Joseph, Washington DC

Help our historic ships deliver their message! At 1h off the list price, buy a copy of this vital compendium for yourself or your local school or library. *

International Register of Historic Ships by Norman J. Brouwer The third edition of the World Ship Trust's authoritative Register, published with Sea History Press, is the most comprehensive listing of surviving historic ships ever published, featuring nearly 2,000 historic ships from over 50 countries. The Register delivers the full story, providing updates on restoration projects, remains of historic ships preserved in museums, and contact information for all the vessels. Price: $50 fo r the hardcover edition; $30 softcover, plus $5 each shipping and handling in the USA . ($ 10 Foreign shipping, surface mail ) Pri ce for members of the National Maritime Historical Society (10 % member's discount): $45hc; $27sc + $5s/h . * Order 3 copies or more, and we' ll bring the discount to 50% off to get the word out: $37 .50 hardcover, $23 softcover. To order by credit card, call

800 221-NMHS (6647), or pay by check and mai l your order to:

National Maritime Historical Society, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566.

Above, the C harl es W. Mo rgan is being repaired in her working life as a whaling ship. At right, the ship 's carpenters of Mystic Seaport do things the old way in 1978. (Photos courtesy Mystic Seaport, I nc.)

GREASY LUCK FOR THE CHARLES W MORGAN:

A New Idea-Doing Things the Old Way by Peter Stanford

More than 30 years ago, the ship's people who ran Mystic Seaport made a fundamental decision about their mission and how it would be carried out. For decades they had collected historic vessels, buildings, photographs, art and documents representing vital aspects ofa maritime heritage that defined a nation. Under the leadership of Waldo Johnston in the late 1960s, the seaport challenged itself to reshape the museum into a living, shipbuilding center, looking to the vessels they had rescued from oblivion to give purpose and definition to all they did. This focus revolutionized the maritime heritage and ship preservation fields and has created new generations of ship 's people among craftsmen, scholars and the general public. The Henry duPont Ship Preservation Yard came out of this new vision ofship preservation, a vision in which ships were renewed and maintained as they had been while they were sailing. The first ships that received this treatment were Alan Villiers 's sail training ship Joseph Conrad and Arthur Story's 1921 Grand Banks fishing schooner L. A. Dunton. Then came the Charles W. Morgan, the only remaining American sailing 16

whaling ship. Peter Stanford reported on this culminating act in Sea History 5 (Autumn 1976):

arl C urler ac Myscic, hav ing regrecfully give n up che choughc of saving che wooden full -ri gged ship Benjamin F. Packard, curned ch en ro che disrressed Morgan and his cruscees agreed at lengch ro rake her on, litde knowing-as who could?- th e huge cos ts and immense rewards she wo uld brin g to their Marine Hi sto ri cal Association. She slipped qui edy up ri ver into Mystic in D ecember 194 1, just befo re Pea rl H arbo r-a passage chac wo uld neve r have been undertaken in che wa rtime co nditions chat thereafter prevai led across America. Sirring with rocks in her lower h old, her keel in rhe sand , ch e Morgan made Myscic. Eve n during ch e war, visitacion grew sceadil y. Afterward ir rook off, a sea pon vill age grew up aro und rhe vessel, ocher vessels joined h er. We would now find, and so me found ac rh e ci m e, as peers of che desire simply ro put o n a good show in all this development, so me of whi ch has subseq uently been quietly und o ne. Bur che Morgan remained real in her bones, and peo ple came ro Mystic for that real presence from another age.

How, und er the n ew philosophy, would th e Morgan sail rhe seas of time? There was scant experien ce in this country of perm anent preservation of a wooden ship her size, o utside rh e periodically rebuilt Constitution and Constellation . Johnsto n we nt ro Eu ro pe, wh ere prevailing sentim ent indi cated compl etely dry storage, as rhe Cutty Sark at G reenwich and th e Victory at Portsmouth are kept, or totally enclosed, as in rh e case of rhe Vasa and the Fram in Scandin av ia. A n impressive array of argum ents came back with him in his briefcase. Bur J o hnsto n had ro dig deeper. Wood preserva ri o nisrs we re called in ro ass ist in studi es, engin eers we re co nsulted . Showmanship indi cated rh e simple, superfi cially m ost economical so lu tion, one rhar wo uld visually present th e ship to th e publi c quire chea ply for decades. Simpl y fill h er ho ld with concrete to th e waterline, forger everything below, and m aintain topsid es and deck, cabins and ri g like a dryland stru cture. "I co uld not stay at this place, and see rhar ship destroyed ," says Jo hnsto n now of rhar last op ti o n, wavin g his hands before him , " no r co uld ochers. Bur we loo ked into ir. We looked into , I thin k, everything, every sin gle co urse we co uld imagine and so me yo u mi ght nor want to."

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

"We looked into, I think, everything, every single course we could imagine. ... " -WALDO

And always, like a running tide pulling at the keel of a vessel ready to depart, there was the ultimate alternative: rebuild, refloat, rerig her as a ship. By the spring of 1973, this became the decision , whi ch was published in The New York Times, as befits a decision of this caliber taken with a national treasure. What was said at the time, as the reporter caught it, seems apropos here. "We decided to save the life of the old girl to keep her alive and visible for future generations," said Johnston, and later, commenting on the philosophy behind the act, and the real reso urces brou ght together to execute it: "We want to preserve not only the vessels but also the tools, the skills, the expertise that originally were used to build them. " The reporter caught onto the hackmatack knees, which have become a kind of watchword or touchstone of truth at Mystic. "H ackmatack was used by the original builders in 1841 ," said J. Revell Carr, then Curator, "and the whole idea of this restoration is to proceed exactly as the original builders did in the 19th century. " In the summer of 197 4 the Morgan was brought back ro her old berth, afloat, moored to a new stone wharf built to accommodate her, rhe kind of wharf she sailed from in New Bedford. The operation had gone well. There had been work to do strengthening her for the move. Over 200 rest borings had shown, however, rhar

great strength resided in rhe old timbers in rhe underbody char supported th e heavy hull. The new shipyard shed had been built large enough to rake the whole ship, once she'd been fl oared round and bro ugh r out of water on rhe new lift dock-bur the extent of rhe repairs did not make rhar necessary. The most anxious moments we re unquestionably those spent trying to work her free ofher sand berth; in the event, afte r two previous attempts had failed, she came off on a high ride on December 6, 1973, at 4:55 in rhe morning-a moment well remembered by the sen ior staff who turned our of their beds early to help fl oat the old ship again after thirty-two years. "When she finally decided to leave her bed of sand, she moved slowly, almost imperceptibly, like a sedate matron heading for rhe hors d' oeuvres," said Johnston. The ship's reappearance was rightly called "rhe Second Com ing of the Morgan." She was in many respects fit for sea, fitter, perhaps, than in some of her later voyages, and rigged right through to the main royal, which was completed and sent up by staff working over rhe weekend to give a final present to rhe ship. Maynard Bray, shipyard supervisor in charge of the restoration, had told the Times reporter the yea r before: "You work nights and weekends here, but there is a deep satisfaction to the work."

c. M.JOHNSTON

The satisfaction ofthe work continues, as Maynard Bray was on hand to attest when the Morgan received the World Ship Trust Award last fall. The ship and her sisters at Mystic are ever under the watchful care of a dedicated museum staff, and the ship's people are ever honing their skills and teaching what they have learned to keep the ships ofMystic alive and delivering their challenging message of historic voyaging to coming generations. And these measures, practiced at Mystic, are transferred, in handson style, to workers on other historic ships across America and abroad. 1. Some adventures from the grand old ships story are told in extracts from John Leavitts definitive history, The C harles W. Morgan, reprinted in "Dessert," pages 46-7. "The Chase, "by Charles Lundgren

UNDER SAIL FOR DEEP WATER The ships of Mystic do their voyaging at dockside, introducin g half-a-million visitors each year to ways oflife and deeds at sea too important to be forgotten . But now two ships have sailed out of Mystic, one the new Amistad, and the other the lithe and lovely schooner yacht Brilliant, designed by the renowned Olin Step hens and built by Henry B. Nevins in New Yo rk in 1932. The yacht raced across the Atlantic for the first time in 1933, making record time (15 days, 1 hour, 23 minutes). She made her second rransArlantic voyage last summ er, sa il ed by Mystic's George Moffett, four professional crew, and six apprentices, ages 17 to 22, coming in first in class and first overall in the Tall Ships' Race. She beat

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

out a field of worthy competitors, including the pilot cutter Jolie Brise, which she also bested in the 19 3 3 race. For this accompl ishment and for hi s 17 years running the Brilliant's sail training program, Moffett was named the American Sail TrainingAssociation 's "Sail T rainer of the Year. " H e could not receive the award personally, as he and his vessel were still sailing the Atlantic, stopping in European ports on their way home to Mystic. For each leg of the journey, Capt. Moffett rook on new trainees, who had a rare opportunity to experience the qualities of a fi rst-class historic yacht, sailed to the highest standards. Brilliant shows her paces in 1994 (Photo courtesy Mystic Seaport, Inc.) 17

A Cook in on tfie (iving act of restoration ...

Set up on the beach of Colonel Green '.r estate outside the old whaling port ofNew Bedford, the Charles W. Mo rgan looked ready for the ages as she stood by to receive visitors aboard in 1!)21. Port-painted and ship-rigged as she was at the outset ofher career, she has newly been taken over from Whaling Enshrined, a group formed from the artists' colony in New Bedford, who could no more care for the ship than Kit Morley '.r Three Hours for lunch Club, composed of waggish litterateurs in New York, could handle the sailing ship T usitala, which they took on in the same era. f ames Farrell stepped in to save the T usitala, but when he had to let her go, she was doomed. When Colonel Green died in the midl !J30s, he made no provision for the Charles W. Morgan and it seemed she was doomed as well. The saving stroke for the Morgan was delivered by Carl Cutler, a founder ofMystic Seaport and its chieffactotum, who undertook to take the deteriorating ship offNew Bedford'.r hands, getting her towed into Mystic in late 1341, shortly before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which brought the US into World War II. Any later, and the trip could not have been made. (Photos courtesy Mystic Seaport, Inc.)

Rebuilt in this fashion, the old ship is authentically seaworthy. Her people know this, and the public learns about it. That is the glory ofthe living art ofship restoration at Mystic.

done "as tfie oriÂŁJinaC 6ui[c(ers d1:f in 1841." -J. REVELL CARR Fish rot from the head down, and ships rot from the upperworks down. Here new frames of native white oak replace topside frames, building up from the salt-impregnated lower frames of 1841, which endure today.

How is the replanked hull caulked? Carefully-the caulking serves to stress the planks, binding them together into a cohesive whole. just the right pressure is needed, which a skilled caulker judges by the ring ofhis caulking maffet.

Rough work with heavy tools precedes the pretty fine finish that even hard-worked utilitarian vessels like the Morgan showed on deck.

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

R EVELL C ARR

and the Museum of America and the Sea by Peter Stanford

Revell, retiring as president after thirtyone years at Mystic, says it is "People, people, people" that make Mystic the Museum ofAmerica and the Sea. Here we take a look at the accomplishments of one of those people-Revell Carr.

Revell stands before the new "Voyages" exhibit, presenting five major themes of America and the Sea. (ALL photos courtesy Mystic Seaport, Inc.)

While these solid achi evements were abuilding, Revell took the Seaport's message to others, servin g as president of the International Congress ofMaritime Museums and trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation- just two examples of Revell's outreach, which also extended to humbler organizations across America and indeed abroad, as occasion demanded. The seamanlike co ncept of bearing a hand when called on has characterized Revell's practice, and has become a hallmark of M ys tic's style. The dollars raised, the collections, the ships themselves, mean far more, and work more effectively, because of this anim ating spirit of outreach. A person who valued Revell's dedication and abi liti es was Mystic trustee (later chairman), the late C lifford Mallory, Jr. The two worked together as Revell moved up the ladder from Research Associate to Chief Curator in 1970, then to Director and ultimately President of Mystic Seaport. Both men knew that ships were at the heart of Mystic's story, and they hammered out a policy of going unapologetically for first-class restoration of the aging fleetto get results worth the high costs involved. Ships had retired to Mystic as to a maritime Val halla. But they would be put to work in active programs! The greatest physical asse t was of course the whaleship Charles W Morgan. She had been brought into the Seaport in 1941 at age 100, and was laid up in a sandbank. There, as yea rs passed, thi s great asset became the greatest problem. Rot was spreading, and there was talk of sawing off her bottom and putting her upper hull in a house ashore. Bur after study and debate, a different course was chosen . Build a shipyard to

When CliffMallory spoke, Revell (and others) Listened! These quite different Leaders made a dynamic duo, teaming poetry and pragmatism.

rebuild the ship! This was done, and she was then set afloat to conduct sail handling alofr and launch her boats to show the ship 's gear in action. The same problems afflicted o ther vessels at Mystic, like the gal lant fi shing schooner L.A. Dunton. Launched from Story's yard in Essex in 1921 , she had long outlived her wo rking life expectancy. She got new timbers, skilfully fitted into the old structure. And she also got new interpretive program to help her catch up people in the story of the New England fisheries-an extension of her career catching fish. The far-traveled J oseph Conrad of 1882 was brought up to standard just in time for the visit of Alan Villiers to his old ship 30 years ago. Villi ers, who had taken the ship through a Cape Horn snorter with yo ung people in crew, appreciated the vessel's use for school groups learning the ropes and sleeping over aboard the ship that had sailed for far hori zons. A h um bier vessel, the fishing sloop Emma C. Berry, built at nearby Noank in 1866, needed to have her yacht rig and cabins torn out and her fishing configuration restoredso this was done, fit to go to work again.

n a career packed with achievements, Revell started out quietly enough, securi ng his BA at Rutgers in 1962 with a seemingly innocuous specialty in art and history. We next find him steering a hellfor- leather destroyer in the Pacific, as Lieutenant, USN . T hat was followed by two years propounding naval histo ry and the law to yo ung innocents at officers candidate school. T hen he picked up an MA in Am erica n Civilization at the University of Pennsylvania, with some archaeological co nsultancy thrown in. This variegated background served as grist for the mill of hi s driving sense of purpose, and that backgro und helps explain the extraordinary diversity of interests that came to make up the Museum of America and the Sea. M ys tic Seaport's record sin ce Revell succeeded Waldo C. M . Johnston as Executive Director in 1978 is impressive. Membership has nearly doubled, to more than 27,000 dedicated supporters of th e mu- The far-traveled Joseph Co nrad (J 882), at Left, joined the C harles W. Morgan (J 841) to seum and participants in its programs. T he make a strong square-rig presence. Ships ' boats and sails are regularly exercised to the delight annual budget has doubled too, as the Seaand edification of visitors to Mystic, no Longer so quiet a backwater as it once had been. port has strived to do more, and do what it does in greater depth , with the maximum authenticity, as illustrated, for example, in the resto ration and continuing maintenance and public program of the ships, led by the whaleship Charles W Morgan. T here have been tense moments, but always the resources have been fo und to do what was needed. The fact that what was don e was always solid value has much to do with that resul t.

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

The island steamer Sabino (1 908) p uffs busily about the harbor, offering visitors a splendid view ofMystic from the water.

The Ami stad, ship offreedom launched in time to join OpSail 2 000 in New York last year, was built in Mystic's shipyard, with a little help from Revell. Below, Revell swings a mean adze at the keel-laying in 1998, under Senator D odd's watchful gaze.

And to remind you how peo ple traveled Am erica's wate1ways in the age of steam, the island steamer Sabino, built 92 years ago in M aine, takes visitors up and down the Mysti c Ri ver. Her resonant steam whistle reawakens m emories of a half-forgotten pas t. Like everything at M ys tic, that whistle is real! So is th e coa l-fir ed steam that roars through it, and the fireman who puts on the coal, and the skipper who tugs the cord to announce the little vessel's co min gs and goings on the M ys tic Rive r. Building to old design fo r new purpose is al so part of the M ys ti c reality. T hat sense of reality was enlisted to build a reconstructi on of the famous schoo nerA mistad, which was seized by Singbe Pie in 1839, leadin g the imprisoned Africans aboard to freedom. The shipyard was full of African Americans, and Afri cans from abroad , as the keel was laid with singin g fit to lift the roof. Revell was trusted with an adze at the keel-laying. And today the Amistad sails as a ship of freedo m, fulfillin g many peopl e's dreams. No ne more so than our N MHS O verseer Warren M arr, who campaigned for the building of this ship for decades. M ys tic, of co urse, is bigger than any on e person, with its histo ri c houses, its smithy, its fi gurehead carve rs, its innova tive interpretation and re-e nactors, its grand Blunt White Library, and its scholarly Munson Institute giving a fr esh grip o n our national story-and its natio nal membership of 27, 000 people and co unting. But Revell himselfh assaid what M ys tic's success is about. It is, he has said: "People, people, people." All kinds of people. It's an inclusive idea. Some of the peopl e who make the li ving ac t of restorati o n work for M ys tic's ships got together las t yea r. T hey stood in front

Revell joins the Pilots, the rugged volunteer group for whom no job is too tough, re-roofing one ofMystic's historic buildings-each of which contributes another component to the whole experience of the Seaport.

of the Charles W Morgan for the presentation of the Wo rld Ship Trust Award, as shown earli er in this issue, on page 13. W hat is most no table about Revell 's handling of this award is that he refused to accept it from his fri end Senator Dodd. It was presented instead to the Mystic Shipyard Director D ana H ewson and others who worked o n the ship , includin g Revell 's old boss, who hired him, Waldo Johnston. What fin er testimony to Revell's long tenure at Mysti c co uld there be th an in these people gath ered together to do so mething for th e ship ? And behind them stand the American peo ple, who have made M ystic Seapo rt America's most visited maritime museum. M embers' D ay at M ys tic Seaport, the annual September gathering of the largest and surely the most active maritim e membership in o ur line of business, was very much an expression of Revell's co ncern with "People, people, people" as the lodestar of the M ys tic way of do ing things. As always on such occasions, old fri endships were renewed and new ones forged among people whose commitment to M ys ti c h ad been affected by Revell's touch. Much the same scene took place, with different people, at our N MHS dinner at the New Yo rk Yacht Club, where Revell accepted the N MHS Distinguished Service Awa rd. His leadership touch had been felt , not always uncriti cally but always suppo rtively, in our affairs in N MHS, practi cally sin ce the year ofhi s arri val in M ys ti c, when he cam e down the M ys tic pier to visit No rm a and me and some of o ur N MHS crew led by the marine artist Os Brett and th e Cape H o rn sailorman , th e late Captain Archie H orka, aboard our schooner Athena. We are fortunate that RADM Douglas H . Teeso n, USCG, Superintendent of the U S Coas t G uard Academ y at nearby New Lo ndon, w ill be moving a dozen miles down the road to take over Revell's old offi ce as president in June this year. Doug T eeson is well known to our gang at N MHS, having been involved in educati onal work culminatin g in the NM H S crew we embarked aboard USCG Barque Eagle in Operation Sail 2000 in New Yo rk H arbor las t yea r. ,!, This article is adaptedfrom remarks prepared by Peter Stanford for the N MHS A nnual Awards Dinner in October 2 000.

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

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 the 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 Ista nbul , visit 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 hi story 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

MARINE ART

Sketch for "Angel with H orn, " ship uncertain (Courtesy Peabody Essex Museum)

"Scanning tlie Foaming Deep Before": Jolin W. Mason, Shipcarver by Adelbert Mason

overeign of the Seas, Witch of the Wave, Witchcraft, Sea Serpent, Challenge, Flying Cloud, Herald of the Morning-t heir names evoke the drama that surrounded the clipper ships built in the middle decade of the 1800s. Speed, power, wealth, romance, beauty and glory we re their reputation, and they flourished when rapid delivery to the far corners of the world became paramount and the new steamers co uld not yet compete with finebowed, heavily sparred ships sailed by harddriving captains and expert crews. T he race to get tea and other commodities from China co ntributed to their development, and the discovety of gold in California and Australia pushed rhem to their limits before economic depression and more rational des ign factors brought about rhe end of rhe clipper ship era just before the Civi l War. Ar the peak of the vessels' popularity, holiday crowds feted the arrivals and the leave-takings of the American clipper ships

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

,, •4·

';~·l:f ~

) -.

(, \.'

Sketch for figurehead "King Philip, " ship uncertain (Courtesy Peabody Essex Museum)

Sketch of "Neptune, "ship unknown (Courtesy Peabody Essex Museum) .__ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _..

that ruled the seas for such a brief time. Each ship was known for her appearance, her sailing record, and the daring of her captain and crew. Elaborate fi gureheads, trail boards and stern carvings were integral to a ship's reputation and made her recognizable in each harbor she visited. These figureheads often represented an animal, such as the li on, ram or serpent, a mythological fi gure or, increasingly, an histori cal perso n. The fi gurehead of Witch ofthe Wave inspired this description in the Boston Daily Atlas: T he fi gurehead represents a beautiful femal e in gossamer d rapery shielded by a broad shell , like a canopy. Gracefully and lightl y stepping o n the crest of the wave, emblematic of the ship's name. A special effort was made to praise the "most deli cately executed work" of the carver: "Mr. J. W. Mason, of this ciry, designed and carved her ornamental work. Like a good artist, his last work is his best. "

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

A femal e figure beautiful as an houri, and placed to correspond with the spring of the bow, ornaments her fo1ward. The fi gure is represented in flowing ves tments of white, fringed with gold; and she bears aloft a scarf, half unfurled by the breeze. From her pedestal descend branches of gold, which also encircle the hawsehole. H er name, in gilded letters is on the monkey rail, close above the bowsprit ... bur the most remarkable features of her ornamental work forward are her eyes, one glowing from each bow, as if scanning the foaming deep before. The Witch of the Wa ve, built in 185 1 by George Raynes in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, sailed forth from Boston on her first transoceanic voyage reaching San Francisco in 121 days. Who was this John W. Mason, so generously acclaimed in the Atlas? Born near Roscrae in Tipperary, Ireland, in 181 4, he

Portrait ofjohn Warren Mason by an unknown artist, early or mid 1840s (Courtesy the author)

) I

( /

Figurehead for the clipper Morning Light, launched in 1853 (Courtesy Peabody Essex Museum) came to Montreal with his parents after the Napoleonic wars. There, he and his young siblings were soo n stranded as a result of the untimely deaths of both parents . Returning to Ireland, the children were cared for by their mother's fami ly in Dublin . Ir is not known what formal education John may have received, but as a young adult he answered hi s older brother's urging to follow him to America. In Boston, John trained as a shi pcarver, likely under Laban Beecher, a promin ent carver of the 1800s. Beecher and Mason shared working quarters at 8 North Market Street. In 1839, Maso n was able to buy Beecher's shop when Beecher moved his location to Comm ercial Street. The relationship berween the rwo was strong, as revealed by the warm invitation to John to hold his wedding to Martha Daniels in 1838 in Laban's hom e. John and Martha were a devo ted cou ple and had three boys, ofwhomonlyone lived to maturity. UponMartha'sdeathin 1845, John endured almost uncontrollable grief. Hi s loss was shared with Sarah Elizabeth Warren, Martha's closest friend, and Sarah's brother, Samuel Dennis Warren , founder of the successful S. D. Warren Paper Co. in W estbrook, Maine. In 1846, John and

Sarah m arried and eventually had four children. Their first child was nam ed Martha D aniels Mason for John's first wife. John 's reputation as a shipcarver grew markedly through the late 1840s and early 1850s, in tandem with the development of the clipper ship. We are fortunate that several of Mason 's drawings have survived and are preserved in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Jane L. Port, Research Assistant, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, comments on th is vi ta! resource: Many carvers drew their proposals in the sawdust on the ship floor or simply ve rb ali zed their intentions. Subsequently, drawings of figureheads are relati vely rare and those that do exist often indicate only a rudimentary skill in drawing. John W. Mason's pen cil and ink and wash drawings are on comm o n paper, perhaps even recycled paper. H owever, they are detailed and elegant exp ressions that indicate a fin e draughtsman who at so me point in his career may well have received academic training .... There is great variety and imagination in his choice of imagery as well as a sense of history.

So far as can be determined there are no extant Mason figureheads ,* so we do not know how his vision on paper was realized in wood. The unstinting praise of co ntemporary journalists provides som e evidence that his talent as a carver was equal to his skill as a draftsman . A year after the appearance of the Witch ofthe Wave, the Boston Atlas praised Mason's figurehead on the Cali fornia packet Ellen Foster, which rep resented the owner's wife: A full-length figure of the lady placed to correspond to the rake of the bow-foot slightly advanced, left hand on her waist in front with posey, whi le her right hand by her side holds a wreath, painted white with touches of gilding. Best executed figure we have seen on the bow of any ship-a lifelike embodiment. In 1853 a new firm in Porrsmourh, Tobey and Littlefield, called upon Mason to fashion the figurehead for its first ship,

*A figurehead of Jenny Lind from the clipper Nightingale of 1851 may have been carved by Maso n. Ir came to li ght in 1994 through Swedish antiques dealer Karl-Eric Svardskog, who is publishin g a book on his find in May 2001. Furth er stud y is needed to determine its origins.

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

The figurehead of Columbia, ship uncertain (Courtesy Peabody Essex M useum) ,. =====.;=.;:;..;.-=-.;.._..;.;;;......:;..:=.. Morning Light. Duncan McLean, in the Boston A tlas, gave M ason his highes t compliment: "The ship was decorated by Mr. J. W . Maso n, our greatest marine artist. " Th e Boston Daily Evening Telegrap h gave this rev iew of th e ship's carving: H er bow is ornamented with a full fi gure representing an archer with his bow and qui ve r full of arrows. The stern is oval, and is ornamented with a gilded chario t, in which is seated the goddess of d ay, over which is an arch of carved and gilded work. Outside she is painted black. Alas, on Morning Light's fifth passage, seve re weather took its toll- the archer was ripped off and ditched into the sea. Such a fa te was not unco mmon-and the draw ing indi cates how vulnerable this parti cular fi gurehead must have been. W e do not know if all the sketches that have survived we re commissioned fo r specifi c ships, although some have been iden tifi ed, and we do not have representatio ns of all the figureheads we know he carved . Amo ng the sketches in the Peabody Essex Museum collection are mythological a nd historical fig ures, including Meracom (p . 23), referred to as King Philip by rhe E n glish settlers, who was the chief of the

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

Wampanoags during rhe Indian Wars of the 1670s and carried our deadly raids in southern and wes tern New England. Historians have differed widely on th eir views of Metacom and the English colonists, but this fi gurehead stands o n its own without prejudice. M aso n 's skill certainly comes to the fore in the sketch fo r Neptun e, god of the sea (p. 23). It was believed in ancient times that Neptune occasionally rose fro m his underwater palace, trident in hand, to calm a raging sea, a welcome prospect to lead seamen to safery in the stormy passage aro und Cape Horn . O ne of the most artistically drawn fi gureheads combining simpliciry and sryle is h is Columbia (above), a sketch probably created for D onald M cKay. In this and other pieces, Mason matched M cKay's high standards and expectations. T he artistic curves of the feminine fi gure, combined with the curve of the pursuing dragon, ro und our a unique, semi -oval, streamlined design that urges the ship fo rward. John M aso n 's enviable career came to an ab rupt end in 1854. Facing temporary fi nancial diffi culties, he fo rged a check under the name of his brother-in-law S. D .

W arren. T he manufacturer threatened a laws uit unless Maso n left Boston and his wife and children; Warren promised to support his sister Sarah and the M ason children. John and Sarah we re devastated by this separation . John lived for a time in N ew York C ity and worked with Charles Dodge, son of a family of shipcarvers. H owever, there is no published record of any carving John may have fashioned during his limited post-Bos ton career. H e died in 1866 and was buried in the fa mily plot beside his first wife, M artha. T hro ugh a twist of fa te, John M ason 's artistic ca reer paralleled that of the age of the cl ipper ships. We may wonder what direction his life took in the late 1850s, when he suffered the loss of his wife and famil y and when more prosaic concerns determined the decorative carvings of sai ling ships as steam overtook sail on the .t wo rld's oceans. Adelbert Mason, a teacher, headmaster and former executive director ofthe Friends Council on Education, wrote H erald Before the Mast: T he Life and W orks of John W. Mason, 19th- Cenru1y Shipcarver about his greatgrandfather, upon which this article is based.

MARINE ART NEWS Modern Maritime Artists on View in 2001

Newsletter Gives the Inside Scoop on M arine Art Happenings

Ca pe Cod , Mystic Seaport, The MarineArt Quarterly: An Insider's New York C iry and WilmingGuide to Marine Art for Collectors and ton, Delaware, will be required Historians is a new publication produced d es tination s for maritimeby J. RussellJinishian, longtime directorof minded art afi cionados chis Mystic's Maritime Art Gallery and curyear. In early spring, the Royal rendy o perato r of the J . Russe ll J in ishi an Society of Marine Artists has Gallery, Inc. T he in augural 16-page iss ue accepted an invitation to dis(Fall 2000) feaplay rhe works of 40 members tured updates on at the Maritime Gallery at M ysmodern marine tic Seaport and The FORBES a rti sts, sc rimMagazine Galleries in New shaw news, the York C iry. The paintings will be exhibited in Mystic from 10 Onefrom RSMA: "HMS Augusta: Philadelphia, 1777, " lates t from auction houses, aucMarch through 16 April 2001 by GeoffH unt, oil on canvas, 22x30 inches tion reviews and and at The FORBES Magazine sales results, upGalleries from 8 March through 28 April. Among the artists whose paint- ton faciliry. The exhibit will close o n 25 coming exhibits ings will be exh ibited, and available for November. Eighry of America's top ma- and sales, a nd purchase, are Geoff Hunt (renowned for rine artists will be represented in this exhi- new books. To rhe paintings used as cover art on Patrick bition in 101 paintings, a feast for the eyes! subscribe send a check or money order for O ' Brian 's books), Mark Myers , Fritz (See add resses and phone numbers in Cal- $25/year to MarineArt Quarterly, 1657 Post Road , Fairfield CT 06430; 203 259-8753. J, endar below.) J, Goosen , Bert Wright and David C urtis. Taking full advantage of modern technology, Mystic will have the paintings in MARINE ART C ALENDAR both exhibits on the wo rld wide web at the following address: http: / !store. m ys ti c seaport.org/exhibirions/rsma, through the end of April. (See addresses and phone numbers in Calendar ar righr. ) Following rhe success of its two-ve nue 11th National Exhibition at si res in Seattle and Florida, the American Society of Marin e Artists will premier their 2001 show ar the Cape Museum of Fine Arts in D ennis, Massachusetts, on 28 April , where it will remain until 15 July; two months later, on 27 September, the exhibit will open again at the First USA Riverfro nt Arrs Center in Wilmington, Delaware, where a satellite exhibit will also run at rhe Delawa re Art Museum 's downtown W ilming-

And one from ASMA: 'Molly Rose 2 Reefi In, "by D imetrious Athas, oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches

Festivals, Events, Lectures, Etc. • Mid-Atlantic Maritime Arts Festival: 1820 May 2001 (Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Mill Street, PO Box 636, Sr. Michaels MD 2 1663; 410 745-29 16; web sire: www.cbmm.org) • Mystic Seaport: 7- 10 June 2001 , Sea Music Festival; 3-5 August 2001 , Model Yachr Regarra (Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Road, PO Box 6000 , Mystic CT 06355-0990; 888 SEAPO RT; web sire: www.mysricseaporr.o rg)

Exhibits • Cape Museum of Fine Arts: 28 April-15 July 2001 , 12rh National Exhibi tion of rhe American SocieryofMarineArtisrs (CMFA, PO Box 2034, Rte. 6A, Dennis MA 02638 ; 508 385-4477; web sire: www.cmfa.org; ASMA, PO Box 369, Ambler PA 19002; 215 283-0888; web sire: www.marinearrists .org; e-mail: asma@icdc.com) • First USA Riverfront Arts Center: 27 September-25 November 2001 , 12rh National Exhibition of rhe American Society of Marine Arrisrs in Wilmingron DE (RAC, 800 South Madison Srreer, Wilmingron D E 19801 ; ASMA, PO Box 369, Ambler PA 19002; 215 283-0888; web sire: www .marin earrists.org; e-mail: asma@icdc.com) • Delaware Art M useum : 28 September-

25 November 2001 , 12rh National Exhibition of rhe American Society of Marine Arris rs satell ite exhibit (DAM, 1Orh & Marker Srreers, Wilmington DE 19806; 302 57 1-9590;ASMA, PO Box369, Ambler PA 19002; 215 283-0888 ; web sire: www .marinearrisrs.org; e-mail : asma@icdc.com) • The FORBES Magazi ne Galleries : 8 March-28 Apri l 200 l , Royal Sociery of Marine Arrisrs Exhibit (62 Fifth Avenue, New Yo rk NY 10011 ) • Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport : from 10 March 2001, paintings by 40 members of rhe Royal Sociery of Marine Arrisrs (PO Box 6000, Mystic CT 06355-0990; 860 572-5388; web sire: store. mys ricseaporr.org /exhibirions/rsma) • The Noble Maritime Collection: 3 1 March-14 O ctober 200 l , "Herman Zaage: Print Retrospecti ve" (1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island NY 10301; 718 4476490; web sire: www. noblemaririme.org) • San Diego Maritime Museum: from 12 February 2001 , "Arr of the Sea: 17th Century Dmch Masters and Their Legacy" ( 1306 N. H arbor Dr. , San Diego CA 92101; 619 234-9153; web sire: www.sdmaririme.com) • South Street Seaport Museum: 11 January 2001 , "Hudson Rive r Journey" (207 Front Street, New York NY 10038; 212 748-8600; web s ire: www.sourhsrseaporr.org)

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

THE CONSTITUTION AND THE GUERRIERE

LEN TANTILLO

Color prints (30" X 23 ") of the second of fo ur paintings by Michel Fe li ce Corne of this battle in the War of 18 12 are now avail able for purchase at a cost of $95

Beyond the Point The Essex near Great Point, Nantucket, 18 19

Other fine histori ca l and marine prints ava il able. For addi ti onal information and free brochure call , write, or visit our website: THE NEW HAVEN COLONY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 11 4 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 065 10, 203-562-4 183 Fo r infor matio n, contact James W. Campbe ll , Librarian C hecks , M as terCard or Visa may be used for payment

www.lftantillo.com L.F. Tantillo , Fine Art 243 Iri sh Hill Road , Nassau , NY 12 123 5 18-766-4542

2001 Calendars at Half Price!

.,. Scenes fro m o ur maritim e past are captured by 12 of A me rica's best known marine artists. Royalties

from sales of this calendar benefit NMHS.

Beautiful photo portraits of 12 of the world's best known ta ll ships w ill keep the sea heritage on yo ur wa ll and in your thoughts for the comi ng year.

Calendars are wall hanging, fu ll color, 11 x 14" $6.00 + $3 s/h. To order send $9.00 (or $8.40 fo r NMHS members) Send check or money order to:

NMHS, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566 Or phone 1-800-221-NMHS (6647) to order by credit card. SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 l

New Interactive Seagoing CD-ROMs!

Search for the

Goeden Dofpliin interactive 3-D adventure

TaCCSliips

Tlie Amistad Incident the Official OpSail200QrM Produced with Mystic Seaport and Amistad America, this mulEdition

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.

Requires Windows™ 95 or higher, Windows NT4™ or high er.

$59.95 + $5 s/ h= $64.95 NMHS members all inclusive price = $59.95!

$19.95 + $5 s/ h= $24.95 NMHS members all inclusive price = $19.95

Attn: Teachers! Teacher Resource Guide = $19.95

the largest multimedia collection of tall ships ever!

timedia ad venture focuses on an important event in 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 membersallinclusiveprice=$44.95! Attn: Teachers! Teacher Resource Guide= $19.95

Order from NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY 5 John Walsh Blvd., PO Box 68 Peekskill NY t0566

•

Phone credit card orders to

800-221-NMHS •

(6647)

Or purchase on our web site at

www.seahistory.org

The Strange Story of the Fouled Anchor An inquiry into the history of a naval symbol by David L. Sills or years I have wo ndered about a n being rep laced by clear anchors, presum- was a first co usin of Queen Elizabeth, ably because of the negati ve associations. whom he served in a number of military, ano maly in rhe customs of rh e sea: W hy is a fouled anchor-an anch o r T he first example is from rhe Royal naval, and civil capacities. rhar has a line or cable wrapped aro und its Navy itself. The section of rhe article enIn 1585 Lord Howard was appointed shank-uni ve rsally and even proudl y dis- titled "F lag" in rh e 1964 edition of the Lord High Admiral. In those rimes, the played as a symbol ofnaval pride? All sailors Encyclopedia Britannica devo ted to rhe perso nal seal of a great officer of stare was know rhar ir is dangerous for a line ro U nited Kingdom was wrirren by C. N orth- often adopted as rhe seal of his office, and become wrapped around an anchor. An co te Parkinson, rhe British historian per- thus rhe fouled anchor passed into British upward pull on a foul ed anchor haps more famous for his 1957 officialdom. In 1588, Lord H oward comcable can easily dislodge rhe anbook, Parkinson's Law ("Work m anded the English fl eer rhar defeated the chor from its hold on the botexpands so as to fi ll the rime Spanish Armada in a great sea battle that to m, allowing it to drag and , available for its completion"). had enormous consequences for the furure quire poss ibly, to cause its craft Parkinso n describes rhe Admi- of Grear Britain. The centrali ry of the fou led anchor sym to collide with another or to go ralty fl ag as a plain red with a agro und. clear [sic] anchor in rhe center bol in th e British naval tradition is dein yellow. H e provides rhe fo l- scribed in the 1976 book, The Oxford ComTo permit an anchor to belowing chronology ofirs origin: panion to Ships & the Sea, edited by Peter come fouled is widely accepted as evid ence of careless or incomRoyal Navy badge, • In 1691, rhe Admiralty Kemp. After describing a fouled anchor in petent seam anship . My effort petty officer, ca. 1870 adopted " a red silk flag with the one sentence, the article continues: "The fouled anchor is also the official anchor and cable therein ." here is to shed light on how this so-call ed "sailor's disgrace" has become an acce pted , • In 1725, " pres umably to m ake rhe seal of the Lord High Admiral of Britain even cherished, symbol amo ng rhe wo rld 's device more artistic, " rhe cable was twisted and another ve rsion of ir is the deco rative navies, yac ht clubs and sailo rs. device on his fl ag, which , unti l the offi ce of around rhe stock of rh e anchor. In rhe U nited Kingdom , where in its • In 1815, the anchor was cleared , bur rhe Adm iralty was merged into th e Minismodern form the symbol of th e fouled " even today rhe buttons of the naval uni- rry of D efence in 1964, was flown day and ancho r originated, a fouled anchor appears form bear a fo ul annight from rhe Admi o n rhe fl ag flown by rhe Queen 's yacht a nd chor. " ralty bui ldin g in Lonis the cherished emblem ofborh the Admidon . Ir is now the perT he second exam pie ..---:i. ....- -···········--····· ( ....llii·~ ...... ralty and rhe National Maritime M useum. of a fou led anchor besonal flag of the Queen, Ir is also on rhe cap badge of all naval ing replaced by a clear who assumed rhe ride officers. Mos t of rhe worl d's navies follow one is rhe Stare of Rhode ofLord High Admiral the British custom. Island, the colony that in 1964. T h is flag, in The Admiraly flag, United Kingdom co njunction with rhe In the U ni red Stares, the fo ul ed anc ho r sent two regi ments m to is perhaps best known for its appeara nce on rhe American RevoluRoyal Standard and the ensign rhar private yach rs and boars fl y tio n . The fl ag of rhe Second Regim ent rhe Union fl ag, is traditionally flown when o n their stern. Ir is also on the cap badge of portrayed "a light blue foul ancho r with a rhe Sovereign proceeds to sea, indicating all US naval officers; iri s ar rh e center of rh e dark blue cable"; rh e mono "Hope" ap- that it is from the sovereign that the office well -known emblem of rh e US Marine peared above rhe anchor. The Stare of of rhe Lord High Admiral derives. The on ly Corps, in accordance with regulatio ns first Rhode Island , howeve r, sub sequ entl y other occasion on which iris flown is at rhe prom ulgated on 24 August 1797. These ado pted a fl agwirh a clear ancho r on irwirh launch of a British warship, being hoisted on a fl agstaff on the hu ll as it goes down the regulations also describe the buttons o n rhe mono "H ope" beneath it. launching ways .... officer's uniforms as "yellow metal, and ro "The use of rhe foul, or fouled, anchor, have the fo ul anchor and America n eagle British Origins o n rhe sam e." The fouled anchor was used o n Scottish an abominati o n to seam en when it occurs Many yacht clubs aro und the wo rld seals as early as 1402, when ir was on rhe in practi ce, as rhe seal of the highest office have a fouled anchor o n th eir seals, rhe ir seal of rhe Lord High Admiral of Sco tland. of maritim e administration is purely on rhe burgees, bl aze r parches, and newsletters. Bur the defearof the Spanish Armada nearly gro unds of irs deco rative effect, rhe rope Commercial uses are also co mm o n; wit- 200 years later was the dram atic eve nt that cable aro und the shank of the anchor givness, fo r exampl e, the trademark of Anch o r propelled its use into the Admiralty, the ing a pleas ing fini sh to the stark design of Steam Beer. Royal Navy, and ultimately navies and an anchor on its own." Ir sho uld be noted rhar this entry gives Ir is quire remarkable how few naval yacht clubs throughout rhe world. dictionaries and other reference works note The ge nerally accepted view of rhe ori- two quire different explanations for rhe use rhe incongruity of rhe fo uled anchor; t hey gin of rhe fouled ancho r as a naval and of rhe fo ul ed anchor by rhe Admiralty: its generally describe ir as if it were a quire maritime sym bol is that ir ca me from the origin in rhe arm s o r seal of Lord Howard normal symbol. T here are two insta nces seal of the distinguished nobl eman Lord and its co ntinu ed use because of its "decothat I have discovered of fouled anchors Howard of Effingham (1536-1624), who rarive effect. "

~~ ~

CC·I ____ _ \~--·--{~)·······-···········

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

Far left: anchor andfish from an early Christian catacomb mosaic in Sousse, North Africa; center, a cruciform with anchorflukes and olive branchesfrom an early Christian cameo; right, logo of the Aldine Press ca. 1500

But we are left with an unanswered question: Where did rhe 15th-century sea lords of Scotland get rhe idea that an appropriate emblem on their seal would be a fouled anchor? Most modern interpreters respond by staring that an anchor entwined by a line or cab le is more decorative than a clear anchor. In short, "rhe fancy of a landsman. " Unfortunately, no records of 15th-century discussions of this issue have come to the atte ntion of modern scholars, bur most people, rhen and now, do nor lead their lives for the convenience offurure scholars. Beginning in the late 13th-century, Scotland had a close and friendl y relationship with France-a relationship which lasted for centuries. There must have been ample opportunities for imports ofborh ideas and designs from rhe European conrinent, and it is there rhar our search continues .

The Anchor in Antiquity T he search for the origin of rhe fouled anchor symbol leads us into the histories of early Christian ity and medieval printing. A review of symbols prevalent in early European culture provides a number of possible origins of rhe fouled anchor as symbol. The premise of this review, however, is rhar these early symbols found entwined on the shanks and stocks of anchors-primarily fish and dolphins-could have been transformed over rime into the cable or lin e that roday constitutes a fouled anchor. Each reader will have to decide whether or not this premise is acceptable, as there is no proof. In Western antiq ui ty, anchors were regarded as symbols of hope, as in fact th ey still are today. (As noted above, the fl ag of the Stare of Rhode Island has the motto "Hope" placed below rhe anchor.) The association with hope is clear: since an anchor on rhe sea bottom can generally nor be seen from a boat, there is necessarily an uncertainty about it, a hope rhar it will hold fast. Any sailor who has spent a windy night on his boar, hoping-even praying- that his anchor will hold, can arrest to 30

this universal experience of hope in the face of uncertainty. An early reference to an anchor as a symbol of hope is in Saint Paul's "Letter to the Hebrews, " where he says "we have this [Christian] hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the so ul. " Somewhat later, a 2ndcentury C hristian emblem displays an anchor with afish or dolphin entwined around the shank; the anchor is believed to symbolize hope and salvation in Christ, while fish have been Christian symbols since earliest rimes. The cross, today the universal symbol of Christianity, appears only rarely in the first centuries of the Christian era, this generally attributed to fear of persecution. An anchor was often used as a stand-in for the cross intelligible only to Christians. The cemeteries ofSaint Domitella and Saint Priscilla in Rome both have anchors on monuments rhar represent crosses, with fish entwined around the shanks, the fish said to represent Christ and the anchor the cross on which he was crucified. Early Christian jewelry frequently displayed an anchor with the Greek letters alpha and omega (" beginning" and "end") and a fish. The anchor as a symbolic cross disappeared early in the 4rh century when Christianity was accepted under the Emperor Constantine. Dolphins were often depicted as entwined around the shank of an anchor, perhaps a co nsequence of Aristotle's HistoryofAnimals, which remarks on th e kindness of dolphins toward men. In our story, the central figure from rhe Middle Ages is th e Venetian printer Aldo Manuzio (1450-1515), or Aldus Manti us in Larin. H e is famous for creating the first type face for the Greek alphabet and for inve nting italic type. More important for this story, he popularized Aristotle's asse rtion that dolphins are particularly fri endly toward men and designed rhe anchor-anddolphin logo, used in conjunction with the motto "Fes rina lenre"- "Make haste slowly." The anchor-and-dolph in trademark of the Aldine Press is perhaps the most fa mous one in Western printing.

Q:\_ ·~;··

*~*

Above, flag ofthe US Secretary ofthe Navy. Below, US yacht ensign;

- - - - - - - - - - --

Ir is possible rhar the artist who first drew an anchor with its cable entwined aro und the shank was following these earlier designs. The possibility rhar rhe origins of the fo uled anchor may be found in antiqui ry, in the religious symbols of earl y Christianity, and in a trademark of the Middle Ages is based upon the assumptio n rhar the fish or dolphins on the shanks of anchors have been transformed into rhe cable or line that constitutes a fouled anchor. T his ass umption may or may nor be correct, for there seem s to be no evidence of how or when the symbol crossed the English Channel. Scholars and other wri rers who have discussed fouled anchors provide somewhat con tradicrory in rerprerarions, and this analysis may very well be opened to question by documents not now available to me. 1.

Mr. Sills, a sociologist, is the editor of the Inrernarional E ncyclopedia of rhe Social Sciences. He lives in Rowayton, Connecti-

cut, and currently sails a Menger 19 catboat out of the Norwalk Yacht Club. SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 l

THE NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY invites you to join us aboard the

QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 cruzszng to Quebec, Nova Scotia and New England 31 July to 11August2001 11 days round trip from New York Prices* per person double occupancy: Mauretania Dining Room,$1,408 inside cabin, $1,810 outside; Caronia Dining Room (all outside) starts at $2, 162 * Prices do not include port handling charges of $224.75 per person The old-world charm of Quebec, the rusti c bea uty ofN ova Scotia and scenic New England will be ours to explore on this 11 -day cruise, enhanced by special gatherings, outings and lectures in the co mp any of NMHS members and staff. We look forward to a memorabl e cruise, good fello ws hip and, of co urse, C unard's exceptional service!

ITINERARY DATE

Jul 3 1 Aug 1 Aug 2 Aug 3 Aug 4 Aug 5

ARR

DEP

New York NY 4pm w C,,ruising Atlantic Ocean Th G ulf of St. Lawrence F Quebec Ciry 9am Sa Quebec C iry 6pm Su C ruising Gulf of Sr. Lawrence

DATE

Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug

6 7 8 9 10 11

M T

Sydney NS Halifax NS w Portland ME Th Boston MA F Newpon RI Sa New York NY

ARR

DEP

Sam Sam Sam Sam 7am 7am

6pm Spm 6pm Spm 6pm

For details call Denise at

PISA BROTHERS CRUISE SERVICE 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York NY 10111

212-265-8420or1-800-SAY-PISA (729-7472) â&#x20AC;¢ Fax: 212-265-8753 email: mgr@pisabrothers.com

SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS SPUN YARN Despite the concerted efforts of at least three non-profit groups over the past few years, "The Iron Woman," USS Cabot (CVL 28), was broken up for scrap in Brownsvi lle, Texas. Launched in 1942 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in New Jersey, Cabot fought her way

"The Iron Woman " awaiting her fate at the shipbreakers in Brownsville TX (USS Cabot (CVL 28) Association/Richard Angelini) th rough sixteen months of combat. For this she was named "the Iron Woman of rhe Pacific" by correspondent Ernie Pyle. Some parts are being salvaged for use on other historic naval ships. ... The USS Missouri Memorial Association received a 2000 National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in recognition of the organization's exemplary work caring for rhe battleship. In July, the Association also received a $300,000 grant as parrof the Save America's Treasures program. (USSMMA, PO Box 6339, H o nolul u HI 96818; web sire: www.ussmissouri.com) . .. T he HamptonRoadsNavalMuseum, in preparation for the April arrival of the 1943 battleship Wisconsin (BB 64), now in reserve status, is planning a new permanent exhibit on the history of the warship, including her design and co nstruction, her World War II operations, her reactivation during the Korean co nflict, and her most recent service. Only the main deck of Wisconsin will be open to the public as the ship could theoretically be called back to active duty. (HRNM, One Waterside Drive, Suite 248, NorfolkVA23510-1607; 757 322-2987; fax: 757 445- 1867; e-mail: gbcalhoun @nsn.cmar. navy. mil; web site: www.hrnm .navy.mil) ... The fo llowing ships of the Historic Naval Ships Association are avail32

LST 325 Comes Home, Half a Century After a Very Important Trip Abroad Commissioned in February 1943, LST 325 arrived back in the US in Mobile, Alabama, on 10 Jan uary, after a 4,400-mile voyage home from Crete, where she had been serving in rhe Greek Navy. At age 58 she had long outlived her allotted span, bur was still a good deal yo unger than her crew, whose average age was 72.5 years. These vol unteers each paid $2,000 for the trip to help finance the long voyage home. The timeworn ship, veteran of the Allied landings in Sicily, Iraly and France which led to the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe in Wo rld War II, needed all rhe help she could get-and she got it, from individuals as well as corporations like British Petroleum, which donated the fuel for the transAtlantic voyage. H er condition was judged unsatisfactory for the Atlantic crossing by the US Coast Guard when the ship pulled into Gibraltar after traveling the length of the Mediterranean from Crete. But Milan Gunjak, presi- Photo ofLST325 taken during a US Navy dent of the US LST Association, responded fly-by in November. ( US Navy) to that by fixing what problems could be fixed. "Ir's full speed ahead ," he said as the ship left Gibraltar on 12 December for her return to the US. You can read the log of the voyage at www.palosverdes.com/lsr887/ lsr325 .hrml. Home at last, LST 325 will serve as a memorial to the crews of these ungainly, flarborromed transports which, designed to carry US troops ashore to crack the gates of Hider's Fortress Europe and liberate the far-flung conquests of the Japanese Empire in the Pacific, did what they were built to do , manned by yo ung Americans who had what it rook to cross wide oceans to land on hostile shores. (LST Ship Memorial, 6075 Darramoor Road, Bloomfield MI 4830 1; 248 626-7732; e-mail: hiol 67@aol.com) The Annual Meeting of the US LST Association will be held in September in Mobile this year. (US LST Association, PO Box 167438, Oregon OH 436 16-7438; 419 6930725; fax: 4 19-693-1265; e-mail: uslsr@kmbs.com) able for overnight encampments: battle- and web sites at their web site: www.hnsa.org. ship USS Alabama, Mobile AL; submarine (HNSA, c/o US Naval Academy Museum, USS Blueback, Portland OR; railroad car 118 Maryland Aven ue, Annapolis MD ferry SS City of Milwaukee, Beulah Ml; 21402-5034) ... The US Naval Museum subm arine USS Cobia, Manitowoc WI; of Armament and Technology, which aircraft carrier USS Hornet, Alameda CA; opened in July 2000 at the Naval Air destroyer USS Kidd, Baron Rouge LA; Warfare Center Weapons Division at C hina aircraft carrier USS Lexington, Co rpus Lake, Cali fornia, features the warfare Christi TX; cruiser USS Little Rock, Buf- center's contributions to the Navy and the falo NY; battleship USS Massachusetts, Fall history of tactical air weaponry. The result River MA; battleship USS Missouri, Ho- of a ten-year effort by employees and supnolulu HI; submarine USS Pampanito, San porters, the museum's collection ranges Francisco CA; submarine USS The opening ceremonies for the China Lake Museum Requim, Pittsburgh PA; cru iser USS featured fly-bys by VX-9 and Naval Weapons Test Salem, Quincy MA; submarine USS Squadrons. (Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Silversides and Coast Guard cutter Division Public Affairs Department) Mclane, Muskegon MI; Coast Guard cutter Taney, Baltimore MD; battleship USS Texas, LaPorte TX; ai rcraft ca rri er USS Yorktown, Mount Pleasant SC. The Historic Naval Ships Association maintains a list of addresses, phone numbers

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

••

6TH MARITIME HERITAGE CONFERENCE in Wilmington, North Carolina, 25-28 October 2001

CALL FOR PAPERS

•• •

T he 6th Maritime Heritage Confere nce will take pl ace in the historic southern seaport of Wilmington, North Carolina, 2528 October 200 1. T he confe rence will be hosted by the Battleship North Carolina and headquartered at the Wilmington Hilton Ri verside, across the Cape Fear River from the hi storic ship. Pro posals are in vited for indi vidu al papers or sess ions on all as pects of maritime history, preservation, educati on, archaeo logy, techno logy and tourism. The co nfe rence will also incorporate the 4th Internati ona l Ship Preservation Confe rence. The confe rence fo ll ows the las t co mprehensive maritime heritage co nfe rence held in Bosto n and the last ship preservation conference he ld in San Francisco. Intern ati onal parti cipation is encouraged. Co-sponsors of the confe re nce include : the Battles hip North Carolina, the Nati onal Maritime Alli ance, the National Park Service, the Historic Naval Shi ps Associati on, the Council of A merican Maritime Museums, the Natio nal Maritime Hi storical Society, the Nati o na l Conference of State Historic Preservati on Officers, the US Lifesav ing Service Heritage Assoc iation , the American L ig hthouse Coordinating Co mmittee, the San Francisco Maritime Nati onal Park Associatio n, and the Waterfron t Center. Proposals for indivi du al papers or for an entire session should include a short abstract and a brief res ume. Sess ion o rgani zers should subm it a ll of the paper abstrac ts as a group . The deadline fo r proposals is 1 May 2001. Send proposals to : Dr. Timothy J. Run yan, M aritime Heritage Confere nce, Maritime Studi es Program, E ller House, East Carolin a Uni versity, Greenvill e NC 27858 -4353 (telepho ne: 252 328-6097; fax: 252 328-6754; e-mail : underwoodk @mail.ecu .edu). Groups wishing to co nduct business meetings are welco me to do so on Monday , 29 October. To reserve facilities contact Captain David R. Sche u at the Battl eshi p North Caro lin a, Eagles Island , Post Office Box 480, Wilmington NC 28402-0480 (telephone: 9 10 25 1-5797 ; fax: 9 10 25 1-5807 ; e-mail : ncbb55@aol.com). For updates on the confe re nce program and accommodations see the web site at www .cr.nps.gov/maritime.

,H\

•• •• •• ••

•• ••

Old & Rare Maritime Books Bought and Sold

A spirit of hard work, enterprise & cooperation sailed the tall ships of yesterday & the Liberty Ships of World War II ... and that's what makes things move today!

BAY REFRACTORY 164 Wolcott Street Brooklyn, NY 11231 Tel: 718-625-3844 SEA HISTO RY 96, SPRING 2001

• Exploration and voyages by sea • Shipbuilding, seamanshi p and navigation • Naval histo ry • W haling • Yachting and C ruising • Com mercial fi sheries • Lighthouses, pirates and shipwrecks •Logbooks, documents and man uscrip ts • Sea charts • Books relati ng to mar in e art, antiq ues and shi p models

We are eager to purchase single volumes or entire collections in these su bject areas.

Ten Pound Island Book Co. 76 Langsford Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 (978) 283-5299 e-mail: t enpound @shore.net web: www.tenpound.com Catalog available on request.

SINCE 1976

SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS fro m Wo rld War II rockers to modem guided missiles and an asso rrmenr of aircraft. (Ch in a Lake Museum Foundarion, PO Box 2 17, Ridgecres t CA 93556; 760 93 9-3 530 ; web sire: www. ridgen er.n er/ - clmf/ clmf/; www. nawcw pns.navy.mil/ - pao/museum/ dedi cario n .hrml) .. . The Charlest own N avy Yard, which closed in 197 4, celebra red irs Bicenrennial over Labo r D ay with a gathering of 150 form er Navy Yard wo rkers and their fami lies. One of six shipyards aurho rized by Cong ress in 1800 , the yard produced m ore than 2 00 vessels, fro m sailing sch oo ners to LSTs, a nd , in 1943, employed more than 50,000 workers, including 8,000 women and more rhan 2,000 African-Americans. T oday 30 acres of the 130-acre Navy Ya rd are pre-

served by rh e Nario nal Park Service. (Bosto n Na tio nal Hi storical Park, C h arlestown Navy Yard, Boston MA 02129-4543) . .. T h e tugbo a t Luna was rowed fr o m Boston in O ctober to Boothbay H arbo r, Mai ne, for m ajo r wo rk o n its wooden hull at Samples Shipya rd . T he 193 0 rug, d esigned by John Alden a nd built by M. M. D av id of Solo m o ns Islan d , Maryland , served in Boston Harbo r for m ore than 40 years and was th e first diesel-electric rug to provide commercial harbor service. T he $750 ,000 fo r rhe overha ul came fro m rhe Federal T EA-2 1 prog ram , rh e Co mm o nwealrh of Massachusetts Historic Commissio n and rh e L un a Preservati o n Society. T he work includes replacing upper fram es an d exre rn al planking, rebuilding rh e sh ee rsrrakes,

AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM NEWS FULL COLOR• CLOISONNE• ACTUAL SIZE LAPEL PIN - $8.00 each - 3 for $20.00 / N.Y RES TIE BAR - $8.50 each - 3 for $21 .50 / ADD TAX

Satisfaction Guaranteed •Quantity Discounts

NAUTICAL NOVELTIES P.O. BOX622

NORTHPORT, NY 11768

Our handsome Ts show fo ur sailing ships pass ing Mi ss Liberty, silk screened in blue, light blue and crim so n. The offi cial OpSail 2000 program has photos & stori es of th e ships and th e peopl e who sail th em. Both commemorate a great occasion on 4 July 2000! Shirt: $12.50 + $2.50 s/h; ava il ab le in S, M, L, XL, XXL Progra m: $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) 34

NEW EXHIBITS ATTHE MUSEUM: T h e las r several m o nrhs have seen numero us ch anges ar rh e

Museum, including the opening of rwo exhibits, "Sailing the Sam as: Grace Line C ruises, 1932- 1972" and "Ships of State: T he SS America and SS United States," wh ich pro vide the visitor with an engaging look at rwo storied aspects o f o ur m aritime pas t. While "Ships of State" joins the Muse um perma..n endy, "Sailing the Santas" will cl ose on 1May2 001. Reaching back to a bygo ne era, "Sailing the Santas" explo res rhe world of Grace Line cruises before the ad ve nr of th e "super" -cruise shi p. Beginnin g with th e arri val of the Santa Rosa in 1932 , the exhibit details the rise of G race Li ne to prominence in the cruise industry and its resurgen ce after th e war. Fearured p rominently are fo ur fam ed liners, the Santa Rosas of 1932 and 1958 and th e Santa Paulas of 1932 a nd 1958, which set th e standard in Caribbean cruising fo r close to 4 0 years. W ith th eir all-fi rst-class accommod atio ns, private baths, an d spacio us public areas, th ese were the bes t know n of the Grace fl eet. N ot forgotten are the comboliners that carried passengers to the exotic po n s of So uth Am erica. T hese ships were fa vo rites amo ng vaca tio ne rs in th e posrwar years. Dubbed "casual cruises," the sailing schedules were subj ect to frequ ent alteration s as cargo demands changed . "Sailing the Sam as" evokes m emo ri es of a period wh en ships bearin g the trademark green , w hite and black stacks of Grace Line co uld be seen each Friday sailing out o f New Yo rk ha rbo r, fill ed w ith fu n-seeki n g passe nge rs. In stark contras t, "Ships of Sta te" takes visitors to th e cold harshness of the No rth Atlantic during a period when ships defin ed na ti o n al p res ri ge. The visito r is in troduced to rhe U nired Stares' rwo true ships of sta re, rhe SS America and SS United States. D esigned by W illi am Fran cis G ibbs, and sailing for US Lines, rhese rwo vessels were built as embodiments of Am eri can techn ology, style and power. Completed in 1940 , the America instantly becam e th e fl ags hip of the Ameri ca n m erchant m arin e. T ho ugh Wo rld W ar II prevented her from serving o n the No rth A tl antic run until 1946 , sh e was ren owned for her style a nd acco mmod atio ns until h er re tirem ent in 1964. Entering service in 19 52, rhe United States ass um ed flagship sta rus and swiftly proved to be th e fastes t liner afl oat, seizing th e Blue Rib band a nd the rransAtlanticspeed reco rd fro m the Queen Mary. H er sleek lines and contempo ra ry d eco r refl ected trends ar ho m e, while h er incred ible speed dem o nstrated the sup re m acy of American techn ology. Tho ugh d ecommissio ned in 1969, rh e United States rem ains the fas res r liner ever bui lt, a nd it seem s unlikely rh a r her reco rd will be broken a ny rim e soo n . "Ships of Srate" inves tiga tes th e history of rheAmerica and United States n o t m erely as vessels, bur as icon s of na ti o nal pres tige in a n era wh en symb olism was of rhe urmosr importa nce in interna tio n al affairs. -KENNEDY R. HICKMAN, C urator (AMMM, US M erch ant M arine Academ y, Kings Point N Y 11024; 5 16 773-55 15)

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

NAUTICAL RESEARCH Gu IL D

POSITION AVAILABLE 1-------.

The Guild 's acc la imed quarterly NAUTI CAL R ESEARCH J OURNAL

Luna under tow to Maine in October. (LPS) bulwarks and guard rails, and replacing damaged stem frame and stem apron sections. (Luna Preservation Society, PO Box 1866, Brookline MA 02446; 6 17 282194 1; www.rugboaduna.o rg) ... Le Redoutable, the first French nuclear-powered ballistic mi ss ile submarine, w ill be a main attraction at Cherbourg's new "Cite de la Mer" development-a tourist, scientific and cultural center expected to open in the spring of 2002 which includes a maritime museum, the renovated historic ship te rminal and an aquarium. Le Redoutable was launched in Cherbourg in 1967, beLe Redourable

in her new berth in Cherbourg. (CUC)

came operational in 197 1, and carried out nearly 60 patro ls. She was d ecom missioned in 1991 , at which time her reactor was removed. T he sub reached her new home on 4 July 2000 and has been gro unded in a specially created drydock. (Cite de la Mer, Communaute U rbaine de C h erbourg, BP 808 - 50 108 C herbourg Cedex, F ranee; 233 233 160; fax: 233 233 169; web sire: www.cite-de-la-mer. com) ... The M aritime Trust in England completed p ayment on a loan of ÂŁ160 ,000 incur red in 1993 for restoration wo rk on th e foremast of the clipper Cutty Sark of 1869 and h as turned over ownership of the ship to the C ur ry Sark Foundation. In May 2000, th e Cutty Sark received the World Ship Trust M aritime Heritage Award from HRH T h e Duke of Edinburgh as a "u anscendent example of successful historic ship restoration and preservation. " (The C ut ty Sark, King William Walk, Greenwich, London SE lO 9HT, UK; e-mail : cur rysark@greenwichuk.com; web sire:www .cutrysark. o rg. uk) ... A grant from the Institute for Museum and Library SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

covers the technica l history of ships and boats, their uses, and the lives they touch. Its forum links builders of the highest quality ship mode ls, marine artists, wri ters, and na uti cal collectors. The intern ationa l Guild supports annual Conferences and provides special services for members including ship model analysis and model building assistance by experts. US$3 5.00.

Museum Executive Director Part-time position at the Maritime Industry Museum located on the historic campus of the SUNY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler. Potential for growth to a full-time position . Send curriculum vitae to: Chairman - Search Committee Maritime Industry Museum 6 Pennyfield Avenue Bronx, New York 10465 Fax: 718-409-6 130 or email : MatitimeMuseum @juno.com

NRJ-0, I 0826 Nantucket Te1i-ace Potomac, MD 20854 www. na u t-res-guild .org www.maritimeindustrymuseum .org

S till Available It Didn't Happen On My Watch Spans forty yea rs of U.S. Lin es hi story from WWll to bankruptcy. Hard cover, 360pp, photos. $23 .95 incl. s/h. NJ res idenJs add $ 1.44 tax. For signed copy: Geo rge E. Murphy, 408 Martin Pl ace, New Mi lfo rd NJ 07646 Tel: 20 1-836-8908, Fax: 20 1-836-4194

Regime'..~Aa._;!~~ brings b'c old , A -ROVIN' SHENANDOAH DRUNKEN SAILOR LEAVE HER. JOHNNY..

.â&#x20AC;˘ OLD MAUI CONGO RIVER THE MERMAID ALL FOR ME GROG

19 Songs

Compact Disc ... $15. Tape ... $10 . Includes postag e. AmeK / UISA / MasterCard 97th, P. 0. Bo K 2208E, Largo, FL 33779 - 2208. Allow 6- 8 weeks. Phone: 7 27-39 1- 4565 . FAH : 407 - 737-609 3. the97th @aol.com

SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS INVENI PORTAM CLIFFORD DAY MALLORY, JR. (1916-2000)

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. This 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 1nakcs a stunning addition to any chart table or desk and a beautiful and useful gift for any flat piece collector. S69.00 plus S3 .00 shipping per order.

WESTCHESTER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 8 John Walsh Blvd. Peel<sl<ill, NY 10566 914-736-1034 • Fax: 914-736-1217

Carry our h andsome

pre-paid phone card with the great rate 120 minutes for $10!

and he lp the

NATIO AL MARITIME HI STORICAL SOCIETY. It 's 50¢ to initiate a call , then 7.5 ¢ per minute in the continental US and Canada. Instructi ons for internat iona l ca ll s a re o n the back of the card at g reat rates, example: 14 ¢ for Ire land , 9¢ for Germany . The card makes a great gift for k ids going away to sc hoo l or anyone going on vacation . Send $10 each (no tax) to :

NMHS , 5 John Walsh Blvd. , PO Box 68, Peekskill NY I 0566. Or order by pho ne at 800-221-NMHS (6647)

C liff Mallory served sixty yea rs on th e board of Mys ti c Sea po rt, umil his death on 7 December last yea r at rh e age of84 . He served as pres ident ofM ys[i c fr om 1976 to 1984, and [hen as chairman , 1984-88. Bo[h his fath er and hi s uncle had been president of M ys tic, and C liff grew up kn owing th e fo und ers of dle Sea po rt, providing an insrim[i o nal memory reaching back ro 1929. Bu[ he ea rn ed his spurs in rough co mmirree chairm anships and as u eas u re r o f [h e Seapo rt while running C. D . M all ory in [he co mpeti tive shi p b roke rage busin ess. His fa mily's shipping roo ts ran bac k ro [h e 1640s, at first in coastal shipping and later dee pwa rer ve nwres . M ys[i c Seaport was builron the sire of a M al lo ry shipya rd. H e enj oyed telling stories ofrh e fa mily steamship lin e, w hi ch ran o ur of South Srreer in New Yo rk ro Galvesto n, Texas. W i[h C li ffs sto ries, on e always wanted ro hear more, the Clifford D. Mallory, Jr. scenes were so ali ve ro h im , and he rack.J ed [h em wi[h such gusro-as indeed he did almos [ everythin g he rook on in life. He had a no ble im agina[io n and at one point tho ugh[ of bringing the M alJory Line office ro [he So uth Srreer Seaport dis[ri c[ o n New York's Eas[ River, a ston e's [hrow from where [h e early S[eamers had paddled [h eir sm oky way ro T exas . H ow one wishes he had ca rried off [ha[ panicular madca p scheme, as he did so m an y others. le would have given us in [he museum rh ar much more of his co mpany. Behind his bluff and ch eery ways, and relish for goss ip-rhe racier [he ber[er-h e had a keen anal yrical mind. Servin g for several yea rs as Overseer of N MHS, he saved us from more [han o ne smmbl e and was unfa ilingly ge nerous wi[h aid and co unsel. He had a fin e ras [e in arr and how one rejoiced in hearing [ha[ amused and somerimes penetra[ing voice disco ursing on his coll ec[ion of arr. H e has lefr h is many fri ends a virtual gallery of unfading memo ries. His wife Pauline, who m he me[ while on naval service in N ew Zealand in World W ar II , survives him . And his so n Charles and son -in-law Michael B. Smbbs serve on M ysri c's board . Cliff was ar rh e heart o f [he M ys tic renaissance in restorin g and giving new life ro hisroricships. Wh en he received rhe NMHSAm eri can Ship Trus[Award in 1993, [he la[e Emil " Bus" Mosbacher, then chairman ofOperacio n Sail , wrore: "You have given [he mos[ impo rtant ships in Am eri ca a future wo nh y of th eir pas r. " PETER STA FORD

ALBERT EGAN (1916-2000) Bud Egan liked ro [hink up OU[rageo us schemes, and qui[e often acco mplished them . Brilliandy successful in rh e lumber and constru ctio n busin ess , he becam e a benefi cent figure in N antucket historical circl es. In his later yea rs he fo unded the Ega n Institute of M ari rim e Studi es, whi ch he install ed in [he fa mous o ld Coffin School, fo unded by rh e Bri[ishAdmiral Coffin ro u ain desriru[e ororphaned yo un gs ters fo r sea . T he Ega n Insrim[e holds exhibitio ns of ex[rao rdinary virtue, with an acti ve publishing program , and, true ro C offin 's herirage and Bud's own interve ntio nist sryle, a co ntinuing interest in helping yo ung N anmcke[ers sa il rewa rd b roa d er horizo ns in ac tive sa iling programs run with rh e Na ntucket Yacht C lub . H e was fo rtun ate in choosing, as [he lnsrirure's directo r, Na [h ani el Philbri ck, lo ng-standing m ember of N MH S and author of scho larl y wo rks o n Na ntucket history and rhe recent bes tselling (and scholarly) Jn the Heart ofthe Sea: The Tragedy ofthe Whaleship Essex. But [h en, Bud was fo rtun a[e in m a n y [hings, ro rh e po im, o ne imagines, of hav ing a real gift fo r making his own lu ck, in [h e old Yankee u adi[i o n, PS wi[h a strong gift for enjoying life and helping o th ers thrown in .

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRlNG 2001

Services in the amoun t of $ 15 ,59 1 will enable The Mariners' Museum to conserve the Adney collection of120 North American native canoe models in a joint program of Mariners' and the Canadian Conservation Institute in Onawa, Ontario. The collection represents the boatbuilding traditions and vessel use of 30 Native American peo ples and includes photographs and written documentation of canoe-building techniques and designs as well as models . (TMM, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News VA 23606-3759; 757 596-2222; fax: 757 591-7320; web site: www.mariner .o rg) . . . A traveling version of The Mariners' exhibit "Waters of Despair, Waters of Hope: African-Americans and the Chesapeake Bay" will be created thanks to a National Park Se rvi ce grant in co nn ection with th e C hesapeake Bay Gateway Netwo rk. (CBGN, 1 800 YOUR-BAY; web sire:www.chesapeakebay. net/Gateways .htm ) ... The Columbia River Maritime Museum broke gro und on 17 November to launch its remodeling project. The $5million proj ect will add 6,200 square feet to th e mu seum and allow for the renovation of an additional 28,000 square feer. The museum has also received an $ 18,000 grant from US Bank for "Museum in th e Schools," a K-8 grade-specific o utreach program that covers maritime history and nautical science. (CRMM, 1792 Marine Drive, Asto ria OR 97103; 503 325-2323; web site: www.crmm.org) ... Rob ert Ballard discovered four ancient shipwrecks last summer in an expedition explorin g the deep anaerobic waters of the Black Sea off Sinop, Turkey. One of th e ships, whi ch radi ocarbo n testing dates to 410- 520 AD, has a well preserved wooden hull and an erect masr. The expedition was part of Ballard's work to define the anci ent coas tlin e and find evidence to support the hypothesis that a cataclysmic flood struck the area 7,600 years ago . (Institute for Explora tion, 55 Coogan Boulevard, Mystic CT 06355-1997; 860 572-5955; web site: www. ife.org) ... Florida's Maritime Heritage Trail, completed in July 2000, promo res publi c access to th e stare' s coastal cultural and natural resources with sites organized into six themes-coastal communiti es, coastal environments, coas tal forts, li ghthouses, histo ri c ports, and historic shipwrecks. Information on the sites is provided online and on six poster/bro-

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

chures outlining the th emes and related sites, wh ich can be ordered for $12+shipping/set through the following web site: http ://www.flherirage.co m/ maritime .... A cooperative effort among the In stitute for Nautical Archaeo logy, the Naval Historical Center and the National Geographic Society is mapping the locations of the ships and landing craft that sank off Utah and Omaha Beaches at Normandy. The INA's searchboat Robo has found at least ten shipwrecks. Images can be seen on the INA website at ina. tamu.edu /photoserv .htm . (INA, PO Drawer HG , College Station TX 7784 1-5137; 979 845-6694; fax: 979 847-9260; e-mail: nautical@ramu.edu; web site: ina.tamu.edu) ... Tall Ship Newswire reports that Life Network in Toronto, Canada, is filming "Tall Ship Chronicles," following the experiences of th e 45 crew of th e Picton Castle through its seco nd circumnavigation as recorded by Canadian TV host, writer and journali st Andrew Younghusband. (Tall Ship Newswire: http: //www. tallshipnewswire.com; Bark Pi cto n Cas tle; web site: www.picto ncas tle.co m) ... Lighthouse Digest reporrs that officials in Delaware, North Carolina and M iss iss ippi want to rebuild lost li ghthouses. A D elaware plan calls for the building of a replica of the original colonial-era Cape Henlopen Lighthouse, which collapsed in th e 1920s, at an estimated cost of $ 11 million. The Town of Manteo in North Carolina wants to reconstruct the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse and has funding to begin the task along with permi ss ion from th e Coas tal Area Management Authority, but the US Army Corps of Engineers has not approved the plan. The Pass C hristian Lighthouse Society, on Mi ss issippi Sound 15 miles west of Biloxi MS , is raising funds to rebuild its 1831 lighthou se, which was demolished in 1882 for salvage . (PCLS, PO Box 354, Pass C hristian MS 39571 ; web site: danellis.n et)

Full information on these and other stories can be found in Sea History Gazette, November/December 2000. To subscribe to the bi-monthly Gazette for one year, send $18.95 (add $10 for foreign postage) to NMHS, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566. For credit card orders, call 1 800 221-NMHS (6647)x0, or sign up online at www.seahistory.org.

The Dromedary Ship Modeler's Center We are specialist suppliers for all aspects of the model boating scene. (Not cars, trains, planes.) We can start you off with basic kits or provide you with plans and materials. Our range also covers working or static models, and we carry an extensive selection of fittings for all types of ships and boats.

Send for our newest Catalog $6 postpaid

$7 outside the U.S.

The Dromedary 6324 Belton Drive El Paso, Texas 79912 (915) 584-2445

The American Neptune Enjoy the leading scholarly journal of maritime history and arts in the US. The American Neptune, a quarterly publication of the Peabody Essex Museum, is a great read for collectors, model makers, and all who love ships and the sea. We offer Sea History readers an opportunity to subscribe to The American Neptune for $33 , a $6 savings over our regular subscription rate ($36 for non-US residents . Institutions: call for rates). To start your subscription, send a check or money order to:

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

Visit our website at www.pem.org/neptune

SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS CALENDAR Festivals, Events, Lectures, Etc. (380 Jefferson Srreer, Port Townsend WA •Connecticut River Museum: 6-8 July 98368; 360 385-3628; e-mail: info@wooden 2001,Antiqueand Classic Boat Show; 11- boar.org; web site: www.wooden boar.org) 12 August 2001, Steam & Launch Show; Conferences 4-11 September 2001, 26th Annual Traditional Vessels Weekwirh Governor's Cup •Association for the History of the NorthRegatta (Connecticut River Museum, 67 ern Seas: 19-22 August 200 I, I 0th MariMain Srreer, Essex CT 06426; 860 767- time Hi stoty Conference: "A Link in the 8269; web sire: www.ctrivermuseum.org) C hain: Trade and Transshipment on rhe •East End Seaport Museum: 26 May 200 l , Northern Seas" at the Merseyside MariFourth Annual Lighthouse and History time Museum, Liverpool (Adrian Jarvis, Cruise from Greenport NY aro und Merseyside Maritime Museum, Albert Gardiners Bay and Fishers Island Sound Dock, Liverpool L3 4AQ, GB; fax: 44 I 5 I (PO Box 624, Greenport NY I I 944; 63 I 478 4098; e-mail: adrian.jarvis@nmgm 477-0004) porthisr. demon. co. uk) •Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation: I2 • Canadian Nau ti cal Research Society and May 200I, Jamestown Landing Day; June North American Society for Oceanic His200 I, "Canoe, Capstan and Cargo," mon rh- tory Armual Meetings: 24-26 May 200 I, long them e highlighting early Virginians' "Canadian-America n Relations on the reliance on rhe waterways (PO Box I60 7, Great Lakes in Peace and War" in Kingston, Will iamsburg VA 23187-I607; 888 593- Onrario Qames Pritchard, Department of 4682; web site: www.historyisfun.org) History, Queen's University, Kingston ON, • Mid-Atlantic MaritimeArts Festival: I 8- K7L 3N6, Canada; fax: 613 533-6298; e20 May 200I (Chesapeake Bay Maritime mail: jp@post.queensu.ca) Museum, Mill Street, PO Box 636, St. • "Cultural Encounters in the Indian-PaMichaels MD 2I663; 4 IO 745-29 I6; web cific Region, 1200-1800": 10- 13 July site: www.cbmm.org) 2001 , University of Western Australia in •Mystic Seaport: 2-3 June 200 I, Small Perth, sponsored by Parergon: The Journal Crafr Weekend; I6- I8 Jun e 2001, of rhe Australian and New Zealand AssoDesigner's Recognition Rendezvo us II: ciation for Mediaeval and Early Modern Sparkman & Stephens; 28-29 July 200I, Studies (Un iversity of Western Australia, Antique and C lassic Boat Ren dezvo us; 3 I 35 Stirling Highway, Medlands WA 6009 , July- l August, Melville Marathon reading Australia; Pamela Sharpe, Dept. of Hisof Moby-Dick; 3-5 August 200I, Model tory, fax: +6I 8 9380 I069 ; e-mail: Yacht Regatta; 18- 19 August 200I, An- pasharpe@cyllene.uwa.edu.au) tique Marine Engine Exposition (Mysti c • Maritime History Beyond 2000: Visions Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Road, PO Box of Sea and Shore: 11-14 December 200 I, in 6000, Mystic CT 06355-0990; 888 SEA- Fremande, Australia (Associate Professor PORT; web sire: www.mysticseaport.org) Malcolm Tull, School of Economics, Mur•Wethersfield (CT) Festival Celebrating doch University, Murdoch WA 6I50, AusHistory: I-3 June200I (WFCH, Town of tralia; phone: 6 I 8 9360 248 I; fax: 6I 8 93 I 0 Wethersfield, 505 Silas Deane Highway, 7725; e-mail: tull@central.murdoch.edu.au) Wethersfield CT 06 I 09; 860 72 I-2975; •National Maritime Museum: 2-3 July web site: www.wethersfieldfestival.com) 2001, "Maritime Empires" (Helen Jones, • WoodenBoat Show: 22-24 June 2001, Research Administrator, Greenwich, Lonat rhe Michigan Maritime Museum in don SElO 9NF, GB; phone +44 (20) 8312 South Haven MI (Wooden Boat Show, PO 6716; fax: +44 (20) 8312 6722; e-mail: Box 78, Brooklin ME 046I6; web site: research@nmm.ac. uk) www.woodenboat.com) •Ships to Save the Waters Conference II: •Sea Trek2001 : 7 August-4 October200I, 1-3 June 200I ar the New Bedford Whalfrom Denmark and Northern Europe to ing National Historical Park (Schooner NewYorkCity(Sea Trek2001, 5252Norrh Ernestina, PO Box 20IO, New Bedford Edgewood Drive, Provo UT 84604; 80I MA 0274I ; 508 992-4900; e-mail: srsrw@ 932-7990; e-mail: infor@seatrek200 I .com; ernestina.org; web sire: www.ernesrina.org) web site: www.seatrek200 I .com) Exhibits • Wooden Boat Foundation: 8-28 J ulyand 15 J uly-4 August, Summer Youth Sea Camp •Australian National Maritime Museum:

I 5 December 2000-22 July 2001, "Smugglers: Customs & Contraband, I90I2001" (Darling Harbour, GPO Box 513 1, Sydney NSW 1042,Australia; 2 9298 3698; web sire: www.anmm.gov.au) •Calvert Marine Museum: Janua1y-December 200I, "Outboard Motoring in America: The First 50 Years"; March-May 200I, "A Day in the Life of Chesapeake Bay Pilots" (PO Box 97, Solomons MD 20688; 4IO 326-2042; web site: www .calvertmarinemuseum.com) •Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, from February 200 I , "Sink or Swim?": Sinkbox Gunning on the Susquehanna Flats (PO Box636, M ill Sr., Sr. Michaels MD 2 I663; 4 IO 745 -2916; www.cbmm.org) • Independence Seaport Museum: from January200 I , "Philadelphia and the China Trade," a new permanent exhibit (2 11 S. Columbus Blvd. & Walnut Sr., Philadelphia PA 19106-3I99; 2I5 925-5439) •The Mariners' Museum: I 7 March 200I-6 January 2002, "Women and the Sea"; 19 May-I6 September 200I , "Life's a Beach: T he Illustrated History of the Bathing Suit" (100 Museum Drive, Newport News VA23606-375 9; 757 596-2222; web site: www.mariner.org) •National Maritime Museum: I4 September 2000-September 2001 , "South: The Race to the Pole" (Greenwich, London SEIO 9NF, UK; 20 8858 4422; fax: 20 83I2 652I; web site: www.nmm.ac.uk) •National Museum of Science and Technology: 21 June 2000-2I October 2002, "Canoes: T he Shape of Success" (1867 Sr. Laurent Blvd., PO Box 9724, Station T, Ottawa ON, KIG 5A3, Canada; 6I3 99I2044; web sire: www.science-rech.nmsrc.ca) •San Diego Maritime Museum: I July 2000-J uly 200 I , "Pirates! Fantasy & Reality" (1306 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego CA 9210I; 6I9 234-9I53; web site: www .sdmaritime.com) •South Street Seaport Museum: from I December 2000, "Healing Waters: Utopian Responses to Dirr, Disease, and Disorder, I890- I 940" (207 Front Street, New York NY I0038; 212 748-8600; web site: www.sourhstseaport.org) •The Whaling Museum: I July 2000June 2001 , "Splendid Voyage: Life on a Long Island Whaler" (PO Box 25, Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor NY J 1724; 631 367-3418; web site: www.cshwhaling museum .org) SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

IEWS Maritime Supremacy and the Opening how a failure to recognize and act upon the of the Western Mind: Naval Campaigns potential of maritime power led, at pivo tal that Shaped the Modern World, by Peter points in history, to the decline in geopoPadfield (The O ve rlook Press, Woodstock lirical relevance for countries like Spain NY, 2000, 340pp, illus, gloss, ._,...,. .... ~.~:"..':~~~"~"'"-"'"''" and France. Those examples notes, biblio, index, ISBN 1and the circumstances that sur58567-002-2; $35hc) rounded their decline in mari1 At a time when Americans' SU P MACY time power surely are of more than passing interest for Ameawareness of th e importance of rica at the beginning of the our maritime power is at low 21st century. ebb, Peter Padfield' s Maritime Reading Ma ritime SupreSupremacy is an eye-opener. In macy will be an enjoyable and the first sentence of his Intromentally stimulating experiduction, the author establishes ence for anyone interested in just how expansive the paramthe pervasive influence of the eters of his exposition are goon our lives and fortunes. sea ing to be: "Maritime supremacy is the key which unlocks most, if not all, And even those who are merely fascinated large question s of modern history ... how by the sea will find that this illuminating and why we-th e Western democracies- work establishes a rich intellectual context are as we are." Then, in fo urteen chap ters for the stories of writers like C. S. Forester that begin in the 1400s and end with the and Patrick O 'Brian. RADM JOSEPH F. CALLO, USNR (RET) founding of the U nited Stares, 2 1 illustraKansas City, Missouri tions, seve n maps and seven battle di agrams, he pays off wh at at first seems to be the book's extravagant promise. And h e The Prize of All the Oceans: The Dramatic True Story of CommodoreAnson' s does so with an engaging style. Maritime Supremacy places such topics Voyage Round the World and How He as battle tac tics, national power proj ectio n Seized the Spanish Treasure Galleon, by and matters of military technology within G lyn Williams (Viking Penguin, New York a confluence of more profoundly powerful NY, 2000, 285pp, illus, appen, so urces, forces. At one point, the author- who has ISBN 0-670-89197-5; $27.95 hc) "I have but five-and-forty men before written on maritime subj ects from submarine operations in the Second World War the M as t and some of them have not recovto a history of decisive naval campaigns - ered their senses, for numbers turned mad cap tures the sp irit of his mission when he and idiots with the Scurvy." This sentence refers to "the difference between true m ari- written by Commodore George Anson on time power and the mere possession of a 7 December 1742 assesses the debilitated first-cl ass navy. " And as he progresses state of his crew aboard HMS Centurion through his wo rk, he skillfully illuminates (60 guns) on his famous voyage aro und the how trade, finance, geography, political world. He departed with six vessels carryfreedom, a merchant class and even cul- ing 1900 seamen and marines. Three of the tural tone must be interwoven to reach an vessels were lost, two turned back after a adequate understanding ofmaritime power. terrible experience doubling Cape Horn, What emerges from these pages is not and 1400 of the men died before the triumjust th e sto ry of how political and military phant return to England in 1744. Most power linked to the sea have made nations were lost to scurvy and starva tion . Amazing tales of desperation at sea fill great. Rather it is a fascinating analysis of how the most fundamental elements of this volume. Anson was an able and sympamaritime strength-"liberty, tolerance and thetic (for the age) commander, and worked wealth"-in timely co mbination, " un- alongside the crew when it was necessary. locked natural genius." In the process, Pad- But he was not th e on ly exceptional person field rakes the reader to a dimension be- on this expedition. The wreck of the 599yo nd the now-classic early-20th-century ton Wager off the coast of Chile resul red in sea power theories ofAlfred Thayer Mahan. a daring voyage by the survivors in a small Arguably the most provocative features boat commanded by the ship's gunner of Maritime Supremacy are the exam pl es of through the Strait of Magellan. By late

{_~\\< \M~rf\ , SHIPS

MARITIME

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

iiJ.

. Fill your sails. -~ill your spirit. . Maine Âˇwind.Jammer llSSOCIAT/ON

'lV.T. I

RARE, ORIGINAL

ANTIQUE SEA CHARTS &MAPS 17th - 20th Century

U.S . & Worldwide

Free listings. Please specify regi ons of interest.

Â§'RACE ('.i'ALLERIES, lNC.

20 West C und y's Po int Road Harpswell, Maine 04079 USA (207) 729 -1329 Fax (207) 729-0385 E-mail jackie@gracega lleri es.com web www.gracegalleries.com

REVIEWS EDITOR'S BOOK LOCKER The Great War at Sea, by Richard Hough (Birlinn, 8, Canongate Venture, 5 New Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BH, Scotland (phone: +44 (13 1) 556 6660), 2000, orig 1983, illus, notes, maps, biblio, index, ISBN 1-84 158-053-8; ÂŁ 12.99pb; $25.95 pb) Richard Hough, a gifted writer of compelling hisro rical narrative, with a sure rouch in seafaring matters, died in 1999 at age 77. His departure remo ved a viral force from our field . His mas terwork may well be th is fast-paced, dramatic but accurate and balanced acco unt of the naval side of World War I, which ended the hundred years of the Pax Britannica maintained by the unchal lenged might of Britain's Royal Navy. With a sure rouch Hough depi cts the weaknesses of the huge and ill-assorted Royal Navy, which like the British Empire itself, may be said ro have happened by accident. Against this force the unstable German Kaiser Wilhelm II began ro build a highly effici ent High Seas Fleet, under the sure hand of Admiral Tirpitz, who insisted on testing everything developed by new technologies since the las t great battles at sea. The Russo-Japan ese War of 1904-5 offe red hints of what was ro come, but these were deceptive. Hough wro te a classic account of that enco unter in his Fleet that

H ad to Die, a tide that aptly described the ago ny of Admiral Rozhesrvensky's massive Russian battleships sent from European waters robe overwhelmed by lighter, hardhitting and superbly trained Japanese cruisers at Tsushima. But the immediate future lay with the massive battleships carrying a uniform armament of the biggest possible guns. England 's Ad mi ral John "Jacky" Fisher, taking office as First Naval Lord in 1904 (an office he promptly renamed Sea Lord, despising the Latinate terms so beloved of Victo rians), shook the Royal Navy from stem to stern, producing in short order a much smaller, almost infinitely stronger fleet built aro und the super-battl eship Dreadnought. As was noted at the time, she made every battleship in the wo rld obsolete. She gave her name to all later battleships as a rype, so even new German battleships were known as Dreadnoughtschiffe. Ir has become fas hionable to decry the dreadnought mania, and it's true that these huge ships spent most of the war swinging idl y at anchor. H ough has the breadth of vision to understand the latent power of these ships, and he clearly sets forth how the war would have been over on the spot if the balance of battlefleet strength had swung against Britain. As Fisher's sponsor at the

Admiral ty, Winston Churchill , tellingly observed , the ad miral ofBritain's Grand Fleet was the only man on either side who co uld lose the war in an afte rnoon. Hough 's appreciation of Jutland, the one maj or fleet enco unter of dreadnought battl eships, co rrectly acco unts it as a decisive British victory, though Britain lost more ships than Germ any. T he point was that the German main body never came out again to fo rce another encounter, leaving the Royal Navy masters at sea-the overriding necessity for Allied vicrory. Hough is also right, I believe, in noting the conceptual superiori ty of the British ships, despite much stronger German technology. His fri endship with the American naval historian Arthur Marder (ro whom he dedicated this book) ass ured the technical and historical acrn racy of his account of the prewar buildup, and his close work with the late Admiral ty librarian Peter Kemp I believe saved Hough from the clumps of minor errors found in his las t book, Naval Battles of the Twentieth Century, publish ed in the US by Overlook Press in 2001. T hat is a good book, sure in its broad grasp; but The Great War at Sea is a great book, as well as a great read .

(Continued from page 39) 1742 Anso n was down to one ship and an enfeebl ed crew. Alone in the Pacific, he pressed on. D etermined to intercept the Spanish galleo n that carried treasure between Acapulco and Manila, Anson found the Nuestra Senora de Covadonga. Ninery minutes of fighting resulted in the capture of this "Prize of all th e Oceans." Anson traveled on ro Canton for repairs and so me encounters with the Chinese before arriving in England where the Spanish treasure was carted in 32 wago ns from Portsmouth to the Tower of London. Outside the Tower, lawyers worked with clients hoping to gain their share of the prize. Anson co ntinued ro rise in public esteem and advanced to the rank of admiral. His fame was secured with the publication of A Voyage Round the World by George Anson (1748). A great publishing success, the book was issued in 15 editions within 20 years. Glyn Williams is a professor emeritus of history at Queen Mary and Westfield Col-

lege, the U niversity of London, and author of works on Cap tain Cook and the exploration of the South Sea. Writing this hisrory of Anson's voyage, he cuts through a maze of source material to produce one of sea history's most compelling tales.

trade-offs involved by a mas ter of the ship designing art, naval archi teer D . K. Brown, who retired as Deputy Chief Naval Architect of th e Royal Corps of Naval Constructors in 1988. This book is the fourth in a superlative series including: Before the Ironclad: D evelopment of Ship Design, Propulsion andArmamentin the Royal Navy 18151860; Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860-1905; and The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922. Brown's books in this series give insight not available elsewhere inro the thought process and val ues of the designers of a fleer over successive genera tions. The designing of a well-balanced ship is diffic ult ro convey ro nontechnical readers. This book tells of British design between the wa rs with clarity and directness. The diaries of Sir Stan ley V. Goodall , the man responsible for wa rship design during most of the period, inform an d enliven the text. T he analysis of the success or failure of vario us designs is particularlyvaluablewhen

TIMOTHY J. R UNYAN

East Carolina U niversiry G reenville, No rth Carolina Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development, 1923-1945, D . K. Brown (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD , 2000, 224pp, illus, biblio, gloss, index, !SB 1-55 75 0-492-X; $59.95 hc) Naval architects must keep many interrelated facrors in mind when designing a ship . Wars hips, with their extreme complexity and national importance, present particularly difficult challenges, and call for a firm grasp of the often subtl e, interwoven influence of multipl e facto rs on the final plans. In Nelson to Vanguard readers are treated to a clear explanation of the

PETER STA FORD

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 I

compared with the opinions of those familiar with other navies. Chapters cover vessels from battleships and cruisers to submarines and escorts, and include modernization, wartime dam age, production, and repair, concluding with a disquisition on "What is Good D esign." Interspersed tables support the text; readers will also appreciate the illustrations with captions that carry the narrative forward. O ther details are covered in appendices covering naval arms limitation treaties and other co nstraints on the design of ships. T his book completes an important quarter of volumes which elegantl y present the development of British warship design from 18 15 to 194 5 and deserves careful reading. KEVlN

J. FOSTER

National Mariti me Initiative, N PS Washington D C

Prince Henry "the Navigator": A Life, by Peter Russell (Yale U niversity Press, New Haven CT, 2000, 460pp, illus, appen, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 0-300-08233-9 ; $3 5hc) Writing a biography when the subj ect has been dead fo r mo re than 500 years is a fo rmidable challenge; doing so when there is virtually no bard, direct, detailed evidence concerning the individual's o pinions, emotions or conduct is substantially more diffic ul t. In the case of Prince H en ry, the evidence is so scarce we don't even know what he looked like, as art historian s h ave challenged the accuracy of the single image char had long been identified as H en ry. As a resul t, Peter Russell's exhaustive research has yielded nor a full-color word portrait of the fa med Portuguese sponsor of African exploration, bur a scholarly and carefull y co nstructed charcoal sketch. H e h as been fo rced to fill many gaps with speculation and inference based upon generic data about life in the late Middle Ages. Ir is clear that Prince H enry was a complex and contradicto ry figure. A champion of virtuous p rinciples and chivalry, h e could also be a calculating and unscrupulo us politi cal manipulator. Despite his association with navigation and seaborne exploration, he was not a mariner and had only a minimum of coastal sailing experience. Yer he was a methodical planner and organizer of oceanic discovery and colonization. H e was nor above lying to popes or justifying slaveiy as an opportuni ty fo r its victims to become enlightened Christians.

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 200 l

The book is not easy to read, being littered with obscure terms and offhand dismissals of complex issues . (Russell says the myth ofHenry' s school of navigation at Cape Sagres "is now entirely discredited" without furth er explanation.) The author ass umes broad understanding of medieval history and socio-geographic entities and instituti ons. Better charrs would help amplify the text, and the chapter on caravels, whose sailing characteristics played a crucial role in African exploration, is disappointing in its lack of detail. This academically oriented boo k has only limited value fo r the reader whose interests stress the m aritime aspects of history.

Quality Facsimiles The most detailed and celebrated autobiographical account of a solo circumnavigation of the globe in the age of sail.

Sa.ilin Atone Around the

CAPT. H AROLD J. SUTPHEN

Kilmarnock, Virginia

Captain Bligh's Portable Nightmare: From the Bounty to Safety 4,162 Miles Across the Pacific in a Rowing Boat, by John T oohey (HarperC ollins, N ew York NY, 1999, 2 11 pp, illus, maps, ISBN 0-0601 9532-0; $24hc) Along with the revisionist mutiny-onthe-Bounty histories has come a cottage industry of charac ter analysis. This book is one of the most readable of rhe genre. Toohey's Bligh is not quite Charles Laughto n nor Trevor H oward, nor even Anthony H opkins. But one still wouldn't want to follow this Bligh into the South Seas. At the age of 22, Bligh was C ook's subaltern on the great man 's 1776 voyage to death at Kealakekus Bay in the H awaiian Islands. This, writes Toohey, was a lifedefining moment for Bligh. Understanding that experience, he says, explains much of Bligh 's fussiness, his pedantry, his passion for detail , and his intense perso nal sense that the "enemy," whatever or whoever it might be, was always present. D espite navigational and organizational genius, Bligh was his own worst enemy. T he Bligh touch contributed to nor only the Bounty mutin y but also to insubordination in the open boat in which he and the others put off the Bounty crossed the Pacific, and to near mutiny in Java as his ragtag group inched its way toward salvation. With one brief exception (serving with distinction with Nelson at Copenhagen), Toohey describes Bligh's later life as one of self-doubt and profess ional and familial turmoil. His first mission following the Bounty inquiry was a fa iled expedition

This high-quality facsimile faithfully reproduces the original text, art, and striking cover of the rare first edition. Includes: one plate, 40 line drawings, and two tables. Table of Contents. 312 pages. $64.95 ISBN 0-9674826-0-7 Also Available: ~

The Life of Nelson

$89.95 ISBN 0-9674826-2-3 ~

Robert Blake

$69.95 ISBN 0-9674826-1-5 For more details visit our website www .regattapress.com or call to request a catalog.

fb.- Regatta Press fb.PO Box 6525 Ithaca, NY 14851-6525 USA Fax: 1-800-688-2877 or 1-607-277-6292 Phone: 607-277-2211 orderbook@cupserv.org 41

REVIEWS

CLASSIFIED ADS Peter Williams/Museum Services. New England's premier resource for the restorarion of maritime paintings. 30 Ipswich St., Boston MA 02215. By appointment: 617-536-4092 Custom Ship Models. All types. Contact S.J. W hite, POB 1034, Quakertown PA 18951 Art Prints. NYC Fireboats 16 x 20", $18 each. Also available for commissioned work. Call Steve White 718-3 17-5025, e-mail: fdnyartisr@aol.com Marine Paintings by Robert W . Young. 4 11 Elliott St., Beverly MA 01915-2353. Free broch ure. Webs ite: hnp://shop. townonl ine.com/ marinepaintings. Tel: 978-922-7469, e-mail: RY192l @aol.com Visit Northwest Florida and Pensacola through the web site of Brown Marine Service, Inc. Photos, products, boating education , and links at www. brownmarine.com U.S.M.M. Decal for those who served or support U.S.M.M . $5.00 each, shippin g & handling included. Marshall Garry, 406 W. 34th St., Kansas City MO 64111 Small Antique House in town, rental for the season. $20,000. 508 228-2895 To place your classified ad ar $ 1.60 per wo rd, phone Carmen at 91 4-737-7878, x235, or 800221-6647, x235 . Or you may mail yo ur message and payment ro Sea History, Arm : Advertising Desk, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566.

CY~O=~FTEA Award-winning teas since 1959. Free brochure. Grace Tea Company, Ltd. """~.; 50W.17th St. NYC10011 Tel/fax 212 255-2935

Our Advertisers are our Standing Rigging Tell them you saw their ad in Sea History!

COLUMBIA TRADING CD. BUY - SELL FREE BOOK CATALOG

•Nau tical Books • Ship Models • Marine Art & Antiques

1 Barnstable Rd., Hyannis, MA 02601 (508) 778-2929 Fax (508) 778-2922 nautical@capecod.net

after breadfruit. Later, his crews rebelled on Defiance and Director. (The mutinies were part of a series that wracked the Royal Navy during 1797 .) At home, his children died or ended up with mental disabilities. To his dying day, Bligh struggled to understand how men and society could be so ungrateful for his services . And to this day, we find the man endlessly fascinating in both the failures and victories of his character. While not expending affection on Bligh, Toohey does extend to him a large measure of the respect that Bligh had so long sought during his lifetime. PETER SORENSEN Mystic, Connecticut

boat sank the Angelus, allowing rhe crew to get off in the lifeboat. No real provision had been m ade to ready rhe lifeboar for such an event. One by one the men died, until only Boudreau and one shipmate were still alive when a plane sighted them. A day later they were rescued by a desrroyer escort. Capt. Boudreau spent the rest of his life buying and sailing the schooners he loved. H e married a fine yo ung lady who bore him five children, rraveled wirh him when possible, and managed a ho rel rhey built on Marigot Bay on rhe island of Saint Lucia. The family's rravels took chem as far as Europe and rhe Medirerranean , and many well-known people sailed with them over the years. Boudreau kepr alive a uadirio n of sai l in vessels that would have been scrapped or abandoned wirhour his care. This is a book any love r of schooners and rhe sea will find hard to put down. FRANCIS E. "BIFF" BOWKER Sailors' Snug Harbor Sea Level, Nonh Carolina

The Man Who Loved Schoon ers, by R. L. Boudreau (Tiller Publishing, St. Michaels MD, 2000, l 70pp, illus, ISBN 1-88867 127-0; $20pb) Embarking on this review of the life of Captain Walter Boudreau is a special pleasure for me. I, too, was a yo ung man in love with ships of sai l. I shipped aboard a number of large coasting schooners, spent two In Search ofMoby Dick: T h e Quest for years aboard merchant steam vessels in th e White Whale, by Tim Severin (Basic World War II, and sailed Mystic Seaport's Books, New York NY, 2000 , 212pp, ISBN schooner Brilliant for 25 years. 0-465-07696-3; $24hc) Robert Louis Boudreau and his wife H ere, writer/ explorer Tim Severin is off Sarah-Jayne have done a spectacular piece to the Pacific in search ofMoby Dick The of research and writing in this remarkable quesr for rhe whire whale, Severin admits, history of his father, making it seem that is a deparrure from his career of retracing Walter Boudreau is the actual author. This and rethinking some of the world's grear old seaman found no fault in either the text myrhic and historic journeys. Best known or the manner in which Boudreau's vessels for The Brendan Voyage, in which he folwere handled. It is very easy for a vessel to lowed the parh of Sr. Brendan, some of his get into occasional trouble, and those of us o rher ins p irarions have been Jason, Ulysses, who sailed ocean waters are unlikely to and Genghis Khan. brag that we never went aground or had Inspired by a relatively modern mythdifficulty in squalls or full storms. Capt. Herman Melville's 19th-century Moby Boudreau had his share; however, he al- Dick-thewhirewhale and fighringwhales ways came out in good shape. of fiction and fact (Mocha Dick, New His long career under sail began in Zealand Tom, Tim or Tom) are rhe objecrs January 1943, when he joined the barken- of rhe author's pursuit. More rhan a physitine Angelus in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, cal and intellectual explorarion of Melville's bound for Barbados with a cargo of lum- creature, Severin's effort surfaces rales and ber. Before ever getting to sea, however, he legends inspired by the leviathans themand his fellow crew members rowed out in selves predaring nor only Moby Dick but dories to rescue the crew of an American also rhe recorded histories of numerous naval vessel stranded on a reef. Shortly after Pacific cultures. char rhe Angelus sailed for Barbados, disHe starts this voyage of inquiry where charged her cargo and loaded molasses and Melville began: Nuku Hiva, chief island of rum for Nova Scotia. the M arquesas. His research rakes him from On 19 May, rhe Angelus was several rhe Philippines to Tonga and Indonesia, hundred miles north of Bermuda when she seeking out fishermen still whaling or chose was found by a German submari ne. The U- who ha<d whaled wirhin rheir lifetimes.

SIEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

Severin is at his best describing exotic locales and hardscrabble fishermen like Max Valeroso in Pamilacan , Samson Cook of Tonga, or Bernardus on Lamalera. Max was a jumper, capturing whale shark, manta and Brydes whale by diving down to the beast and hooking it. In seeking the elusive white whale, Severin's documentary helps men and women tell, and thus preserve, stories of their past. Severin handles Herman Me lvill e roughly, calling him a liar, plagiarist and more. But after all, it was this scoundrel who penned what some deem to be the great American novel and also inspired Severin to embark upon an adventure resulting in a unique narrative of peoples and their ancient relationships to the sea and a very special creature inhabiting the deep. P ETER SORENSEN

Mystic, Connecticut The Ship and the Storm: Hurricane Mitch and the Loss of the Fantome, by Jim Carrier (McGraw-Hill/International Marine, Camde n ME, 2001, 265pp, illus, ISBN 0-07-135526-X; $24.95hc) If you have never been to sea, you may decide it just isn't for you after reading this superb work by Jim Carrier. If you have been to sea, yo u will most likely feel the same rush of adrenaline, the same deep horror, and the same awe that I experienced while reading about Hurricane Mitch and the tragic loss of the four-masted schooner Fantome with all hands off Honduras in the fall of 1998. Carrier is a sai lor; he did his homework and h e left nothing to co nj ecture. His research is impeccable, and unless he could verify it with at least two people, he didn 't trust a piece of information. He visited sites and spoke with inhabitants of the Bay Islands-where M itch sat for nearly 40 hours devastating the landscape with 150knot winds. Through his skill at interviewing and then imparting the knowledge gained in clear, nontechnical language, the reader will penetrate the eye of the hurricane and feel the almost unbelievable power of this monster storm. Yo u will get to know the mates and the crew of the vessel, and her captain, Guyan March, will become a friend. While Carrier never sailed on the ship nor met the crew who rook h er to sea that last time, he spent countless hours with members of the ship 's company who

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

PC Patrol Craft of World War II A History of the Ships and Their Crews Wm. J. (B ill) Veigele, PhD, USNR, Ret. >-----~---

Every PC is li sted. Learn how they built PCs. See detail s of thei r design. Read aboutthe ir exploi ts. Find out what happened to them after WW II. Th is 400-page cloth book has more than 150 photos and draw ings and 33 tables about the ships' design, construction , battles , losses, and other informat ion. Send $39.95 + $4.75 shippi ng. (Acid $ 1.75 for each add itiona l book mai led to the sa me address.) CA orders add $3. lO tax. Astral Publishing Co., Dept. H, PO Box 3955, Santa Barbara CA 93130-3955 www .astra Ipub Ii sh i ng .com

Nautical Decor &Antiques SEAFARER, LTD. Route 9, Oceanville NJ 08231. Visit our 3,000 sq.ft. store. 609-652-9491

Bat-Siiling, "2ahiti.me, B.tJD.la tna.mDOVER Classics of maritime history in high-qualifYt handsomely illustrated editions-most less than $20

THE YOUNG SEA OFFICER'S SHEET SAILING BOATS FROM AROUND THE ANCHOR: or a Key to the Leading of Rigging WORLD: The Classic 1906 Treatise, Henry and to Practical Seamanship, Darcy Lever. Coleman Folkard. Comprehens ive, profusely First publis hed in 1808, this now-rare volume illustrated book documents early 20th-centuoffers clear definitions and copious illustra- ry sailing: boat types around the world , ractions of the principles of rigging, tacking, use of ing boats , experimental vessels , more. Over a compass, splicing ropes, making sails, much 380 illus. 576pp. 611 x 9X. 41099-4 Pa. $19.95 more. 256pp. 8Wx 11. 40220-7 Pa. $14.95 THE PIRATES OWN BOOK: Authentic THE SEAMAN'S FRIEND: A Treatise on Narratives of the Most Celebrated Sea Practical Seamanship, Richard Henry Dana, Robbers, Marine Research Society. Rare volJr. Authentic look at standard operating pro- ume, based on actual documents, recounts cedures aboard a I 9th-century ship by the lives an cl co ld-blooded exp loits of author of Two Years Before the Mast. Reprinted Blackbeard, Jean Lafitte, Robert Kidd , other from rare 1879 edition. 240pp. 5!& x 8. maritime marauders. 77 atmospheric wood 29918-X Pa. $8.95 engravings. xv+ 479pp. 5J& x 811. CLASSIC SAILING-SHIP MODELS IN PHO27607-4 Pa. $11.95 TOGRAPHS, R. Morton Nance. Over 120 handsome photographs and 28 drawings provide THE NAVAL HISTORY OF THE CML WAR, details of models for a Flemish Carrack, c. 1450; Admiral David D. Porter. Authoritative 19ththe 90-gun Albemarle, 1680; a Venetian trading century history chronicles the navy's role from Galeass, 1726; an American clipper, 1853; more. Fort Sumter to final months. Numerous illustra40176-6 Pa. $37.95 160pp. Sh I IX. 41249-0 Pa. $17.95 tions. 864pp. 8ÂĽ x 11)( Request a FREE Dover Antiques and Photography Catalog (58063-6) to see other inexpensive maritime books. Send to: DOVER PUBLICATIONS, Dept. SHSOI, 31 E. 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11 501.

Visit Dover online at www.doverpublications.com 43

EspeciaCCy for Mem6ers!

Our NMHS merchandise

NMHS NECKWEAR Made of 100% silk fabric woven in Italy and sewn to high standards in the USA, our neckties, bowties and scarves are navy blue with the NMHS logo woven in white,blue and gold. Mens' Neckties. $45 + $5 s/h, $8 foreign s/h. Bow tie (not shown). $35 + $5 s/h, $8 foreign s/h . Women's scarves. Rectangular, 4"x 45'', lined with navy silk. $35 + $5 s/h, $8 foreign s/h .

Miscellaneous Items Burgee. Nylon pennant with NMHS logo in royal blue and yellow on white background with red border. 22" xl2". Madein the USA. $15 shipping included. Cloth Patch. Metallic gold braid on navy background, ship and sea embroidered in white and blue. 3" diam. Made in USA. $5 shipping included. NMHS 1999, 2000 & 2001 Medallions. Circular 23/4" brass ornament with our flagship Kaiulani as she appears in our logo (1999), an ancient Roman ship (2000) or an East India.man (200 1). $5 shipping included. Wooden Tug Boats. Handcrafted by Capt. Ted Foster from American hardwoods. These semi-scale display models are signed and numbered. Quantities very lim.ited. $40 + $5 s/h, $8 foreign. Visolette Loupe (see p36, WTI)

NMHS CAP & SHIRTS Cap. Navy with NMHS emblem of our flagship Kaiulani in seven colors, green underbill, one size fits all. High quality. Made in USA $25 + $5 s/h, $8 foreign s/h. Collar Shirt. I 00% cotton pique. White, re)Âˇal slHe or navy with NMHS emblem in six colors. Sizes M-XL $32, XXL $35 + $5 s/h, $8 foreign s/h . Emblem Sweatshirt. (Not shown.) 90% cotton, l 0% polyester. Navy or ash grey withNMHS emblem in six colors. SizesMXL $37, XXL $40 + $5 s/h, $8 foreign s/h. Initial Sweatshirt. 90% cotton, l 0% polyester. Navy or ash grey with NMHS in capital letters across front in contrasting colors. Sizes M-XL $37, XXL $40 +$5 s/h, $8 foreign s/h. Emblem T-Shirt. 100% heavyweight cotton jersey. White or navy with NMHS emblem in six colors. Sizes M-XL $16, XXL $19 + $5 s/h , $8 foreign s/h. :, Initial T-Shirt. I 00 % heavyweight cotton jersey. White or navy with NMHS in contrasting colors. Sizes M-XL $16, XXL $19 + $5 s/h, $8 foreign s/h.

Order from: National Maritime Historical Society PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566 or call in your credit card order to

1-800-221-NMHS (6647)

REVIEWS were put ashore, previous passen gers, families of the lost crewmen, and staff of Windjammer Barefoot C ruises to gain the familiari ty evident in his story. And h e must have become somethin g of an expert on hurricanes as well. The Ship and the Storm is highly accurate, completely credible, and pe rsonal. T he characters are real and there is precious little guesswork that occurs in telling this story. And Carrier does not get caught in the trap of techno-speak; he clearl y explains anything that might co nfuse or cause the reader to skip. Go and get this page-turner and settle down to an unforgettable tale of seamanship , feroc ious weather, bad luck, and error. Yo u won' t be ab le ro put it down. W ILLIAM H. WHITE Rumson, New J ersey Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, by Erik Larson (Vintage Books, Random House, Inc., New York NY, 1999, 323pp, notes, sources, index, ISBN 0-375-70827-8; $ l 3pb) This blow- by-blow accou nt tracks the 1900 Galvesto n hurricane fro m its birth as a bit of unsettled weather in the South Atlantic on 27 A ugust to its destructive passage through Galvesto n on 8 September and its awful aftermath later that m o nth. More than 6, 000 people in Galvesto n los t their li ves, and a large portion of the city was destroyed, forever affecting its eco nomic growth. It is ge nerally regarded as the most destructive hurricane in history. Larson brings in fasc inating information o n the Weather Bureau's early days, includingcompetition with C uban weather forecaste rs that prevented early warni ng of the hurricane's track, and assumptions abo ut what a hurricane co uld and co uld not possibly do. For example, it was a given that A tlantic hurricanes could never cross into the G ulf of Mexico-because none was known to have done so, before this o ne! T he a uth or' s meticulous research coupled with his presentation of what we now know about such storms produces a vivid story that is hard to put down. Our nation's confidence at that time in its industrial dominance over nature meets the ultimate sto rm , and the result is both fascinating and humbling. TOWNSEND H ORNOR Ostervill e, Massachusetts

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea, by Joan Druett (Simon & Schuster, New York NY, 2000 , 269pp, illus, sources, index, ISBN 0-684-85690-5; $26hc) Joan Druett continues her womenaga inst-the-sea saga with She Captains, a follow-up to Hen Frigates. The latter, now avai lab le in paperback, co ntains the tales of wo men growing up and/or wo rking on the sea, and of those marrying into a seafaring life. It was to most read ers a long overdue remind er ora revelation . Her current effort strains to cover the waterfront. Incl uded are thumbnails of C leopatra and Emma Hamilton right alongside the usual suspects, pirates Bonny and Read. One of the au thor's intentions was the "sifting of m yth fro m reali ty." What follows is heavy on the compilation and ligh t o n the sifting. Anyo ne looki ng for a wide su rvey of the subj ect w ill not be disappointed. PETER SORENSEN NEW&NOTED The Lusitania: The Life, Loss, and Legacy of an Ocean Legend, by Daniel Allen Buder (Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg PA, 2000, 304pp, illus, appen, notes, gloss, biblio, index, ISBN 0-811 7-0989-2; $29.95hc) Sea Stories of Cape Cod and the Islands, by Admont G ulick C lark (Lower Cape Publishing, Orleans MA, 2000, 288pp, illus, appen, biblio, index, ISBN 0-93697217-3; $39.95hc) Available from On Cape Publications, 508 362-9335. The American Line, 1871-1902, by William Henry Flayhart III (W.W. Norton & Company, New York NY & London GB, 2000 , 4 04 pp , illus, notes, bib Iio, index, ISBN 0-39 3-04710-5; $39 .95hc) Technological Change and the United States Navy, 1865-1945, by William M. McBride Qohns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD, 2000, 346 pp, illus, no tes, index, ISBN 0-8018-6486-0; $45 hc) Anatomy of the Ship: The 100-Gun Ship Victory, revised edition, by John McKay (Naval Institute Press, Annapo lis MD, 2000, orig 1987, 11 9pp, illus, ISBN 15575 0-4 18-0; $39.95 hc) Last of the Boom Ships: Oral Histories of the US Merchant Marine, 1927-2000, by Jim Whalen (1st Books Library, 2000, 182pp, g loss, ISBN 1-5872 1-733-3; $9 .95pb (8 00 839-8640); $4.95 E-book (www. l stbooks.com))

THE GLENCANNON PRESS MARITIME BOOKS

Books on ships and the sea. NEWI STEEL SHARK IN THE PACIFIC, a submarine in WWII. The complete Glencannon stories. FREE CATALOG. 800-711-8985 P.O. Box 633, Benicia, CA 94510 www.glencannon .com

J1': MARITIME

BOOKS 1806 Laurel Crest Madison, Wisconsin 53705-1065 (608) 238-SAIL FAX (608)-238-7249 Email: tuttlebk@aol.com http: / / tuttlemaritime.com Out-of-Print and Rare •!•

Books about the Sea, Ship & Sailor •!•

Catalogue Upon Request

For regular updates on ship saves, museum news, maritime archaeology, sail training events and other maritime acti viti es.

To: NMHS , PO Box 68 , Peekski ll NY 10566 Please send me Sea History Gazette, 6 issues per yea r, for $ 18.75. (+$ 10 if outside USA). My check is enclosed. From: _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~

----------~ZIP

To order by credit card, call 1-800-221-6647, or visit ou r web site at www.seahistory.org.

DESSERT

The Charles W. Morgan Under Sail in Distant Seas by John F. Leavitt The Charles W. Morgan, sole survivor of wife, but it did not deter him from driving the whaleships that coursed the oceans in his ship, his men, and himself. He stood for the 1800s, has been a lucky ship-lucky no laxity and "broke" or disrated two to survive to tell an important chapter in boatsteerers who were unfortunate enough seafaring, lucky in Mystic Seaport's dedi- to miss when they darted their irons. In cated restoration ofher aged hull-and June of 1861 a bomb lance gun burst and not least, lucky in her biographer, the badly mangled the mate's hand, requiring late john Leavitt, a grand sailorman the amputation of a finger. With the versafrom whose vivid, raw account ofher life tility forced on him by necessity, Captain Hamilton performed the operation and in these adventures are reprinted. a very short time the hand was reported to he Charles W Morgan's sixth voy- be healing nicely.... In January 1862, the ship was whaling age began on 4 October 1859, under the command of 32-year-old in the vicinity of Scammon's Lagoon on Captain James A. Hamilton. On 30 No- the coast of Baja California. There, the vember the first whales were sighted. The ships remained at anchor, sending out the waist boat was the first to "strike," but the boats to run down the female gray whales line fouled and Francis Laycock, a foremast and their calves in the shallow wa ters of the hand, was dragged out of the boat and lagoons. In defense of their yo ung, the drowned. To recover him the crew cut the whales were "wild," often attacking the line, and the whale got away. The other whaleboats. During one enco unter, two boats , however, struck a second whale and boats were stove and one man had his thigh broken. Two months later, just before the killed it. The Morgan made her way past Cape Morgan headed back to Hawaii, a boat's Horn late in January and anchored in crew (six men) deserted the ship. In OctoT alcahuano, C hile, on 21 February to give ber, after another season in the Sea of the crew time ashore and to replenish sup- Okhotsk, Hamilton had another medical plies. Nine of the crew decided they had emergency when boatsteerer Ansel Braley had enough and deserted. The ship then fell overboard from aloft during a gale. cruised slowly northward, the impatient Ham iIton managed to get a boa rover board young master cursing the calm weather and and rescued him . The captain found the mans jaw to be broken in two looking forward to his arrival at Lahaina, places. set it and bandaged it to the best of where he would receive mail from his bemy ability. also bruised about the breast loved Augusta, the wife whom he had and one leg and side of his head. bad case. married just a few months before departsee out of neither eye. bathed them with ing. His journal is filled with references to proper remidies. whilst lowering the boat her, and it is easy to see that he was looking mate got his arm and breast hurt some. forward to a full ship and the return to New tried to bleed him. got no blood. bathed Bedford. After a brief stopover at Lahaina the parts with sa[l]ve and sugar oflead &c and Honolulu he drove the ship for the Sea ... squalls dark and bad looking weather. of Okhotsk, and by July 1860 he was far So ends this day of casualties. north among the ice floes . And he was Both men recovered, more due to rheir getting whales. In August the Morgan was in Shantar strong constitutions rhan to rhe primitive Bay with some 16 other American whalers. medical practices of the day. Thereafter, it was a slow passage home, H ere she ran into di ffic ulty when her anchor caught under something on the bot- catching whales en route, and the Morgan tom. Even with the assistance of Captain arrived in New Bedford on 12 May 1863, Manchester and extra hands from the ship three years and seven months afrer HamilHarvest, the crew was unable to heave short ton left his bride to take command. The and broke the windlass in the effort. At last homesick captain was in for a pleasant they were forced to cut the cab le. Several surprise, however, for he had brought his whales were killed in the bay, but by 30 vessel safely home in the midst of the Civil August they were bound offshore again . In War, when prices were inflated and quantihis journal, Captain Hamilton admitted ties of oil and bone landed were far below his homesickness and his longing to see his normal. At an average price of $1.53 per

pound, whalebone was nearly twice as valuable as when the Morgan left in 1859, and the value of right whale oil was nearly double as well. When her accounts were settled on her return, the gross val ue of the cargo was set at $ 165,407.35, which was by far the most valuable (though not the largest) cargo ever landed by the Charles W Morgan.

* * * * *

Captain Gibbons was stricken by illness whi le at Durban [in 1909] and apparen tly wired the owners for a replacement. In the meantime, records indicate that the Morgan sailed in charge ofJ oseph Roderick, the first mate, who was a good whaleman but no navigator. To act in that capacity, a William Haggie was signed on. Captain G ibbons's health did not improve, and Captain C harles S. Church, formerly master of the bark Andrew Hicks, took command. He was accompanied by his wife, who was signed on as assistant navigator. Mrs. Church, the former Charlotte Ott, was the daughter of a San Francisco harbor pilot and had made the voyage around Cape Horn with her husband when he brought the Andrew Hicks back to New Bedford from the West Coast. She did assist her husband in navigation and also kept rhe log when in rhe Morgan. Her entries were very meticulous, noting latirnde, longitude, course, distance, variation, barometer, thermometer, wind force, sea, and weather. She also made a regular practice of serring bottles adrift wirh notes in them giving rhe name of the vessel, position, and weather condition ar rhe rime. Flashes of humor enlightened rhe routine recording, and Mrs. Church showed an interest in other than srricr ship routine. One of rhe firsrenrriesshe made in the Morgan's log was to record rhe death of Major, a pet cat who had apparently outlived his rime. Later, rhe steerage car gave birth to a solitary kitten, which she described as "an addition to rhe ship's crew." On 25 June 1910 she wrote, "killed fourteen scrawny chickens tonight. Thewholelorwon'tmake a good dinner. " In August rhere is a dryly humorous nore: "We have two live pigs, one rooster, four cars and almost twenty canary bird-no fear ofstarving for a while." She herself suffered from asthma and was very conscious of rhose members of rhe crew who were ill, several having been forced to lay up from rime to rime.

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

In defense of their young, the whales were "wild, " often attacking the whaleboats. * * * * * For a time [fr om 191 3-16) it appeared that the Charles W Mo rgan's whaling days were over. Lying neglected and fo rlorn at a Fairhaven wharf, she seemed to have come to the end of her 75 -year career at las t . . .. Fortunately, Captain Benj amin C leveland, looking for a vessel in which to m ake a voyage after sperm and sea elephant oil to Desolation Island in the far southern Indian Ocean, knew vessels well enough to realize that the old bark was no t yet beyond redemption. After going over her carefully, he approached the W ing company with a view toward buying her. W ith backing fro m several other investors, he arran ged to p urch ase all bur 4/64, which were held by the estate of William R. W ing. T h e price paid was only about $6, 000, and C aptain Cleveland retained 24/64, enough to assure him of control. Fitting-o ut expen ses were heavy, however, even though n o thing was done that was not absolutely necessary. A few ro tted spots in hood ends and butts of the hull planking we re filled with troweling cement, and many of the sails and m uch of the gear we re leftovers from her for mer voyages or purchased secondhand. A small windfall in the fo rm of a semicharter by a motion picture company paid some of the bills. T he com pany was m aking a film called Miss Petticoats, starring Alice Brady, one of the forem ost luminaries of the silent film era, and since some of the scenes were set aboard a whaling ship , they were as delighted to find the Charles W Morgan available as Captain Cleveland was to welcome them aboard. No alterations were made to the hull except to nail a n ew name-H arpoon-over the old one, and since the com pany also ass umed som e of the fitting-out expense as well as p aying a leasing or chartering fee, the old skipper was more than pleased . The film was completed during the summer, and after a final session on the railway to check the bottom , refasten the copper where necessary, and thoroughly clean it, the Morgan was ready to sail. T his sh e did in September 19 16. T he crew included a set of adventuro us yo ung men from Bosto n, but most of the hands were experienced P ortuguese-American whalemen. They sighted the first whale of the voyage on 20 September, but although they lowered three boats none was able to get

SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001

The Morgan under sail in 1920. (Courtesy Mystic Seaport, Inc.)

close enough to dart an iron, and they had Signed: Benj amin D . C leveland to return to the ship with nothing to show mas ter fo r their pains. T wo days later they sighted John D . Lopes cheffe mate a school, or pod, of whales and again the Charles Johnson boatsteerer three boats were lowered. T his time the Leaving D esolation Island on 12 M ay, the bow boat killed their whale, but the waist Morgan wo rked northward into the South boat was stove and lost their whale, while Atlantic and on 8 August raised the island the larboard boat struck but the iron drew of St. H elena, where she anchored next day. and they also lost theirs. T here she lay for eight days while fresh T wice more they struck and killed whales water was taken aboard, some repairs were before they sighted the island of St. Vincent made, and the crew was give n a chance to in the Cape Verdes on 9 November. "The stretch their legs ashore, a watch at a time. ship started leaking after the first storm by Sailing again on 16 August, the vessel folthe time we reached here she was leaking lowed a course to the West Indies, and on like a basket," wro te one of the Boston 23 September she anchored at the island of hands, who refused to sail and appealed to D ominica, the next day sailing for Stacia the American consul fo r a survey of the (S t. Eustatius). Apparently Captain Clevevessel's seaworthiness. After lying over for land learned that the US had entered the a co uple of days, they sail ed across to Brava Firs t W orld War fi ve months earlier, andhe and lay there for two more days making decided to avoid German raiders by making some minor repairs. Believing that the ship his way northward "island hopping." T hey h ad not been properly repaired, eight men sighted several sailing vessels and steamers deserted and hid in the hills until the as they worked their way toward home, but M organ departed . nothing eventful occur red. (Captain CleveWo rking southward and rounding the land is elsewhere reported to have told Cape of Good H ope, the M organ fin ally people in New Bedfo rd that they narrowly cam e within sight of D esolation Island on missed colliding with a mine outside of 11 February 19 17, but spent some ten days D ominica, but nowhere in the log is there beating up to it against headwinds. There mention of any such incident.) they anchored and began their hunt for The bark called at St. Barthelem y, but elephant seals . ... shortly thereafter the log ends abruptly, Hunting we nt on in ro utine fashion and no details of the passage up the Ameriuntil 19 April, when a simple entry in the can coast are reco rded. With a cargo valued log told a tragic sto ry. In Captain Cleve- at $2 1,000 , the Morgan arrived home on land's very original spelling, it reads: 23 0 ctoberl 9 17. ,!, About 10 o'clock a. m. very moderat whether but the see was very bad Boats Three voyages later, in 1921, the C harles W. wenton shoo r to bring ofeliphant bluber M organ ceased whaling after 80 years. and the surf riased up and turned one boat over and lost 4 men Ther names From T he C harles W . Morgan, second ediRichards Moor Aguste Lemas Albert tion, by j ohn F. Leavitt (Mystic CT, 1998), Rubeiro and D aniel O ' con or The rest of pp. 33-35, 73 and 79-82. Rep rinted here the crew on du ty at D esolation Island. with the permission ofMystic Seaport, Inc.

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY AFTERGUARD M ARY

J. ARON CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

H ARRY W. M ARSHALL

AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION

BENEFACTORS JACQUES M EGROZ

ALAN D. H UTCHISON

R EYNOLDS

D ONALD

STAN R OGOVIN

N EIL E. Jo ES

c. M c GRAW Fo A NN

G EORGE R . ATTERB URY

C. COOK D R. & M RS.

CAPT. JAMES

R OBERTS . H AGGE, JR.

WILLI AM A . PALM

JR.

M RS. D AVID W EBB

KI MBALL SMITH

D AVID H AYES

JAMES D. ABELES MICHAEL

JESSE M . B ONTECOU

C AR L W. H EXAMER, II

JR.

WI LLIAM H AZELETT RI CHARD G . K AHN

JULES V ERNE STEINHAUER R ALPH N. THOMPSON

ALFRED J. WILLI AMS

PARKER WISEMAN

EDWARD D

KI M B LOOMER

M CC ARTER AND ENGLISH, LLP

AVY L EAGUE, NEW YORK COUNCIL

D ONALD A. PETRIE

D AV ID PLOTKIN

NORMA

TRANSPORTATION, INC. CAROL

M R.

R USSELL,

WILLI AM R. T OWER,

Finest Ship Model Kits, domestic & imported

POND

P.O. Box 153 SH, Marblehead, MA 01945, Toll Free: 1-800-469 -3957 or E-mai l us at: acrossthepond@ medi cone. net Visit us at : www.acrossthepond .net or send $3.00 for our web cotolo !

PETER STANFORD

H ARRY VINALL, III

MRS. STEVEN W. JONES R USSELL

ALAN G. CHOATE

RICHARD J. G REENE CHRI STOS

ELLE NEWBERRY

H EWITT FOUNDATION

PHIL PERSINGER

H UGH M. PIERCE

S AILORS' UNION OF THE PAC IFlC

JOHN G. T ALBOT

JoHN B. T HOMPSON,

OLE SKAARUP

L OUIS A. TR APP. JR.

WOODSON K . W ooos

SEAN

E LLEN

H ARRY NELSON, JR. H. PEASE

M R.

M Rs. JAMES SYKES

GILBERT V ERNEY FOUNDATION

H EATING, I NC.

JOHN W . ELDER

CAROLL. F ISHER

T HOMAS

JAMES

G ILLMER

WI LLIAM JETT

ORMAN LI SS

JEAN L UCY

M RS. ROBERT G. M ORRIS

ERIC O ESTERLE

CLIFFORD B . O'H ARA

MR.

M R.

MRS. L AWRENCE R . R AC HLI SHORELINE M AR INE Co.

S ANZONE DI STRIBUTORS, I NC.

W EXLER PLUMBING

ROBERT

L AMMOT

MRS. JOHN D ARMIN

F REDERIC H . H ARWOOD

SEA H ERITAGE foUNDATION, INC.

SPIRIT

JR.

JOHN L EHMAN

ISAAC A. M ORRIS

ROBERT W EXLER

ROBERT

K ERSTIN GILKERSON

M RS. D EAN R . N OYES

& JEAN SAWTELLE

B ARRY

fa10RY W . H ARPER

H ON. D o, ALO R. Q UARTEL, JR.

C ESARE SORIO

H OWARD H. EDDY

G EORGE M. ! VEY,

B. K URTZMAN

R OBERT J. T YD

THOMAS H . WYSMULLER

K ARL L. B RIEL

ED CHALKER

MR.

PETER J. FINNERTY

W ILLIAM

TowNSE~'D H ORNOR

C APT.

M ORGAN D ALY

JOHN D USE BURY

D WIGHT GERTZ

M RS. D AVID W . S1VETLAND

JR.

C UMMINGS

M ORRIS FAM ILY FoUNDATION

JAC K SOMER

R AYNER W EIR

C APT. WILLIAM H. H AMILTON

i<.JELL KRISTIANSEN

A LLE

RH ODA AM ON

CoR JAMES F . B ENSON, USNR ( R ET.)

G EORGE W . C ARMANY, III

ANDRES D UARTE

M RS . CHARLES H ILL

JOYCE

STEVE B. B ATTERMAN

ANETTE F L 'GER FoUNDATION

JAMES G. SARGE 'T JOSEPH

JR.

CHO~IEAU

JAMES P. LATHA~I

. KRITI KOS

O 'CONNOR

C APT. D AVID E. PERKINS, USCG

D AV ID D .

V IRGINIA STEELE G RUBB

( R ET.) THE BRESS LER FouNDATION PETER J. P. BRI CKFIELD

M OULIN

PETER A. M ORGA '

M R.

M RS. WILLIAM F . W ISEMAN

SHIP MODEL KITS

WILLI AM J. C NAY N

JERRY

CH UCK K OSTEL

JR.

ER1c P. SWENSON

World-wide. First Class Relaxing. Reasonable Â·~..Y Box 580-21 8H6, Flushing, NY11358 800 872-8584 .travltl 1.com

ICHOLAS C ARLOZZI

T ERRY W ALTON

PATR ICK H . F ULMER

CLIFFORD ART SMITH

JOHN DI X W AYMAN

MRS.

D AN IEL R . SUKIS

ROBERT W. HAGEMEYER

RA DM TH OMAS J. PATTERSON

~RUIS~i!~ti~~ER

THE

JACK G OODIER

MR .

J. B URR B ARTRAM,

JAMES P. FARLEY

JOSEPH F. M EANY, JR.

C ARL W. TIMPSON, JR.

ACROSS

JR.

ELIOT S . K NOWLES

B AILEY SMITH

DR. CHRISTIANE. CRETUR

N ATIONAL LIBERTY SHIP M EMORIAL, I NC.

I.AN W ATT

MRS. I RVI 'G M. JOH SON

EDWAR D W. S, OWDOo

SON, INC. SAFE H ARBOUR CHARTERING

RA oM JosEPH F. CALLO

M RS. W . W EST FRAZIER. IV

DI ANA M AUTZ

Jo H P. STEVENSON

M RS. RA YMONDE. W ALLACE

PETER B ARTOK

B ERNARD D ONNELLY

JAMES E. PALMER

B os B ALDWIN

TH E

D ONALD W. PETIT

H ARRY W . G ARSCHAGEN

MRS. G ODWIN J . PELISSERO

STANLEY R. COWELL

JACOB C. RAR DIN PETER ROWNTREE GEORGE

LB CORPORATION

TH OMAS F RO CEK TH E R um R. H on/

KATHLEEN KROM

D AV ID J. M CB RIDE

M EMORIAL F u D

AM ERICAN M ERCHANT M AR INE AND ARMED G UARD V ETERANS, SS STEPHEN H OP KI NS CHAPTER

H. D ALE H EMMERDINGER

K EN K EELER

Ill , USN (RET)

RICHAR D K. PAGE

FR ANK

C APT .J. H OLLIS B OWER, JR. C APT. R. A. B OWLI 'G,

BRUCE G ODLEY

B RIAN SCOTT H EGARTY STEVEN KALIL

RICHARD M AURER

C APT. G.M. M US ICK

M R.

WILLI AM G. M ULLER

M. R OSENBLATT

PAUL F. B ALSER

CDR. L ELAND F. EsTES,

S. FORD,

JAKOB ISBRANDTSEN

STEPHANIE SMITH

V ENTURA COUNTY M AR ITIME M USEUM

c. ROBERT ALLEN, III

D OMINIC A. D EL AURENTIS, MD

LCDR B ARBARA A. GILMORE, U SN ( R ET)

H ENRY B URGESS M R. WI LLIAM

M ARSHALL STREIBERT

C APT. EDWARD M. B URNES JOHN M. B UTLER

JULES COMPERTZ FLEDER

JR.

M ORRIS,

H OWARD E . HIGHT

R OBERT PAULUS

R OOSEVELT

L AU RENCE URDANG

& CHRI STI NE ATTARDO

M RS. R OBERT S. ERSK.JNE, JR.

CH ARLES PAYME 'T

B RADFORD D.

MRS. ELLICE M c D ONALD, JR .

CORINTHIAN YACHT C LUB OF PHILADELPHIA

P. S. D EB EAUMONT

H AVEN

B OSTON M ARINE SOCIETY

EDWARD G . BROWNLEE

Au x TH ORNE

ALICE D ADOUR IAN

. H OUGHTON

J. M . KAPLAN F u ' D

W ARREN M ARR . II

R ICHARD

W ALTER H . PAGE

B ARBARA E VERTON

STOLT PARCEL T ANKERS [ NC.

MRS.

H AROLD KAPLAN, JR.

EW Y ORK

c. MONAHAN

RJCHARD W. B ESSE

JR.

C OL. TH OMAS PATCH

us I NDUSTRIES, I NC.

ROBERT ARMES

M ARGARET SIECK

JR.

W ALTER CRONK ITE

R ODNEY

I NTERNATIONAL L ONGSHOREMEN ' S ASSOCIATION

JAMES

WILLI AM F. B AC HMAIER

M ELBOURNE SMITH

PATRONS

D AN

MR S. D . L. F LEISCHMANN

R OYAL J . H OLLY

D A 'IEL K . THORNE FOUNDATION. I NC. SAMUEL THORNE. JR. TI SBURY T OWING

R EYNOLDS DU PONT,

M URI EL H . PAR RY

ALFR ED TYLER, II

M R.

D OROTHY PACKER

WI LLIAM G. WINTERER

PORT A UTHORITY OF N EW Y ORK AND N EW JERSEY

& MRS. & M RS.

M c A LLISTER BROS. T OWING . I NC.

G 00Dw1 M EMORIAL C APT. FRED C. H AWK INS

M ARC S. COHN

JEAN K . ECKERT

TH E HISTORY CHAN EL

C. H AM ILTON SLOAN F OUNDATION

Loo~11S FOUNDATION MR.

CAPT. W ARREN G. L EBACK

MR .

R ALPH M.

JR.

M RS. G EORGE F. CLEMENTS,

MRS. SCOTT W. D u 'CA '

MRS. JOHN H . P AES

C. &

MARh E SOCIETY OF

NDATION

B RYAN OLIPHANT

THOMAS N. STANFORD EDMUND A. STANLEY, MR .

M AITLAND

H OWARD SLOTNICK

JAMES A. M ACDONALD F OUNDATIO

RONALD L. O SWALD

LTCOL W ALTER E . JoRGENSEN

PETER M A IGAULT

A . H ERBERT S AN DWEN

PETER V. W ALL

MR.

B RAD H INTZ

L AWRE 'CE S. H UNTI 'GTON

RI CHARDO R . L OPES

ROSE L AIRD M c D ONALD

DR.

C APT . PA L R . H ENRY

G ERHARD E . K URZ

NORTON LILLY I NTERNATIONAL

ALEXANDER ZAGOREOS

D AVID A. O 'NEIL

ClNEGRAM MEDIA

D REXEL A QUA T ECH OLOG IES

STEPHEN H . JoHNSON

KATE M ANN ING

TH E L ANCER G ROUP

WILLI AM H. WHITE

ALAN B URROUGH

K RISTI 'A JOHNSON

RI CHARD T . DU MOULIN

RICHARD R ATH M EMORIAL F UND

G YE .

EW Y ORK STATE O FFICE OF PARKS. R ECREATION

L EONARD J. B ALABAN TH E B ASCOM FouNDATION ALLEN G. B ERRIEN D ONALD M. B1R EY M RS. M. R HODES Bu sH, JR. M. RHODES BusH,

A 'NE H. JoLLEY F OUNDATION. I 'C.

M R.

E STATE OF W ALTER J . PETTIT, SR.

I NA SH APIRO

THE FURTHERMORE ... Fu ' D

EW Y ORK STATE BRIDGE AUTHORITY

E DWARD G. ZELi SK Y

W ALTER R . B ROWN

EDWA RD A. D ELMAN

COPELAND

G RACE D OHERTY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

JAMES H . BROUSSARD JOHN C. Co uCH ELI ZABETH S. H OOPER FOUNDAT ION PATR ICK J. G ARVEY JoHN

B AS IL F . H ARRISON M EMORIAL F UND

TIM COLTON

D AVID M. MILTON TR UST

M ARI NE SOCIETY OF TH E CITY OF NEW YORK C APT . J EAN W ORT

JOHN C. B OGLE

DONORS

H ENRY L.

M c GRAW, JR.

ALFRED B RITTA IN Ill

PLANKOWNERS