Sea History 131 - Summer 2010

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No. 131

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

134 SUMMER 2010

SEA HISTORY:

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


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SEA HISTORY

No. 13 1

SUMMER2010

CONTENTS by Klondike Gold, by Dr. Louis A. Norton In 1897, Gold Rush fever made its way to Massachusetts, and a group of Gloucester fisherman figured their chances ofstriking it rich were as good as any They bought a fishing schooner and headed around Cape Horn for the Klondike, only to discover that fishing for gold was much harder than the fishing they were accustomed to.

8 Gloucester Fishermen Baited

12 HISTORIC SHIPS ON A L EE SHORE: What to Do with the Evelina M. Goulart? by Deirdre O'Regan

Visitors to the Essex Shipbuilding Museum can get a look at the 1927 fishing vessel Evelina M . Go ul art, high and dry under the cover ofa corrugated tin roof but otherwise exposed to the elements. She is the last surviving "transitional" schooner built in Essex during the years when the fishing industry was moving away from sail and dory fishing and towards diesel engines and trawling gear. She's been deteriorating in this location for years, and it has come to the point where she has to be either stabilized or dismantled.

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16 Sea Cloud's Nine Lives, by Caprain Todd Burgman

The spectacular four-masted barque Sea C lo ud is still plying the seas in grand fashion, as she did during her first incarnation as a private yacht. She's been a private yacht, a weather observation ship in World Wtzr II, a toy for a ruthless dictator, a school ship, and even a derelict. Today, she's one ofthe rare ships where both passengers and crew get to experience square-rig sailing on a big scale on an historic tall ship. 12

22 MARINE ART: Don Demers and A. D. Blake Take On the Great Ocean Races by J. Russell Jinishian

Marine artists Don Demers and A. D. Blake have independently taken on some ofthe same subjects in their paintings, giving us their personal interpretation oftwo of the great ocean races: the Newport Bermuda Race and the 1866 TransAtlantic Race. 28 Thrashing to Bermuda on the Oldest Ocean Race, by John Rousmaniere

The "thrash to the onion patch, "the oldest ocean race, gets underway on 18 June from Newport, Rhode Island. Veteran racer and yachting historian j ohn Rousmaniere shares with us his thoughts on the race's history and some of its memorable moments. Cove r:

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Bolero off St. David's Light, Bermuda, 1954 by Donald Demers

Designed by Olin Stephens, Bolero has competed in many of the major ocean races for more than fifty years. The 73-ft. yawl has also been a popular subject for marine artists. See pages 22-26 to view two contemporary artists' interpretations of Bolero's performance in the 1954 and 1956 Bermuda Race.

DEPARTMENTS 2

DECK Loe AND LETTERS

6 NMH S: A CAUSE IN MOTION 30 Sea H istory FOR Kms 34 M ARITIME HISTORY ON THE INTER

ET

36 41 43 48

SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS CALENDAR REVIEWS

Sea History and rhe National Maritime Historical Society Sea History e-mail: edirorial@seahisrory.org; NMHS e-mail: nmh s@seahisrory.org; Web sire: www.seahisro ry.org . Ph: 914 737-7878; 800 221-NMHS MEMBERSHIP is in vi[ed. Afrerguard $10,000; Benefacror $5,000; Plankowner $2,500; Spo nsor $1,000; Donor $500; Parron $250; Friend $100; Con rriburor $75; Family $5 0; Regular $35 .

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PATRO NS

All members ou rside rhe USA please add $10 for posrage. Sea History is senr ro all members. Individual copies cosr $3.75.

SEA HISTORY (issn 0146-9312) is published quarrerly by rhe Nation al Maritime Hisrorical Sociery, 5 John Walsh Blvd ., POB 68, Peekskill NY 10566. Periodicals posrage paid ar Peekskill NY 10566 and add'! mailing offices. COPYRIGHT Š 2010 by rhe Nari onal Mari[ime Hisrorical Society. Tel: 914-737-7878. POSTMASTER: Send address chan ges ro Sea History, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566.

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY


DECK LOG Catching up with our President Emeritus Peter Stanford

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any of you inquire after Peter Stanford, who was at the helm here some 31 years. We're overdue for an update. Peter has had some major health problems this past year and is recovering from a serious session in the hospital as a start-off to 2010. Now regaining his vigor, he and his wife Norma are happily at work finishing their book on the founding years of the South Street Seaport Museum. A Venture in South Street tells how New Yorkers launched the Seaport Museum in a battle against the odds, with Peter as its first president. The Seaport Museum has just made him an honorary trustee. Once the book is at the publisher, Peter wants to launch an occasional "old geezers" item in Sea History, relating some of his past adventures. H e thinks of calling this feature Around the Ca bin Lamp. He has the lamp from his and Norma's old schooner Athena to lend substance to the title, a brass confection fashioned in 1911, an epoch Peter calls "the Dreadnought era," for reasons he's delighted to discuss. ~ Peter's main concern is the sad state history has drifted into in the public mind. "To say 'That's history,"' he notes, "now means it's a dead issue, whereas years ago this meant 'That's something worth knowing!' Sea H istory follows Samuel Eliot Morison's dictum: 'A maritime historian should go to sea'-with fresh on-deck reporting. This brings life and authenticiry to our work. But I feel we need to be doing more to show maritime history's shaping role in world history." For example, Peter asks: "Who knows that free black seamen helped Frederick Douglass escape from slavery to take leadership of the African-American liberation movement, decades before black freedom was achieved in America? I know of no school that tells that story, by not casting a wide enough contextual net to bring in a great and instructive catch." He suggests this example offers an opportuniry for historians to show how the maritime communiry Peter Stanford in June 2 004 aboard the fosters change across oceans. QE2, a maritime historian going to sea. NMHS C h airman Ronald Oswald, in accepting the James A. Kelly Award presented by India House Foundation to Peter Stanford, spoke of Peter's "passion for the larger picture of the maritime heritage." We can't wait to hear more! -Burchenal Green, President 2

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NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PUBLISHER'S CIRCLE: Perer Aron, W illiam H. Whire OFFICERS & T RUSTEES: Chairman, Ronald L. Oswald; Vice Chairman, Richard o R. Lopes; President, Burchena1 Green; Vice Presidents, D eirdre O 'Regan, Nancy Schnaa rs; Treasurer, H. C. Bowen Sm irh; Secretary, 1h omas F. Daly; Trustees, Charles B. And erso n, Walrer R. Brown, James Can er, David S. Fowler, V irgi ni a Sreele Grubb, Karen Helmerson , Sreven W. Jones, Roberr Kamm , Richard M. Larrabee, Guy E. C. Maidand, John R. McDonald Jr., James J. McNamara, W illiam Pin kney, Richard Scara no , Philip J. Shapiro, Perer H. Sharp, H oward Slomi ck, Bradford D. Smirh, Cesare Sorio, Philip ]. Websrer, Daniel W. Whalen, William H . W hire; Chairmen Emeriti, Walrer R. Brown, Al an G. C hoa re, Guy E. C. Maidand, Craig A. C. Reyno lds, H owa rd Slomick; President Emeritus, Perer Sranford FOUNDER: Karl Korrum (191 7-1996) OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown; Clive Cussler, Richard du Moulin , Alan D. Hurchiso n, Jakob Isbrandrsen, Gary Jobson, Sir Robin Knox-Johnsro n, John Lehman, Warren Marr II, Brian A. McAllisrer, John Sro barr, Wi lliam G. Winrerer NMH S ADVISORS: Chairman, Melbourne Smirh; D. K. Abbass, George Bass, Oswald L. Bren, RADM Joseph F. Callo, Francis J. Duffy, John W Ewald, Timothy Foote, W illiam Gilkerson, "Thomas Gillmer, Steven A. Hyman, J. Russell Jin ishian, H ajo Knurtel, Gunn ar Lundeberg, Joseph A. Maggio, Co nrad Milsrer, Wi lliam G. Muller, Smarr Parnes, Lori Dillard Rech, Nancy Hughes Richardson, Ben Rogers, Joyce Huber Sm ith SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Chairman, T imo thy J. Runyan; Norma n J . Brou wer, Roberr Brown in g, W illiam S. Dudley, Daniel Finamore, Kevin Fosrer, John Odin Jensen, Josep h F. Meany, Lisa No rling, Carla Rahn Phillips, Walter Rybka, Quenrin Snediker, W illiam H . Whire NM H S STAFF: Executive Director , Burchenal Green; Membership Director, Nancy Schnaars; Marketing Director, Sreve Lovass-Nagy; Communications Director, Julia Church; Accounting, Jill Romeo; Store Sales & Volunteer Coordinator, Jane Maurice SEA HISTORY: Editor, Deirdre O ' Regan; Advertising Directo r, We nd y Pagg iotra; Editor-at-Large, Perer Sranford

SEA HISTORY 131 SUMMER 20 10


LETTERS Tramp Steamers in Recent Service enjoyed reading Ian Marshall's article regarding "extinct" tramp steamers (Sea History 129, Winter 2009- 10). While the steam-powered tramp ship may indeed now be extinct, they lasted a little longer than most people think. I was Chief Mate on one, SS Wilson , for about five years, ending in 2004. The Wilson continued to run until mid-2008, when she was scrapped. Her sister ship, SS Cleveland, ran until early 2009. These two ships were steam powered, 'tween deck vessels, very much like those described in Mr. Marshall's article. Called by many "C-5" cargo ships, they were 606-ft.-long, 16,000 GRT, and had two boilers that generated about 24,000 horsepower. Loaded, they could make 18 .5 knots and light up to 2 1 knots-fast for ships of their day. The Wilson was built in 1968 for the American Mail Lines and later worked under the American President Lines and Lykes Lines banners. Sealift, Inc., acq uired her in the mid- l 990s and was very successful running her and her sister, SS Cleveland (acquired by Sealift some years earlier), for a number of years. These vessels each had seven hatches, between one and four 'tween decks, and ten deep ranks-liquid cargo tanks equipped with opening tops to allow dry goods to be carried in them as well. The cargo was all loaded with derrick booms, twenty-four of them in twelve pairs, plus a heavy-lift boom for seventy-ton lifts. All that gear and her decks looked quite imposing to new crewmembers, but everything generally worked well and she could move cargo fairly quickly, even in the most "rustic" of ports arou nd the wo rld. There was even a passenger deck with a lounge and separate card room and library, although as a Sealift vessel we generally did not carry passengers for hire. These two American-flag merchant ships mostly worked the grain trades for the last ten years or so, bringing food aid to various countries, but we would take almost anything to almost anywhere. I very much enjoyed my time on the Wilson, and I often claim it was the best job I ever had. We carried bagged food (rice, beans, flour etc.), bulk grain, vegetable oil in cases or drums, ammunition, construction SEAHISTORY 131, SUMMER2010

We Welcome Your Letters! Write to the editor at editorial@seahistory.org or by mail to: Editor, Sea History, 7 Timberknoll Rd., Pocasset, MA 02559. equipment, military equipment of all kinds, mobile cranes, boats, and even a few modern containers. While the ships often loaded in the US Gulf states, they made their way all around the globe, in ports large and small. Their strength was their flexibility and independence-very

SS W ilson loading, in Lake Charles, LA (2004) . SS C leveland is also loading behind her. But for the cars on the edge of the picture, this could have been taken 40 years ago! (below) SS Wilson on the beach, about to be scrapped (2008).

handy when taking cargo to third-world impoverished countries with little infrastructure one day, and picking up vario us pieces of military equipment the next. That kind of varied cargoes and wide-ranging destinations is unusual these days. The different challenges brought on by our ever-changing circumstances is what most of us loved abo ut the job. The classic lines and old feel of the vessels was the other part we appreciated dai ly. When asked by folks back home what kind of ship I worked on, I often replied "a museum ship." But these ships earned their keep right up to the end. They were only recently sold to scrap, victims of high fuel costs and increasing shipyard bills that made extending their lives an infeasible economic option. Bur to those of us who were lucky enough to have spent time with these two ships, they will be missed and fondly remembered. I don't think there are any others like them left in the wo rld, bur I could be wro ng (many said the same thing until seeing us pull into port). Today I am captain on a general cargo vessel in the same tramp style of trade for the same company-still an interesting job that I love and on a ship I have considerable fondness for. But the lines are not as graceful and the more modern cargo gear is difficult to work with-and there is no steam in the engine! CAPTAI N Emc BECHER Ocean, New Jersey

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 Portugu ese navigators opening up the ocean world to the heroic efforts of sailors in modern-day conflicts. Each issue brings new insights and discoveries. If you love the sea, rivers,

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----------------------~ZIP _ _ _ _ __ Return to: National Maritime Historical Society, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566

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Fond Memories of SS Borinquen The last iss ue of Sea H istory (1 30, Spring 201 O) answered a questio n that has occasionally popped in to my head over the past 64 yea rs: "What ever happened to SS Borinquen?" I have fond m emories of my return from the ETO afrer WWII o n the Borinquen in January of 1946, even though it was a rough thirteen days in the N o rth Atlantic. M y service was with th e 26th Infantry Division (Yankee Divisio n), 104 th regim ent, where I served as a riflem an and MP during the war and bandsman during the occupation. As my points total accrued , I was assigned to the 756 th Division fo r the return . I often also wo nder what happened to the SS Argentina, which took the Yankee Division to France in August of

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1944. In the photo , I am on the left, aft on the Borinquen's A-D eck, 8 January 1946 . BoB WAssuNG East Lyme, C onnecticut

Sailing-the Best Bargain in Town Yo ur always engaging publication reached a new height in my m em ory with the Spring iss ue. When I first moved to the Boston area [from the Lake C hamplain valley] to see if I could support myself in life, I was fortun ate to find the C ommunity Boat C lub. It was, and still is, the bes t bargain in town . Though I did some instru ction wo rk at C BC, I had never h eard the story of Joe Lee. I now have that inform ation and am forever in debt to his mem ory for providing this co untry bumpkin with a hom e away fr om home. H. BROWN BALDWIN Boxford, Massachusetts Luxury Cruising under Square Rig My wife and I we re the very lucky winners of the cruise on Royal Clipp er at las t year's (2009) N MHS Annual Awa rds Dinner raffie. We just returned from o ur Caribbean

Royal Clipper

cruise in the Leeward Islands aboard the five-mas ted Sailing Passenger Vessel (SPV) Royal Clipper. This was indeed a trip of a lifetime. W atching the sails being raised on five m as ts from the deck of this 439fo ot massive sailing ship is a never-to-beforgotten experience. There was sno rkeling in warm and clean wa ters at anchor and always wonderful food and fri endly companions. The photo (above) is one of the shots we took of the Royal Clipper under full sail-42 in all. On beh alf ofNMHS, we would like to thank the Star C lippers for donating this wonderful trip for last year's raffie in support of the work of the Society and to recommend this trip, or any other Star Clippers voyage, to o ur fellow N MHS m embers. ROBERT KAMM, TRUSTEE, NM H S New York C ity

Buying Haitian Art I was intri gued when I saw the Spring 2010 issue of Sea H istory practically jumping out of my m ailbox. The front cover is certainly a departure from the usual style, but it is worth a lot more than just a pretty picture. Dram ati c, colorful, vibrant, chao tic-all ways to describe Haiti today. W ith so m any worthy causes pulling at o ur heart strings (and our wallets) , a good way to help is to support the H aitians' efforts to help themselves . Yo u can support a wo rthy cause and co me away with a piece of o riginal art as well. A win-win situatio n. Also, I had not realized, or perhaps I hadn't been paying attention, that H aiti's maritime culture is so much mo re th an the flimsy watercraft overstuffed with desperate would-be immigrants we som etimes see on the ni ghtly news. Th anks fo r opening my eyes to a positive view of that troubled country. M ATT RICCARDI Brooklyn , New York SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMME R 2010


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NMHS: A CAUSE IN MOTION Clive Cussler to receive the Award of Distinction Ninth Maritime Heritage Conference

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15-19 September 2010, Baltimore, Maryland Novelist Clive Cussler will be the inaugural recipient of Seagoing Heritage." The conference will tackle how histhe newly-introduced Award of Distinction at the tory can reawaken the general public's consciousness Ninth Maritime Heritage Conference taking place of what the maritime world means to us all, both this September in Baltimore. Cussler will speak at in history and today. the luncheon banquet on Thursday, 16 SeptemGuest speakers expected include Maryland ber, about the organization he founded, National Senators Benjamin Cardin, sponsor ofan act comUnderwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) and memorating the Star Spangled Banner and War of will describe NUMA's significant underwater 1812, and Barbara Mikulski, who is involved in discoveries, most notably CSS Hunley. ocean conservation, science, and heritage issues. The Maritime Heritage Conference takes Conference planners will be taking advanplace every third year, and this year's gathering tage of Baltimore's rich maritime resources, as of some 600 maritime heritage professionals well as the historical sites in nearby Washington, and enthusiasts from around the world should DC, to offer a variety of historic ship tours, be the largest to date. r behind-the-scenes museum tours, and receptions. Program chair Dr. David Winkler is schedThe Ninth MHC will get underway, literally, late uling an outstanding series of panels covering a !liillS9', ~ in the afternoon on Wednesday, 15 September, with broad range of topics to the conference theme: "The a harbor cruise welcoming reception aboard the MaritimeNexus-Re-connectingLandsmen with their historic Liberty Ship SS john W Brown.

Maritime Derita e

Thursday, 16 September: On Thursday morning Admiral John C. Harvey Jr., USN, Commander Fleer Forces, will kick off rhe conference plenary session wirh a discussion on War of 1812 commemoration plans, and Clive Cussler will speak ar rhe luncheon banquer. Thar evening, USS Constellation and Hisroric Ships in Balrimore will hosr arrendees ar a gala reception and offer behind-rhe-scenes rours of rhe Constellation, USCGC Taney, USS Torsk, Lightship Chesapeake (LV-116), Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, and other hisroric sites located in the Inner Harbor. 1he 300-ft. US Army landing ship Major General Robert Smalls (LSV 8) will be moored in the Inner Harbor for tours and events. Friday, 17 September: Attendees will have the oprion ro travel by bus to Washingron DC for exclusive rours of maritime heritage treasures in the nation's capital, interpreted by expert guides. Included will be opportunities ro see the maritime holdings of the National Archives, newly renovated maritime section of the National Museum of American History exhibit "On the Water: Stories from Maritime America," Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian and the hisrorical activities at the National Museum of the United States Navy and Cold War Gallery in the Navy Yard. This $75 add-on has limited space, making early reservations a priority for rhose interested. The group will continue on ro a reception at the newly renovated US Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, where rhey will be joined by remaining conference arrendees who will be transported ro the Naval Academy from nearby Baltimore. Naval Academy Museum Direcror Scott Harmon and Senior Curaror Jim Cheevers will be leading expert tours. Saturday, 18 September: This will be a full day of sessions and presentations and a grand evening reception will cap off the final day of sessions and meetings. Sunday, 19 September: Join the Army Historical Foundation "staff ride" to Fort McHenry ro examine the 1814 British Chesapeake campaign or pay a visit ro the NS Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship. The conference hosts-Hisroric Ships in Baltimore; the Naval Historical Foundation; Baltimore National Heritage Area; Fort McHenry National Monument and Historical Shrine; Historic Naval Ships Associarion; Maryland Historical Society; rhe National Maritime Historical Society; Narional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Pride of Balrimore, Inc.; Sail Baltimore, Inc; and rhe US Naval Insrirure- all look forward to welcoming you ro rhe conference. MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS: Look to rhe Narional Maritime Historical Society web sire www.seahistory.org for program updares. You can register for rhe conference online and book your horel room rhrough links on rhe NMHS web sire as well. Please no re rhar the block of ho rel rooms reserved ar rhe Hyarr Regency is limired: ar each of rhe previous Mari rime Heri rage Conferences, rhe hotel ran out of rooms. Register early! We look forward ro seeing you there. -Burchenal Green, NMHS President

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SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010


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For more information and reservations, contact Pauline Power by phone at 212-897-5145, or by e-mail at pauline.power@altour.com. Don't forget to mention that you saw this offer in Sea History and you want to travel with the NMHS group. AL TOUR


Gloucester Fishermen Baited by Klondike Gold by Lo uis A. No rton n 2 1 August1 896, a pros pector named Geo rge Carmack sraked a gold claim in Rabbit C reek (later known as Bonanza C reek) in the Klondike. News of the strike spread to other mining camps in the Yukon River valley, and by July 1897 the first successful northern prospecto rs arrived in San Francisco, bringing wirh rhem rales of the region's riches. Only a few days later, wo rd reached Seattle rhar rhe Klondike was yielding nuggers the size of quail eggs, and that the sands of the river were laden with gold dust. The Klondike stampede was on .

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during the 1890s. The safest and fas test roure, bur also the m os t expensive one, was traveling by rail to San Francisco, rhen findin g further transportation to the Yukon at even more infl ated pri ces. An alternative route was transpo rtation aboard a steamer or sailing vessel to the Atlantic ports along rhe Isthmus of Panama, going overland through the jungle to the Paci ficside, booking passage north to San Francisco, and finally crowding onto ye t another vessel bound for Al as ka. Then, rhere were the "Downeasters" from

Gold! We leapt from our benches. Gold! We sprang from our stools. Gold! W e wheeled in rhe furrow, Fired with fa ith of fo ols. Fearless, unfound, unfitted, Far from the night and the cold, H eard we the clarion summons, Followed the mas ter-lure -- Gold!

From "The Trail ofthe Ninety-Eight" by Robert Service When news of the 1897 gold discovery spread to the East Coasr, it was perceived as an oppo rtuni ty fo r easy riches combined with a grand adventure in many communities. People possessing a variety of skills and representing many walks of life considered immi grating ro the Wes t Coas t, and among them were New Englanders. Commonly brave, many in difficult financial straits, they were willing to gamble their lives and meager savings to seek their fortun e in the Kl o ndike. 1 h e ro ute to the gold fields was through Alas ka, and in 1897, rhe terrain had been only rudimentarily explored and mapped . The discovery of gold in this remo te area produced many popular articles, and a few technical ones, about the region . ''Alaska or Bust" was the headline in newspapers, such as the 27 July 1897 Gloucester Daily Times story tided "Frisco Gold C razy; Only Limi ted Transportation Faciliri es Prevents irs depopulation; many women in th e M ad Thro ng; every day brings new scheme to reach Klondyke (sic)." D espite the flurry of maritime activity that had accompanied the Califo rni a gold rush a half century before, there were still limi red options for getting to the Wes t Coas t

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"The First Pan," in Klo ndike: The C hicago Record's book for Gold Seekers, 1897. New England, large bu t relatively Iumbering sailing vessels, which put to sea from major East Coasr cities, bound fo r San Francisco via Cape Horn. The Cape H orn ro ute was still the domain of the sailing ship because a steamer wo uld need to refu el at South Ame rican coaling statio ns, few in number and frequently short of coal. Small refined fishing vessels and coasral packet or pilot schooners offered the most affo rdable fa res, but came with the highes t risk. Often, their captains and crews had little knowledge abour the Sourh Atlanti c and Pacific waters. The general downturn in rhe nation's economy in the 1890s had produced especially difficult times in New England. The chance to strike it rich , no m atrer where, was seen m ore like destiny, rather than a gamble. News of rhe gold strike caused gro ups of New England men to for m mining companies to spread rhe cost of reaching the

distant gold fields among them. They encounrered many setbacks during rhe peri lous trip; hom es ickness, disenchantment because of the length of the trip, and interpersonal tensions caused some to abandon the quest. O thers fo und them selves close to penniless when they reached California or Alas ka because they underestimated the journey's cost. A prototypical East Coast Kl o nd ike prospecto r gro up rhat journeyed around rhe H o rn to the N orthern Pacific and Alaska was rhe Gloucester Mining Co mpany of M assachusetts. It was conceived and founded by one of the city's local heroes, the legendary H oward Blackburn, a man who had fam ously defied dearh when pitted aga in st rhe dangers of the sea. In January 1883 , Blackburn had survived an ordeal at sea when his dory was separated and lost fro m rhe fishing schooner Grace L. Fears so me fo rty miles off the coas t of N ewfo undland. His do ry mate died, and Blackburn survived by purposely letting his fin gers freeze to the oars in a curved position so that he co uld m aintain the grip to row. It took him five days, and he ultimately lost all of hi s fin gers and most of his toes to frostbite. Back in G loucester, Blackburn opened a successful cigar store and saloon. In 1897 Blackburn , who had o nly limited sea-time as a dory fis h erman, decid ed to becom e a shi p's captain and leader of a minin g co mpany venrure. During the 1849 C alifornia Gold Rush, five local schooners had sailed around Cape Horn headed for the gold field s. This gave Blackburn the idea that he, too, could take a schooner to Pacifi c wa ters. 1he saloon keeper set out to o rganize a group of invesrors under the fi nancial umbrella of the Glo ucester M ining Company, an idea that swamped Blackburn wirh inquires . Frank need, an oppo rtuni ty fo r adventure, and a touch of ava rice attracted many candidates. To become a m ember of the mining company, appli cants had to have enough m oney to purchase shares, seamanship skills to sail a schooner around Cape Horn, and rhe abili ty to m ake the transition from sailor to land-based prospector. The rough ly 18,000-mile jo urney cost each m ember $25 0 (or ro ughl y $9,000 in today's dolla rs) . Blackburn personally interviewed each applicant, selecting nineteen m en as crew, and fi ve supernumeraries who would SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER2010


journey overland by train to join them for the last leg of the passage to Alaska. Blackburn, realizing his limitatio ns as a mariner, wisely recrui red experienced seamen as second and third mates for his trip. Solomo n Jacobs, a renowned local mackerel fisherm an, said in a Gloucester Daily Times (27 July 1897) interview about Blackburn that "people do indeed like pluck. There's something about a plucky m an . . . which is contagious. They carry with them the power, which brings success .... M en with m oney to loan look for good plucky men with whom to make their investments." He also commented that "many of those who go to the Klondike this winter are in imminent danger of starvation ." Blackburn's Glo ucester Mining C ompany bought the 110-foot fishing schooner Hattie I Phillips. Built in 1885 for $2, 500, she carried a dozen dories on deck. They also bought a 50-fr. steam launch , the Eclipse, which they wo uld carry in sections in the hold. This fiat-bottomed vessel drew three feet ofwater and could take as many as twenty men and their gear up the shallow winding rivers they expected to encounter once they reached the Alaskan coast. The Eclipse was fitted with iron protectors on each side of the propeller to lessen the chance of breaking the delicate steam propulsion system in the ice. By the time the ship's company set

The H attie I. Phillips setting sail far the Klondike, from Gloucester, 18 October 1897. sail, th e ori ginal crew had dwindled to sixteen . Blackb urn's first m ate was the 45-year-old John H arris, who had m ade the voyage aro und Cape H orn twice in the 188 0s. Peter Rice, a ve teran Grand Banks fisherman, served as the second m ate. Fred N elson, a ship's cook and the first to sign up, wo uld prove a vital member of the crew for his abili ty ro maintain morale. In addition Blackburn signed on seasoned fish ermen, such as Charley Strandberg and Elridge Wolfe, and 2 1-year-old Fred H ead, son of a well-known G louces ter skipper. Carpenters C harley Clark and Les Cavanaugh from nearby Manchester wo uld be useful fo r maintaining the Phillips and Eclipse, as well as helping with the mining structures and o ther building needs of the company once the sailing compo nent was completed. Fifty-two-year-old W ill M urray was a Rockport granite quarry laborer, and would be knowledgeable about rock removal in mining. Machinist Clem Pelly of

South Boston would be helpful in engine repair of the Eclipse and other mechanical devices. Rounding out the crew were others whose useful credentials for the venture we re less clear: Clarence Towle (also listed as D owie) of Buxton, M aine, a brick mason; Lew Berry of C harlestown, Massachusetts, a store clerk; Otis Rowell (also listed as Boswell) of Stoneham, M assachusetts, a shoem aker; Steve Sponagle, a barber; and 19-year-old Fred Story of Glouces ter w ith no listed occupation or skill. There's a race of men that don't fit in, A race that can't stay still; So they break the hearts of kith and kin, And they roam the world at w ill. They range the field and they rove the flood, And they climb the mountain's crest; Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood, And they don't know how to rest.

From "The Men That Don't Fit In" by Robert Service

(left) Howard Blackburn either felt a repeated needfar Jame or a similar need toprove his masculinity in spite of his physical handicap. Once Blackburn returned to Gloucester he became an obsessed voyager. He made a single-handed voyage across the A tlantic Ocean in a 3 0-faot fishing sloop, Great Western, in 62 days sailing.from Gloucester, A1A., to Gloucester, England. Blackburn made a second single-handed voyage in a 25-faot sloop, the G reat Republic, reaching Lisbon, Portugal in 39 days. He made more solo long distance voyages, some successfal some not, but he was never discouraged. In 19 03 he tried to sail across the Atlantic in a 16faot Swampscott sailing dory grandly named America, but returned after encountering three successive gales. At the age of72, Blackburn was planning one more solo transAtlantic cruise to the Mediterranean. Because ofhis doctor's good sense and his wife's pleas, it was never executed. Howard Blackburn died in Gloucester on 4 November 1932 subsequent to a paralytic stroke. SE A HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010

9


The Phillips encountered unsettled weather when it entered the Gulf Stream. The storm escalated into a raging hurricane, bur the battered Phillips was seaworthy and rhe equally bartered seamen proved themselves competent. The remainder of the voyage south to rhe Horn challenged them wirh inrermi ttent gales and occasional doldrums but did nor become frightening until they reached the Strait of Magellan. There, rhe crew struggled against fierce winds, strong currenrs, and towering waves to pass the stark Cape Virgin and Tierra de! Fuego to Punta Arenas, Chile, where they put in for rest, repairs, and provisions. In Winchester's Experience on a Voyagefrom Lynn, Punta Arenas, they found a buyer for their Mass. to San Francisco, Cal and to the Alaskan coal who was willing to purchase their balGold Fields, 1900). last at a good price. As rhe Phillips headed After a summer of preparations, the Hat- into rhe sou rhern Pacific, rhey encountered tie I. Phillips was ready to set sail to deliver a violenr squalls called williwaws, bur rhe group ofGloucestermen to join the roughly intrepid voyagers took these storms in stride 40,000 others bound for the Klondike. All and sailed relatively uneventfully to San rhe costs and profits of the expedition were Francisco. to be apportioned among the shareholders The voyage proved remarkably swift. of the mining company. Ifa member became The Phillips sailed from Gloucester to San ill, he would still receive an equal share. If Francisco in 129 days, which included the he died, the allotment would pass on to six-day layover in Punta Arenas. This was a his family. The Phillips was ballasted with respectable passage for any vessel, let alone bituminous coal, a relatively scarce resource a fishing schooner under the command of in South Atlantic pons that could be sold at a novice captain and crew. a profit or bartered for fresh supplies. The The San Francisco of 1898 was a chaotic schooner cast off in the afternoon on 18 place, but the Gloucester prospectors were October 1897. A crowd of spectators filled able to take some much-needed rest and the docks, the salr-fish stages, roofs, and enjoy what recreation was available. Three windows of harborside buildings to look days after his arrival, Blackburn wrote to on and wish rhe Gloucester Mining Com- his friend Dr. William Hale: "Things are a pany expedition well. Blackburn planned little differenr rhan I expected, but I believe to sail from Gloucester in the autumn so rhat we will come out on top. I see by rhe as to reach "the Horn" during rhe southern San Francisco papers rhat a large number of hemisphere's summer. To defray expenses, vessels are on their way here. It is an underrhe company hoped to rake on cargo bound taking rhar requires patience and perseverfor San Francisco and, once in California, ance. People here say that nor over one per take on paying passengers headed north for cent of rhe men who go to Alaska will ever Alaska, just as the Northern hemisphere sum- find gold. Ir looks like a slim chance, but mer was beginning. Most of the Alaskan ice we will take it." Since so many vessels from would have melted out of the meandering around the world were using San Francisco Yukon and Koyukuk River complexes. Once as a stopover before traveling north to the there, they hoped to sell their schooner to gold fields, Blackburn and his crew rho ugh t the highest bidder, assemble the Eclipse and, rhar they could profitably use the Phillips to wirh their dories in tow, make their way to freight heavy equipment up rhe coast and rhe gold fields and their fortunes. If they haul lumber from logging camps while rhey could not find a buyer for the Phillips in rhe waited for fair weather farther north. Alaskan port of St. Michael, they would sail When the Phillips sailed to Oregon the schooner as a coastal freighter between to pick up a load of building material for more southerly ports and Alaska while a transport to San Francisco, men in Astoria, portion of the company went on to the gold Oregon, tried to dissuade rhe New Engfields. landers from joining the gold rush. The A member of the Lynn Mining Company gave the flavor of the 1897 gold rush times: "It was in the month of August when mywife .. . [read]ofa woman in Klondike who took out with her dish-pan sixty dollars a pan after her husband's first washing, began to get the gold fever . ... Being a sea-faring man, I began to see my way to Alaska. After devising schemes of all kinds that failed to meet the requirements needed, I read in the papers [rhatacompanywas being organized] to go out to rhe gold-fields . . .. [There was opportunity] in Alaska, where a poor man could drive his stakes with no millionaire bosses to say that he should not." (Capt. JD.

10

Gloucestermen were sailing along rhe coastal Pacific Ocean rhar was teeming with fish; the fortune rhey sought was likely as close as the waters beneath their keel. Of course, rhe Astoria men's argument was no remedy for that pernicious disease known as "Klondike gold fever." The Phillips crewmen loaded their cargo and returned to San Francisco. As time passed, patience started to wear rhin. The New Englanders soon realized rhey were in dire need of cash to survive in the inflated gold fever economy. Bitter financial disputes frequently arose among rhe shipmates of the Gloucester Mining Company. While the bickering continued, Blackburn wired east for the rest of the mining company to join them overland. Charles Swinson, a carpenter, and engineer John Wennerberg would help assemble and maintain the Eclipse; and contractor W N. Grant might help negotiate with the profiteers at St. Michael. In desperation, the Gloucestermen agreed to sell their schooner at a bargain price, but they found no buyers. Disgruntled party members called a meeting and voted to sell shares in their venture to local would-be prospectors for cash. That action split the integrity of the original company and led to a shift in its leadership. Blackburn was dismissed as the expedition's leader and ignominiously returned across the country by rail. The remainder of the splintered company sailed to St. Michael, assembled the Eclipse, and set out to make their fortunes. By then it was already autumn. The Phillips was finally sold and made its new owners a profit taking early returnees from the Klondike back to San Francisco. The Hattie I. Phillips eventually ended her days as a Mexican coaster. The increasingly cold Alaskan autumn days and onslaught of an early winter rook a physical toll on all of the members of the company. The Eclipse, which they had hauled all the way from New England, proved to be a poor icebreaker. The river, fraught with shoals and boulders, caused the vessel to break down constantly. It rook the expedition sixty days to push their way up rhe Koyukuk River about 400 miles to rhe junction of rhe Allenkakat (Alarna) River. Although Blackburn had rhe foresight to pack a spare propeller for the Eclipse, both propellers were irreparably damaged during rhe arduous trip upriver. The little steamer had to be abandoned to rake on a new role as their riverside supply base. The fishing

SEA HISTORY 131, SUMMER 20 l 0


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Map Showing Routes from San Francisco to Alaska and the Klondike, The A laska Exploration Company, 1891. What becam e of the remainder of the dories could not navigate in a river overrun with huge boulders. Food was running low, Gloucester Mining Co mpany? The fishershe!ter proved inadequate, and some essential man Charley Strandberg froze to death while attempting to reach the stranded mining tools had been lost or srolen. The men discovered that the work of Eclipse for supplies-the only man to die findin g and retrieving gold was incredibly during rhe expedition . Fred Story returned difficult. Most of the precious metal was to G loucester late in spring 1899 , where he located well below the ground's surface. In purchased a new propeller for the Eclipse. In summertime, the prospectors had to dig June, he boarded a train back to the West through the semi-thawed permafrost. The Coast in the hope of findin g his shipmates gold-bearing material had to be slui ced and repairing their vessel. C harley Swinson through rhe fri gid water to separate the returned home that O ctober to report rhar railings from rhe ore-impossible work in rhe bitterly cold winter had accelerated their rhe Alaskan winter. Most gold prospecting fai lure. When their supplies ran out, rhey enterprises rhar started with rhe gold rush gathered in rhe deep snow by the inoperable Eclipse and disbanded- the Gloucester of 1897 would end in disappointment. Mi ning Company venture a bust. The fate This is rhe Law of rhe Yukon , that of rhe rest of rhe m en is unknown, but it is o nly the Strong shall thri ve. likely rhey scattered, emp ty-handed . Some Thar surely rhe Weak shall perish , appear to have serried in Alaska, others m ay and o nly rhe Fir survive. have moved on to Was hington and Oregon Disso lute, damned and despairful, to work in the lucrative fisheries. N one crippl ed and palsied and slain , resettled in G loucester. This is the Will of the Yuko n, The ill-fated G loucester M ining ComLo, how she makes ir plain. pany typifies m any stories of East Coas t m en, adventurers who voyaged to CaliforFrom "The Law ofthe Yukon " nia, Oregon , Washington , Alas ka and on by Robert Service

SEA HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER 20 10

to the gold fields. Las t known as nam es recorded as ship's crew or on passenger lists, many disappeared in the dustbin of history. Blackburn, rhe one parti cipant who returned to Glo ucester before ever reaching rhe Kl o ndike, became a legendary figure in N ew England, continuing to leave his m ark on m aritim e history in h is pursuit of uncommon fears until his death . .!, D r. Louis Arthur Norton is a reg;ui ar contributor to Sea History. A professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut H ealth Center, Farmington, he earned his masters in history in retirement. H e has p ublished four maritime history books: Sailors' Folk Arr U nder Glass, Joshua Barney: Hero of the Revolutionary War and 18 12, N ew England's Stormalong and recently Captains Contentious: The D ysfunctional Sons of rhe Brine (see book review, page 45-46). Two of his Log of Mystic Seaport articles were awarded the Gerald E. Morris Prize for maritime historiography (2002 and 2 006). H e recently received the 2 00912010 short story fiction award from the Connecticut Authors and Publishers A ssociation.

11


HISTORIC SHIPS ON A LEE SHORE

What to do with the Evelina M. Goulart? by Deirdre O'Regan

T

he history of the celebrated G loucester fishing schooner is inextricably linked to the tiny hamlet of Essex, just up the road, or-by water-to the northwest, counterclockwise around the other side of Cape Ann. There, at the head of the narrow and twisting Essex River, a handful of shipyards built thousands of fishing vessels since the region was first settled by Europeans. Public riverfront land was des ignated as a shipbuilding site way back in 1668, and over the next three centuries, Essex earned its fame as a town of

shipwrights-equipping New England fishermen with strong seaworthy fishing vessels. In its heyday, the mid- l 800s, Essex's fifteen shipyards turned out fifty vessels a year. Of the more t han 4 ,000 vessels launched from Essex in her 350 years of shipbuilding, onl y seven still exist. Six of the seven have been, in their lifeti mes, converted forother uses and /o r substantially restored-some of them several times over. 1he seventh has not. She is the 1927 Evelina M. Goulart, the 82-to n dominant exhibit at the Essex Shipbui lding Museum. The Goulart has never been restored-patched, but not restored. As a result, if yo u are hop ing to learn about ship construction and design of historic watercraft, then she's yo ur o pportuni ty to inves tigate the real _ thing. Sounds ideal, but this is hardly ' the case. 1h e Goulart was never - restored because her salvage and return to the site from where she was launched 83 yea rs ago was the result of noble intentions and lots oflabo r, burno endow' ment, a critical missing compo nent. In 1985, the ... Goulart was o ut fishing, as she had done for

nearly sixty years, when Hurricane G loria roared up the New England coast. She suffered som e damage to her stern and limped into Fairhaven, Massachusetts, across the harb or from New Bedford. H er owners soon realized that repairing her was beyond their means. 1 h ey stripped out her engine and abandoned her. In time, she san k, still tied to the dock. Enter Captai n Bob Douglas ofMartha's Vineyard, owner of the schooners Shenandoah and Alabama (and also of the famous Black D og restaurant). A few yea rs after the Goulart settled o n the bottom, D ouglas was visiting the Essex Shipbuilding Museum when the subj ect of exhibits came up. The museum was enterraining the idea of creating an exhibit o n Essex shipbuilding that wo uld display a sectio n of a schooner's frames. Douglas mentioned that an original Essexbuilt schooner was sitting on the bottom of the harbo r back in Fairhaven and suggested they salvage som e of its parts . One thing led to ano ther and by the next year Douglas had paid for the vessel to be raised, patched and refl oated, and was having it towed up to Essex as a gift to the museum. When the Evelina M. Goulart made her return up the river, a supportive crowd had gathered to welcome her home and assist with the task of hauling her out at


At sea in sword.fishing mode: note the bowsprit with the cast iron pulpit, where the striker would stand to harpoon swordfish, and the crow's nest aloft on the foremast, where lookouts were posted to spot the fish. The bowsprit was only carried during the summer sword.fishing season. Transitional schooners like the Go ulart were powered by diesel engines and did not carry headsails. The foresail and the riding sail on the main mast were mostly used to steady the vessel at sea.

a location without a drydock o r a suitable railway. Many townspeople had an emotional response to rhe arrival of one of their nautical progenies, bur nor all of the feelings were positive. In fact, Dana Story, the son of the Gou/art's builder, legendary shipbuilder Arthur D. Story, was publicly against the whole idea. Despite the many reasons there are to preserve historic ships, there are also powerful arguments to scrap them. They usually boil down to money. Essex is a tiny town. The Essex Shipbuilding Museum is small and so is its budget. The cost of maintaining the 83-foor wooden vessel exceeds all the other museum exhibits and departments combined. To preserve the Goulart, the museum wo uld have to raise funds specifically towards this goal, separate from other museum budget items. In rhis economy, rhe success of such an ambitious fundraising campaign can hardly be ass ured. This fall will m ark the 20'h anniversary of rhe Evelina M. Gou/art's return to Essex.

The museum has do ne its best, bur despite effo rts to slow her deterioration by sealing the decks with a rubber membrane and installing a roof over her, the Goulart is collasping under its own weight. Now, the museum is faced with a difficult decision: does it pay to have the ship stabilized or does it cut its losses and have her dismantled ?

To make this decision, first we need to address why the Evelina M. Goulart is historically important. Why was it deemed worthy to save her in the first place? New England's fishing history and culture has been well documented , but mostly from the era of the fa ntastic sailing schooners rhar fished for cod from dories on the G rand Banks. Thesewere the schooners that, by rhe !are nineteenth century, starred to look mo re like racing yachts rhan working craft. 1he Goulart came afrer rhar era waned . She is co nsidered a "transitional" schoo ner-one rhar bridged the gap between fishing under sail and handlining from dories to dragging trawls behind diesel-powered vessels . Evelina M Goulart is the o nly transi rional dragger left. The sto ry of the vessel is as typical of New England's fishing history as her construction. The Gou/art's owner, Manuel Goulart, named the ship for his daughter. H e fi shed the North Atlantic w ith her for more than twenty years, but the Goulart worked hard for fifty years, fishing the North Atlantic. She was versa rile-swordfishing in the summer, trawling for groundfish in the colder wea ther. Each year at the beginning of rhe summer season, she underwent a transformation to configure her for the lucrative swordfish trade. This entailed, am o ng other changes, removing the pilothouse-needed only when trawling-and fitting the bow with a 20-foot-long bowsprit equipped with a cast iron pulpit, where a striker would perch himself to harpoon the m assive swordfish.

The Evel ina M . Goulart sunk at the wharf in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010

13


Evelina M. Go ulart returned home to Essex in 1990, 63 years after she was launched from the A. D. Story Shipyard.

When M anuel Goulart retired in 1948, the crew pooled their money, bought her and kept on fishing until time and Hurricane Gloria put an end to her productive life. When the museum accepted the Goulart from Captain Douglas, it never planned to restore her to seaworthy co nditi on- that would have been far beyond the museum's means. They hoped, rather, to stabilize the hull and maintain her as a static exhibit. She was repaired, painted, and cleaned up but not rebuilt. She has been stored as an outside exhibit, out of the water and protected, but just minimally, under a corrugated steel roof. Acco rding to Essex Shipbuilding Museum board member Barry O'Brien, it was the Goulart's arrival in Essex that set in mo tio n a series of events at the museum. Generous donations were made. Peop le came together and acquired the A. D . Story Shipyard, the last of the historic Essex shipyards. Professionals volunteered their time, expertise, and materials, and peop le started donating maritime artifacts to the museum that had been stored in family attics and basements for decades. Stories began to

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emerge. But, the Evelina M. Go ulart did not arrive with an endowment. For twenty years, the museum has done its best to preserve and interpret this vessel, but her wooden hull is deteriorating to the point where some hard choices have to be made. Preliminary estimates suggest that it will cost well into sixfigures to stabilize and farther interpret this schooner. A lternatively, it will cost tens of thousand dollars to dismantle and dispose of her, if that is the ultimate decision. This is a quandary for such a small enterprise. When you have to raise every dime for museum exhibits and programs, we have to ensure that any decision to preserve the Goulart does not jeopardize other museum p rograms and initiatives. It makes no sense to save the Goulart if it is at the expense of threatening the fature of the Museum.

To help m ake the ap pro priate and responsible decision of what to do with the EvelinaM. Goulart, the Essex Shipbuilding Museum is holding a fo ur-part symposium to investigate its options. Participants range

from museum staff to experts on the history of the Goulart and its role in the history of the No rtheast fisheries, ship preservationists, museum pro fess io nals, and individuals who have played a variety of roles in taking care of and documenting the vessel. You can catch the final presentation on 27 May 2010 at the museum , when D ana Hewson, the Vice President of Mystic Seaport's Watercraft Preservation and Programs, will join them to discuss the broader role of historic ship preservation as a museum artifact and share some experiences he's had in taking care of a Beet ofhistoric wa tercraft. Erik Ronn berg Jr. will also be there to discuss "Chainsaw Archaeology" as o ne way of preserving and interpreting historic artifacts . In the next few m onths, the museum will be actively recruiting volunteers to fo rm a steering committee to fin ally decide the fa te of the Evelina M Goulart. They welcom e your input. For m ore informat ion on the 27 May symposium and on the history of the Goulart, contact the Essex Shipbuilding Museum (Box 277, 66 Main Sr. , Essex, MA 01929; Ph. 978 768-754 1; www.essexshipbuildingmuseum.org) .

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The Evelina M. Go ulart has been well documented, both by the museum in Essex and by the H istoric American Buildings Survey/ H istoric American Engineering Record (HABSIHAER) of the National Park Service. You can view the fa ll HABSIHAER report online at www.loc.gov!pictures/collectio nlhh/, and do a search for "Evelina M Goulart."

SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010


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Sea Cloud's Nine Lives by Captain Todd Burgman ate in April 193 1, in the depths of the G reat D epressio n, the larges t and most extravagant yacht the world had ever seen slid down the ways in Kiel, Germany. O riginally christened H ussar Vand later renamed Sea Cloud, this four-mas ted auxiliary barque is arguably o ne of the m ost beautiful tall ships afloat. Commissio ned by fin ancier E. F. H utto n and his wife, heiress Marj o ri e Merriweather Post, she is o ne of the few grand yachts of that era to have survived World War II. H er legendary career has spanned nearly eigh t decades, a tes tament to her o riginal engineering and construction, and includes service as a private yacht, a war shi p, a sail trai ning ship, and today as an exclusive sailing passenger ship and charter yacht. Hutton's fa mily had owned a series of yachts called H ussar, and the New York naval architects G ibbs & Cox were hired to des ign the next in line, the Hussar V. The new yacht was to be excessive in every way: the largest, the tallest and m ost expansive sail plan, the most m odern engineering systems, the highest degree of safety achievable, and the m ost luxurious. The co nstruction contract was awarded to the Friedrich Krupp German ia Werft in Kiel, Germany, a fi rm with extensive experience in the engineerin g and construction of large commercial sailing ships. The ya rd had an excellent reputation for high q uali ty and low costs and had received o rd ers fo r over rwenty-rwo large lux ury yachts berween 1923 and 1931 (e.g. N ourmahal 1928 fo r V incem Asto r, Vagabondia 1928 for W. L. Mellon, Orion 1929 fo r Julius Forshmann, and Alva 193 1 fo r W. K. Vanderbilt). SIY Hussar was built alo ng the lines of a classic American clipper ship, with a tall and expansive sail plan, a long stern coun te r, and a cl ipper stem. She spreads over 32,000 sq. ft. of canvas o n 30 sa ils across fo ur m as ts. The total length of her ru nning and standing rigging is nearly 13.5 nauti cal miles. She has spli t to psails, topgallants, and royals, and an addi tio nal skysail on the main m ast. The fo ur lower mas ts, bowsprit, spanker gaff and boom, and the course and topsail yards are all co nstructed of steel. The upper m as ts and yards are wooden. Altho ugh a square-rigged yach t co uld already be considered

anachro nistic in the 1920s, below deck she was one of the m ost high-tech yachts ofher time. She had a highly advanced diesel-electric power pl ant, with four 800 hp Krupp four-stro ke six-cylinder diesel engines coupled to AEG generators, which in turn powered rwo 1,35 0 hp electric m otors driving rwin 9' 6" diam eter m anganese bro nze propellers. The riveted-steel hull boasted watertight compartmentalization with hydraulically o perated watertight doors, which co uld be remotely closed fro m the bridge. O ther advanced systems included one of the first shipboard autom atic dial telephone system s, a three-pipe water system, a hospital with surgical capability, and a jukebox with a m agazine of 36 reco rds, which co uld be selected and listened to from any cabin o r salon. The yacht also had 70 cubic meters of refri gerated sto rage fo r p rovisions. She carried a fleet of eighr boats including a 32-fr. owner's launch , a 26-fr. Chris-Craft, a 26-ft. motor wh ale boar, a 32-ft. rw in-screw fishing boar, a sailing dinghy, a crew gig, and rwo life boars. The interio r design could only be described as opulent. In 1929, M arj o ri e rented warehouse space in New York and had rhe G ibbs & Cox deck plans drawn our on rhe floor. She then set about collecting furnishin gs and antiques to ado rn her m agnificent new yacht. The decor included an extensive collection of original art,

(left) Hussar V, 1931, in the Hutton era; (right) Marjorie Merriweather Post's cabin was not exactly typical for sailing ship accommodations.

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SEA HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER 2010


marble fireplaces, and intricately carved wooden moldings . The magnifice nt dining room was o utfi tted wi th a m assive medi eval table and Queen Anne walnut chairs; the salon featured a classical piano fo r entertaining, and a separate sm oking cabin was built on deck for the gentlemen passe ngers. M arjo rie's personal stateroom was decorated in her favorite Lo uis XVI sryle and included a coalburning fireplace, a Victorian-sryle bed and gold-plated water raps. The Huttons first laid eyes on their new yacht in Bermuda on 30 N ovember 193 1, and they fo rmally accepted delivery at the N ew York Yacht C lub on 11 D ecember. The total cost of the yacht has been variously estimated at berween $1 and $3.5 million . The Hutton family spent about nine months a year cruising o n their new yacht to destinations such as the Caribbean , the South Pacific, the Galapagos and Alaska. They also sailed to Europe, where they entertained such dignitari es as King H aako n and Queen M aud of N orway and Sweden's monarch, King Gustav. D espite the appearance of a carefree existence at sea touring the wo rld, their marriage deteriorated and the couple divorced on 23 August 193 5. Ed Hutton transferred ownership of the yacht to M arjorie Post, who soon had the yacht registered under the new nam e of Sea Cloud. Marjorie did not rem ain single long. On 15 D ecember 1935 she married Joseph E. D avies, an international lawyer and D emocratic operati ve with extensive political contacts. Marj o rie made a very generous contributi o n to President Roosevelt's 1936 reelection campaign, and the Preside"n t subsequently offered D avies the ambassadorship to the Soviet Unio n, which he ass umed in November 1936. Before leaving for du ry, M r. and M rs. D avies honeymooned aboard Sea Cloud. During this cruise they visited Davies's legal client and fri end , th e dictator Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic. Sea Cloud was soon ordered to the Soviet Union , where she served as a fl oating (and bug-proof) embassy. She arrived in July 1937 and alternated between the Baltic po rt of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and the Black Sea port of O dessa. During this period the yacht made occasio nal cruises into European wa ters,

Both a square-rigger and a luxury yacht. Sea C loud s main deck left ample room for both chaise chairs and for the crew to handle lines at the pin rail.

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SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010

Hussar V under foll sail with a fresh breeze on her starboard quarter, 193 1. entertaining dignitaries and diplomats and also returning with provisions to re-supply the embassy at Spasso House in Moscow. In June 1938, on the eve of Wo rld War II, Ambassado r D avies was transferred to Brussels, and Sea Cloud sailed from Odessa carrying Mr. and Mrs. D avies and an extensive collection of Russian imperial art treasures that M arjori e had acquired during th eir two years in the Soviet Unio n. After th eir arrival in Belgium, the yacht was repainted from black to whi re to avoid being mistake n fo r a warship . M arjo rie considered selling rhe ship in 194 1, bur rhe wartime marker fo r lux ury yachrs had collapsed and the brokerage division of Cox & Stevens had app raised Sea Cloud at a mere $275 ,000. H ence, on 2 January 1942, the yacht was chartered fo r $ 1 per year to the US Navy for use by the Coas t Guard. Sea Cloud arrived at rhe Coas t G uard Yard in C urtis Bay, Maryland, on 11January 1942 fo r co nversion to a weather observari on ship. H er sailing rig was rem oved and a house was installed on deck for inflating weather balloo ns fo r radiosonde observations. H er armam ent included fo ur twin-mounted 40-cal iber and eight 20-cal iber machine guns, two 3-inch 50-caliber guns, 44 depth charges, and anti-s ubma rine wea po nry. She was co mmissio n ed as 17


Answering the call in World war IL Sea Cloud was leased to the Navy for $1, stripped ofher sailing rig, painted battleship gray, and turned into a seagoing weather observation vessel in the North Atlantic. Under the command ofLt. Carlton Skinner, she became the first naval ship to sail with a fully integrated crew.

CGC Sea Cloud (WPG-284) on 4 April 1942 and assigned to the Eastern Sea Fronri er command with her homeport in Boston. The ship's wartime complem ent was 175 men and 12 officers. W eather observation ships were required to remain within fifty miles of a des ignated latitude and longitude for 3 to 4 weeks at a time. They were manned by the Coast G uard, but the weather observers were civilians employed by the US Weather Service. As weather repo rts were broadcast by radio every four hours from a relati vely constant position, the ships wo uld have been easy targets for enemy submarines. In June 1944 Sea Cloud obtained sonar conract with an enemy submarine. She began tracking, radioed for ass istance, and dropped a string of depth charges. She was later relieved by a flotilla made up of a destroyer, destroyer escorts, and aircraft, which successfully located and destroyed the U-boat. Sea Cloud was credited in the official Navy accounts with an "assist." The fac t that only one weather observation ship was lost during the war hints that the enemy was perhaps able to decode and utilize the weather reports for their own advantage. 1he US Navy assumed administrative control and commissioned the ship on 9April1943 as USS Sea Cloud( IX- 99 ), although she wo uld retain her Coas t Guard crew. Later that year LT Carlton Skinner ass umed command of Sea Cloud, just a few months after he had submitted a proposal to the Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Russell R. Waesche, that they fully integrate their ships' crews. At the time, African-Ameri cans were only allowed to serve at sea in the steward's mate rating. Skinner argued that the Coas t G uard and N avy co uld not afford to continue wasting manpower because of racial segregation, especially in wartime. Within a month of ass uming command of Sea Cloud, LT Skinner had ove r fifty

African-Americans, including two offi cers, assigned to his command. Skinner had reques ted no publi city or special treatment, and Sea Cloud qui etly fulfilled her mission without incident. During this period the ship passed two Atlantic Fleet inspections with no deficiencies, and at the end of his command, Skinner repo rted that racial integration had no t caused any significant problems, and that the experiment should be considered a resounding success . Sea Cloud had the distinction of being the first fully-integrated US warship sin ce the Civil War. Amo ng Skinner's African-American crew was a talented artist, Jaco b Lawrence. Lawrence had been drafted into the Coast G uard in O ctober 1943 with a steward's m ate rating. Under Skinner's command in Sea Cloud, Lawrence was given the rating of Publi c Relations (PR) P0 3/c. Skinner allocated money to pay for art supplies, and Lawrence was assigned to ship duties for half a

Jacob Lawrence (right) and Lt. Carlton Skinner (2nd ftom right), commanding officer of the Sea C loud, just before the ship's decommissioning in 1944.

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SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 20 I 0


day and making sketches and pain tings for the other half, documenting the crew at work and everyday scenes of shipboard life. Today, Jaco b Lawrence is recognized as one the most important artists of the twentieth century. His works, including some of his wartime Sea Cloud paintings, are included in the permanent collections of numerous prominent museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Of his experience aboard Sea Cloud, Lawrence once rold an interviewer that his time there was "the best democracy I have ever known." Sea Cloud (IX-99) was decommissioned on 4 November 1944 at the Bethlehem Steel Atlantic Yard, East Boston, and returned to her owner, No. 2, Main Control Panel, Nerve Center of Ship by Jacob Lawrence (1944) along with $ 175,000 to compensate Part ofJacob Lawrence's official duties were sketching and painting daily life aboard Sea C loud. for the missing sailing rig. It is said that Mrs. Davies cried o ut loud when she saw the yacht for the first Mr. and Mrs. Davies were now sailing primarily between time after the war. Because of the postwar shortage of materials, New York, Florida, Nassau and Cuba, with an occasional cruise it took several years to restore Sea Cloud to her former glory. The to the Dominican Republic. Post-war guests included Mamie couple took their first post-war cruise, without a sailing rig, from Eisenhower, Soviet Ambassador Andrei Gromyko, the Duke and Florida to Cuba on 4 July 1946. lt rook until the following spring Duchess of Windsor, and the Vanderbilrs. In 195 5 the couple to get rhe new rig set up, and a new suit of sails finally arrived divo rced . Marjorie was 78 and decided it was rime to put her from Sweden in February 1949. It had taken over four years and beloved yacht on the market. Sea Cloud fo und a ready buyer in an estimated $3. 5 million to restore the yacht after her wartime the ruthless dictator of rhe Dominican Republic, Rafael Truj illo. service. Although rhe purchase price was never disclosed, Marjorie received a 44-passenger private airplane as part of the deal. Trujillo renamed the yach t Angelita after one of his daughters. H e reportedly spent $5 million on an overhaul, which included rhe installation of four new Enterprise diesel engines and two transmissions at an Alabama shipyard. The Angelita was

When Sea C lo ud was returned to Marjorie Merriweather Post Davies after the war, the ship was practically unrecognizable to her owner. It took four years and more than $3 million to restore the yacht to prime sailing condition. The barque has undergone numerous restorations in her 79 years. This November, Sea C loud will go into shipyard for a 5-8 month refit to comply with changes in the SOLAS regulations that will go into effect in October 2 010. The major modifications they need to make are the installation ofa new ventilation and air conditioning system and a rebuild of the crew quarters to eliminate the wooden construction in that part of the ship. While she is in the yard, more typical shipyard work will be done, including replacing parts of her deck, replacing several tanks, and renewing the rig. This work will keep Sea Cloud sailing in the passenger trade for years to come, and, although some of the yard work will be extensive, the design and character of the existing passenger areas will be unchanged. SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010

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commissioned in the D ominican Navy and manned by naval officers and crew. Trujillo quickly tired of his new yacht and lent it co his son, Ramfis, as a floating dormitory while he was enrolled at UCLA in Califo rnia. Ramfis, a playboy, hosted lavish parries, and his guests included H ollywood personalities such as Zsa Zsa Gabo r, Kim N ovak, and Joan Collins. The press dubbed the yacht the "Floating Funhouse," and one congressm an remarked that they could send the D ominican fo reign aid mo ney directly to Ramfis's Hollywood escorts and cur our the middleman. Rafael Trujillo recalled Angelita to the Dominican Republic in 1961, and shortly afterwards he was assassinated . Ram fis returned to the country and after an unsuccessful attemp t to seize control, the remaining members of the Trujillo fam ily left the country aboard Angelita on 18 November 196 1, headed fo r France. After rwo weeks at sea, a D ominican naval ship caught up with them and radioed that the ship sho uld reverse course and return to the D ominican Republic. W hen the ship returned on 29 November, on board were $4 million in cash , so me jewels, and the remains of Rafael Trujillo in his casket. The new government renam ed the yacht Patria and put it on the m arket. In 1963 the yacht was purchased by an American businessman and renam ed Antarna. She was sent to Naples, Italy, for a refit before returning to the US fo r use as a luxury charter yach t

As much as her passengers can appreciate the unique sailing experience they'll get when they j oin the ship fo r a cruise, it is her sailing crew that perhaps benefits even more. Sea Cloud sails with 60 crewmembers, allowing enough hands to man each mast and operate 32, 000 square feet ofsail and all the accompanying rigging and gear. To get this type of sailing exp erience elsewhere, they would have to join their navy or the coast guard and hop e to be assigned to that service's training ship. Sea Cloud carries a f ull-time sailmaker, and there is a rigger assigned to each mast. lhe deck crew handles all sail operations and maneuvers and maintains the ship constantly. When it's time to set or strike sail, the men and women scamp er aloft-the ship flies a main skysail at nearly 170 feet off the deck. lhe foredeck crew is also in charge of the headsails, and even her jibs require serious effort, strength, and speed to get the jo b done properly (see photo, right). lhe ship's crew is truly international, with most crewmembers hailing from Germany, Eastern Europ e, the Philipp ines, and the United States. Licensed mariners, and those seeking to sit fo r their licensing exams, will enjoy the big tonnage sea time that sailing aboard Sea C loud will give them.

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for Operation Sea C ruises. The business was unsuccessful , and the Antarna was then chartered to Stephanie G allagher fo r use in a seaborne education program called Oceanic Schools. Gallagher and the owners had multiple business disputes, and the owners tried repeatedly to repossess the yacht. They finally succeeded in 197 1 while the ship was anchored in Panam a, with a full complem ent of crew and students aboard. The father of one of the students was able to charter another vessel, and the students completed their semester at sea. O peration Sea C ruises never resumed operations and rhe yacht was once agai n back on the market. 1he Antarna was shifted to a Colon, Panama, anchorage, where she lay rotting under the brutal Caribbean sun for nearly eight years. Finally, German m erchant captain H arrmut Paschburg persuaded a group of H amburg investors and sailing enthusiasts co purchase rhe yach t fo r use as a small cruise ship. The yacht arrived in H amburg on 15 November 1978. She then returned to her birthplace in Kiel, where the HDW shipyard (s uccessors to Krupp) began wo rk co convert her in to a sailing passenger ship. Passenger cabins were built in superstructures where the smoking cabin had been and in other spaces on deck above the lounge and dining room. After the conversion was complete at a cost of approximately $7 m illion , she was re-flagged in M alta and renamed Sea Cloud. She began sailing as a passenger and charter yacht the fo llowing year. Today Sea Cloud still sails as a luxury passenger and charter yacht, spending summ ers in th e M editerranean and winters in the Caribbean . She has been m aintained to a very high standard, fully classed by Germanisher Lloyd and in compliance with all relevant SOLAS and IMO regulations fo r modern international passenger vessels. Sea Cloud w ill be updated later this year, m akin g som e modifications to comply with upcoming changes in the International Convention fo r the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations. J, Cap tain Todd Burgman sails as master of Sea C lo ud six months a year. When not on Sea Cloud, he sails as a relief captain on sail training ships and super yachts and works as an adjunct instructor for various maritime schools. (For more information about Sea C lo ud, visitwww.seacloud.com.)

SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010


Sea Cloud's Nine Lives Hussar V Sea Cloud CGC Sea Cloud (WPG-284) USS Sea Cloud (IX-99) Sea Cloud Angelita Patria Antarna Sea Cloud

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Vo-vvV~ÂĽCLY\d;A.V. 13~T~ by J. Russell Jinishian

T

o most of us, the life of an artist might appear to be free from constraints of the normal working environment-no

overbearing boss, meddling co-workers or office politics, no weekly reports to present or board members to appease. In actuality, it can be fraught with loneliness, insecurity, and anxiety. There are hours spent in solitude, where every stroke of the brush represents an artistic decision that you alone can make, no collaborators to watch your back-or share the blame if you've made the wrong one. From conception to completion, the artistic process is an intensely personal journey that reflects the personality, proclivities, and passions of the artist himself Given th is, T ask you, what are the odds that two marine artists sitting alone in their studios some 9,000 miles apart would decide to paint exactly the same vessel or moment in maritime history? Well, witness here the incredibly skilled paintings of American artist Don Demers and New Zealand artist A. D. Blake, who each unbeknownst to the other, painted versions of the same subject not once, but three times! While their approaches and styles are different and distinct, they both remain true to the tenets of their crafr-historical and architectural accuracy based on thorough research into the events and vessels depicted. Where they differ in composition, paint surface, and the treatment of sky, water and light, each has produced paintings, equally convincing and dramatic, only reinforcing one of the great principles of art-that there is no one correct way to paint a subject. Who is the best? Aha! That's like asking who is the better writer of sea tales: Joseph Conrad, Herman Melville or Patrick O'Brian? An impossible question to answer; rather, we should thank these two skilled practitioners for bringing to life great maritime moments from their own unique perspectives, for our enjoyment today, and for generations of the future.

The Great TransAtlantic Race of 1866 by A. D. Blake, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches

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SEA HISTORY 131, SUMMER 2010


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End of Day One-The Great TransAtlantic Race, 1866 by Donald Demers, oil on canvas, 34 x 60 inches (left to right) Vesta, H enrietta, Fleetwing

Only in New York City could boasting over dinner and drinks result in a TransAdanric ocean race between 100-plus-foot schooners, one that cam e together in just seven weeks and rook place in D ecember, no less! In October 1866, Pierre Lorillard, Charles Osgood, and James Gordon Bennett Jr. agreed to ante up $3 0,000 each, more than the price of any one of their respective yachts, in a winnertakes-all race across the Adan tic. Lorillard was the owner of the 105-foot centerboard schooner Vesta; Osgood owned the 106foot Fleetwing; and Bennett wo uld sail in his 107-foot H enrietta and take the prize on C hristmas D ay with a winning time of 13 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes. It was a hard winter race sailed in adverse conditions. Despite a race course that covered more than 3,000 miles (from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, ro the Isle of Wight), the three schooners finished within hours of each other. The race was not witho ut tragedyFleetwing lost six crewmembers overboard in heavy seas.

Driving Hard, Henrietta, The Great TransAtlantic Race, 1866-Day Two

by Donald Demers oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010

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In the 104-year history of the Bermuda Race (now the Newport-Bermuda Race), there have been plenty of great stories, impressive finishes, fantastic yachts, and weather conditions of every sort. For artists Don Demers and Anthony Blake, two stand out, as are depicted in their choice of subject for their art: the 1923 race; and the yacht Bolero finishing with the best time in 1950, 1954, and 1956. After World War I, when the Bermuda Race hadn't been run since 1910, the event was revived and started in New London, Connecticut, with 22 boats competing. John Alden won that year on handicap in his 47-foot gaff-rigged schooner Malabar IV The Herreshoff-design Marconi-rigged Memory was the first yacht to Bermuda. Blake's painting (right) depicts the starting cannon being fired from the Race Committee launch Skylark. M emory, a Marconi-rigged yawl of the New York 40 class (59 ft. LOA, 40 ft . LWL), is just about to cross the start line with all sails drawing well in the light breeze. Just astern of Memory is the 47-ft. schooner, Malabar rv; designed and owned by Alden. Most of the yachts have large light weather "leader" headsails hoisted. The crew of Malabar lV is in the process of breaking their leader out of its stops. Memory was design ed by Nathaniel Herreshoff originally as a gaff-rigged sloop. She also won the 1924 Bermuda Race on both time and handicap. Another New York 40, Rugosa II, also rigged as a Marconi yawl (presently owned by Halsey Herreshoff) won the 1928 Bermuda Race on both time and handicap. The gaffrigged schooner l'vfalabar IV, designed and owned by John G. Alden, won the 1926 race on handicap. (For more on the history ofthe Newport Bermuda Race, see pages 28-29.)

Foggy Start by Donald Demers, oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches (left to right) Memory, Blackhawk


The Start of the Bermuda Race, 1923 by A. D. Blake, oil on canvas, 24 x 38 inches

New Zealander A. D . "Tony" Blake hails fro m a celebrated maritime fa mily (his brother was internatio nally renowned sailo r and enviro nmentalist Sir Peter Blake) who grew up sailing on the coast and co mmanded his fi rs t yach t, a New Zealand "P" Class dinghy, at age six. H e has spent a lifetime on the wa ter, and this personal conn ectio n to sailing and the sea is clearly evident in his arr. Blake grad uated with a M as ter of Engi neering (First Class H ono rs) and discovered his artisti c pass io n and talent once his university studies were co mpleted. H e is artistically self taught; he learned partly by closely studying the techniques and paintings of those O ld Mas ters and Impressionist artists that he admires. As a trained engineer, co mpetitive race r, and des igner of boats himself, Blak.e is able to depict both the drama and the intricacies of yacht racing with stunning accuracy and vib rancy. His subj ects range fro m classic yachts and contemporary races to complex harbor scenes and historic vessels and evenrs. Bur it's his understanding of the play ofli ght and shadow on the sea and o n vessels moving through rhe wa ter togeth er with an energeti c use of oil paint that combine to give his paintings a distinctive look that is instantly recognizable to sailo rs and marine arr connoisseurs alike. His painrings reside in major collectio ns wo rldwide, including the New York Yacht Club, rhe Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadro n, and rhe H erreshoff Mari ne tv1useum. When no t at his easel, Tony Blake serves as C hairman of rhe New Zealand Classic Yacht Associatio n and skippers the 1894, 57-fr. gaff- rigged yach t Waitang, racing her with a crew of 12-15 .

SEA HISTORY l 31 , SUMMER 2010

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Spectators and yacht racers for the las t sixty years will recognize rhe Olin Srephensdesigned yawl Bolero, which has been a regular competitor in most of rhe major ocean races since 1950. In rhe 195 0s, Bolero finished rhe Bermuda Race wirh rhe best rime three rimes in a row. In rhe 1956 event, the 73-fr. Bolero was pounding hard to windward when she broke a headsray. H er able and quick-thin king crew ran the jib halyards our to rhe bow and she still finished in record time, averaging a speed of nine knots.

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Both D emers and Blake have depicted her racing towards the finish off Sr. D avid's H ead Lighthouse, Bermuda.

Bolero, Crossing the finish line off St. David's Light, Bermuda, 1956 by A . D. Blake, oil on canvas, 24 x 3 0 inches

Donald D em ers was born in the small, rural community of Lunenburg, M assachusetts, but his real interest in painting m aritime subjects began while spending summers on the coast of M aine. After high school, he furthered his education in art at the School of rhe Worcester Art Museum and the M assachusetts College of Art in Boston. Once he'd completed h is formal studies in art, h.e went to sea as a crewmember aboard traditional sailing vessels. Aboard vessels such as Unicorn, Fair Sarae, and Black Pearl he has cruised the waters of the Atlantic, Caribbean , and Pacific. 1his experience has given him an understanding of how a sailing ship moves in rhe water and of the complexities of the sea state in all weather conditions. These insights have proven invaluable in his ability to convey these qualities in h is art. Though he now makes his home ashore, he continues to be an avid sailo r. Don's professional career as an artist began as an illustrator before it expanded into the fi eld of fine art. His illustrations and paintings can be fo und on numerous book covers and m agazines, including works published in an instructional textbook tided M arine Painting, Techniques ofModern M asters, published by Wa rson Guptill. Don is a Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists, an elected m ember of the G uild of Boston Artists, an elected m ember of the California Arr C lub, and a signa ture member of PAPA (Plein Air Painters of America). H e has wo n a record twen ty awards at the Mys tic International M arine Arr Exhibition, M ys tic, Connecticut, including the Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime H eritage Award Bolero off St. David's Light, Bermuda, 1954 in 2006, and his illustrations have been recognized by the Museum by Donald D emers, oil on canvas, 38 x 48 inches of American Illustration four times in their national competition . D on's paintings have been featured in a number of prominent museum exhibitions, from California to Cape Cod. You can catch Don at his easel this summer and fall at two plein air pai nting events in M assachusetts : 28-30 June in C hatham , MA, and 17-1 8 September in Duxbury, MA. Refer to www.donalddem ers.com/ rheevents.hrml fo r more info rmation.

j. Russell f inishian has been recognized as the nation's Leading authority on contemporary marine art for over 25 years and is known internationally as the former D irector of the .Mystic Maritime Gallery at the Mystic Seaport M useum. H e is the publiJfher of Marine Arr Quarterly, the nation's only publication dedicated to contemporary marine art, and the author ofBound for Blue Water, cmnsidered the definitive guide to contemporary marine art. Mr. Jinishian operates the j. Russell finishian Gallery, the nation's largest gallery of nnarine art at: 1657 Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. (Ph. 203 259-8753; www.jrusselljinishiangallery.com) 26

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27


'fhrashing to Bermuda on the Oldest Ocean Race by John Ro usmaniere • • • •. . here are n't many rests of blue-water seamanship rhar are as historic, accessible, and respected as the race that's called "rhe Thrash to rhe O nion Parch" because it fea tures a lot of upwind sailing and fini shes at the hom e of the Berm uda onion . The Newpo rt Bermuda Race has been sail ed 46 times and is the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race. Even a typical fleet is a history lesso n. While recent prize-winners have included superb state-of-the-art racers, som etimes the ove rall winner is a stock cruiser-racer. M y own nine rides, since 1966, have been in big woodies (o ne bui lt in the 1930s, the other in the '50s), a Swan , a Tartan , a New Yo rk 40, a Mo rris, an Ohlson 38, and a McCurdy & Rhodes 38-foot custom boat. No wonder, then, that rhe 1994 race winner in a Swan 38, Kaighn Smith , sees the purpose of the race as "to allow cruising boars to race to Bermuda as racing boats." A normal boat operated by normal sailors has been the typical entry ever since Thomas Fleming D ay founded the race in 1906. The editor of The Rudder m agazine, he assaulted the old notion th at seafaring was suited only for p rofessio nal mariners, exclaiming, "The danger of the sea fo r generations has been preached by the ignorant." To prove his point, he organized a race from New York C ity to Bermuda. Asked why he wo uld do such a crazy thing, D ay-a romantic-replied, "Sailors wan ted to get a smell of the sea and fo rget fo r the time being that there is such a thing as God's green earth in the universe." Three boats between 28 and 40 feet LO .A., with a total of 15 sailors between them, started the 1906 race. To indicate how radical this was, co nsider that a year earlier a transAtlantic race was wo n by an 184-foot three-mas ted schooner with a mostly professional crew of 48 . H aving been to sea in small boats, D ay knew to anticipate rou gh weather, so he made sure the entries were seawo rthy and inspected them personally. Two boats fini shed: the winner Tamerlanewi th D ay as sailing mas ter and the 28-footer, Gauntlet, with 20-year-old Tho ra Lund Robinso n (the first and hardly the las t female Thrasher) at the helm . As it gained a fo llowing, with fleets consistently larger than 130 by 1960 and reaching 265 in 2006, rhe race played a leading role in the developing spo rt of offshore racing. Bermuda Race veterans went on ro found the Fasm et, Port Huro n-Mackinac, and other notable races, and the event's ru les shaped generations of offshore cruising and racing yachts and their crews. Th e race's safety reco rd is nor perfect, bur it is exemplary (touch wood). Two boats have been lost, one on the sharp teeth of Bermuda's reef in 1956, ano ther in a fire in 1932 that led to rhe death of a sailor (ten Thomas Flemi;,,g Day o thers were saved by an heroic competitor, Jolie Brise) . Black squalls and rhe occasio nal microburst can be demanding. And then there are the waves. "By 6 a.m. we were clear of the G ulf Stream , which pl ace, I am under the impress io n, might be improved upo n," reported a sailor in th e 1906 race. "I really enjoyed it, only I thought it wo uld be kind of ni ce to be dry again for a change." A quarter century later, Rod Stephens invented a special venti lator to keep the G ulf Stream from coming below in his fami ly's yawl, D orade. The wo rst storm was the tail of a hurrican e in 1972, when a boar's log entry read, "The watchwo rd fo r today is survival." Yet no t a boat was lost as many crews, with no GPS to count on, prudently hove-to off rhe island, waiting fo r clear visibili ty. In the fo ggy early goin g in 2000, th e captain of a trawler crossing the race course saw his radar monitor light up like a C hristmas tree and quickl y got on C hannel 16 to ask what was going o n. W hen the Coast G uard told him he was in no em ergency and should clear the ch annel, he replied that it certainly is an emergency wh en yo u're surrounded by 60 boats co ming o ut of nowhere. One of rhe sailors listening in on this desperate conversatio n interrupted : "No tsixty boars. One hundred and sixty." The trawler turn ed on all her lights and inch ed across the fleer to safety. The idea ofthe Bermuda race was controversial in yacht racing circles because it was designed to allow amateur sailors in n ormal-size boats to compete in a bluewater ocean race- a practice unhear:d of at the time. The first race provided even farther controversy when the 28-fi. sloop Gauntlet crossed the line with a woman at the helm, 2 0-year-old ' 7hora Lund Robinson (left).

28

SEA HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER2010


This is a hard race to win. While writing my history of the race, A Berth to Bermuda, I interviewed several race winners to ask how they did it. All agreed it rakes thorough preparation, resilience, leadership, and skill. Everybody stressed the importance of precise tactical navigation around or through the Gulf Stream's complicated eddies and meanders. This can be done fairly easily now thanks to satellites, GPS, and onboard laptop comp uters, bur before 1980 just finding rhe Stream was a problem and often a matter of luck. Good fortune comes in other ways, too. After Carleton Mitchell a nd hi s littl e yawl, Finisterre, assembled their fabled trifecra-three straight wins in l 956-60-0lin Stephens, th e

Sailors aboard a New York 32 approach the finish at St. David's H ead Lighthouse in Bermuda, 2006

boat's designer, said, "Finisterre h ad the luck that so often fo llows good handling." Only four other sailors have won the Lighthouse Trophy two or more rimes. John Alden rook three in his magnificent schooners named Malabar in the 1920s and 30s. Two races were won by Henry Taylor and the 72-foor Baruna, by Dick Nye in two Carinas, and (recently) by Peter Rebovich and his family crew in the Cal 40 Sinn Fein. Rebovich's ach ievement is particularly noteworthy. TI1is 40-year-old boar won in 2006 in a near calm and came back in 2008 to win again in one of those Thrashes that the race is famous for. The Bermuda Race has become a habit for many sailors. "All these races, they go like one," says a habitual Thrasher, Bermudian Kirk Cooper. "You forger about it for 18 months, and then yo u start agai n ." One of the race's oldest jokes goes, "Did yo u enjoy the race?" 'Tm damned if I'll do it again until two years from now! " More than 50 sailors have done it at least 15 times- the record of30 races is held by the late Jim Mertz. When George Coumantarous finall y won the Lighthouse Trophy that goes to the first-place boat on his 23'd try(!), he told the crowd at the award ceremony that he felt like Jaso n chasing the Golden Fleece. His advice was this: "Don't despair, keep trying, and if you don't win it by the time yo u are 75, withdraw." Judging by the historical record, many who are sai ling this year are likely to ignore that advice. ,!,

Who Can Race?

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The Newport Bermuda Race is open to a wide range of sailors and boars, from professional crews to amateur (bur experienced) crew made up of family and friends. As of early April, nearly 200 boars have applied and been accepted for the 2010 race, making the 47th Newport Bermuda Race on track to be rhe third largest in the race's 104-year history (265 boars competed in 2006; 198 in 2008). The race organizers are proud of the race's safety record and work to ensure that boats and competitors are properly prepared . Nor every applicant is accepted, but they do encourage first-time competitors and offer the advice of "Race Ambassadors," veteran racers who help first-rime competitors under; rand how the race works and offer rips on how to do well their first rime out. The fleer is broken down into five divisions, allowing a wide range of boar sizes and types ro compete. The divisions range from boats with unlimited professional crew onboard to true amateur crews with only two people sailing and combinations in between. An "open division" also allows for boars with characteristics outside the mainstream fleet, such as canting keel boars. Spectators for this year's race can watch the start from shore at Castle Hill in Newport or from Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, Rhode Island. The first warning gun for the start is scheduled to go off at 12:50PM on Friday, 18 June. Depending on the number of classes, the class starts will run for two to three ho urs during the afternoon. The starri ng line is at the entrance to the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, between Castle Hill in Newport and Beaverrail in Jamestown.

john Rousmaniere is a yachtsman, historian, and author. His books include After the Storm, The Golden Pastim e, The Annapolis Book of Seamansh ip, Sleek, Fastnet, Force 10, In a Class by Herself: The Yawl Bolero and the Passion for Craftsmanship, and A Berth to Bermuda: 100 Years of the World's Classic Ocean Race. For details on the Newport Bermuda Race, visit www.bermudarace.com.

SEAHlSTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010

29


SS Monitor is one of rhe mosr famous ships in history, and in early Ma rch 1862 she fou ght in one of m ost important naval battles in American history, the Battle of H amp ton Roads. Funny rhing is-nei ther side won! Just into the second year of the C ivil War, the Confederate Navy ship Virginia attacked a group of US Navy ships that were anchored in H ampton Roads, a roadstead off No rfo lk, Virginia. The battle las ted into the next day, but d uring the night, the Union naval ship USS Monitor arrived on the scene and engaged the Virginia in a fo ur-hour fight th e next morning. The battle ended in a d raw-so why is ir considered such an imporranr event in our history? Until this time, ships were m ade from CSS Virginia wood and powered by sails, but shipbuilders and (ex-Merrimack) engineers had been experimenting wirh iron for shipbuilding and steam engines fo r power. Both the Monitor and the Virginia were of the new typethey were powered by steam engines and were clad, or covered, with iron plates fo r armor. This was the first time in history two iro nclad steam-powered between ironclads. ships had fought against each o ther in battle, and it changed the way navies around the world built ships and fought wars. After people heard about how neither ship was able to destroy the other, navies stopped building wooden sailing warships and started adding ironclad steamships to their Beets. A roadstead is a place where ships can safely ride ar anchor, usually just outsi de of a harbor or near a m ajor port. Sometimes people refer to the Battle of H ampton Roads as the Monitor vs. the Merrimack. The Merrimack and the Virginia were the same vessel. In April 186 1, rhe Confederate Navy had salvaged the hull of rhe steam fri gate USS Merrimack, which the Federal forces had burn ed to the waterline when they evacuated the No rfolk Navy Yard. They changed the ship's name to Virginia and converted her to an ironclad steamship. USS Monitor sank off the coast of N orth Carolina on 31December1 862. When he heard that she was lost at sea, Grenville Weeks, M onitor's former ship's surgeon, wro te that he hoped that "the work of the Monitor [would] be rem embered, and her story told to our children's children." In the spirit of keeping her sto ry alive, the M ariners' Museum and NOAA's M onitor National Marine Sanctuary recently hosted a juried youth art competition on the Battle of H ampton Roads. Kids ages 4-18 from across the country submitted 125 pieces of art, and prizes were awarded in three age gro ups. Calvin Nesbitt, 16, ofYorktown, Virginia, took firsr place in the 13-18 year-old category. See his "Clash of rhe Ironclads" (lefr) on display with o ther works from the competi tion at the M ariners' Museum in N ewport News, Virginia, thro ugh 15 August 2010 or online at www.mariner. org. Congratulations Cal vin! To learn more abo ut the Battle of Hampton Roads and rhe Monitor shipwreck, visit the USS Monitor Center at the museum at 100 M useum Dr., Newport News, VA 23 606; or visit the N OAA M omitor Narional Marine Sanctuary web site at http://moni toir. noaa.gov. ;t

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Clash of the lronclacds by Calvin Nesbitt, age 16


What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Careers in the Marine and Maritime Field

Marine Patrol Officer Scott Couture is a Marine Patrol Officer for the State of Maine. He patrols the waters of midcoast Maine and is primarily responsible for enforcing fisheries conservation law, but he has the authority to enforce all the laws of the state, even those ashore, like any other police officer. Scott began his career when he read an ad in the local newspaper; he had just returned from Bosnia as an MP in the Army Reserves. Before he joined the Army, Scott had worked as a deckhand aboard sailing ships and loved being on boats and around the water. ' ' Previous experience on boats or with law enforcement is not required to apply, but it certainly does help. After my application was accepted, I was sent to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy for 18 weeks of police training-all of Maine's law enforcement officers are required to attend this school. Next, I was off to the Marine Patrol School to learn about Marine Resource Law and small boat operations. Finally, I was assigned to a station and began real work on the water, working closely with an experienced officer for a full year before I was officially on my own. Maine has only about 40 field officers to cover more than 3,000 miles of coastline, and each officer is responsible for his/her own section or "Patrol" of the coast. Most of the people in my area make their living from the sea. The largest fishery here is lobstering, but people also make a living from clamming, scalloping, groundfishing, urchin harvesting, shrimping, worming, bait fish ing, sport guiding, and oystering. Each type of fishery has license requirements, size restrictions, catch limits, and gear restrictions that need to be enforced. I patrol my area in a police pickup truck, a 21-foot Boston Whaler, and a 47-foot fully rigged lobster boat (see photo above). Several officers will use the big boat (with a licensed captain) to haul lobster gear and patrol offshore to check on fishing activity. My job is not just about enforcing laws. We are also primary responders for search-and-rescue operations and w hale entanglements. As a member of the Maine State Police Underwater Recovery Team (we just call it "The Dive Team"), 1 go all across the state to conduct search, rescue, and recovery operations as well as evidence searches for criminal investigations. My work schedule is not 9-5, and I do not even have an office. I am a field officer, and this is a large part of what I love about it. My favorite days ar work are those when I am out on my boat alone on a warm summer day, when the seas are calm and the air is fresh and salty. I ger to m~et a lot of great people and am on a first-name basis with most of the fishermen in my area. 1hose are rhe good days, bur the coast of Maine can be very unforgiving even when the weather is good. A few summers ago, a beautiful yacht ran aground and was being thrashed on the rocks, and the couple who owned the boat had been injured, one seriously. Wirh rhe help of a ' local fisherman, I got my boar alongside through rhe breaking waves and rescued them, along with their dog, Ivy, and brought rhem to safety. You hope rhat rhese things don't happen, but it is gratifying to be able to help when it is needed. Not all my time is out on the water. A great deal of paperwork h as to be filed with every incident. Marine Patrol officers are like regular police officers, and we also have to go to court for trialsnot my favorite aspect-but it is all part of the job. I never realized how beautiful Maine is until I was able to explore its rugged coastline, wooded islands, and quiet coves with my patrol boat. Most people who have known me from childhood were very surprised when they heard that I became a • cop, bur, when I tell them about my typical day, or " better yet, when they come to work wirh me for a day, they understand that I have a pretty awesome job. ' ' -Scott Couture PAGE J I 1'1-I OTOS COURT ES Y OF SCOTT COUTURE


, GIANT

hen Admiral D avid Porter, commander of the ship USS Essex, anchored in the G alapagos Islands in the spring of 18 13, he wro te: "Every one appeared desirous of securing as large a stock of this provision as possible fo r the cruise.?':"'"""- . c: They were brought the distance offrom three to fo ur miles, through thorns and over sharp ~~~H rocks; yet it was no uncommon thing for them to make three and fo ur trips a day, each with tortoises weighing fro m fifty to a hundred weigh t." T h e sa ilors capru red living tortoises and loaded them aboard their sh ip? Fresh meat of any kind was a rare treat for sailors durin g lo n g voyages in warm climates, mostly because they co uld not keep these perishable foo ds safe before there was such a thing as refrigeration at sea. M ariners sailing in the Pac ific discovered that Galapagos giant tortoises can survive for perhaps as long as a year without water, so th ey co uld be stowed in a ship's h old like cargo. Pirate ships, merchant vessels, naval frigates, and especially whaling sh ips, all anchored at the Galapagos Islands to help themselves to these massive, slow-moving, vegetable-munching reptiles. ('G al apago' is a Spanish word fo r 'to rtoise' or 'turtle.') Using methods that seem cruel to us today, sailors dragged th e animals on the ground or carried them on thei r backs with straps they made from sailcloth. For an especially h eavy tortoise-so me have been recorded as weighing over 65 0 pounds-men hoisted the an imal on oars and trudged it to the beach . Sometimes sailors lowered tortoises down into boats from cliffs hundreds of feet high.

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Unfortunately, over time, the m en of these ships took too many. Historians believe they gath ered more than 100 ,000 tortoises over the centuries. Both inten~ ,... ' • tionally and sometimes accidentally, the crews of visiting boats also set fire to some of the islands and introduced other animals, such as rodents and pigs, that destroyed the native plants and /) ate the tortoises' eggs and young. Different Galapagos giant tortoise ~ 1/.~ species, living on separate islands, - · · evolved unique sh ell shapes and - • - neck lengths, adapting to the am ount of moisture, the terrain, and the type of plants in each of their specific habitats. When the yo ung C h arles D arwin visited the Galapagos during his voyage aboard ~~HMS Beagle (1 83 1-6), he h eard about these different species of tortoises: it . ·was one of the first seeds in his mind that led to his later earth-shaking ideas about natural selection and evolution. Visiting ships that removed the animals from the islands or damaged or des troyed the natural habitat of those left behind, forced a few species of giant tortoises into

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This giant Galapagos tortoise walked the decks of USS Albatross in 1891 until its services were required at the dinner table.

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SEAHIST<ORY 131, SUMMER2010


those left behind, forced a few species of giant tortoises into extinction, and others nearly so. Today, there remain only eleven of the original fourteen or fifteen . Thankfully, if you visit the Galapagos now, especially on Isabela Island, you can still see thousands of these creatures quietly ambling about. They are vigorously protected. Galapagos giant tortoises are some of the longest living animals. Individuals have roamed the earth for more than a century, and there are credible claims of tortoises over 150 years old. They have an immensely slow metabolism and a bladder storage sac of fresh water, part of the reason they were able to survive for so long when stacked in theholdofaship. Sailors ate tortoise steaks, used the tortoises' fat as butter, and cooked the scraps for soup. If they were marooned or shipwrecked, the men even drank tortoise blood and cut them openfor the fresh water. According to novelist Herman Melville, many sailors thought these giant tortoises held the souls of old "wicked sea officers." And Admiral Porter wrote: "No thing, perhaps, can be more disagreeable or clumsy than they are in their external appearance. Their motion resembles strongly that of the elephant; their steps slow, regular, and heavy." Then again, the tortoises surely did not find the sailors pleasing to look at either, having no interest in being shanghaied for a sea voyage that ended in their being served as the main course. Next issue: Fins or wings? You be the judge. Read past stories of "Animals in Sea History" at www.seahistory.org.

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The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean. They were discovered by Europeans in 1535 when a Spanish ship blew off course on its way to Peru from · _Galapag/os_ "' Spain . The islands are famous for "Islands the unique and diverse species of ,,._ ·, :· animals that live there. The study of t he Galapagos wildlife provided some crucial early clues for Charles Darwins famous book, On the Origin of Species(1859), which introduced the idea of evolution through natural selection.

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MARITIME HISTORY ON THE INTERNET

Piracy~At

by Peter McCracken

Sea and Online

P

iracyon the high seas has drawn quitealorofattention in the past year. The raking of the Maersk Alabama in April 2009 was the first successful pirate raid on an American-flagged ship since the early 19th century. Pirates may not look like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean of fiction (though we'll see him again soon, as a fourth installation of the movie franchise is due in 2011), but his non-fictional brethren are still having a significant impact on trade and security throughout the world. Countless web pages about historical piracy exist, bur, unlike most historical subjects, there's a fairly limited amount of intelligent content online. Most pages are of the "Avast, me hearties! " type, rather than educated discussion. Modern piracy, of course, is no laughing matter, and several valuable sites provide meaningful and critical analysis of the problem. Cindy Vallar provides a welcome balance to the silliness of most historical piracy web sires, at http://www.cindyvallar.com/ bookaneer.html. Vallar has been writing and reviewing pirate and maritime fiction and non-fiction for many years. Her web site design is decidedly dated, but the content is quite impressive. On her "Pirate Articles" page, she provides an engaging and intelligent new article each month about some aspect of piracy, from pirate lingo and literature to pirate clothing and vessels. She also posts a long list of other pirate-related sites on her "Pirate Links" page. The Pirate Images Arch ive at http://beej.us/pirates/ is an older sire that features pictures of pirates, their ships, and (presumably) their treasures. Rob Ossian's The Pirate King site http:// www.thep irateking.com has a lot of background information on historic piracy, compiled by someone who is clearly committed to the retro-pirate lifestyle. For interactive discussion of piracy and related topics, wander over to the Pyracy Pub http://pyracy.com, which maintains a large and active forum site on piracy, reenactments, and pirate history. This is the type of place where you can carry on a conversation with others interested in historical piracy,

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and also find many different tidbits of information and research posted by previous visitors. Warning: posters are, apparently, encouraged to write in "pirate speak." Modern piracy, of course, is a different matter altogether. Piracy, especially off the coasts of Somalia and Malaysia, presents serious problems for anyone traveling or transporting goods through the region. The New York Times provides a collection of anicles on its "Times Topics" page about piracy at http://nyti.ms/nPsYp (the URL itself is very long; this and the next are abbreviated links but will get you to the right web sites). The International Chamber of Commerce tracks piracy around the world on its Live Piracy Map, at http://bit.ly/4x82NT. Its 2010 map pinpoints incidents on Google Maps to show all actual and attempted attacks so far this year. Maps for the past five years are also available, making for a fascinating overview of a very serious modern problem. On a much sillier note, if you want to increase your exposure to pirate-speak, you can add it to several web sites you use regularly. On Facebook, click on "English (US)" at the bottom of the page, and then select "English (Pirate)" to add pirate-speak throughout the site. On Google, click on "Language Tools" to the right of the search box, and select "Pirate." This is particularly useful when you are tempted to download illegal movies and music. And of course every September 19 is Talk Like a Pirate Day; it is larrrrrgely documented at http://www.talklikeapirate.com/. Finally, 826 Valencia, a writing tutor center and "San Francisco's only independent pirate store," offers a range of pirate tools, links, and retail items at their online shop at http://www.826valencia. org/store/ . Suggestions for other sites worth mentioning are welcome at peter@shipindex.org. See http://www.shipindex.org for a free compilation of over 140,000 ship names from indexes to dozens of books and journals . .t

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@>sHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS On 7 April, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood unveiled a new initiative, the "America's Marine Highway Program,'' designed to move more cargo on the water and off the crowded US highways. Under the p rogram, the Maritime Adm inistration (MARAD) will help identify rivers and coastal ro utes that could carry cargo efficiently, bypassing congested roads aro und busy ports and red ucing greenhouse gases. Under the new regulation, regio nal trans portation officials will be able ro apply to have specific transpo rtation corrido rs, and even in d ivid ual projects, designated by the D epartment ofTranspo rtation as a marine highway if they meet certain criteria. O nce designated, these projects will receive preferential treatm ent fo r any fu m re federal assis tance fro m the department or MARAD. D avid M atsuda, Acti ng Admin istrato r of rhe Maritime Adm inistration concurred: "Ir has so much po tential to help our nation in m any ways: reduced gridlock and greenhouse gases and more jobs fo r ski lled mariners and shipbuilders." The Marine Highway initiative stems fro m a 2007 law requi ring the Secretary of Transpo rtation to "establish a sho rt sea transportation program and designate short sea transpo rtation projects to mitigate surface congestion ." Earl ier this year, LaH ood announced rhar $58 million will be appropriated fo r grants fo r proj ects to support the start-up or expansion of M arine Highways services. Congress has also ser aside an addi tional $7 million in gran ts, which MARAD will award later this year. The fin al rule can be fo und on the MARADweb sire(www.marad .dor. gov) ... On 10 April, U SS Ashland (LSD 4 8) captured six suspected pirates from the sea, approxim ately 330 nautical miles off the coast o f Djibouti, after having fired on and destroyed their skiff. Ashland was conducting routine M aritime Security O perations in the G ulf of Aden when the ship received sm all arms fi re on the port side fro m the six-man crew aboard the skiff. Ashland, in acco rdance with her rul es of engagement, returned fire . U SS Ashland fi red two ro unds at rhe skiff from h er MK-38 Mod 2, 25mm gun. The skiff caugh t fi re and the suspected pi ra tes abandoned th e skiff. Ashland deployed her small boars to ass ist rhe pirates who were in rhe

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US NAVY PH OTO BY MASS COMM. SPEC IALIST 2ND CLASS JASON R. ZALAS KY

USS As hland holds station in the Gulf of Aden as the former occupants of this skiff are retrieved from the sea. wa ter near their skiff All six we re brought o n board Ashland where they received medical ca re. There is n o apparent damage to USS Ashland, and there were no injuries to any m embers of her crew. USS Ashland is part of rhe Nassau Amphibi ous Ready G roup and 24 th M arine Expeditio nary Unit, currently supporting M aritime Secu ri ty Operatio ns (MS O ) and Theater Securi ty Cooperation (TSC) O perations in the US 5th Fleet area of operations. Three events in less than a two-week period allowed the Navy to capture a to tal of 2 1 suspected pirates. Two of these events were precipitated by attacks on the US vessels, while rhe third was in response to a fellow mariner's call for h elp. U SS Nicholas (FFG 47) was an acked late in the evening by pirates o n 31 March, resulting in the capture of five; on 5 April, USS McFaul (DD G 7 4) responded to the distress

call from M/V Rising Sun and helped thwart an attack and capture ten suspected pirates; and USS Ashland nen ed an addi ri o nal six. Now that th ey are in US custody, the navy is reviewing m ultiple options regarding these susp ected pirates' legal dispositions. .. . A new m assive bronze sculpture depicting three ship masts w ith full sails was recently installed at the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia near the museum's entrace. D esigned by D avid H . Turner, rhe 3,000-lb . sculptu re was installed in a circular fo un rain in early April at Jamestown Serdem enr's Q uadricenrennial Plaza near the museum's entrance. The Quad ricentenn ial Plaza was developed as part of rhe transformatio n of rhe museum's facilities in preparation fo r the 400th anni ve rsa ry comm em o ration in 2 00 7 . Jam es tow n Settlement's exhibits incl ude galleri es and histo rical interpretatio n in o utdoo r re-crea ted setti ngs: the th ree Engli sh ships that arri ved in Virgin ia in 1607-rhe Susan Constant, Godspeed and D iscovery; a Powhatan Indian village; and a colo nial fort. Jamestown Settl em ent, operated by the state's Jam estown-Yorktown Fo undation, chro nicles 17th-century V irginia and the convergence of Powhatan Indian , European , and wes t central Africa n cultures . (Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, POB 1607, W illiamsburg, V irginia 23 187; Ph. 757 253-4838 or 888 593-46 82; ww w. historyi sfun .org)

SEA1 HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER 20 10


The Inland Seas Museum is moving to Toledo. Earlier plans were to build a new museum in Lorain, Ohio, next to a resort and casino that were being developed, but the casino plans fell through and thus, so did the feasibility of creating the maritime museum at that location. Instead, the Great Lakes Historical Society (GLHS) has negotiated a move to the Toledo Maritime Center along the Maumee River, a 15,600 square-foot facil ity that was completed in 2007, whi ch is owned and operated by the Toledo-Lucas Coun ty Port Authority (TLCPA) . Located in downtown Toledo, the Maritime Center provides passenger ferry and cruise ship service to US and Canadian ports across the Great Lakes. The GLHS hopes to create a national museum of Great Lakes maritime history and that the busy location in a passenger ship faci lity, also home to a marina for seasonal and transient boaters, will attract tens of thousands of visitors each year. They hope to have the museum up and runni ng by May 20 12. As part of the agreement, the GLHS will lease rhe space for $1 per year for 25 years and be able to extend the lease at that time for another 25. The memorandum signed by the GLHS and the TLCPA calls for the GLHS to marker the maritime center to operators offerry services, for which the Port Authority obtained more than $2 million in federal grant money to assist with building costs of the facili ty. Another term of the agreement requi res that the GLHS reimburse the Port Authority for half the salary of the TLCPA Manager of Mari time Affairs, Paul LaMarre II, who received the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History 2009 Award for Historic Preservation in September in recognition of his dedication to preserving the SS Willis B. Boyer Museum Ship. Before becoming executive director of the Willis B. Boyer, LaMarre served as a deck officer on multiple Great Lakes towing vessels. A graduate of the California Maritime Academy, he holds a d egree in marine transportation and served in the Navy. LaMarre is a member of the International Ship m asters' Assoc. and GLHS, and serves as a board member of both the Marine Historical Society of Detroit and G reat Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online Inc. (GLHS, 480 Main Street, Vermil ion, OH 44089; Ph. 440 967-3467; www.i nl a ndseas.org) ... SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 20 10

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Applications for the fellowships at the American Geographical Society (AGS) Library are now being accepted for 2011. The McColl Research Program Fellowship is a short-term program available to individuals who wish to communicate their geographical research results to a broad, educated general audience . Awards of $3,300 for four-week fellowships will be provided to support residencies for the purpose of conducting research that makes direct use of the AGS Library and results in publication in a murually agreed outlet. The Helen and John S. Best Research Fellowship provides stipends of$400 per week,

for periods up to four weeks, to support residencies for the purpose of conducting research that makes direct use of the AGS Library. The AGS Library, the former research library and map collection of the American Geographical Society of New York, has strengths in geography, cartography and related historical topics. Application deadline is 18 October 2010. (ACS Library, POB 399, Milwaukee, WI 53201; Ph. 4 14 229-6282; www.uwm.edu/Libraries/ AGSL/fellowships .html) ... Come 10 October, the Netherlands Antilles will cease to exist as a unified political entity. The Netherlands Antilles arose in 1954 as

an autonomo us entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting then of Aruba, Curac;:ao, and Bonaire, just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sr. Eustatius, Saba and Sr. Maarren, located southeast of the Virgin Islands. Aruba broke off from the group in 1986 when she was granted "status aparte," and soon the five remaining islands wi ll form separate ties with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In April, the Durch parliament agreed that C urac;:ao and St. Maarten will continue as auto nomous countries withi n the Kingdom and that Bonaire, Saba and Sr. Eustatius will become special overseas municipalities of the Neth-

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wo rk at the M useum, An ne has held many other leadership roles over the years. She has served on the boards of bo th the N orth American Society ofO ceanic History ( 19962002) and the Williams-Mys tic Alumni C ouncil (2000-2004) , and for 10 years as Secretary of the Council of America n M aritime Museums. In 1997 Rand was honored with the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Distinguished Service. A love of sailing and the sea led to a special major foc using on M aritime New England as an undergraduate at D artmouth College. A graduate degree in American Civilization fro m Brown University allowed Rand to continue her studies of our nation's maritime heritage. The U SS Constitution Museum opened in 1976 and serves as the memory and educational voice of Old Ironsides. (USS Constitution Museum, Charles town N avy Yard, Bldg. 22, Charles town, MA 021 29; Ph. 61 7 426-1 8 12; www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org) .. . Coast Guard officials announced Friday that the first Sentinelclass cutter will bear the name Bernard C. Webber in honor of the legendary US Coast Guard member. Previously designated to be nam ed the Coast G uard C utter Sentinel, the cutter Bernard C. Webber will be the first of the service's new 153-foor patrol cutters. USCG Commandant Admiral Thad Allen approved the change of the cutter's name to allow this class of vessels to be named after outstanding enlisted members who demonstrated exceptional heroism in the line of duty. This w ill be the first class of cutters to be nam ed exclusively for enlisted members of the Coast Guard and its predecessor services. On 18 February 1952, Bernard Webber, And rew Fitzgerald, Richard Livesey, and Irving Maske from Life Boat Station C hatham , Massachusetts, braved 60-foo t seas aboard the Motor Life Boat CG36500 to rescue the crew of SS Pendleton that had broken in half during a winter storm off the coast of Cape C od . Ar the end of the mission , the crew ofCG 36500 had saved 32 ofPendleton's 33 crewmembers, for which they all received the Gold Lifesaving Medal . The Sentinel-class contract for up to 34 ships is wo rth up to $ 1.5 billion if all contract options are exercised. The Coas t G uard plans to build a total of 58 Sentinel-class vessels. Another element of the Pendleton's rescue lives on as the USCG

recently conferred the Coas t G uard Meritorio us Public Service Award to Peter Kennedy of the Orlean s Historical Society fo r his comriburion to the preserva tio n of the service's history. Kennedy received the seco nd highest public service awa rd from All en for restoring the legendary CG M otor

USCG Commandant Adm. Thad A ffen presents Peter Kennedy with a his Meritorious Public Service Award during an awards ceremony on 19 March 2 010. Life Boat C G36500 used in the rescue. CG36500 is the only remaini1ig, fu lly-restored and operational 36-foot M otor Life Boat from its class of 132 boats built. . .. The Vancouver Maritime Museum (VMM) has hired Simon Robinson as its new executive director, who took over the con in April. The V M M is moving fo rward with a process to renew and invigorate its exhibits, program s, and activities in its existing location at Vani er Park after the cancellation of th e National M aritime Center project in No rth Vancouver. Simon Robinson is responsible for all aspects of the museum's operations, fundraising, programming, and collectio ns and is an ex offi cio m ember of the museum's board of trustees. Robinson conceived , designed, and built a museum of piracy in the Baham as and from 2001 to 2004 served as chief executive officer of First Peoples' H eritage, Language and Cultu re Co uncil, a provincial crown corpo ration and as executive direcror of First Peoples' Cultural Foun dation . The Vanco uver M aritime Museum tells the stories of Canada's ties ro the Pacific with an emphasis on Can ada's gateway port communities in the greater Vancouver region . (VM M , 1905 O gd en Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 1A3, Can ad a; Ph. 604 25 7-8 300; www.va nco uve rm a ritimemuse um. com) SEA HISTORY 131 , SUMMER 2010


•Classics Cruisin' Weekend, 9- 13 June on Table Rock Lake, Branson, MO . Heartland Classics Chapter of the Antique & Class ic Boar Society (Information at donaldwparker@hormail. com; www.hearrland classics.com) •31st Annual Sea Music Festival, 10-13 June at Mystic Seaport (75 Greenmanville Avenue, POB 6000, Mystic, CT 06355; Ph. 860 572-53 15; email smf@mysricseaporr.o rg; www. mysticseaport.org) •23rd Annual Antique and Classic Boat Festival, 18-20 June, an d the Chesapeake Folk Festival, 3 1 July at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (C BMM, Navy Point, POB 636, Sr. Michaels, MD 21663; Ph. 4 10 745-29 16; www. cbmm.o rg) •Chesapeake Bay Antique and Classic Boat Show, 18-20 June at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in Sr. M ichaels, MD (www.chesapeakebayacbs.org) •Newport Bermuda Race, starts 18 June in Newport, RI. The 635-mile ocean race usually lasts 3-6 days and finishes at Sr. David's Head, Bermuda. Read about the race histo ry on page 28 -29. (www.rhebermudarace.com) •48th Annual Windjammer Days, 2223 June in Boothbay H arbor, ME (www. boorhbayharbor. com) •19th Annual WoodenBoat Show, 25-27 June at Mystic Seaport in Mysti c, CT, produced by WoodenBoat Magazine. www. rhewoodenboatshow.com) •Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge® Series 2010: "The Race to Save the Lakes," 30 June-29 August in Grear Lakes ports: Toronto, Cleveland, Bay C ity, Green Bay, Duluth, and Chicago. Organized by the American Sail Training Association (ASTA). See their web site, www.sailtraining.org, fo r dera ils on ships, ports, schedules, and events. (ASTA, 240 Thames Street, 2nd Floor, POB 1459, Newport, RI 02840; Ph. 401 846- 1775) •Fisherman's Day, 18 July in Stonington, ME, spo nsored by the Fisherman's W ives Association (www.deerisle.com/calendar. html or call 207 367-2443) •Small Boat Festival, 17- 18 July, and Rabble In Arms, 2 1-22August at the Lake Champl ain Maritime Museum (4472 Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes, VT; Ph. 802 475-2022; www. lcmm.org)

•Lake Champlain Maritime Festival, 13- 15 August in Burlington, VT (PO B 4208, Burlington, Vermont 05806; Ph. 802 482-33 13; www. lakechamplainmaritimefestival.com) •Maritime Fest 2010, 28-29 August in Tacoma, WA, (Commencement Bay Maritime Fest, 111 8 East D Sr. Taco ma WA 9842 1; Ph. 253 318-22 10; www. maritimefesr. org) •Antique & Classic Boat Festival, 28-29 August in Salem, MA (www.boatfestival.org) •Festival of Sail, 2-6 September at the Maritime Museum of San D iego (1 492 No rth H arbor Dr. , San Diego, CA 92 101 ; Ph. 6 19 234-9153; www.sdmaritime.org) CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIUMS

•Music of the Sea Symposium, 11 -12 June at Mystic Seaport (75 Greenmanville Ave., PO B 6000, Mystic, CT 06355; Ph. 860 572-53 15; www.mysticseaporr.org) •Great Lakes Lighthouse Preservation Conference, 14- 17 June at the Grear Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse C ity, MI. (For more details co ntact Sally Frye: in fo@ mi chi ganligh rh o usea l Iia nce.o rg; www.michiganlighrhousealliance.o rg) •8th International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, 29 June 2 July at the University of Cali fo rnia, Los Angeles (http: / /thehumaniries.com/confer ence-2010/) •34th Annual Conference of the Society for Caribbean Studies, 7-9 July at rhe U niversity of So uthamp to n. Sess ions include: Maritime Studies, Archaeology and Material Culture, Ports of Arrival, Intra-Caribbean Migration, Nature-Society Relations. (www.caribbeansrudies.o rg.uk) •Annual Conference of the Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers, with the session, "Places without a Place: The Geographi es of Ships," 1-3 September, in London , U K. Conference theme: "Confronting the Challenges of the Post-Crisis Global Economy and Enviro nm ent" (For info rmation on the session, co ntact W illiam H asty, University of G lasgow, at will. hasty@ges.gla.ac.uk. For info rmarion on the conference as a whole, visit www.rgs. org/AC201 O) •Corrosion of Historic Ships Conference 5 - 9 September 2011 , Mariehamn,

Aland Islands, and Turku Finland. (More in fo rmation online at www. icmmonline. org under "conferences") •Ninth Maritime Heritage Conference, 15- 19 September 2010 in Baltimore, MD. Held every three years. (For full details, see page 6 or check www.seahistory.o rg) EXHIBITS

•Fiery Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea th ro ugh 18 July at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA (PEM, East India Sq uare, 16 1 Essex St, Salem, MA 01 970; Ph. 978 745-95 00; www. pem.o rg) •Lasting Refiections-Feuchter and Castelli-Two Centuries of the Chesapeake, through 7 Nov. at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (2 13 N. Talbot Street, Sr. M ichaels, MD 21663; www.cbmm.o rg) •16th Annual Maritime Art Exhibition, 17 July- 18 September at the Coos Arr Museum in Coos Bay, O R (235 Anderson Ave., Coos Bay, OR 97420; Ph. 54 1 2673901 ; www.coosart.org) •Working W'aterfronts: Planning and Preserving the Maritime Traditions of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, thro ugh 2011 at the H eritage Museum and Cultural Center in Michigan (H M&CC, 601 Main Street, Sr. Joseph, MI 49085; Ph. 269 983- 11 91; www.rheheritagemcc.org) •Tales & Treasure: From the Attic & Archive, th ro ugh Labor Day at the Cold Spring H arbor W haling Museum (Main Street, PO B 25, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11 724; Ph. 63 1 367-34 18; www.cshwhalingmuseum .org) •It Sprang from the River: Everyday Objects with Maritime Secrets, thro ugh 3 January 2011 at rhe Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia (Penn's Landing, 2 11 South Columbus Blvd. & Walnut Sr. ,Philadelphia, PA 19106; Ph. 215 4 138655; www.phillyseaport. org) •Working W'aterfront, Photographic Portraits at the New Bedfo rd Whaling Museum . (NBWM, 18 Johnny Cake Hill , New Bedfo rd, MA 02740; Ph. 508 9970046; www.whalingm useum.org) •Building Better Ships: Featuring the Paintings of Thomas C. Skinner, th ro ugh 11 March 20 11 at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA (100 Museum Dr., Newport News, VA 23606; Ph. 757 596-


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Reviews Struggle For The Middle Sea: The Great Navies at ~r in the Mediterranean Theater, 19401945 by Vincent P. O'Hara (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2009, 360pp, illus, maps, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 978-159114-648-3, $34.95hc) Finding new approaches to the naval conflict during the Seco nd World War is rare, yet Vincent P. O'Hara has fou nd such a niche. Most works of this era concentrate on carrier warfare, exploits of ace submarine commanders, or marines storming ashore on some desolate atoll. In

Struggle for the Middle Sea, building on his earlier works

(The German Fleet at Work and The US Navy Against the Axis), the author focuses his crosshairs on surface naval actions, a relevant topic as the Mediterranean was the site for fifty-five such clashes, more than any other theater of operations, including the Pacific. O'Hara aims to shatter some of the most persistent myths of the naval war in the Mediterranean Sea, in particular the competency of the Italian Navy. Throughout his wo rk, h e demonstrates that not only did the Regia Marina fight well, but it accomplished its primary objective by keeping the Axis armies in Africa and the Balkans largely supplied and exercised control of the central Mediterranean until overwhelmed in May 1943. Other navies are showcased, including the Royal Navy, the United States Navy, the Marine Nationale, and even the Kriegsmarine, which fought thirteen surface actions and remained a threat until Germany surrendered in May 1945. For naval and maritime enthusiasts, Struggle for the Middle Sea provides insights and information on little-known battles, such as the Beta Convoy enco unter and the action off Sfax, Tunisia, while showcasing the efforts of many unheralded vessels and their crews. The battle to contro l the Mediterranean will remind the reader of the see-sawefforrwaged between theAmericans and the Japanese for the Solomon Islands, but on a grander scale. Yet, O 'Hara's stated attempt to provide a "comp lete history of the five-year naval war in the Mediterranean and Red Sea" falls short of its goal. SEA HISTORY 131, SUMMER 2010

His focus is on surface warfare, so battles such as the British attack on Taranto, the deployment of German Fliegerkorps X, and the introduction ofU-boats, are not covered in sufficient detail. One of the largest surface engagements of the campaign, between the Americans and French off Casablanca (which is recounted in an earlier work by O 'Hara, hence not covered extensively here), receives only a paragraph, while an entire chapter is devoted to the campaign against a handful ofltalian ships in the Red Sea. This unevenness should not detract from the detail that O'Hara brings to bear on the topic. Struggle for the Middle Sea includes an extensive array of charts, tables, and a timeline of battles. The author challenges preconceived notions concerning the performances of the French, Italian, British, American, and German navi es in this vitally strategic theater an d is a must for those enthralled with the finer details of the naval aspect of the Second World War.

an effort by the Cambodians to expand their territorial waters and that the US responded so strongly to the seizure because the capture of USS Pueblo off North Korea was still fresh in the public's memory. But all in all, he takes a hands-off approach, providing excerpts from the original documents rather than intervening with his own analysis. The result is a rich stew that provides the reader with the fascinating details of the confused situation in Southeast Asia in 1975, the response of the crew to the seizure of their vessel, and the consternation of the National Security Council as they argued abo ut how best to respond. More grim is the account of the poorly conceived rescue operation launched by the American military. Poor intelligence led the military to believe that the crew was held on Koh Tang Island by a handful ofl ightlyarmed troops. In reality, by the time the rescue operation was lau nched, the American seafarers were on their way back to their anchored ship and the island was SALVATORE MERCOGLIANO Central Carolina Community College heavily garrisoned. Although the seamen and Sanford, North Carolina the ship were successfully rescued, American casualties were high. Reminick's approach is useful in that he An Act ofPiracy: The Seizure ofthe Americanflag Merchant Ship Mayaguez in 1975 by essentially puts you among the crewmemGerald Reminick (1he G lencannon Press, bers as they are taken into captivity, gives Palo Alto, CA, 2009, 330pp, illus, notes, you a seat in the National Security Council biblio, index, ISBN 978- 1-889901-47-3; proceedings, and on the firing lin e as Marines fo ught to hold their landing zo nes. $22.95) The activities of the American mer- He does this by mining the considerable chant fleet in the twentieth century are not documentation in the National Archives, especially well documented, and accounts but he has also connected with veterans of its activities during the Vietnam conflict groups such as the "Koh Tang Beach C lub," are especially thin. One of the few who who have very generously allowed Reminick has ventured to resolve this shortage is to reproduce personal photos to illustrate Gerald Reminick, who has written, at last this book. The author clearly has an excellent count, no fewer than seven books dealing rapport with veterans, who surely sense his with American shipping. His latest effort respect for them. 1here are some weak elements to this contributes to the body of knowledge about the final act of the Vietnam conflict, work. The assertion on the back cover that the seizure of the Sea-Land container ship the "Mayaguez was the first American-flag SS Mayaguez off Cambodia in 1975 by the merchant ship taken by a foreign power since the American Revolutionary War" is Khmer Rouge. Reminick gen tly prods the reader pure bunkum. The appendices, one a short along to understand the complexity of the summary of the Vietnam War and the other situation. He provides some background, a short history of the American merchant such as the idea that the incident was really marine in wartime, might better have been 43


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woven into the rext proper. G lencanno n Press might serve rhe reading public better if they put a little more effort into th ei r book's layo ut, design, and ed iting. These issues are minor and, overall, this was a pleasing little book rhat brought this reviewer back to a differen t time and place. Reminick, now a retired librarian, has a good eye fo r documen ts and providing lively excerpts and plen tyofillustrations. Furthermore, the author is telling rhis sto ry, not because he is a professional writer looking fo r his latest proj ect or someone who has a political axe to gri nd, bur because he feels it is an important story that needs to be told and remembered. How then to direct the appropriate readers to this book? C learly, those who experienced the Vietnam War will fi nd it a compelling read . I would encourage an ybody with an interest in understanding the experience of having one's ship seized to read this modest work, which the reviewer fo und compelling ar several levels. Jostt uA SMITH, Ptt D US M erchant M arine Academ y Kin gs Point, N ew York

Darwin's Armada: Four Voyages and the Battle for the Theory of Evolution by Iain McCalman (W. W. N orton & Company, New Yo rk 2009, 423pp, illus, biblio, no tes, index, ISBN 978-0-393-068 14-6; $29.95hc) Professor Iain McCalman's new book Darwin's Armada offers a fusion of science, maritime, and cul tural history that portrays the genesis of the theory of evolution and the struggle to establish it as rhe dominant paradigm governing the sciences associated wirh natural history. Highly informative and suffused with wir, McCalman's prose provides a sympathetic but balanced picture of C harles D arwin's career and his relatio nships with Joseph H ooker, Thomas Huxley, and Alfred Wallace-yo unger men of science who contributed to the triumph of D arw in's theory of evolutio n. The book's use of rhe te rm "armada" reflects M cCalman's argument that D arwin, H ooker, Huxley, and Wallace-m en whose diverse backgrounds and personaliries might have placed them at odds in the competitive wo rld of Victorian science-possessed a shared experience and wo rld view created by rhe extensive and difficul t times each had spent at sea. McCalman reco unts in concise

yet colorful passages D arwin's voyage on rhe Beagle, Hooker's horrific time on rhe Erebus and on H MS Terror under Sir John Ross, H uxley's life-changing voyage in rhe Rattlesnake, and Wallace's heartbreaking loss when his ship burned and sank mid-ocean , destroying years' wo rth of collections and scientific notes.

McCalm an's development of each m an's nautical identi ty and the liberal use of nautical m etaphors give Darwin's Armada a sal ty cast that belies a much deeper analysis of conditions on land . W eaving in conflicting scientific ideas, the lingering power of the C hurch of England, and the class conflict associated wirh V ictorian science and scientific politics, M cCalman dem onstrates with excellent eviden ce how the intimate relationships between these fo ur men translated into deliberate and strategic campaign s. Working together, rhey help to overturn W higgish scientific hegem ony and secure fo r each a place of leadership in rhe established scientific com muni ty of G reat Britain, and ultimately, lo ng enduring international repu rations. McCalman's writing style is deliberately readable. Using minimal jargo n, he brings to life o ne of the most significant and contentious advances in scientific thought in history and effectively ties the p rocess to rhe sea and maritime culture. The book is an excellent read for the general reader and professional scholar alike. ]OH N O DIN JENSEN PttD Sea Ed ucation Associatio n Woods Hole, M assachusetts SEA HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER 2010


The Finest Hou rs: The True Story of the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman (Scribner, New York, (2009) illus, appen, biblio , ISBN 978-1-4165-6721-9; $25hc) Michael Tougias and Casey Sherman tell the story of the dramatic rescue of the crews from two oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer, that grounded off Cape Cod and split in two d uring a terrible storm in rhewinterof1952. No rail of the eighty-four men caught aboa rd the ships survived, but co nsiderin g the odds, it is a testament to the brave ry and skill of the Coast G uardsm en involved that seventy did. The Coas t G uard has long celebrated this daring, open-sea rescue by the crew of the 36-foot boat, CG365 00. Bernie Webber was the boar coxswain and he was assisted by a crew of three Coast G uardsmen . This rescue has been subj ect of several books, one written by Webber himself, and numerous articles . In fact, this is the third book in just the last three years o n this event. This is more than another telling of an heroic tale. Like Robert Frump's Two Tankers Down (The Lyons Press, 2008), Tougias and Sherman provide, not o nly descriptions of all the dramatic action, but also valuable insights about the people involved. They differ in that Frump's book tells the story of the men aboard the tankers and their rescuers, while Tougias and Sherman foc us more o n the heroic men making the incredibly dan gerous rescue at sea. The book opens with the story of C G36500 's rescue of survivo rs aboard the Pendleton and then follows with an account of the much less well-known-but no less daring- rescue of rhemen of the Fort Mercer by the USCG cutters Eastwind, Yakutat, Unimak and Acushnet. The second half of the book examines the investigation and the effect of the rescue on those who were hailed as heroes. It is here that Tougias and Sherman make their biggest co ntribution . The authors explicitly compare the crew ofCG36500 to heroes portrayed in aurhor James Bradley's bestselling book, Flags ofour Fathers. These Coast Guard heroes became the "poster boys" of the Coast G uard and also felt the same kind of grief as the Iwo Jima flag raisers. Bernie Webber died while this book was being written , and so it appropriately ends with his death.

SEA HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER2010

Tougias and Sherman share with us an unforgettable tale of hero ism, triumph, and tragedy, one that indeed tells of the Coast G uard's "fin est hours." Even if yo u have already read o ne of the previous books about this event, The Finest Ho urs provides new insight into the people that made the rescue. The authors are to be commended for broadening the focus beyond Bernie Webber and his three brave crewmembers to include the other Coast G uard vessels that were involved in these "finest ho urs." This book tells a story that needs to be better known, nor on ly by those who serve or have served in the United States Coast G uard, bur also by all those interested in maritime lifesaving o r maritime history and anyo ne looking for a gripping and insp iring read.

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College of the D esert Palm D esert, California Captains Contentious: The Dysfunctional Sons ofthe Brine by Louis A. Norton (Univ. of South Carolina Press, Columbia, 2009, 185 pp, ISB N 978-1-57003-807-5; $29.95 hc) Louis Arthur Norton's latest book is clearly a product of our times. In th e past, our quest to honor our nation's heroes has often left us with the impression that they weresuperhumans. In Captains Contentious, Dr. No rton examines the lives of fi ve important players in the AedglingAmerican Navy and portrays them in a more realisti c light: John Manley of the schooner Lee and the fri gate H ancock; Silas Talbot, commander of the Constitution; Joshua Barney, who served in the sloop Ho rnet and the schoonerW0sp during the American Revolution and then co mmanded the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla the War of 1812; and, of course, John Paul Jones of the Bonhomme Richard. With no disrespect to their achievements and co ntribution to America's ultimate victory in the war, Norton clearly shows th at these men were indeed human, or, as some wo uld say, flawed- just like the rest of us. Their rise in rank was achieved through their own conscious efforts co mbined with personal valor and triumph in battl e. As individuals, they were not always well -liked, but popularity did not then, and does not now, necessarily dictate victory. Their ambition and personal ities often had as much to do with their effectiveness as leaders aboard ship as it did

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with hindering their ability to achieve the personal goals to which they strived: status, promotion, quest fo r perso nal glo ry, etc. Norton's study is a welcom e reminder chat history is made by real men and women . Ships don't win battles-people do. Social historians work hard to inves tigate the lives and contributions of regular people, ass uming that the notable heroes of yesteryear are al ready well known . Dr. No rto n shows us that the heroes we think we already kn ow had a lot m ore to them than battle statistics can tell us. H e does this in an engaging manner, one any reader will be interested in and enjoy, whether professio nal histo rian, history buff, or som eone simply looki ng for a good read . D EIRDRE O' REGAN Edito r, Sea History Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The Sea King: The Life of fames Iredell Waddell by Ga ry McKay (Birlinn, Ltd., Edinburgh, U K, 2009, 297pp, illus, appen, biblio, index, ISBN 978- 1-8434 1-046- 1; $ 16 .50pb) The Sea King is the sixth book in the las t fi ve years to examine the commerce raider CSS Shenandoah. M ost of the previous historical wo rks focus on the ship and her career, but Gary McKay endeavors to also examine the life of her commanding offi cer, Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell . Waddell, a m ember of a distinguished No rth Carolina fa m ily, served in the US Navy fo r twenty years before he resigned to join the Confederacy. His early career in the Confederate Navy was rather ordinary until he was given command of the raider. Built fo r speed to carry tea from C hina, the British merchant vessel Sea King was purchased, outfitted, and commissioned as CSS Shenandoah. Sailing into the N orth Pacific, Waddell and his crew devastated the American whaling fleet. They destroyed thirty-two vessels and released another six o n bo nd, carrying o ut mos t of the destruction after the war ended . Receiving word, in August 1865, that thewarwasover, Waddell had the ship disarmed and he sailed her back to England to surre nder, completing an around-the-world voyage and a trip of 58, 000 miles. Waddell's postwar career is less exciting. Readers will find th e author's coverage

of Waddell's prewar and postwar career in only abo ut fifty pages . Waddell remained in exile, not returning ro the U nited States until 1875. Upon repatriati ng, he served as the captain of the Pacific M ail Steamship Company's City o/San Franciscoand later was in charge of the State of M aryland's oyster regulation fo rce. H e did receive recognition fo r his exploits by having a destroyer nam ed fo r him , USS waddell (DDG-24) , a century afte r the Shenandoah's depredatio ns. While it is an entertaining read, M cKay provides no notes and claim s to have used new sources that are not evident in the bib li ography. Furthermore, q ues tionable ass umptio ns and mistakes mar the text. For example, the Shenandoah's abili ty to disti ll wa ter was not innovative, and a hermaph rodite rig is not a mechanical device to pump a ship's bilge. H e refers ro the US Steamboat Inspection Service as the US Steamboat Service and contends that the Shenandoah might have captured the m oni to r Camanche had the raider steamed into San Franci sco H arbor. D espite these problem s, The Sea King will serve as a good starting place fo r informatio n on Waddell and the cru ise of the Shenandoah. ROBERT BROWNING US Coast Guard Historian's Office Dumfries, Virginia

The Lost Fleet: a Yankee Whaler's Struggle against the Confederate Navy and Arctic Disaster by M arc Songini (St. M artin's Press, New Yo rk, 2007, maps, illus, bibli o, index, ISBN 978-0-3 12-28648-1 ; $25.9 5) Th e subtitle of M arc Songini's The Lost

Fleet: a Yankee Whaler's Struggle against the Confederate Navy and Arctic Disaster o nly begins to capture the hardships and adve ntures of the l 9'h century American whaling industry about which he writes. Songini has provided a readable popular history backed by primary docum ents, which captures the imagination of its readers th rough stories of fo ul wea ther, rogue wildlife, and shipwreck. The Lost Fleet is the story of Thomas W illiam W illiams and his extraordinary career as a captain in dne Yankee whaling industry. The book begins w ith a descriptio n of the industry, life aboard a whale ship, and Wi ll iams's rise to the position of captain . It also introduces a twist on the general history of the male-oriented professio nSEA HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER 2010


W illiams's decision to bring his wife Eliza along on his voyage. Songini then breaks to discuss the locales of the Civil War and the role of the Yankee whale fishery. Included is the story of CSS Shenandoah, the confed erate raider that wreaked havoc on American whalers even after the war's end. The push by whalers into the Arctic and the decline of the whale fishery are explained. Despite the increasing difficul ty in making a living from whaling, Thomas Williams's sons followed in the tradition- a situation that m akes no sense in hindsight but which occurs again and again in any trade. 1he Lost Fleet is enjoyable and wellresearched. Songini provides a view into the l 9'h century American whaling industry through the efforts ofone family's struggle to make a living in this dangerous and shortlived industry. This book can be usefol to both academics, who will not be disappointed by the thoro ughness of Songini's research, and the general public, who will ap p reciate the autho r's ability to capture the adventure and novelty of the old whaling days.

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O R. J OH N Fi ERTY

M ARITIME H ERITAG E PRI NTS

COM. C HIP LOOMIS

F UN D, INC.

P ETER D. P RUDDE

RADM JOSEPH F. CALLO

GEORG E T. HATHAWAY

MR. & MR S. CHESTER W. K ITCHI NGS, J R.

1

JOHN C. COUCH

H ERBERT W. G OODALL Ill

ROBERTS. H AGG E, JR.

WALTER C . M EIBA UM Ill

C HESA PEAKE BAY MARJTIME M US EUM

LARRY GR AHAM

CHARLES R. HARTWIG

T HE M ACPH ERSO

1

DAVID & CI N CALLA HAN

ROBERT FRANZ BLAU

CLI FTON S. G USTAFSON

MR. & MR S. J AMES G. B ROW N

ATHE A COLUCCI

DA !EL FELGER

PETER H. GHEE

P ETER H. SHAR P DAN IEL R. SUKI S

T IM COLTO N

MR. & D R. STEVEN W. JONES

MR S. CAROL VJ ALL

B ERNA RD BARDE N

DIBNER M AR ITI ME ASSOCIATES LLC DAVID EMERY

PHILIP E. STOLP

JAMES 0. BURRI

L. FLE ISC HMANN

MRS. D.

JERRY SCHWAB

ROBERT L. CADRANELL

JAMES

JAMES H. BRAN DI

DR. JOSEP H F. ME ANY, J R.

A RTH UR A. BIR NE Y

G EORGE F. CLEMENTS, JR.

W ILLIAM ELLIOTT

LOOM IS FOUNDATIO

RAD M DAV ID C. BR OW N

CADDELL DRY DOCK & R EPA IR CO., INC.

WI LLI AM G . M ULLER

DR. TI MOTHY J. RUNYAN

MR . & MRS . JAMES M. CLARK

D. G UM PERTZ

GILBERT VER NEY Fou DATION

SUSAN V. BE FIELD

RI CHARD M. BRE SSLER

CAPT. JO HN w. Roos

BECTECH

JOH N W. ELDER

DR. & M RS . ARENT H. SCHUYLE R, JR.

ALI X T. THORNE

M ARI NE SOCIETY OF THE

ROBERT E. MORRI S, JR.

BR ADFORD D. & STEPH AN IE SMITH

HOW LAND B. JONES, JR .

CAPT. JAMES M C AMARA

PHI LIP B. P ERS ! 'GER

CA PT. JAM ES E . H EG, USN ( R ET.)

RICH ARD KR EMENTZ, JR.

ISAAC A. MORRI S

H ARRIS CLARK

BURCHENA L GREEN

ROBERT M. JOHNSTON

CYRUS C. LAU RIAT

MR. & MRS. AL M ASSON I

HALL

JAMES R. BARKER

RICHARD H. DUMAS

MR. & MRS. EDW IN H. GRA NT, JR .

H. KIRK E LATHROP

TODDS. FARR AN D WILLI AM J. G REEN

JEAN WORT

MR . A . ACEBEDO

N IELS W. JOHNSEN

HAR RI S CORPO RATION

MRS. GODWIN J. P ELISSERO

MR. & MR S. NIC HOLAS CARLOZZI

W. CRAYCROFT

GARY JOBSON

DAN IEL J. MCCA RTHY

T HOMAS H. CARRUTHER S

W ILLIAM H . GARVEY Ill

BENJAM IN KATZENSTEI N

A NC. & C. HAM ILTON SLOA N FOUN DAT IO

CAPT. B. H. WOOD

AL & A NN BERNA RD

DR . WILLIAMS. & DONNA D UDLEY

PAU L G ARNETT

NEILE. JONES

TH E BETTY SUE &ART PEA BODY FUN D

MR. & MR S. JOHN R. SHERWOOD Ill

JOH

EDWARD A. DELMAN

TH E RUTH R. HOYT/A NNE H . JOLLEY FOUN DATIO N, INC.

DAV ID J. & CAROLYN D. MCBRIDE

CITY OF NEW YORK

MR . C .

M s . PAT RI CIA A . JE AN BARI LE

IAN DANIC

TH E EDG A R & GERALDI NE F EDER FOU NDATIO N, INC .

TH E 11 TERLAKE STEAMS HIP COMPANY

DONORS

PAUL F. BALSER

FELIP E A. CUSTER

ED O 'CONNOR ROBERTS. R EGAN

GEORGE F. RUSSE LL , JR. MR. & MR S. DONN SPEAR RAL PH N. THOMPSON

ROBERT J. T YO

ALFRED T YLER II

JOHNS . WI GF IELD

W ILLI AM E. WOOD

ROBERT S. YOU NG

48

SEA HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER 2010


A Great Way to Support the NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY ... Limited edition prints by acclaimed Chesapeake artist John M. Barber

"Crab Potting"-Harvesting Blue Crabs on the Chesapeake Image Size 12" x 22" Signed and Numbered Limited Edition of 950 Price: $100 + $25 s/h

"Heading Out"-The Schooner Imagine Under Full Sail, Spa Creek, Annapolis , Maryland Image Size 13" x 23" Signed and Numbered Limited Edition of 950 Price: $120 + $25 s/h

To order by phone, call with your credit card 1-800-221-NMHS (6647), x 0 Or visit our web site at www.seahistory.org NYS residents add applicable sales tax. For orders sent outside the US, call the toll-free number above or e-mail nmhs@seahistory.org for shipping information.


Autumn Escape

Caribbean Delights

9 nights, Queen Mary 2 Sep 3 -12, 2010

11 nights, Queen Mary 2 Nov 27 - Dec 8, 2010

Limited-time onboard credit

Limited-time onboard credit

• ' 200* with Inside or Outside • ' 400* with Balcony · •soo• with Suites

· •soo• with

Available in combination with transatlantic crossings

Also departs Nov 16, 2010 Please call for fares

• ' 250* with Inside or Outside Ba lcony • ' 600 * with Suites

D7 - Inside

C1 - Outside

B4 - Balcony

P2 - Suites

D7 - Inside

C3 - Outside

B4 - Balcony

P2 - Suites

s1,895*

s2,495*

s2,495*

s4,995*

s1,495*

s1,695*

s1,795*

s3,595*

East Coast Getaway

Festive Caribbean

5 nights, Queen Mary 2 Oct 7-12, 2010

15 nights, Queen Mary 2 Dec 19, 2010 - Jan 3, 2011

Limited-time onboard credit

Li mited -t ime onboa rd credit

• •150* with Inside or Outside • ' 300 * with Balcony • ' 350 * with Suites

• •150* with Inside or Outside • ' 300* with Ba lcony • ' 400* with Su ites NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

A lso departs July 1, 2010 Please ca ll for fares ..

Grenada

D7 - Inside

C1 - Outside

B4 - Balcony

P2 - Suites

s995*

$1,295*

$1,295*

s2,495*

Invite friends & family to share the holidays at sea

Contact Society Member

Brad Hatry 212.265.8420 or 800.729.7472 ext. 222 brad@pisabrothers.com


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