Sea History 132 - Autumn 2010

. No. 132

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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

NMHS Ship's Store NEW 1914 Herreshoff 12 Yi " model Gift #049 $159.00 + $10.00 s/h Designed by Nathanael G. Herreshoff, the boat was built for yachtsmen that wanted a boat for their children that was easy to handle. Over 3000 have been built over the years and are still being made in fiberglass versions today.

Model comes with easy assembly instructions and a wooden stand to display it on.

NEW Weems & Plath Cutter Plaque Gift #050 $329.99 + $16.80 s/h

15" Solid Copper and Brass Anchor Lantern Gift #016 $99.95 + $16.80 s/h

The Cutter™ Plaque includes two porthole front-opening style bezels mounted on a solid mahogany finish presentation plaque . Both the clock and the barometer come complete with a lifetime warranty.

AA Battery included.

This classic anchor lamp has been used on sailing ships for hundreds of years. It is hand machined in pure copper with brass trim. The Fresnel style lens is made to magnify the oil lamp light to be visible for 20 nautical miles. These oil burning lanterns can burn for up to 7 hours before refi Hing.

Embroidered items ready to ship -

Wear your NMHS colors with pride!

These fabulous items are also featured on our website www.seahistory.org

EmbroideredAdamsBaseballCap Gear #001 $20.00 + 6.95 s/h Adjustable leather strap. Cactus, Chamois, Charcoal, Forest Green, Denim, Nautical Red

EmbroideredFleeceBlanket Gear #009 $15.00 + $7.95 s/h 50" x 60" whip stitched Navy fleece blanket is cozy & warm, and includes carrying straps Prices include embroidery with our NMHS logo featuring our flagship Kaiulaniin five colors.

NEW Embroidered Knit hat with cuff Gear #053 $12.00 + $6.95 s/h Tight knit hat with cuff 12" length. Black, Brown, Navy, Spruce, Royal

NEW Embroidered Knit hat without cuff Gear #054 $12.00 + $6.95 s/h Tight knit hat without cuff 8 Yz" length. Black, Brown, Navy, Spruce, Royal

To order, call 1-800-221-NMHS (6647), ext. 0, or visit our web site at www.seahistory.org.

Allow 2 to 3 weeks for delivery. Shipping within USA only. Satisfaction guaranteed!

SM OOTH

WATER S

SOUTHERNC HISTORIC SOUTH& GOLDEN ISLES

Charleston

t

N

7-Night Cruise Charleston, SC to Jacksonville, FL

SOUTH

CAROLINA

American Cruise Lines® provides a unique style of cruising in the United

\t GEORGIA

ATLANTIC OCEAN

States along the beautiful and historic East Coast and the great rivers of the Pacific Northwest. With no more than 100 guests, you'll be able to enjoy each port of call, up close and personal, all while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow passengers, sumptuous cuisine and the exemplary, personal attention that is the hallmark of American Cruise Lines.

Come and discover small ship cruising

done perfectlyTM .

*

2011 Calendar Our bestselling item is back! The 2011 Art of the Sea calendar features extrao rdinary paintings by worldrenowned marine artists. The calendar includes biographies of the artists, plus information about the ships depicted , with historical accounts of the scenes by NMHS Chairman Ronald Oswald.

J. P. U RANKER WOODCARVER

*

AUTHENTIC MARITIME

*SEA CHESTS* HANDCARVED

*

DOVETAILED

1-508-693-5871 1393 County Road, Martha's Vineyard, MA 02557

Ca lend ar is wa ll hanging, full co lor, 11 " x 14" $13.95 (or $11.50 for Sea History readers) + $5 .50 s/h within the USA.

To order, call 1-800-221-NMHS (6647), ext. 0, or visit us on the web at www.seah istory.org. All ow 2-3 weeks for deli very. NY State residents add applicab le sales tax.

See, touch, hear, smell and experience how the great wooden ships were built.

• Visit the only existing U.S. shipyard site where large wooden sailing ships were built •Fo ur original workshops •Wharves, slips, tools, and more •Shipyard owner's home • Explore the latest exhibits • Some Burdensome: Big Ships, Big Cargoes through June 25, 2010 • Heavy Metal: Marine Propulsion Opens July 9, 201 0 • Tour Bath Iron Works and see Navy destroyers being built using cutting-edge technology* • Watch craftsmen build wooden boats by hand • Be awed by the life-size evocation of the Wyoming, largest wooden sailing ship ever built • See the recovered remains of the last American clipper ship Snow Squall • Find a rare book or a perfect nautical gift in our Museum Store *May 25 to Oct. 77 only. Reservations highly

recommended. Visit our web site to register

www.MaineMaritimeMuseum.org

lt ltll

NAUTICAL HOME

~

1-.1 1• 5: I

1"""' ~111

Live the nautical life.

30-day returns • Price match guarantee . Secure shopping · Free shipping

1-800-880-4995

The Finest Nautical Luxury Items at the Lowest Prices Toll Free 1-800-880-4995

open daily 9:30 to 5 243 Washington Street, Bath, Maine 207-443-1316 Bath information at visitbath.com

SEA HISTORY

No. 132

AUTUMN 2010

CONTENTS 10 Sailors and Slaves: USS Constellation and the TransAtlantic Slave Trade,

by John Penrangelo The sloop-of war USS Constellation joined the US Navy's African Squadron in 1859. Over the

~

~

0

•5 ~ ~

next two years the Squadron seized 14 slave ships and returned nearly 4, 000 captives to Africa.

~

~ u ii

16 Anticipating a Hurricane, D esigning a Berth for Elissa, by Captain Walter Rybka With another hurricane season upon us, the former restoration director for the barque Elissa

g ;:

~

shares the important Lessons Learned from H urricanes A licia and Ike, temp ests which each tested Elissa's specially designed berth to the fuLLest.

~ 8

10

22 The Battle of Cape Henry, by James L. Nelson Six months before the French naval victory in the Battle ofthe Capes, there was another sea battle between the French and British navies offthe Virginia Capes. At stake was the possible capture ofthe traitor, Benedict Arnold. While Arnold eluded capture ashore, at sea the French p ounded the British fleet, and the scene was set for Later Colonial victories.

z

0

~

0

z

~

it

~

ii

g

28 MARINE ART: Marc Castelli, Artist Advocate for the Chesapeake Bay Waterman,

by Philip J. Webster; illustrations by Marc Castelli

;: z

~~

Marc Casteffi gets to know the people whose Lives he depicts in his art: he goes to work with the fishermen, getting up before first Light and doing the hands-on Labor in the boats. Through his p aintings, he has taken on the cause ofthe Chesap eake watermen and their fight to maintain their way of Life.

<i ~

~ ~

0

u

16

38 Trafalgar's Last Chapter-HMS Pickle's Moment in History,

by RADM Joseph F. Callo USNR (Rer.) When the Battle of Trafalgar was over and Nelson had been kiffed in action, H MS Pickle was dispatched to get the news to London as quickly as p ossible. Each year, "Pickle Night" is celebrated on both sides ofthe A tlantic to commemorate the events of October 1805.

0

••~

0

u

~

0

~

40 NMHS Annual Awards Dinner, by Julia Church and Burchenal Green

B

"

This October, NMH S wiff honor David RockefeLLer J r. and Sailors fo r the Sea, saifmaker Nathaniel S. Wilson; and Mystic Seaport's H enry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard along with Dana H ewson and Quentin Snediker.

0

~ ~

~

%

~

z

~

Cover: Sou' easterlies/Love Point, watercolor, 22 " x 15': by Marc Casteffi

~

~

0

"Pound nets have a strong visual attraction for me. People have been using arrangements Like these to trap fish for hundreds ofyears. In the Chesap eake Bay, they are used to catch striped bass, croakers, catfish, and menhaden. Love Point is just offthe north end ofKent Island on the Eastern Shore. waves and swells here can be more pronounced than in most other areas of the Bay, yet when the fish are around, it is a very good p lace to be. " -Marc Casteffi

u

22

• •~

~ ~

~

•<<

DEPART MENTS

~

z

0

4

DECK Loe AND L ETTERS

8

NMHS: A CAUSE

IN M OTI ON

34

S EA HISTORY FOR

Kms

44 MAR.!TIME HI STORY ON THE I NTERNET

4 5 S HIP N OTES, SEAPORT 49 CALEN DAR 51 REVI EWS

56

~ ~

8

38

PATRONS

Sea H istory and the National Maritime Historical Society Sea History e-mail: edirorial@seahistory.org; NMHS e-mail: nmhs@seahisrory.org; Web site: www.seahisrory.org. Ph: 914 737-7878; 800 221-NMHS MEMBERSHIP is invited. Afterguard $ 10,000; Benefactor $5,000; Plankowner $2,500; Sponsor $ 1,000; Donor $500; Parron $250; Friend $100; Contributor $75; Family $50; Regular $35.

~ z

& MUSEUM N EWS

All members outside the USA please add $ 10 for postage. Sea History is sent ro all members.

Individual copies cost $3. 75.

SEA HISTORY (issn 0146-9312) is published quarterly by the National Maritime Historical Society, 5 John Walsh Blvd., POB 68, Peekskill NY 10566. Period icals postage paid ar Peekskill NY 10566 and add'I mailing offices.

COPYRIGHT © 20 I 0 by the National Maritime Historical Society. Tel: 914-737-7878.

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

NATIONAL MARIT IME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

DECK LOG American Icons in Philadelphia at Risk SS United States gets 11th-hour reprieve

Hundreds of people gathered on Pier 82 in Philadelphia on July 1" for the National Flagship Celebration for the historic ocean liner SS United States. H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest, a Philadelphia philanthropist, whose naval architect father designed the ship's watertight doors, SS United States in Philmlelphia recently pledged $5.8 million to the SS United States Conservancy (SSUSC) . The ship's current owner, Norwegian Cruise Lines, has agreed to sell the ship for $3 million to this non-profit organization dedicated to providin g her a dignified future.

The liner was in imminent danger of being sold for scrap.

Built during the Cold War, she was partially funded by the US government so she could be used for troop transport. She was designed to be able to transit the Panama Canal and carry 15,000 troops more than 10,000 miles without refueling. Ar the same rime, she was also a luxury passenger liner, viewed as the go ld standard in rransArlanric travel. On her maiden voyage she proved to be the fastest ocean liner in the world, a record that has never been beaten. Susan Gibbs, president of the SSUSC and granddaughter of the ship's designer, William F. Gibbs, describes the ship as an important symbol of the United States at its best.

With her elegant lines, luxurious features, engineering accomplishments and massive twin funnels, this ship is indeed an American icon. She has languished in Philadelphia since 1996 and now looks for a reprieve. SSUSC executive director Dan McSweeney revealed that their purchase option with NCL will expire in February 201 1, and, if a ride transfer occurs by then, they will have 20 months in which to begin the process of redevelopment. This generous donation brings great hope to the ship bur it is just the beginning of a new chapter char will demand increased dedication and support.

And w hat's this I hear about USS Olympia?

Also in Philadelphia the great USS Olympia, Queen of the Pacific, once again faces an uncertain fate. The Independence Seaport Museum, unable to raise the $ 10- $30 million needed for a necessary restoration, has put in a request to the navy char they repossess her. The world's oldest floating steel warship and the sole surviving naval ship of the Spanish American War, Olympia served as Admiral Dewey's flagship at the Barrie of Manila Bay, which marked the emergence of the United States as a world power. Olympia fired the first shots when Admi ral George Dewey uttered those immortal words to Captain C harles Vernon Gridley, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." In 192 1 Olympia brought America's Unknown Soldier home from Le Havre, France, to the Washington Navy Yard.

Look for updates on both ships in upcoming issues of Sea History. For those who are actively involved in saving our maritime treasures, through giving of time, talent or financial support, we salute yo u!

-Burchenal Green, President 4

â&#x20AC;˘

NATIONALMARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PUBLISH ER'S C IRC LE: Peter Aro n, W illiam H . White OFFIC ERS & T RUSTEES: Chairman, Ro nald L. O swald; Vice Chairman, Richardo R. Lopes; President, Burchenal G reen; Vice Presidents, D eirdre O 'Rega n, N ancy Schn aa rs; Treasurer, H. C. Bowen Smi th; Secretary, Thomas F. D aly; Trustees, C harl es B. And erson, Walter R. Brown, James Ca rter, D avid S. Fowler, Virginia Steele Grubb, Karen Helmerson, Steven W. Jon es, Robert Kamm , Richard M . Larrabee, G uy E. C. M aitland, John R. McDonald Jr. , James J. McN am ara , Wi lliam Pinkney, Richard Scarano , Philip J. Sh apiro, Peter H. Sharp , Howa rd Slotnick, Bradford D . Smith, Cesare Sario, Philip J. Webster, D aniel W W halen, Wi lliam H. W hite; Chairmen Emeriti, Walter R. Brown, Alan G . C hoa te, G uy E. C. M aitland, Craig A. C. Reynolds, Howard Slotnick; President Emeritus, Peter Sranford FOU N D ER: Karl Kortum (191 7-1996) OVE RSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown; C li ve C ussler, Richard du Moulin, Alan D. Hutchi son , Jakob Isbrandtsen, Gary Jobson , Sir Robin Knox-Jo hnston, John Lehman, Brian A. McAllister, John Stobart, W illiam G. Winterer N MHS ADVI SORS: Chairman, Melbourne Smith ; D. K. Abbass, George Bass, O swald L. Bren, RADM Joseph F. Ca.Ila, Francis ].

Duffy, John S. Ewald, Timothy Foote, Wi lliam G ilkerso n, Thomas G illmer, Steven A. H yman , J. Russell Jinishian, Hajo Knunel , G unn ar Lundeberg, Joseph A. Maggio, Conrad Milster, W illiam G . Muller, Stuart Parnes, Lori Dillard Rech, N ancy Hughes Richardson , Bert Rogers, Joyce Huber Smith

SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Chairman, Timothy J. Runya n; N orm a n J. Brou we r, Rob e rt Bro w nin g, W illiam S. Dudley, Daniel Finamore, Kevin Foster, John Odi n Jense n, Joseph F. Mea ny, Lisa No rling, Ca rla Rahn Phillips, Walter Rybka, Quentin Snediker, W ill iam H . Wh ite NMHS STAFF: Execu t ive D irect o r , Burchenal G reen; M embership Director, Na ncy Schn aars; Marketing D irector, Steve Lovass-Nagy; Accounting, Jill Romeo; Store Sales & Vo lunteer Coordinator, Jane M auri ce

SEA HISTORY. Edi tor, D e irdre O ' Rega n ; Advertising D irector, W e nd y Pagg io tt a; Editor-at-Large, Peter Stanford Sea H istory is printed by the Lane Press, South Burlington , Vermont.

SEA HI STORY l 32AUTUMN 2010

LETTERS

Failing Our Historic Ships

USS Olympia in Philadelphia What the heck is going on at our maritime museums? Last year we heard the unthinkable-that the Hawaiian Maritime Center in Honolulu had given up trying to maintain the only iron-hulled, four-masted full rigged ship afloat and, to make all their problems go away, they put out the threat that unless some other organization or benefactor came to the rescue to take the Falls ofClyde off their hands, that they'd take her out to deep water and sink her. In 2010, I thought we were past that sort of thinking-that the deep ocean is a dumping gro und simply because the stuff we sink is out of sight. From an environmental standpoint, yo u'd chink chat people would be in an uproar, even if they didn't care about the ship itself.

In your last issue, we read chat the Essex-built fishing schooner Evelina M. Goulart, again the last of her kind, is likely to be dismantled because the museum cannot afford to stab ilize her to keep her from falling on some kid's head as he walks by. I just heard that the USS Olympia, Admiral Dewey's flagship from the Battle of Manila Bay, is in danger of being scrapped or, "to preserve her," be sunk as an artificial reef.

She has been owned and maintained (I guess

not very well) by the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia since 1996. With all the money we spend on defense, does the Navy not have any money to preserve its own history?

I know that ships cost an enormous amo unt of money to maintain, but this losing battle has got to tell us loud and clear chat the way we have been going abour preserving our own heritage is not working. One by one, we learn of these scenarios, shake o ur heads, usually blame the museums that own them, and then move on. We tend to forget about it until the next ship is, as you say, "on a lee shore." Going about it one at a time, and failing, is only going to result in the permanent loss of our maritime memory.

When they are all gone, save a few, it wo n't do any good to say, aw shucks, we tried. Try H arder!

MICHAEL R. MULLEN Newtown, Pennsylvania Did you know that USS Olympia-the last survivor of the War with Spain and the oldesr surviving steel warship from rhe era of Teddy Roosevelt-is abo ut to become a reef off the New Jersey Coast? That is a

. Affordable Luxury When You're Anchored in Boston The antiquity and charm of the original Mariners House has been updated to include all the modern amenities, featuring completely renovated pr ivate rooms, private baths, elegant common rooms and all the in-room necessities of modern life.

â&#x20AC;˘

Starting at

~65

per night mdudmg breakfa st lunch and dinner also offered daily (Not included.)

Guests must be active seafa rers w ith proof of service.

MARINERS HOUSE 160Years of Hospital ity and Guidance to Professional Mariners 11 North Square, Boston, MA 0 2113 Voice (617) 227-3979 Fax (617) 227-4005 inn@marinershouse.org www.marinershouse.org To Make a Reservation, call 1-877-SEA-9494

SEA HISTORY 132 AUTUMN 2010

real possibility; faced w ith a multi-million dollar repair bill , the Philadelphia museum has ch osen to punt its responsibiliti es for care of this icon of American maritime/ naval history.

Does anyone care? Well, Philadelphia's tourism industry and C ity Hall should. The economic opportunities afforded by her repairs in a nearly defun ct maritime industry should prompt politicians' interest. Patriotic Americans should be irate at yet another historical treasure sacrificed on the altar of expedience and pecuniary considerations.

After all, the Olympia stands as a memorial to an era of natio nal pride and robust eco nomic endeavor when Am erica bestrode the wo rld scene. Theodore Roosevelt and the Olympia represent what America was all abo ut at the opening of the ''American Century." Lest we forget, she symbolizes both a co mbatant warship and an ambassador of the USA: her wh ite and buff hull, colors symbolic of a peace-loving nation, making her way among decadent imperial powers.

She was a protected cruiser in the naval tradition of commerce protection and force projection, not a warship for defense ofsome imperial realm. Not only did she wrest the

Join Us for a Voyage into History Our seafaring heritage comes alive in the pages of Sea History, from the ancient mariners of Greece to Portuguese navigators opening up the ocean world to the heroic efforts of sailors in modern-day conflicts. Each issue brings new insights and discoveries. If you love the sea, rivers, lakes, and bays-if you appreciate the legacy of those who sail in deep water and their workaday craft, then you belong with us.

Join Today!

Phone 1 800 221-NMHS (6647), mail in the form below, or visit us at: www.seahistory.org (e-mail: nmhs@seahistory.org)

Yes, I want to jo in the National Maritime Historical Society and receive Sea History quarrerly. My contribution is enclosed. ($ 17 .50 is for Sea History; any amount above that is tax deducrible.) Sign me up as: D $35 Regular M ember

D $ 100 Friend

D $50 Family M ember

D $250 Patron

D $500 Donor

Mr./ M s._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ZIP_ _ _ _ _ __ Rerurn to: National Maritime Historical Society, PO Box 68, Peekskill NY 10566

5

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.

Philippines from Spanish yoke, bur she led the first expedition to confront Bolshevism in North Russia at the close ofWorld War I. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1977, a N arional Historic Maritime Landmark in 1988, and an Official Project to Save America's Treasures in 1999-does anyone care now that we are in the rwenry-first century? And if they don't, does that mean we aim to please only those who are too ignorant or callous or arrogant to value our own history?

What can we do about this atrociry beckoning on the horizon? First, contact Peter McCausland, chair of the Board of Port Wardens, Independence Seaport Museum , 211 South Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19106, and protest the sacrilege about to be perpetrated upon the Olympia.

Second, write Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter about the loss of this historic landmarkand tourist attraction to his ciry. Third, inform local Philadelphia congressmen Bob Brady and Joe Sesrak in the US Congress or even your local congressional representatives of the impending travesry seeking national succor for saving the Olympia. And, fourth, there is a group that has organized to raise awareness and funds to save the ship: Friends of the Cruiser Olympia is asking for your help and contributions (contact them at Info@CruiserOlympia.org). They are trying to raise $2.5 million-yes, $2.5 million by the end of the year. Unrealistic, you say? Nor when you think that pennies contributed by Philadelphia school children helped save the ship some sixry years ago!

We have to start somewhere, and all of us chipping in will help reach the goal. Help Save the Olympia-IF YOU CARE. And, we all should!

B. FRANKLIN COOLING Author, Olympia; Herald ofEmpire (Naval Institute Press, 2000)

vessel on 22 November 2010 and begin to "responsibly dispose" of the vessel. Unless supporters can raise $2.5 million by January 2011, this irreplaceable piece of American history may be sent to an ignominious reefing, ending its days protecting the New Jersey beach front.

Launched from the Union Boat Works in San Francisco in 1892, USS Olympia remains one of the last three surviving examples oflate 19th-century warship construction in the world. A National Historic Landmark and technological marvel, the ship's vertical reciprocating steam engines earned her a spot on the list of National Historic Mechanical

In Philadelphia, the Independence Seaport Museum, longtime steward of the protected cruiser Olympia (C-6) , is recovering from years of systemic mismanagement and corruption. Bur the operational reforms may have come too late for the Olympia-the museum has decided to shutter the museum

Essex Schooner Evelina M. Goulart I was pleased to read the article on the future of the Evelina M. Goulart in the recent issue of Sea History. The article did a good job of capturing the issues facing the Essex Shipbuilding Museum as they work through their decision-making process regarding the

6

Engineering Landmarks. The ship itself is a significant historical showpiece. After serving as Commodore George Dewey's flagship during the 1898 Bartle of Manila Bay, the Olympia memorialized America's emergence as a global power. As a floating memorial, the Olympia was a successful museum vessel. On an annual basis, more than 100,000 visitors paced the same decks where Navy hero Commodore George Dewey uttered the immortal fighting words, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley."

Ir is shameful that the Olympia could survive a confrontation with a hostile fleet only to be sunk by years of bad management, lax accounting, and cavalier stewardship.

In the meantime, you can visit this museum ship while it is still open to visitors.

This may be your last chance. Go to http:// cruiserolympia.org/sire/ and learn what you can do to help save this American treasure.

CRAIG HOOPER

San Francisco, California

future of the vessel. I was fortunate to have been asked to speak at the last of the foursession symposia the Essex Shipbuilding Museum organized to explore the best options for the Goulart's future. As the article noted, whatever route the museum takes, including doing nothing, will involve expenses that will be difficult for it to cover.

At the last session, Erik Ronn berg eloquently discussed "Chainsaw Archaeology," which is a responsible option at this stage as it would insure that critical aspects of the vessel will be documented and saved. Pieces of the schooner can be preserved and exhibited inside the museum's building, and with the inclusion of a large-scale model in the display, an exhibit like this can be a powerful reminder of Essex's past shipbuilding glory.

That said, I believe the Goulart is of a size that keeping her intact is also a viable option for the museum to consider. She is the only largely original Essex-built vessel in existence today, something that should give ample weight to the discussion of why she is worth saving.

The Essex Shipbuilding Museum is facing a very difficult and important decision: it sits on one of the key sites involved in the history ofshipbuilding in the region and has in its care one of the last examples of that shipbuilding past. Furthermore, the Goulart is a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation awarded a historic structure or site in this country. Imagine for a moment how this conversation would be shaped if there were only a half dozen buildings on CapeAnn that predated 1930. The museum and the Goulart are central to preserving the history of the region, and any actions taken must come from careful consideration of these facts . From what I could see, there is a core group of individuals that can be marshaled to explore the difficult decisions the museum needs to make and to develop a plan to responsibly deal with the vessel.

As the museum's board moves through this process, they will need support from the maritime preservation communiry and they deserve support from the preservation communiry at large.

DANA

c. HEWSON

Senior Curator for Watercraft, VP for Watercraft Preservation & Programs Mystic Seaport SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

AB!iORB !iHOCK Eliminate pain from every step.

REBOUl\ID PROPEL§ YOU FORWARD Reduce fatigue. Be more active

Walk and run faster, jump higher, no fatigue and no more pain!

Should 6-Defy be banned from Athletic Competition?

They might be considered an unfair advantage.

6ene!ii!i of Athletic Excellence Elevate your game to the next level. Feel the drive, the inspiration, the energy asyou slip your feet into the most exhilarating shoes in theworld! Go from the weekend warrior to the daily champion at your gym and on thestreet.

Ver!io!ihock™Trampoline Technology Within 1Odays of regular use, the special combination of spaceage rubber and lightweight, durable springswill adjust to your activities and begin to improveyour overall comfort.

Give your whole body a break from the stress of your high impact life and experience breakthroughsin your athletic lifestyle. Be in action. Be unstoppable. Be comfortable and live pain free.

• • • • • •

Relieve all pains Ease joint & spine pressure 6reat New!i for the Overweight?

Reduce fatigue & tiredness Extra weight puts an added toll on your bones and joints.

Be more adive Running isn't an option, and walking can become difficult.

Have more energy G-Defy Shoes will take the pressure from your large frame Jump higher, walk and run body, make you more active and change your life forever ' faster Ea!ie Joint Pain!

• Have instant comfort You will notice immediate relief of common pain during ex• Cool your feet & reduce ercise as the springs of G-Defy athletic shoes absorb most of foot odor the impact --instead of your body-- by easing the stress on • Elevate your performance your joints, back and neck while walking, running, or jumping.

$119.95 ;,..,

Patented Shock _.$t.29;95 Absorbing Polymer Sole TB902MBL Men's Black TB902MWG Men's White sizesl.Hl.O widths MiW, &XW/XX

TB902FWS Women's White TB902FBL Women's Black sizes6.0·11.0 widths MiW, &XW/XX

EXCLUSIVE ONLINE OFFER 30 DAY RISK-FREE trial*. Not available in stores.

Take advantage of this exclusive offer at

www.ShoesOnSteroids.com/MPSJBU or by phone, dial (800) 429·0039 and mention the promotional code below.

Circulation Channels Twin Stabilizer Coils

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed, Nothing to Lose --but your pain.

30 Day Money Back Guarantee. II not satisfied, send them back for alull refund of purchase price.

Distnbuters and dealers please call 818 50 1 5277

Promotional Code : MPX.IBU •shipping and handling non-refundable. Gravitydefyer.com!

gravity defyer™ VERSOSHOCK

TRAMPOLINE

FOOTWEAR

NMHS: A CAUSE IN MOTION Naval Leadership Speaks to the Importance of Knowing History

'

The NMHS Washington Awards Dinner in Apri l was remarkable for the caliber of remarks on the importance of learning about and knowing America's m aritime history, and , in particular, her naval history. Ga ry Jobso n, President of US Sailing, did a magnifi cent job recounting the America's C up races of this past February and introducing the recipients and their presenters. Vice Admi ral Robert Dunn, USN (Ret.), president of the Naval Historic Foundation, presented the NMHS Robert G. Albion/James Mo nroe Award for maritime historiography to Jim C heevers, Senior C urato r of the newly restored Naval Academy Museum, for his long and distinguished career at the Naval Academy Museum during his 40-year tenure as curator of the collections.

Admiral Robert Papp, Commandant of the US Coast Guard, presented the NMHS Distinguished Service Award to Admiral Ga ry Roughead, C hief of Naval Operations, USN, fo r placing emphasis on naval histo ry as a Navy-wi de discipline and mal<.ing that subject part of the adva ncement examinatio ns for senior enlisted personnel. Former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman presented the NMHS Distinguished Service Award to retired US Senator Jo hn Warner in recognition of his illustrious career as sailor, marine, C hair of the American Revolution Bicentennial NMHS Award Recipients James Cheevers, Senator Wtzrner and Commission, Under-Secretary and Secretary of the Navy, US Senator, Admiral Roughead with M aster of Ceremonies Gary Jobson, and Chairman of rhe Senate Armed Services Committee. Each spoke Dinner chairs Irmy and Philip Webster, NMHS Chairman passionately about the great importance of increas ing maritime ed ucati on.

Ronald Oswald and the award presenters, Vice Admiral Robert Und er rhe directio n of Dr. Robert Newto n, the USCG Cader Idlers Dunn, Admiral Robert J Papp, Jr., and Hon. john Lehman. performed three songs, one of which was written by Martha LaGuardiaKo rite, who was a guest at rhe dinner. NMHS Vice C hairman Rick Lopes presented a moving video on each of the award recipients.

NMHS Dinner Chairs Philip and lrmy Webster are committed to strengthening our Society's ties to our natio n's capital and are working to m ake this exciting dinner an annual event.

Maritime Artisans Alive and Well at the WoodenBoat Show The Mystic Seaport waterfront was resplendent with wooden boats Witnessing the number of artisans and the variety of the and those whose passion keeps the skills alive to build, restore, and types of work they do was inspiring and reassuring. Of those who maintain them ar the 19th Annual WoodenBoar Show in June. participated, I can list a mere handful here. William Schlageter The recently launched Silent Maid fro m the Independence Seaport has apprenticed with R. Berkeley George, Ye O lde Cannon maker Muse um was there, along with irs boatbuilder John Brady. Fred and in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and is carrying on the work. These Fran Roffe were back again w ith their award-winning True Love and scaled-down cannons are brass, bronze, or ducti le iron versions welcomed us aboard. The gro unds were busy with boatbuilding of classic original cannons, carefully proportioned. Their cannons demonstratio ns and visitors admiring the ~--~~----~--~---~,~ sail with Eagle, Amistad, Ticonderoga, and m any beautiful small boars from aro und America (www. rbgcannons.com ). Richard the country there on display.

DeMello m akes traditional flagpoles at The state of the economy has stressed Bete-Fleming, Inc., where he also creates the m aritim e heritage community, as it has traditional wooden sail battens. His motto: every segment of our population , and the "It never gets old, Flying O ld G lory" (www. non-profit maritime m useums, sail-training bere-flem ing.com). Whitney Cornforth programs, reproduction vessels, artists, hisco mbines scrimshaw and glassblowing for toric ships and shipyards are all struggling. new sculptures rhar convey a feeling of the Yet, rhe fi eld irselfhas grown so much larger, sea (www.whirneycornforth.com). Tom stronger and more significant in the past Jannke makes "unscrew-urns" to back out decade; when the maritime heritage community gathers it is evident broken screws in old ships (www. dtools.com ). Vin ce Brennan keeps rhar the work being done is impressive, innovative, and important. up the centuries-old tradition of sailors making objects from rope N MHS Chairman Ron Oswald and I covered the show, meeting (www.frayedknorarrs.com). Robert E. Webber paints classic yacht exhibitors in boats, tents, and boo ths and askin g them to rell us about portraits. (www. classicyachrporrrairs .com). themselves, their boars, and their work. Besides learning abo ut what If you are carrying on a m aritime tradition, ski ll, or craft, boars and boarbuilders are our there, there are some great stories to even in a smal l way, we'd love to hear from yo u! Tell us about what hear when yo u get talking to people abo ut their craft, whether it be yo u do and please email photos to nmhs@seahistory.org or to the boats or ship models, flags, art or blacksmithing. These are rhe things NMHS headquarters in Peekskill, New York. yo u can expect by going in person to one of these events.

- Burchenal Green, NMHS President

8

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 20 10

Ninth Maritime Heritage Conference 15-19 September 2010, Baltimore, Maryland ometimes referred to as the gathering of the maritime clans, Maritime H eritage Conferences serve as an outstanding forum for individuals and institutions to share their passion for our seagoing heritage. Clearly this will be the case with the 9th Maritime Heritage Conference, to be held this yea r in Baltimore, from the 15th through the 19th of September.

The organizers of this conference have worked overtime to set up immersion experiences that will faci litate discussions about how we all can succeed in our respective missions to brin g to life our fascinating maritime past for the general pub lic. With a kickoff underway reception slated for the SS john W Brown, attendees can imagine heading out from port to join a World War II transAdanticconvoy with a constant fear of the U- boat peril. The next evening, attendees will be transported back a century as they walk the decks of the sloop-of-war USS Constellation, her appearance today reminiscent of the time she served on anti-slavery patrols off Africa. This gala reception is sponsored by Historic Ships in Baltimore and the National Maritime Historical Society. On Friday, attendees will visit the maritime archival resources and museum exhibits in the nation's capital. That evening, the Maryland Historical Society and Johns Hopkins University Press will host a reception to launch their latest title, Maritime M aryland: A History by Dr. W illiam S. Dudley. On Saturday, there will be a tour of a one-of-a-kind nuclear-powered cargo ship, NS Savannah, and on Sunday tours are planned for Fort McHenry (as

S

partofanArmystaffride) and the remodeled US Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis.

But the real stars of the conference will be the attendees themselves, many ofwhom will be arriving with presentations in hand.

The conference anticipates attendees from a majority of the fifty states and Canada, and from oversees locations such as England, France, Norway, South Africa, China, Japan, and Australia.

With a theme of enhancing our ability to conduct outreach, the 9th Maritime Heritage Conference features an opening plenary with three individuals who have proven success in this area: David Rockefeller Jr., president of Sailors for the Sea, will discuss

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

past explorations as context for the recent successful ''Around the Am ericas" expedition that drew attention to the cause of ocean conservation; Jose Fuentes, OpSai l C hariman , will discuss the history of OpSail; and Admiral John C. Harvey of the US Navy's Fleet Forces Command will discuss the Navy's ~ partnership with OpSail and plans for tall ship events in conjunction with the bicentennial of the Warof 1812.

Later at lunch, author Cl ive C ussler will be recognized for his support of maritime heritage activities and will have an opportuni ty to discuss recent initiatives.

The Historic Naval Ships Association (HNSA) will be hold ing their annual gathering in conjunction with this conference, so attendees will have an opportunity to sit in on sessions that have application well beyond the historic ships community.

The.American Lighthouse Coordinating Comr mittee has also put together a strong slate of panels to discuss similar themes dealing with public access, restoration, and connecting with local communities. The American Sail Tra iningAssociation has also organized a series of sail heritage sessions. Other organizations that have submitted panels include the Museum Small Craft Association, the Naval Order of the United States, the US Marine Corps History Office, the US Coast G uard History Office, the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration, and the Maryland Historical Society.

Scholars from many of the world's top academic institutions involved in maritime fields and other independent researchers have responded to the broad-based call for papers enabling the organizers to field strong panels dealing with history and education. Interest in the forthcoming major anniversaries of the War of 18 12 and the Civil War attracted enough proposals to field six panels. Piracy, culture, heritage trails, conservation, and underwater archaeology are central themes in a dozen more panels.

A complete listing of the sessions and presenters is now online at the National Maritime Historical Society's website, www.seahistory.org-the official webs ite for the maritime heritage -David F Winkler, PhD, conference. See yo u in Baltimore!

9th Maritime Heritage Conference Program Chair

(left-right) Libery Ship SS John W Brown, Fort M cH enry, and author Clive Cussler

J 9

Sailors and Slaves: USS Constellation and the TransAtlantic Slave Trade

by Joh n Pentangelo

"This being the first Slaver, I ever saw w ith slaves, my curiosity led me upon the Slave deck.

The scene which here presented itself to my ey es bajfies description. It was a d readful sight.

They were all packed together like so many sheep; men, women, and child ren entirely naked, and sufferingfrom hunger and thirst. They had nothing to eat or drink fo r over thirty hours.

As soon as the poor negroes were aware that we werefriends to them, they commenced a shouting and yelling like so many w ild Indians. They were so overjoyed at being taken by us that I thought they would tear us to pieces. " 1 - Ordinary Seaman W illiam Ambrose Leo nard, USS Constellation, 25 September 1860, after his ship captured the American barque Cora with 705 Africans aboard. rom 1859 to 186 1, sloop-of-war U SS Constellation (1 854) served as flagsh ip of the United States Navy's African Squadron, a fleet of vessels with orders to p ro tect American commerce and supp ress the transAtlantic slave trade off the West Coast of Africa.

During Constellation's rwo-year cruise, the squadron , then consisting of eight sail- and steam-powered vessels, captured fo urteen slave ships and liberated almost 4,000 Africans from a future life of servitude in the Americas. The crew endured hardships of rhestation, worked with Africans to supp ress the trade, and experienced one of the most important events in Constellation's century of service to the United States Navy on that fa tefu l night in September.

T he United States ou tlawed th e transAdantic slave trade in 1808 but provided li ttle enforcement. After repeated frustrations with its inability to seize American-Bagged slave ships, Great Brit-

F

ain fi nally convinced the United States to to Monrovia, Liberia, to augment her crew es tablish its own African Squadron . The with fo rry African Kroomen. These memWebster-Ashbur ton Treary, signed in bers of the Kroo tribe served as 1842, declared that both nations paid crew members fo r the would maintain separate naval entire cruise. squadrons on the West Coast While images of Africa to enforce their of the slave trade respective laws against the are appro priately slave trade. associated wi th USS Constellation, th e Afri cans under the command of who end ured Captain John S. N ichounspeaka ble las, weighed anchor in horrors of the Boston Harbor and set Middle Passage, sail for Africa on 19 July little is written 1859. The all-sail, 22-gun about the role some sloop-of-war served as the West African seafarheadquarters vessel of the ers played in combatAfrican Squadron's new Hag ofing the transAdantic ficer W illiam Inman. Constellaslave trade. For detion arrived at the Portuguese Flag Officer William Inman cades, commanders island of Madeira in August to relieve USS Cumberland. In October, she sailed south

of both squadrons employed Kroomen to serve as auxiliary seamen, lighter-men, and longshoreman to transport men and supplies from ship to shore.

Kroomen were recruited from shore on a "first-come, fi rst-served" basis. Renowned fo r their physical strength, they often worked in th e nude or with just a cloth wrapped aro und their waists. Their arrival onboard Constellation in October 1859 made quite an impression on the American sailors.

W illiam Leonard recalled that, "the ship is swarmed with th em presenting their reccommendations, [sic] .. . to our captain.

USS Constellation in 1862

by Tomaso de Simone

Constellation served as flagship of the US Navy's African Squadron from 1859-1861, during which time, the squadron captured fourteen slave vessels, returning nearly 4, 000 abducted Africans to Africa.

10

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 20 I 0

.'

., Q

z

<

~ ~

0

u ~ u ~

~

.," ~

p

~

;:

~

< z

(above Left) Men from the Kroo tribe in West Africa signed on as temporary crewmen on US Navy ships in the African Squadron. 7heir skillful command of the ships' boats through the dangerous surf between the ship and shore proved invaluable to the squadron vessels p atrolling the coast. (above right) Kroomen taking a boat through the surf Sketch by Charles F Sands, US Navy.

They are a fine looking set of men. They now began to come a little faster than they were wanted and contrary to the orders of the 1st lieutenant they hung on to the ships [sic] side, and resisted all attempts to drive them off."

Kroomen relied on written testimonials from previous employers to prove their wo rth to naval officers. They carried these recommendation papers, called "books," in wooden or tin boxes tied around their necks.

Sailors who worked with them typically renamed their new shipmates after items of importance in the seam an's wo rld. Constellation's Kroomen included those renamed Fresh Water, Bottle of Beer, Tom Rardin, Jim Bobstay, and Jack Half Dollar. These nicknames, insulting by modern standards, were status symbols in the Kroo villages at Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Monrovia.

As temperatures along the coast often rose above 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the suffocating hear made ordinary shipboard routines almost unbearable. Leonard explained that, "the object in havi ng them is to man the boats so as to keep the White Men from being exposed to the Sun which is dreadful hot all along the Coast. They are a very hardy race of people and can stand a great deal offatigue, they require no bedding they sleep on deck."2 Squadron commanders also recognized that Kroomen were resistant to tropical diseases. Disease killed hundreds in the British and American squad rons during

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 20 I 0

the nineteenth century, earning Africa the sobriquet, "the Whi re Man's Grave." Constellation's sailors dreaded the strai ns of malaria and yellow fever contracted, they believed, from breathing "bad air" close to the coastline. The disease, actually transmitted by mosquito, hindered the suppression of the slave trade as orders frequently demanded that ships not linger close to sho re where they might sight and catch slavers loading their cargo. During Constellation's cruise, dozens of men in the squadron were infected with fever and several died from the illness.

Constellation's officers employed the

Kroomen in more than supply operations.

They scouted the shore for disease outbreaks, worked side-by-side with enlisted seaman in sail handling, and kept a lookout aloft for slavers on the horizo n. They also navigated difficult surf in the absence of protected harbors. As warships required contact with the shore for resupply and other operations, these African mariners provided crucial support for the African Squadron.

After signing on the Kroomen, Flag Officer Inman sailed south for a short cruise aro und the Congo River and spent the next four months around St. Paul de

Africans assisting boats from vessels anchored off shore. Support from shore was paramount to the success of the African Squadron's mission.

11

IJ\IAGE REFERENCE CM I-SU RF, AS SHOWN ON WWW.SLl\VE RYIMAGES.ORG, SPONSORED BY Tl-IE VIRG IN IA l'OUNDATION FO R T HE HUMAN IT IES 1\ N D TH E UN IVERS ITY OF VIRGINIA LIBRARY

"Shipping slaves through the surf, West African coast. A cruiser is signalled in sight. From a sketch by a merchant on the coast. " Loando, overseeing the completion of a new storeho use. On 2 1 D ecember 185 9, while cruising offCabinda Bay, Constellation captured her first prize, the brig Delicia, after a ten-hour chase. Delicia, Inman reported to Secretary of rhe N avy Isaac Toucey, "was completely fitted in all respects fo r rhe immediate embarkation ofslaves." 31he boarding party discovered a slave deck and large coppers intended to feed a cargo ofAfricans.

After questioning the m are, Captain Nicholas discovered that Delicia's m as ter was on shore purchasing a cargo of Africans when Constellation discovered the brig. A prize crew sailed Delicia to Charleston, South Carolina, for adjudication, bur with no Americans on board, no papers, logbook, nor colors, the US courts declared the brig beyond fed eral jurisdiction.

Constellation sailed to M adeira for repairs and liberty in February of 1860.

Intensely displeased with this action, Secretary Toucey ordered Inman to return to the cruising ground immediately and join the other ships in rhe Squadron. Inman set a course for the C ongo coast. Several months later, the African Squadron had its most successful day in its eighteen-year history: on 8 August 1861, USS Mohican captured the slave ship Erie with 897 slaves aboard and USS San Jacinto seized Storm King with over six hundred Africans crammed below 12

deck. The United Stares African Squadron was finally showing signs of life.

O n 27 June 1860, the m erchant vessel Co ra departed New York bound fo r the West African coast on an ill-fared slaving voyage.Afrera decadeofuse inlegal commercial activity, rhe 43 1-ton Baltimo re clipper had rece nrly been sold by E. D . Mo rgan & Co. to John Latham fo r $ 14,000 . Latham promprly took his new vessel to Pier 52 on the East Rive r to refit her rigging and load cargo. The cargo-large quantities of! umber, fresh water, and provisions-raised suspicion among local authorities. A US district atto rney detained Cora fo r examination bur later cleared the barque for her voyage.

The evidence of a slaving voyage was held deep within the ship. Cora's hold contain ed fifty cases of muskets (likely intended to exchange fo r slaves), seventeen cases of drugs (to treat a disease outbreak among Africans) , and for ty-seven rierces of rice (to feed a human cargo) . Other suspicious cargo indicative of a slaving voyage might include large copper boilers for cooking fo od, hundreds of wooden spoons, swords, firearms, shackles, and chains. The most incriminating evidence that a ship was engaged in the slave trade, other than the presence of Africans on board of course, was the presence of a slave deck or enough excess lumber to build one.

When Cora sailed for Africa, she contained

over 10,000 feet of lumber. Because slave ships in this period were originally built fo r legal trade, they needed alterations to carry a human cargo. Thus the slave deck, a middle deck built between the hold and upper deck, became the smoking gun for a vessel that had nor ye t loaded slaves.

O n 27 August Cora arrived at Punta da Len ha, a m ajo r slave-trading center thirty miles up the Congo River. Three weeks later, afrer having made the necessary arrangem ents, Latham sailed Cora to M anque Grande, where in the late hours of 24 September he supervised the hasty loading of Africans from the shore to the waiting ship.

Once the Africans were loaded, Cora would put to sea and sail fo r Cuba to unload her cargo of slaves.

On 25 September 1860, Constellation parted company with USS San Jacinto for a so utherly cruise back towards the Congo River. At seven bells in the las t dog watch (7: 30rM) , a lookouron the srarboard cathead spotted the barque Cora about two miles to windward . The fl ags hip changed course and began her pursuit. Midshipman W ilburn H all recalled, "The Constellation was simply superb in tacking, and round she came, raising her sharp bow from the sea like a racer ready for rhe signal ."4 Cora hauled up sharp on the wind, set all her canvas and began evasive maneuvers.

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Sometime after 9:00 as the moon lit up the night sky, Constellation's starboard 32-pounder long gun fired a shot across Cora's bow to signal her to heave to and prepare to be boarded. Cora ignored the shot and raced along the coast. Constellation closed the gap to within a half mile and fired several more warning shots to no avail. In a desperate attempt to gain speed, the slaver's crew frantically began lightening ship. They threw an empty boat, hatches, anchors, spars, and casks into the ocean. Despite this futile effort, the flagship drew even closer. With one chance left, Cora cut across Constellation's bow in an attempt to get to seaward of the warship, but the sloop's next shot cut away part of Cora's ri gging and forced the barque to give up the chase.

A boarding party led by First Lieutenant Donald M. Fairfax boarded Cora and immediately discovered the 705 Africans crammed together on the slave deck. Midshipman Wilburn Hall recalled the revolting stench ofso many men, women , and children packed together with no sanitation. The yo ung officer later wrote, "The slaves were nearly all on the slave-deck, shouting and screaming in terror and anxiety. I leaned over the m ain hatchway holding a lantern, and the writhing mass of humani ty, with their cries and struggles, can only be compared in one's mind to the horrors of hell as pictured in former days." 5 Upon hearin g that Cora was indeed a slaver with hundreds of Africans packed below, Constellation's crew let out a thunderous cheer. The crew was entitled to $25 for

M I 0 S tt I P

C C T I 0 -.i.

81'.(.'J"TON OF THE SI.A VP,R " ABIJOT 0ÂŁVEm:UX."

An extra deck or enough lumber to build one underway were typical signs ofa merchant ship intended to ship a human cargo.

every recaptured African landed in Monrovia, as well as a portion of the proceeds gained if the slave ship was sold at auction .

On 27 September sailors from Constellation finished repairing Cora's rigging fo r the journey back to the United Stares. Inman ordered Master Thomas H . Eastman and a prize crew of eleven sailors and three marines to sail the barque to Norfolk, Virginia, for adjudication. The crew first sailed to Monrovia and delivered the Africans into the custody of Reverend John Seys, the U nited States Agent for Recaptured Africans. Despite measures to improve ventilation and living conditions, eleven Africans died before reaching Monrovia.

The Republic of Liberia was the designated haven for Africans o n board slave ships seized by the US Navy. There was no single "home" to return them to, and many American officials feared that returning the Africans to the Congo River basin wo uld only result in their recapture. Local committees assisted the traumatized Africans, called "Co ngoes," after their arrival.

Many of the Africans were appren ticed to America-Liberian fam ilies. Over rwo hundred of those liberated from Cora settled in

USS Constellation firing on the American slave ship Cora, 25 September 1860.

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

$

Careysburg where they performed mill work.

Ten other m en were apprenticed to a saw mill near the Junk River. One of the yo unger o nes, Reverend Seys described, 'Thad] already learned sufficient of the business as to be able to take the place at the engine of a man who had been receiving $4 a month wages. The place is one requiring much vigilance in the application and stopping of steam at certain junctures, and so steady, so punctual and reliable is the Co ngo lad that the Liberian's services are no longer required."6 Berween August and October 1860, Liberia was overwhelmed with nearly 3,000 wo uld-be slaves freed by American warships.

So much success on the high seas in a short span of time was taxing Liberia's ability to care for the new arrivals. Some of the "Congoes" apprenticed that year ran away and a small number committed suicide. With no fam ily or friends and no way to return home, most conformed to the dominant culture and lived new lives.

Master Eastman departed Mo nrovia and headed to Norfolk to deliver Cora's first m ate Morgan Fredericks, second mate John Wilson, and third mate Hans O lsen into th e custody of the United States Marshal.

Because of adverse weather en route, he altered course and sailed Cora to New York, anchoring off the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 8 December 1860.

Justice was rarely served in adj udicating slave trade cases and this trial was no exception. The evidence was damning and the US Distri ct Court in New York confiscated Cora and auctioned off the barq ue for $8 ,900.

Some of Cora's officers did not wait for a verdict on their guilt. Less than rwen ty-fo ur hours after Cora's arrival in New Yo rk, Morgan Fredericks broke o ut of his stateroom , climbed through a port hole, and plunged into the East River m aking his escape.

Captain John Latham was brought to New York in the United States store ship Relief After the court denied his bail, a mysterious friend negotiated Latham's furlo ugh from

13

prison to buy him a suit at Brooks Bro thers on Broadway. While the deputy marshal escorting the pair was trying on a suit fo r himself, Latham and his friend escaped in a carriage waiting outside.

M ares John Wilso n and H ans Olsen denied knowledge that they were serving on a slaving voyage until they reached Africa.

They pleaded guil ty to violating the act of 1800-a lesser crime of voluntary service aboard a slaver. The court sentenced them to ten months in prison with a fi ne of $5 00 each. Four other seamen were bro ught into court but their cases were dismissed.

USS Constellation stayed on station, capturing one more slave ship- the brig Triton-o n 22 May 186 1. O n 11 August she set sail fo r the United States fo r reassignment to preserve the Union during the Civil War. O ccupied by a war on American soil, the Lincoln Administration fi nally allowed the Royal Navy to search American vessels suspected as slavers. The African Squadro n was no more.

Constellation left the squadron with an impressive record; the navy achieved these results by increasing the number ofvessels on station, introducing smaller steam-powered vessels to the fleet, relocating the supply depot from the distant island of Porro Praya to Sr.

Jonesport Nauti cal Antiques

Paul de Loando (south of the Congo River), and restricti ng the boundaries of the cruising gro und. More aggressive patrols and better cooperation with the Royal Navy West African Squadron may have contributed as well.

Unfortunately, the Squadron's commanders were ordered to prioritize the pro tection of American commerce over the suppression of the slave trade, hampering their success with the latter. Nevertheless, USS Constellation remains a surviving witness to the horrors of the rra nsArl antic slave trade and a significant participant in the American effort to combat it in the years fo llowing its abolition. ,!,

6

American Colon ization Society. African Repository, vol. 37 (Washington: C. Alexander, 1861), 62.

j ohn Pentangelo, the former Chief Curator at H istoric Ship s in Baltimore, currently serves as a curator at the Naval War College M useum in Newp ort, Rhode Island. H e holds a masters degree in H istory M useum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program.

Visit the USS Constellation at Pier 1, 3 01 East Pratt St., Baltimore, M D 2 12 02; Ph. 4 10 539-1797; www. historicship s.org.

NOTES: 1 W illiam Ambrose Leonard, "Items and Inciden ts in the Cruise of the U nited States Flagship Constellation on the W est Coast of Africa in the Years 1859, 1860 and 186 1. " Ms. (photocopy), 25September1 860, 122123, H istoric Ships in Baltimore Collection.

2Ibid. , 22-25 October 1859, 31-33 .

3"Squadron Letters: African Squadron" 184 1-1866. NARA, Microfilm File M89, Roll 110.

4 W ilburn H all, "Capture of the Slave Ship Cora," The Century 48, no. 1 (1 894): 11 6.

5Ibid ., 120.

Historic , antique U .S. Coast Survey maps from the 1800s / Orig ina l lithographs, most American seaports and shores.

Repri nts, too. Uni que framed, grea t gifts. Catalog, $1.00.

Speci fy area.

Drawing &Note Cardsh of Your Boat A 9x 12 drawing of your boat,

and 50 notecards with the drawing on the front. $1 SO includes envelopes

~': ¡

â&#x20AC;˘ ,"'---:;J;;~...-....7

For samples and in fo set:

www. baldwinstudio. us

Nauti cal Lights, Bells, and Gifts 1-800-996-5655 www.NauticalAntiques.com MA I NE WIND J AMMER CRUISES National Landmark Schooners

~

Cr ui ses May - Octobe r 3, 4, 5 Day & Weekends Est.1936

www.Ma ineWi ndjam m erCru ises.co m

800-736-798 1

14

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

CRUISE ABOARD THE WWII LIBERTY SHIP JOHN W. BROWN

SHIP INDEX .ORG

featuring music of the 40's by a live "Big Band I" See reenactors demonstrating military equipment and vehicles. Watch an exciting air show with flybys by several WWII aircraft !weather permitting). Enjoy a continental breakfast and a great all-you-can-eat buffet lunch. Tour the whole ship, including the engine room, museums, ca rgo holds, crew's quarters and bridge.

OUR2010 6-HOUR DAY CRUISES August 28 and October 16 from Baltimore, MD September 25 from Providence, RI Cost for each guest-$140. Inquire about Group Discounts.

Restrictions & penalties apply to cancellations.

Mail ticket orders to P.O. Box 25846, Highland Station, Baltimore, MO 21224-0546. !Please include name, address and phone number.}

Phone Orders: (410) 558-0164 •Fax Orders (410) 558-1737

www.liberty-ship.com We ac cept VISA, MasterC ard and Discover. Cruise profits maintain thi s Liberty Ship Memorial. A portion of your payment may be tax deductible. Officers and crew licensed and documented by the U.S. Coast Guard.

JOIN TODAY!

HANDS-ON ENCOUNTERS

WITH HISTORY Since 1926 Become a stakeholder in our Navy's exciting history and inspiring heritage!

Besides becoming a part of the nation's premier naval heritage organization, Naval Historical Foundation members receive discounts on photographic/art research and reproduction services, cruisebook copies, and other services!

From fighting the transatlant ic slave trade to daring rescues ; from riding out hur rican es to providing humanitarian aid an d defending the freedoms we hold dear .. .

"HANDS- ON " TOURS AND ACTIVITIES, LIVE CANNON FIRINGS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND MORE! Visit ont' ship, hl.:o slups or off fo ur, and tht>

For info call 202-678-4333 or visit:

is alw'!JS FR EEi

HISTORIC SHIPS

WWW.NAVYHISTORY.ORG 1396 Dahlgre n Ave., SE Wa shingto n Navy Yard, DC 20374-5055

Ligh th ou~

in BALTIMORE

Piers

I,

3 & 5 in Baltimore's In ner Ha rbo r

+10 - 539- 1797 • www.historicships.org

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

15

Anticipating a Hurricane: Elissa's background

by D eirdre O 'Regan

In 1961 , the 155-foot iron motorship Christophoros was up fo r sale in Piraeus, Greece, when along cam e underwater archaeologist Peter Throckmorton , who was visiting the port and noticed the old ship along the waterfro nt. She was then a rusted old hull with no hint of a sailing ship past, o ther than-to Throckmorton's eye at least- the unmistakable lin es of an ocean-going square rigger.

H e soon discovered that the ship was launched in 1877 as the barque Elissa by Alexander Hall & Company of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Throckmorton and Karl Kortum, of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, conspired to buy the ship and find a suitable sponsor to take ownership of the vessel and restore her. It took a few years, and Elissa changed hands several times, but ultimately Elissa was sold in 1975 to the Galveston Historical Foundation, which had been restoring the Strand district in Galveston and was interested in acquiring an historic ship with ties to their city-Elissa had m ade trading voyages to Galveston late in 1883 and again in 1886.

In 1977, the Galveston Historical Foundation (GH F) sent a crew to Piraeus to get the ship in a seaworthy condition so she could survive the Atlantic crossing and the journey up the G ulf of Mexico to the Texas coast.

After replacing nearly a third of her hull, Elissa fin ally arrived in Galveston (under tow) in 1979, bur the ship was hardly ready for public visitation, ~ not to mention sailing. G HF then embarked on a remarkable two-year u :; mission to restore the ship in time for a scheduled July 1982 opening to ~ 5 the public. The story of this restoration effort is a tale of the nearly unfath"""'=--=-----' ~ omable dedication of both professional and volunteer staff, major hurdles 'al h · al d h 1 · 1) d f h · I Elissa in Gibraltar, waiting/or a tow to Galveston, 1979. overcome (fi nanc1 , tee me , an even psyc o og1ca , an o t e rev1va of maritime skills that had been lost, or nearly lost, since the commercial sailing ship had been replaced by steam- and diesel-powered vessels. In time, Elissa was successfully restored to sailing condition , and she made a triumphant return to ocean voyaging in 1986 when she traveled to N ew York City to participate in the Operation Sail parade of sail.

The story of Elissa's restoration and return to sea is one worth revisiting, but this article seeks to examine one of those hurdles overcome, one often-if not always- overlooked in the study of historic ship preservation projects. When restoration work exceeds a budget and the time passes too quickly to keep up with the schedule, many times the ship restoration team tends to focus only on the ship itself. In the meantime, other aspects of the ship's stewardship need to be worked our, including where the ship will ultimately reside and how to make that berth suitable for a particular vessel's special needs. In Elissa's case, her restoration crew worked for the first few years out of the public eye, two miles out of town alongside an unused bulkhead. As shipwrights and welders, carpenters, riggers, and volunteers worked tirelessly on the hull, the directors of the proj ect secured a lease on a pier in downtown Galveston , just off the historic Strand district.

The space consisted of a collapsed bulkhead, a rotting pi er, and a shed that was barely standing. The pier could be repaired, but the City of Galveston lies in an area identified by the International Hurricane Research Center as particularly vulnerable to hurricanes.

In an advancing hurricane, Elissa wo uld either have to move to a safer location or stay at her berth and hope for the best. Considering the amount of time, labor, and money already invested in the ship, it wo uld have been irresponsible not to plan for this situation.

Walter Rybka served as the ship's restoration director from 1977 to 1982, taking the ship from a gutted shell in Greece to a voyaging sailing vessel homeported in Galveston. In this capacity, he was responsi ble for all aspects of the ship's resto ration, from historical research to supervision of the restoration team , to crew training and underway operations. In September of 2008, he was far from Texas in his subsequent role as administrator of the Erie Maritime Museum and senior captain of the US Brig Niagara in Erie, Pennsylvania. As the news broke that Galveston was getting pounded by Hurricane Ike, he, like many others, waited anxiously to hear if Elissa wo uld survive the tempest.

Elissa shortened down a little on a blustery day in

the Gulf of Mexico. "These are the most exciting days, when she roars along with a bone in her teeth with nothing carried over the topsails. " - WR 16

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Designing a Berth for Elissa

by Captain Wal ter Rybka

0

ne of the few bright spots amid th e catas trophic devastatio n of Hurricane Ike in September 2008 was that the G al vesto n Historical Foundation's barque Elissa safely wead1ered the storm, remaining afloat at her berth. The first repo rts and phoros I saw revealed some damage to sails and rigging, perhaps iniriared by airbo rne debris, a section of caprail stove in, as well as some damage ro the steerin g gear cover and aft scuttl e. O verall rhe dam age was mino r, at least compared to what mighr have been.

Hurricane Ike is by far rhe most severe rest the Elissa's moo rin g sys tem has been subjected to, bur one which had been anticipated during rhe ship's initial restoration . In 1980-8 1, the restorati o n work was being done ar an unused commercial wharf, while the G HF negotiated wirh rhe Galvesro n W harves Board for a lease on the berth at Pier 2 1 adj acent to m e Srrand. One of rhe key decisions being debated was whether the ship should remai n at the berth during a hurri cane or seek a safer berth elsewhere.

At the time, the restoratio n plan called for an engin eless sailing ship (auxiliary power was not re-installed until 1986), so any movement would require hiring a tug. We considered a hurricane plan of taking her to a berth in or near Houston , nea rly fifty mil es inland from rhe o pen G ulf. The wind velocity wo uld certainly be greatly diminished by moving inland, bur the negati ves ove rwhelmed this one advantage. The storm surge under certain conditions could be well over the piers in Houston, the right combination of wind directio n and tide could force the wa ter in Galves ton Bay up the H ousto n Ship Channel like a pisto n rising in a cylinder. More impo rtandy, all available berths were likely to be crowded with ships, barges, and drilling rigs also seekings helrer.

Being rafted in a gaggle of vessels all much larger and heavier rhan herself would likely crush Elissa's 1877 hull.

The clincher argument agai nst moving, however, was rhe unlikelihood of engaging a rug in advance of an impending hurricane. At such times every owner of barges, d rill rigs, etc. , most wirh deeper pockets rhan GH F's, would be seeking to get d1eir equipment our of harm's way. Add it all up, and trying to move was riskier rhan staying put. Elissa would sray in Galvesto n and her crew would put whatever time was availabl e befo re a sto rm into better securing the vessel. The G H F also acknowledged that after a hurricane, however badly dam aged she might be, Elissa would be most readily repaired at her home berth.

The port engineer was asked to design moorings stro ng enough ro serve as a hurrican e berth . The resulr was a sysrem of four wooden cluster piling dolphins proj ecting abour fifteen feer over rhe ride line. In addition, a number of birts and bollards on rhe piers would secure the ship on one side, bur o n the offshore side the ship wo uld rely on the dolphins. In hindsight, we should have recognized that the system was too light, but ar rhe time all effort was focused on restoring rhe ship and rhe berth design went unquestioned. Forrunarely, the ship was spared any major storms during hurricane season 1982 as the restoration roared along to meera scheduled publ icopening inJuly and sea trials in September.

Elissa's first day under full sail again was an em otionally charged mo ment. The day got off to a rough start with a mino r accident that turned our to have been a tremendous gift. Elissa had already been warped around to face bow out, but ar rhe rime of

SEA HISTORY 132, AUT UMN 2010

Elissa right after H urricane Ike passed. Her Jore lower topsail hung in tatters, but the ship was otherwise intact. departure over a kn o r of Aood current was running across rhe slip.

C aptain Carl Bowman (form erly of USCGC Eagle and numerous other vessels) was in command. I was srarioned on the foc's' lhead to assist th e mate. The las r lines were ordered cast off and the tug pulled her o ut of the slip on a short hawse r. Insuffi cient allowance was m ade fo r rh e current, and as Elissa gathered way, both she and the tug were swept up-channel and within seconds the tug had al lided her into the NW moorin g dolphin. Those of us on rhe foc's'lhead braced fo r the impact and stood silent and slack jawed as, wirh only a gen de bump, rhe enti re dolphin went over like a bundle of co rnstal ks! What luck! What a gift! W hat could have been a catas trophic error had done no discernible damage to Elissa other than to scrape some paint off the port bow. Better yet, in one stroke of serendipi ty we learned in September of 1982 that our new berm was absolutely worthless as hurricane protection.

One erro r had revealed ano ther serio us o ne.

So now it was back to rhe beginning to solve the problem of designing a hurricane berth. We had an in-house naval archirecr, Don Birkholz Sr. , who had done a brilliant job with the derailed design and drafting for the vessel's resto ra tion. He rurned his attentio n to the new problem and began researching options. The initial impediment was, naturally, fin ancial-we only had $20,000 or so of insurance money from the failed dolphin cluster to work wirh. G H F had spenr considerably more money rhan intended on rhe ship's restora tion, which was srill far from finished, and needed to shift irs fundraising efforrs to o rher proj ects. O ver the nexr couple of months numerous sketches and calculations were done fo r various combinations of anchors and pilings, none of

17

Elissa at her home berth at the Texas Seaport Museum. D uring Hurricane Ike, the water level rose eleven feet over what is seen here. (1) The two surviving wooden cluster pile dolphins from the original berth can be seen at the inner end of the slip. (2) On the Jar right at the base of the museum wall, adjacent to an old anchor, is the ring through which the heavy mooring chain emerges from a large concrete deadman. This system cannot be left in place all the time because the chain will trip visitors, but it is a straightforward operation to get the cable offthe bower anchor and run ashore to shackle onto the deadman under the museum. (3) To the left are the two steel monopiles that are the key components of the system. Designed to accommodate a storm surge of up to 25 feet, the piles rise about 30 feet over mean water but are 120 feet long to gain sufficient purchase in the sand. The nylon mooring lines are set in large bights so that they can ride up the piling without binding.

The 3-inch white "pin" can be seen sticking out just under the cap. The fendering system on the offihore corner is a stack of tires from earthmoving machines. The key to the system is long leads at low angles for plenty ofshock absorption and the ability to rise with the water level.

Another hurricane season is upon us, and stewards ofhistoric vessels need to be prepared to safeguard their ships, not just aloft, but alow. which wo uld be able to withstand a storm surge. Eventually the light clicked on: the solution was unattainable for this paltry sum.

If the roo t of the problem was that the berth had been dreadfully under-designed and cheaply constructed in the firs t place, how could we succeed designing to cost, which had been far too low to begin with? I trust this confess ion of dimwirted ness is embarrassingly and glaringly obvious to any engineer reading this. In our defense I can only say rhar fo r years the resto ration had p roceeded on such a shoestring budget, relative to the scope of wo rk, that we h ad acquired a mindset of maki ng do with what resources we had .

H owever belatedly, it did sink in eventually that we had to first ask the question "what is the best engineering answer to this problem ?" and then figure out what it would cost and how to pay for it.

Fortunately for us, Galveston had recen tly hi red a new port engineer, Traian Moga (originally fro m Romania) . H e studied hur-

18

ricane models and came up with a worst-case scenario where a surge of water as high as 25-30 feet over normal high water was entirely possible. Elissa's berth lay on an approximately north/so uth axis along rhe Galveston waterfront, with the island to the south and ship channel to the north . To the east was Pier 21 , which had some open space and an old shed, which housed the maintenance shop (the Texas Seaport Museum building was nor built until 1988) , and the banana boat wharf east of the shop. The west side of the berth was open to a basin near 150 yards across, within which were finger piers for the frequent comings and goings of commercial fish ing vessels.

There are basically two ways to design a mooring system to deal wi th an extremely high rise of water. The first is to build a structure adjacent to the ship, strong enough and high enough for the job, and rely on some system of attachment to slid ing tracks

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

The solution Moga came up with was elegant in its simplicor rails to allow the necessary movement. The second is to have ity. A pair of mono piles, one at each end of the berth , would be strong mooring points a sufficient distance from the ship chat the driven and rhe mooring lines passed in a bight aro und chem, with angular change caused by the rise in water level can be absorbed a wide enough angle to avoid binding and to allow che lines to ride in the carenary of long mooring cables. up rhe piles as rhe water rose. To resist excessive pull ar very high The northeast corner of Elissa's berth lay along rhe banana wharf, equipped with a series of large mooring bites suitable for water levels, these piles needed to proj ect an equal distance below freighters. Ir was a simple m atter of running wire, chain, and nylon che point of resistance, sixty feet below rhe greatest potential load . to share the load over several biers about 200-250 feet along the Therefore, che three-foot diameter pilings had to be 120 feet long. wharf. The cable angle would be very low, even ac very high water, Concepcually rheywere like capered springs . The three-foocdiamerer was constant over rhe length, but the wall thickness stepped down and equivalent to anchoring with a ten-to-one scope. from 3/4-inch for the middle section, to 5/s-inch above and below, The southeast corner required sinking a deadman in what was co half-inch for the las t twenty feet cop and bottom. Condemned then a parking lot. Moga m ade available to us a section of reinforced concrete decking that was being removed in a re-build of che port's tires from earth m oving m achines were dropped on che pilings like doughnuts on a stick to container facility. A slab serve as giant fenders, of reinforced concrete, and to keep rhe nylo n six feet by fifreen feet by two and a half feet chick, mooring line s from jumping the piling in was obtained and bored a massive hurricane, a through in two spots for "pin" of three-inch pipe a giant staple of two-inch was inserted through rhe round bar, secured with top of the piling. threaded nuts to a heavy The price rag for backing plate. Shackled building and driving to rhe staple was a shoe rhe piles and rhe shoreof one-and-a-half-inch side deadman added chain. The intent was up co approximately to dig a seven-foot deep $ 130,000 more rhan trench oriented ninety rhe $20,000 insurance degrees to che line of money. This news was pull along rhe chain, tip not received with any rhe slab in to serve as a enthusiasm by the G H F giant toggle anchoring board of trustees bur was rhe chain, which would persuasively defend ed have its own tren ch , Galveston's historic Strand district during Hurricane Ike. Elissa's masts can be seen in by then project director providing a fair lead from upper left (royal and topgallant yards have been sent down). This is early in the storm; David Brink. Much to rhe concrete toggle to rhe by the next day the water level was 8-10 feet over the floors ofmost shops on the Strand. their credit, the G H F surface nearer rhe ship. board recognized that an asset in which it had just invested nearly The metal parts were all heavily slathered with roofing car before three million dollars was very vulnerable and needed protecting. rhe whole trench was filled in around our deadman with cement.

The only By in rhe ointment was that when che backhoe The only way to gee che work done befo re the next hurricane season began digging the trench, we discovered an old railroad spur on was to take our a loan, which was duly done, albeit no t without a fair share of grumbling. le was now the end of March 1983, and, heavy cribbing, which was nor on the wharf's plans. The practical by che time che berthing system could be built, we were well into solution was to cry again abouc twenty feet closer to che ship, and hurricane season. Finally, ac che end of]uly, the offshore mo nopiles rhe deadman was placed wichouc furth er trouble. On the surface, heavy mooring cables from che ship would be run our and shackled were driven, and Elissa had something strong enough in all four co rners to hold her. on during storm preparations (in normal operations rhey would Exacdy one week lacer che system got its first test when Hurinterfere with visitor access to rhe pier). ricane Alicia slammed into G alveston as a borderline Category Ir was on rhe offshore side to the west that Moga was chalThree hurricane. lenged to come up with a solution chat did not block access to Alicia was our first experience with a hurricane, and while rhe rest of the basin . The footprint had to be kept to a minimum che m ajor components of rhe berth had been installed just in the to avoid impeding Elissa's movements when getting underway or nick of time, we were scrambling co prepare the ship in all ocher chose of rhe neighboring fi shing Beet. The bottom configuration ways. Vol unteers worked alongside professional staff, leaving che posed its own challenge. The basin was abouc eighteen feet deep, bur rhe hard-packed sand firm enough to sufficiendy anchor a ship just hours before che storm made landfall. All che cools were moved from the shop asho re into che ship's hold, hatches were batscruccure lay a full thirty feet below rhe surface under twelve feet tened, and plywood boxes were has tily constructed over the deck of soft mud. Add in a potential rise of thirty feet of water, and rhe furniture. A multi-layered system of mooring lines was deployed pull would be operating on a cantilever arm of sixty feet ar che in all directions. The underlying strength was provided by long storm's height.

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

19

lengths of one-and-a-quarter-inch anchor chain joined co o ne-i nch wi re cables. The next laye r on cop was doubled-up rwo-inch nylon hawsers. Th e chain would come un der fu ll load only after the nylon hawser had screeched out; the cacenary weight of the chain was expected to dampen jerks on the nylo n. The nylo n and chai n, set at lo ng lengths co allow for a big surge, we re coo slack at normal wate r level, so an additional tier of line was run out at all poin ts, consisti ng of one-and-a-half-i nch polypro pylene rope, set tighter than the nylon. The tigh ter polypro wo uld keep the ship from danci ng aro und coo much befo re the surge rose and wo uld initially bear the fu ll load in the early ho urs of a sto rm. It was designed co be sacrificial and expected co part as the storm intensified, but it wo ul d save the nylon from chafe for the fi rst few hours.

W ith all the effort going into moorings and closures, there was no time co unbend sails or send down spars before Alicia hi t.

The best we co uld acco mplish was co send down the heavy cackles, such as fish cackle and topsail halya rds, and spiral hundreds offeet of storm gaskets over tighcly fu rled sails aloft. The effo rt was well worth it: Elissa cam e thro ugh Alicia with just cosmetic dam age to coatin gs from airbo rne sand.

In chat 1983 event, Alicia blew rapidly over Galvesto n Island, w ith hurricane-fo rce winds lasting only about seven hours. The sto rm surge was o nly abo ut five feet. In contrast, H urricane Ike reached approximately the same wi nd velocity as Alicia, but it was a m uch larger sto rm in diameter with a slower speed of advance.

Both fac tors res ulted in m oving a lot more wa ter ahead of the front, produ cing a sto rm surge of nearly fiftee n feet at Elissa's berth.

W hat are th e outstanding lesso ns? Ships' stewards cannot

cake anything fo r granted. All design work needs co be checked, and never hesitate co gee a seco nd op inio n, especially from an outside source. Our initial erro r in accepting an inadequate berth des ign, co mpounded by fixating o n attempting improvem ents on a shoestring budget, could well have cost us the ship itself. Mr. Moga cam e alo ng at just the right m om ent co save th e day with the right design, and the G HF board m embers were willing to listen and act o n the advice of chose whose expertise cold chem, at times, di ffic ult news co swallow.

Th e ocher big lesson is fa irly obvio us but no less valid: maintain the system and the people who cake care of the ship, incl udi ng regular drills and inspection of mate rials. No m atter how well designed o r built a system might be, yo u cannot remove huma n oversigh t and expect it co work. Ic is an ancient tenet of seamanship chat "eternal vigilance is the price of safety." 1, Captain Rybka serves as administrator for the combined Erie M aritime Museum and US Brig N iagara's operations, a project of the Pennsylvania H istorical & Museum Commission, and is N iagara's senior captain. H e is an editorial advisor for Sea History, a member ofthe American Sail Training Association's advisory board, and was recently elected president ofthe Council ofAmerican Maritime Museums. He sails Niagara for a few weeks each year and occasionally visits Elissa as a guest captain.

To learn more about Elissa, refer to Sea History Nos. 15, 26, and 40, or read the recently released Galvesto n's The Elissa: Th e Tall Ship of Texas by Kurt Voss; or contact the GH F (1861 Custom House, 502 2 0th St., Galveston, TX 77550; www.tsm-elissa.org).

Glass Replicas Featuring Curved Glass Sails

fl_

We specia lize in : • Maine Windjammer F leet • G reat Lakes Tall Ships • Barefoot Windj am mers • Your Great-Great-G reat Gra ndfather 's Schooner

"We could not have asked for better or more friendly service. Thanks again for your p atience and speedy delivery of our special order. " Mary & Kent Ha rtfo rd, Wisconsin

Onrust Friendship Sloop Dictator

Friendship of Salem Philadelphia II

Coast Guard Bark Eagle

Ships of Glass, Inc 6702 Rosemary Dr Tampa, FL 33625

www.shipsofglassinc.com 813 918 1566 813 968 2163 dhardy@shipsofglassinc.com

"Yes, I can make a replica of your sailboat." - Don Hardy 20

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 20 10

By Kurt D. Voss A new p ictorial history tells the amazing story of one ofAmericas finest maritime restorations.

Association of modelers and researchers formed to pursue the mutual interest in ships of all eras and types Membershi p incl udes the quarterly Nautical Research Journal with articles by knowledgeable writers featuring ship model building and research of all periods. merchant, nava l and maritime histo ry. Book rev iew s, q ueri es, replies, and shop notes are other feat ures, including technical draw ings and photographs. Other services incl ude the Maritime Institution Survey , Ship tJoclel Repair & Restorati on Service and the Tec hn i ca~ss i s ia n ce Network . $ 38.00 USA $ 50.00 All Others www.TheN RG .org

31

Published by Arcadia Publishing and Ga lveston Histori cal Foundati on $21.99. 128 pages, 200 photographs Autographed copies available at (409) 763-1 877, or online at:

,w T

Yearly Membership

www.tsm-elissa.org

Water~

_...

Tired of nautical reproductio ns?

Martifacts has only authentic marine co llectibles rescued fro m scrapped ships: navigation lamps, sextants, clocks, bell s, barometers, charts, fl ags, binnacles, te legraph s, portholes, U.S . Navy dinnerware and flatware, and more. Current brochure - $ 1.00

~ ¢' f

;.,.

... .·

,,,,,,

* J.l'. lllli\Nl<EH

OCEAN I.INEil llOW The Great Ocea n Liners

1111

Ocea n Lin er Me mora bil ia - Poste rs We Buy & Appra ise Ma ri t im e Co ll ecti o ns

..;$''

'>',/i' i,<",~

FR.E~R

DIE

I \!,II' Cl)', j j ' . [ j-..

.._,

[(llJ\\

Ian Robertson www.oceanlinerrow.com 917-416-7653 · PO Box 20586, New York, NV 10025

~.Jr-,;V·.";~tJ//f'."JJt;"·4,"):':~V-.t•~-.,,,:;• -c.-~ "71'" !':'L,4f';,#l''

' "'" ' " ' " ' "...,.

1f \...\\/E

J[\'.J)( \l{\!J)

Committed to the Preservation of Our Maritime History

~

*

WOOI>Ci\HVEH

e

~

(50H) 69)-5H71

*

*

\\W\\'. Jl'l \\'()()flC.\H\'LH.lO:l.l

MARTIFACTS, INC. P.O. BOX 350190 J ACKSONVILLE, FL 32235-0190 PHONE/FAX: (904) 645-0150 www.martifacts.com e-mail: martifacts@aol.com

Offering an extensive selection of documented, one-of-a-kind ship models by internationally acclaimed marine model artists.

AMERICAN MARINE MODEL GALLERY 20 Pl easant Street, P.O. Box 6102 Glouc ester, MA 01930

978-745-5777 wall@shipmodel.com

CUSTOM MODELS (YACHT & HISTORIC) APPRAISALS RESTORATIONS DISPLAYS UNITS

Illus. catalog SlO. (S15. overseas) or free brochure

SEA HISTORY l32, AUTUMN20 10

21

The Battle of Cape Henry byJ,m~LNdwn n 1781, some miles east of the Chesapeake Bay, French and British fleets came to grips, their massive 24- and 32-pounder guns smashing oak planks, tearing up rigging and causing terrible slaughter among the men who crowded their decks. They were fighting for control of the Bay, where a British general in Virginia found himself trapped by Rebel forces with his back to the sea. Now, the outcome of this fight for control of the Bay would determine if the general and his men would be rescued by the British navy, or become, en masse, prisoners of war.

Most students of the American Revolution would recognize that scenario as the Battle of the Capes, the naval fight that led to French victory at sea and the surrender of Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown.

But the battle in question took place in March 1781, not September. The admirals were not Graves and De Grasse, but British Admiral Marriott Arbuthnot and the French commander Chevalier Destouches.

The British general and his men were not at Yorktown, but at Portsmouth. And it was not Cornwallis who was in trouble, but rather the newly-minted British Brigadier General Benedict Arnold.

And the battle is known as the Battle of Cape Henry.

In late 1780, British commander-inchief Henry Clinton had sent Arnold to Virginia to disrupt supplies flowing to the American Southern Army under the command of Nathanael Greene. Arnold had

I

Sheathing ships' bottoms with copper plates was a new technology at the time ofthe American Revolution, one that proved enormously effective in preventing rot, borers, and the buildup of marine growth. Copper sheathing was such an advantage that it could make the difference between victory and defeat in naval combat. This model of a 74-gun ship of the line is believed to have been built to demonstrate the technique to King George III in order to gain his support for this expensive process. The bluff bow and deep draft ofan I 8th-century ship of the line are evident in his model.

performed with his usual efficiency, laying waste to the country from Portsmouth to Richmond. Virginia militia under the command of Baron Frederick de Steuben had rallied to oppose him, but there was little they could do against the well-trained and equipped British and German Regulars.

Grim as the situation in Virginia was, George Washington, then in New York, saw an opportunity. If he could send enough men to trap Arnold in Portsmouth and convince the French in Newport, Rhode Island, to send a fleet to cut him off by sea, the traitor and his 1,500-man army would be his. General Washington dispatched one of his most trusted generals, the yo ung Marquis de Lafayette, at the head of 1,200

men on a forced march for Virginia. His orders regarding Arnold were unequivocal: You are to do no act whatever with Arnold that directly or by implication may skreen him from the punishment due his treason and desertion, which if he should fall into your hands, you will execute in the most summary way.

That punishment, of course, was hanging.

A trial would not be necessary.

Happily for Washington, both the French commander in chief, Comte de Rochambeau, and Destouches appreciated the opportunity that Arnold's presence in Virginia represented. On 8 March, eight

(left) Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot, Royal Navy (1711-94) commanded the North American station during the American Revolution. He led the British fleet in battle against the French fleet out of Newport, Rhode Island, led by Admiral Chevalier Destouches in the Battle of Cape Henry, 16 March 1781. He was succeeded by Admiral Thomas Graves in July 1781.

22

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

"[A} more pleasing prospect... "

-yf E

"f

S

L

:r 0

.

I

French ships-of-the-line and the fifty-gun

Romulus, recently captured from the British, stood out from Newport, bound for the Chesapeake. Aboard were a thousand French troops to augment those of de Steuben and Lafayette.

The British fleet was not far behind, Arbuthnot having set out in pursuit as soon as he learned that the French fleet was out, and correctly guessing their destination.

Admiral MarriottArbuthnotwas not a young man, having spent fifty-four years in the naval service. His health was poor and his temperament worse. He was so difficult to work with that General Henry Clinton had threatened to resign if Arbuthnot was not replaced. The old man probably sensed that he was sailing toward the last significant act of a rather undistinguished career.

Unlike Destouches's ships, Arbuthnot's fleet all sported copper sheathing on their bottoms, that new technological advance that made men-of-war vastly quicker and more maneuverable than those without.

The British ships were also more powerful, starting with the London, a three-decker of

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 20 l 0

On the morning of 16 March, the French squadron was on a northeasterly heading in a light southerly breeze, when a strange frigate suddenly appeared to windward, about a mile off. "At first the Admiral gave the signal to chase her," the official report recorded, "but soon afterward several vessels loomed out of the fog." The French BATTLE OF CAPE HENRY and British fleets had found one another.

16March 1781 The French fleet was several miles to the north and downwind of the British, sailing in a loose formation . Destouches "signaled 98 guns, far bigger than anything in the the squadron to form in line of battle on the French fleet. In all, the British fleet mounted port rack." The heavy ships began to wheel 660 guns to the French fleet's 588-a big into line, with the Conquerant leading the advantage in any last-ship-standing battle of way and the flagship Due de Bourgogn.e in attrition like those that characterized naval the middle, the customary position for the actions of the time. admiral in command. Once again the drumBy 14 March, in foggy weather with mers beat to quarters and the ships cleared spirring rain, the two fleets were approach- for action. This time, however, there was no ing the Chesapeake. Destouches's squadron doubting the identity of the ships coming had accidentally become separated into two out of the mist. divisions which promptly lost one another Destouches did not particularly want in the poor visibility. Now the French were this fight. According to a French soldier desperate to link up again before either named Berthier, who was on board the division stumbled into the more powerful flagship, he "neither avoided nor sought British fleet. battle. He thought only of upholding the At eight bells in the morning watch honor of the King's arms .... " Arbuthnot' s (8:00 a.m.), Cape Henry was spotted from arrival convinced Destouches that his misthe deck of the French flagship Due de sion could no longer be accomplished. "He Bourgogn.e, a little too close for comfort. realized the impossibility of disembarking The flagship put about to stand to sea with troops under fire," the official report read, its three companions. As they worked their "even from his warships, while opposed by way offshore, the frigate SurveiLLante signaled a superior squadron ." And if he could no sails on the horizon. The flagship's drummers longer assist in trappingArnold, Destouches beat to quarters, and sailors scrambled over saw no benefit in engaging the more powerful the decks to clear for action.

British fleet.

While the crew prepared for battle, Bur neither could he withdraw and however, the signal officer raised the rec- "give the boastful English any opportunity ognition signal aloft, and to the relief of for claiming that he had been chased away everyone on board it was answered correctly. by a fleet of com parable strength to his own."

The distant vessels were the second half of And so, a battle it would be. the French fleet. Soon all eight ships of the Arbuthnot, for his part, entertained line were reunited "to the great satisfaction no doubt that engaging the enemy was the of all." advantageous thing to do. "[l]t favoured The wind out of the south kept our operations," he later wrote to the Earl strengthening, driving both the French and of Sandwich, "to bring them to action." the British north of the capes. For days the Unfortunately for Arbuthnot, the ponderous ships of the line tacked against wind soon hauled around again, this time the contrary wind, making little headway. into the northeast, giving the French the Both were making for the same destination, favored windward position. For several the sheltered waters of the Chesapeake, and hours the fleets tacked back and forth like neither knew that the other was there. great, ponderous racing yachts fighting for

23

Battle of Cape Henry-16 March 1781 . . . British

c::> French

/

Wind Direction

c:>

c:>

c:>

(distances not to scale) With the French fleet holding the weather gauge, the French and British lines sail parallel easterly courses. At 0900 French Admiral Chevalier Destouches tacks to a northwesterly heading. British Vice-Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot continues easterly another 3 0 minutes before also tacking.

' ',

()

/ \

'

()

()

0()

' 0 ' 0 '0

Arbuthnot holds his course until, looking astern, he sees that he has crossed the outbound track of the French fleet. Then he tacks to pursue his enemy, sure of the windward position. As the British fleet overhauls the French, however, Destouches chooses the perfect moment to turn his fleet to a westerly heading, so the two lines are sailing right at one another. Around 13 00 the lead ships on both sides meet.

The fighting spreads as both fleets turn southerly and run before the wind.

As two of his ships repair damage incurred while tacking, Destouches continues northwest. At 1030, not wanting to get too close to the shoals at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, he wears around to sail easterly once more. Arbuthnot continues northwest, standing closer inshore in an effort to gain the weather gauge.

\

,''

,' ' \

/

\) ~ ~

~

~ÂŁ::::::>

ÂŁ::::::>

For nearly an hour the two fleets sail before the wind with the lead ships heavily engaged. The ships toward the rear of the British line don't engage until the very end, however, and then only at a distance.

Finally, Destouches runs ojfto the east, and Arbuthnot's fleet is too shattered to follow.

The British make for the Chesapeake and secure the Bay, thus winning a tactical victory.

CO URT ES Y M CG RAW- HILL

24

the windward mark, the British, with their coppered bottoms, sailing higher and faste r, closing the gap. Arou nd 10:30, "findin g that the present tack was carrying his ships too close to the reefs along the northern coast of Virginia," Destouches ordered the Beet to wea r aro und onto port tack.

Arbuthn ot, meanwhile, chose to continue northwest on a starboard tack, despite the nearness of the Virginia shoreline, passing to leeward ofDestouches and on the opposite tack. "The enemy was taking full adva ntage of their greater speed," Berrhier recounted, "and, encouraged by their superior strength, continued to come on to windward, setting all their sails and running on the starboard tack."

The British Beet was faster and handier, and by noon Arbuthnot, looking astern, could see that he had crossed the wake of the French squadron and achieved the weather gauge. " [T] he enemy," he wrote, "having their larboard tacks, and we standing on co ntrary one to fetch their wake, being so fa r advanced to weather of them, I made the signal to tack. ..."

Now the English ships swung through the wind, yards groaningand canvas booming as the sails filled on the port tack. W hen they settled onto the new course, Arb uthnot's line of bat tle was directly astern of Destouches's and a few points to windward, andhe quickly began to overhaul the French Beet.

"Nothing could bear a more pleasing prospect than my situation ," Arburhnot wrote, despite the poor visibility, spitting rain and deteriorating conditions.

Holding the upwind position, or weather ga uge, m eant that Arbuthnot could bring Destouches to battle, but in the rising wind and sea he did not want to be upwind of the French when the fighting began. Asailingship heels to leeward in a blow, and the farther a man-of-war heeled, the more difficult it became to elevate the guns high enough to hit the enemy. In high winds and big seas, a ship's lower gunports could not even be opened for fear of flooding.

Arbuthnotlater repo rted that he "hailed Captain Cosby [captain of Robust] to inform him I meant to engage them to leeward, as the weather was very disagreeable, hazy, and a large sea." Before Arbuthnot could make his move, however, Destouches made his.

With the British overtaking the end of his

SEA HISTORY 132,AUTUMN2010

line, rhe French admiral realized rhar ir was rime to rurn and fi ghr. Jusr before 1 o'clock, D estouches's Aeer wo re aro und onro rhe srarboard rack, rurning 180 degrees ro sail srraigh r ar rhe oncoming English and a lirde to leeward so as "to give his shi ps a berrer chance ro use rheir lower barreries in rhe heavy sea rhen ru nning."

Now rhe rwo fleers were converging qui ckly. Ir was roo !are for Arburhnor roger rhe leeward posirion, so he decided insread ro keep his fleer on irs current heading and pass rhe French to windward, each ship firing broadsides as rhey moved down rhe line. Bur before he could make rhar signal, Cosby in Robust reacred ro D esrouches's maneuver on his own acco rd. H e rurned to imercepr Conquerant, rhe lead ship of rhe French line, as she passed to leeward, wearing aro und so rhar Robust and Conquerant we re borh on srarboard rack, sailing side by side. ''Ar one o'clock," Berrhier wrore, "rhe lead ship of rhe French came wirhin range of rhe lead ship of rhe English, and several momems larer borh sides opened fire." The maneuvering was over, and rhe banle had begun.

Fleet Action When Cosby wo re Robust aro und ro engage Conquerant, Arburhnor was fo rced to orde r rhe res r of rhe fleer to fo llow sui r, "which obliged me to form un der rhe fire of rh e enemy's line." As rhe rwo sevenryfo urs hammered away ar one ano rher, Desrouches's ships fell off, away from rhe wind. Arburhnor's order fo r his fleer to wear ship was nor only unexpecred by rhe Brirish caprains bur had to be done under rhe barrage of rhe French broadsides, and ''rhe va n was by rhis means soo n pur imo co nfusion .... " This gave rhe nexr ships in rhe French line, rhe sixry-fours Jason and Ardent, rhe chance ro rake Brirish ships as rhey passed.

Arburhnor aboard Royal Oak charged down imo rhe fray and took a rerri fic bearing for ir. The French flagship D ue de Bourgogne, aided by Ardentand Neptune, concentrared her fi re on rhe Brirish flagship as she ranged alo ngside. The fo resail aboard Royal Oak "was so to rn wirh shor rhar ir hung to rhe ya rd by fo ur clorhs and rhe earrings only.... " The flagship's rigging was shredded, and rhe "maintopsail halliards, braces, ries, also rhe

SEA HISTORY 132,AUTUMN 2010

1his 18 09 painting by Robert Pollard ofa Revolutionary war-era 9 0-gun ship of the line with its three rows ofheavy guns gives a sense ofthe power ofthese big men-of war. 1he wide work platforms halfway up the mast were know as "tops" and served as stations far sharpshooters in battle. Nineties were designed as flagships, with two elaborate great cabins aft, one far the captain and one far the admiral. In the Battle of the Capes, H MS London was the largest ship in the fleet: 1,894 tons and carrying 98 guns.

fo retopsail and fore braces and bowlines" were all shor away so rhar for a brief period rhe ship was adrift and our of control.

Wirh Royal Oak momentarily knocked our, Desrouches's flagship and rwo ochers, likely Ardent and Neptune, charged ahead to engage rhe rhree lead ships of rhe Brirish line, rhe Europe, Prudent, and Robust.

Europe and Prudent had al ready raken a severe bearing from rhe lead French shi ps as rhey passed and were drifring our of co nrrol while rheir offi cers and men srruggled to son our rhe damage and ger rheir shipsunderway again.

That left Robust, and rhe Due de Bourgogne and her consorts ran up alongside rhe sevenry-fo ur and poured fire imo her. "[N]othing can exceed rhe gallant behaviour of Captain Cosby and his ship's company in general," Arbuthnor wrore, bur gallantry was nor enough agai nst heavy broadsides. Royal Oak, now once agai n under control, came ro Robust's aide, drawing off rhe French, but nor before the

French gunners had "emirely cut up his masts, sails, and rigging.. .. " Robust d rifted our of the line, turning back to rhe pass ing French ships and receiving in her vulnerabl e stern "the fi re from the French vanguard and, in addirion, rwo broadsides from Neptune, which passed within pistol range."

For nearly an hour rhe rwo fl eers kepr up their running barde, sailing with the wind astern, the lead ships nearly side by side as they exchanged broadsides. The air was filled wirh choking gray smoke that swirled away in rhe growing wind. Flashes of gunfire puncruated the smoke and haze, and the Aar, heavy, nearly continuous roar of the huge guns, 18-, 24-, and 32-pounders, blanketed the ships and the sea. Sails jerked and fl apped like wo unded men as rhey were torn by flying meral. Thick lines and heavy blocks crashed to rhe decks below.

Round shot smashed gaping holes though oak planks and frames and sent showers of deadly splinters th ro ugh the cl ose-packed men on deck.

25

While the lead ships of both fleets fought it our, the rear guard of the British line failed to engage. Possibly by oversight, Arbuthnot had kept the signal for line of battle flying and had never signaled for close action, which would have directed his ships to engage as best they could. This fa ilure made him the target of considerable criticism in the aftermath of the fight. His captains, at least those at the end of the line, might have shown more zeal and initiative, but the Royal Navy valued strict adherence to command over initiative; there could be career-ending penalties for initiative, but not for scrupulous obedience.

The ships at the head of the fleet, both British and French, bore the brunt of the fightin g. Blanchard wro te that Conquerant, at the head of the French line, "had, for its part, to sustain the attack of three of the enemy's ships, and fought hand to hand with the ship of three decks ... ." Her decks were a blood bath, "the boatswains, the captain at arms and seven steersmen among the dead .. .. " Her wheel and tiller were shot away, and her rudder had been damaged.

Unable to steer, she drifted out of the line and was subjected to the broadsides of each passing ship. London, with her three decks of heavy guns, threatened to crush the French seventy-four under her broadsides before Neptune came to her aide.

Realizing that he could not bring the last of the British ships into the fight if he contin ued to run downwind, Desrouches swung his fleet to the east, coming up on a port tack, each ship firing at the van of the British fl eet as it passed. Robust was completely disabled and drifted off downwind until Arbuthnot dispatched a fri gate to take her in tow.

As the French fleet moved off to the east, the British afterguard finally engaged, firing at long range and doing little damage.

Arbuthnot continued to pursue D estouches's fleet, but not for long. His own fleet was in no shape to continue the action. ''After a very short show of pursuing the enemy," he wrote to Sandwich, "who was now pretty far advanced ahead, I returned to the assistance of the Robust, Prudent and Europe. The two former it was necessary to cause to be rowed."

Those battered ships and the loss ofLondon's main topsail yard, Arb uthnot wrote, "put it out of my power to pursue the enemy far. " 26

The French fl eet was in considerably better shape as they stood off to the eastward before falling off to the southeast. All the fl eet was underway save for Conquerant, which was still without use of her rudder and largely unmanageable. From the site of the battle, Cape Henry bore west by south, around forty miles away, an easy downwind run in the northeast winds of 16 March. Desrouches had one disabled ship to Arbuthnot's four. Why he did not make for the Chesapeake is unclear, except that the French commander had been convinced from the first sight of Arbuthnot that his mission was over and there was no point in going on . As the sun sank into a gray, heaving ocean, the French fleet "sailed to the south under shortened sail, with all our lamps lighted."

The following day the weather had cleared and the British were nowhere in sight. Desrouches ordered the fleet hove to and the captains to repair on board the flagship. "A council of war was held," Berthier wrote, "and despite our slight advantage M. Destouches decided to proceed to Newport to repair his squadron."

By any reasonable analysis, the Battle of Cape Henry was a victory for the French.

Destouches had outmaneuvered Arbuthno t in nearly every instance, most notably with his near perfect timing in turning to fight, snatching the leeward position just as the British were coming up on his rear guard.

Arbuthnor's squadron was copper bottomed and more powerful, but they had had four ships knocked out of action with severe damage. Two British ships of the line would be absent from the Battle of the Capes six months later in part because they were still undergoing repairs from the Bartle of Cape H enry. And yet Desrouches was the one to sail for home.

As the French sailed north, Arbuthnot stood into the C hesapeake, thus ending American hopes of capturing Arnold.

Lafayette, de Steuben, Rochambeau and especially Washington we re bitterly disappointed. In the long view of history, however, it becomes clear that it was a fortunate thing that Arnold and his forces were not taken. Had those troops not remained in Virginia, and later been augmented with tho usands more, Charles Cornwallis wo uld not have been tempted

to move his army from the Carolinas to link up with them , and ultimately come to gro und in Yorktown.

When the flee ts met again off the C hesapeake six months later, the prize for which they fought was not Arnold's little force but rather the eigh t thousand m en under Cornwallis. Arno ld's capture would h ave been a minor victory.

Cornwallis's surrender ended the war in America. The seeds of Cornwallis's des truction were accidentally sewn by the French defeat at the Bartle of Cape Henry and reaped by the French victory at the Battle of the Capes . ,!, James L. Nelson, a former professional sailor, is a critically acclaimed author ofhistorical fiction and non-fiction. His writing covers a wide range of our maritime heritage, from piracy in colonial Virginia to the naval action of the Civil Wtir. lhis article is based on a chapter from his new book, George Washington's Great Gamble (McGraw-Hill: N ew York, 20 10, ISBN 978-007162679-8). Mr. Nelson was the winner of the 2 009 NMHS Rodney N. Houghton Award for the Best Feature Article in Sea History (Sea H istory 123, Summer 2 008) for "Taking the Fight to Sea: Machias and the First Sea Fight of the American Revolution." More information on the author and his books can be found on his web site: www. jameslnelson. com.

-=-- GEORGE WAS HINGTON'S

GREAT GAM

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Come Sail with Us Manhattan • Newport • Key West sail-nyc.com

sail-newport.com

sail-keywest.com

Classic Harbor Line Introducing

AMERJCA 2.0

Len gt h Overa ll 105' Hybrid Electric Pro pul sion Ut ilizing high strength m inimal weight materia ls.

Aluminum , Epoxy/ Wood , Epoxy/ Carbon Fibre

Baltimore Museum of Industry

410-727-4808 x132 SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Scarano Boat Building Designing and Building Tradition Since 1976 Albany, N.Y. www.scaranoboat.com 518 463-3401 27

Marc Castelli, Artist Advocate for the Chesapeake

by Philip J. Webster, illustrations and captions by Marc Castelli aiming from his studio in rural C hestertown, Maryland, artist Marc Castelli has captured the way of life of Chesapeake watermen and sailors in a way few others have attempted and even fewer have mas tered . As his brush meets paper, he beco mes one of them-culling for oysters in the chill of an early winter morning or clam bering up the springboard of a log canoe in a summer's race. Long before Castelli approaches an easel, he spends considerable time on the water experiencing firsthand what he is painting, rather than simply reporting what he sees.

M arc Castelli has drawn pictures for as long as he can remember. Growing up in a military family and moving frequently to places such as Japan, Burma, and Italy-always the "new kid on the block"- he found solace in his sketch pad. While still in high school, he chose to pursue a career as an artist rather than follow his father to West Point and the military. H e has never looked back.

After his graduation from the University of Colorado, Castelli moved to the shores of Lake Michigan and eventually found his way to Maryland's Eastern Shore. There, he became captivated by the water and, even more so, those who sail and work on it. His own experience on the water began with sailing scows in the Midwest in the 1970s and '80s, "not for fun, but to race." The attraction to racing led to his wo rk painting five America's C up challenges in the 1990s and early 2000s, the last Whitbread Round-the-World Race, and recently the unique racing log canoes of the C hesapeake Bay. ''As an actual participant," Castelli explains, "I have more of an intimate point of view that at times contrasts sharpl y with the standard images of the marine art genre. This hands-o n experience lends a veracity to the non-classical viewpoints that I favor."

Among Castelli's tools in trade is his conversatio nal ease that allows him to talk and listen to those he is painting, to understand them.

He possesses an ability to work side-by-s ide with his subj ects and be accepted by them. And with the use of thousands of personal photographs, sketches, and drawings, he works to portray in art those who work and love the water and their boats that make it possible.

P

Snatching at Hawks/Miss Kelley, 22 x 30 inches, watercolor In commercial fishing, a "hawk" is a flag used to mark the ends to a line ofgear. In this case it marks the end of a trot!ine of crab pots, which will be the next set to haul, empty, re-bait, and reset. In the foreground is a bushel basket of razor clams that are used to entice the blue crabs into the pot. While many generations of watermen have handed down their knowledge of crabs, the very mobile crustacean remains a wily and unpredictable quarry.

28

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Bay Waterman Parti cipating in what yo u paint can be painful when yo ur subj ects are watermen doing real work on the water. Castelli speaks of a winter's day on the water just as expressively as he paints: "Think on this if you will- it can be bitter cold, cold enough that the bones in your fingers wi ll hurt for hours and the computer in yo ur camera wil l go on strike. When yo u haul nets, yo ur hands get so cold that yo u have to hold yo ur fingers inches off rhe boar's engine exhaust stacks just to bring rhe hurt back to rhem." Nonetheless, Castelli admits, "the water has always captivated m e. Its changing light, color, texture and constant motion, along with the ever-moving weather and reflections, provide a landscape for painting that is never the sam e. Add to that rhe boars, those who work on them, especially the interaction of the two, and I never grow tired of ir."

M arc Casrelli 's choice of watercolor as his principal medium refl ects what attracts him to maritime subj ects, in char ir is particularly unfo rgiving. "With waterco lor, you only get one shot to get ir right, as opposed to oil, where you can sometimes overpaint. I start the creative process with hundreds of photographs.

Action on the water is much too fast to catch with a paintbrush or pen cil. l edit the slides and view the best from which I then draw out the painting for several hours. G reat paintings need good bones, and mine start with the photograph Artist Marc Castelli taking a break from culling oysters. and the sketch. I refine rhe image from the original photograph as I sketch and Castelli has formed a close bond with the watermen he paint." depicts in his art, a bond formed by working side-byCastelli paints from a different viewing point than m ost artists: "I like side with them, in their boats, on their fishing grounds. to do my paintings from a unique perspective, often using rhe disto rtion, for examp le, of a wide angle lens. The distortion is extraordinarily inclusive in that it draws the viewer into the painting, almost as a participant." His paintings are remarkably varied, ranging from actio n scenes of racers on the verge of capsizing and watermen balancing long oystering tongs, to still-life images such as a view of a net from a fish's perspective or a derelict wo rkboat settling in to the marsh grass for all eternity.

Vespertine/Amy Jean, 15 x 32 inches, watercolor The crab skiffi and scrapes of the Lower Chesapeake Bay are characterized by very low freeboard, a long graceful sheer, and a wide beam for stability. They are called bateaus, barcats, or skiffi. The work ofscraping for crabs starts out very early in the morning. Scraping the Bay grasses for "peelers" and soft shells is very physically demanding, with the waterman in a near constant stoop over the cull box and the hauling and putting over of the scrape. In this painting the lingering late afternoon light seems never to want to leave the docks of Tylerton, Smith Island.

Recent heavy-handed regulations based on the consensus ofa small group ofscientists have severely limited what has been a 400-year-old tradition ofharvesting crabs. Such an opinion does not reflect the consensus ofscience.

SEA HISTORY 132,AUTUMN2010

29

Busy Bushel/ Basket Case, 30 x 22 inches, watercolor Dipping crabs from a trotline in the rivers ofthe Eastern Shore is a time-honored tradition that stretches back over several hundred years. Watermen start by laying out their baited trotlines on the bottom of creeks and rivers in the ''o'dark thirty" hours ofthe morning. Then, giving the crabs a chance to smell the bait, they will start to dip the crabs from the now raised trotline as it passes over a roller on the side ofthe boat. Once the end ofthe line is reached, the line is lowered back into place while the waterman turns around to go back to the head of the line and start over again. This will go on until the early afternomn heat slows the crabs down and the concern far the freshness ofthe catch will have the waterman going in to put out his catch at thee dock. Crabs will never pass a chance to escape or cause mischief The moment when you are trying to get the lid on a basket foll offeiisty blue crabs is one such opportunity.

30

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Pulling Irons/ Southpaw, 15 x 22 inches, watercolor While I do get to work alongside the watermen as they go about their various harvests, I am also paying close attention to the periphery ofthe work space. Sometimes there are gems like these pulling irons sitting in the bottom of the boat. I quickly photograph the still lifts and go back to work.

These irons are used in pulling poles that are used in pound nets-this is done before the winter storms or ice can snap them off Poles are getting harder to find and saving them makes good fiscal sense. Much ofwhat defines the life and times ofa waterman is the bottom dollar. There are so many factors arrayed against them. I draw great inspiration from their friendship, trust, persistence, faith, and humor.

With some 1,000 paintings of watermen and 400 more of log canoe racing scenes to h is credit, Castelli occasionally branches o ut. Recently, he has begun to paint antique automobiles, whose design and utility remind him of boats. He also has been invited by the US Navy to paint scenes of sailors at work aboard guided missile cruisers and aircraft carriers. But he always returns to the watermen of the Chesapeake, oystering and crabbing and scrambling to make a living on the Chesapeake Bay. "Being in the company of these men who live much of their life outside, work outside, pitting themselves every day against adversity, while still being bosses in their own workplace, is an experience and an honor. It's not their fault that the Bay has degraded to the point it has. They're being regulated off the water. They go out every year to try to derive a living from it. It's inspiring."

One way Castelli repays the watermen for welcoming him into their private lives and spaces is to tell their story through his art and further by being their advocate to Maryland legislative and regulatory policymakers. "My advocacy," he says, "is derived from a deep fear that ultimately these men will be driven from their own boats and the water by ignorance. One of my purposes in painting is to tell their story in a balanced way."

Marc Castelli, artist-advocate for the C hesapeake Bay watermen, is one of the most collected of maritime artists;

Shimmerwing/ Patricia, 22 x 15 inches watercolor Patricia is one of the smaller log canoes sailing in the Chesapeake. Here, she is flying her "kite" with its tongue-in-cheek device of a mosquito. Duke Oliver built her in the 1940s on the Eastern Shore ofthe Chesapeake Bay. These log-built indigenous craft, with their over-canvassed rigs, clipper bows, and centerboards are deceptive in their visual elegance. They are very physical boats to race, and their crews must be savvy sailors, physically agile, and love these boats as if they were true members of the family. Some of these canoes are over a hundred years old and have as a ''class" been raced since the 1840s. About thirteen or so still actively race each summer on the rivers ofthe Eastern Shore.

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

31

some collectors have acquired a sco re or more of his wo rks. Ir is rare that an artist develops that kind of fo llowing, attesting to Castelli's abili ty to capture the heart and so ul of his subject matter by being one with it, viewing it not as an observer but as a participant in the scenes he cap tures o n paper. 1For more information on Marc Castelli, visit www.marc-castelli.com. H e is represented

by Carla Massoni Gallery: 2 03 H igh Street, Chestertown, MD 21620; Ph. 41 0 7787330; info@massoniart.com.

Philip]. Webster is a Trustee ofthe National Maritime H istorical Society and lives at Point of View in St. Michaels, Maryland, overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.

The Catbird Seat/Alinghi, 15 x 22 inches, watercolor I have photographed and painted the last five America's Cup regattas. My preference has been to work from the Louis Vuitton Cup for challengers. There are so many races every day involving so many teams, that the odds ofmy getting to shoot the eventual challenger are quite good. The action ofteams giving their all to get to the finals also produces many memorable moments. My last Cup regatta was in Valencia, Spain, as a guest of the D esafio Espanol '07 syndicate. I had produced a large commissioned painting of their entry in exchange for hotel arrangements, sponsorship, and photo credentials. Such exchanges with syndicate sponsors have enabled me to go to the five events I have painted. Possessing photo credentials gets me out on the photo boats, as they are able to get much closer than the press boats, and also gives me great opportunities to work alongside and learn from the top yachting photographers in the world. This painting ofAlinghi bursting through a wave at the start is a result ofthis access.

Custom-Made Nautical Tables from Vintage Ship Grates La Forrest L Simmons and Stephen Chase,

Louis J. Feuchter, 1938

New Exhibits Lasting Reflections: Feuchter and Castelli

Two Centuries on the Chesapeake Thru Nov. 7 Presenting two of the Chesapeake's finest marine artists whose works span the 20th and 21st centuries. Their art captures the sailing vessels, landscapes and people on the Bay from the last days of commercial sail to today.

A Rising Tide In the Heart of the Chesapeake Ongoing Combining the world-class photography of David Harp with the words of acclaimed naturalist writer Tom Horton, this exhibition dramatically illustrates the loss of land and its effect on people on the Bay's islands.

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum St. Michaels, Maryland â&#x20AC;˘ 410-745-2916 Visit cbmm.org for a complete events schedule.

32

Skipjack Nautical Wares &:

Marine Gallery

One High Street Portsmouth, Virginia 23704 (757) 399-5012

www.Sk.ipjackNauticalWares.com SEA HISTORY l 32, AUTUMN 20 I 0

0

0u

2 "'~

Lr)

x

N

N

T MASSON I ART T

203 High Street, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 410.778.7330 www.massoniart.com

by Ronald Oswald, NMHS Chairman magine you are sailing, far off in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, when yo ur ship is suddenly attacked and sinks. You are thousands of miles from anyo ne ... anyone human, that is. Unbelievably, your ship has been sunk by a whale. And this was no accident, this whale rammed your hull-not once, but twice! It's 1820. There is no such thing as a cell phone or a satellite radio. There is no way to call for .... _,._,_ Jt-,tl{.. 4 .;-<¥, ·- -A-·I -"'-- < ...... '"' " , _./., __,_,.. .... ft.)..

- ~ ... -'flf-- ft.. J>/ .. - .r.. !I ,.. l/,- . help. This is the beginning of the true story of 21 men stranded in their ship's whaleboats. Only a few survived, and their tale is a thrilling story of life-and-death struggles, cannibalism, and maybe even murder.

The story of the sinking of rhe whaleship Essex might be hard to believe if it were a Hollywood movie, bur it's true. Ir's history. Some of the best sto ries yo u can read abo ut, listen to, or watch in a movie are rhe ones char are rrue. There are battles and love stories, heroes and bad guys, high-tech gadgets and si mple ingenuity. History is exciting. Why, then, as a subj ect in school, does it sometimes seem boring? It doesn't have to be char way, and the National History Day Competition is making history exciting for both students and teachers across the country. Pick any topic chat ~ ,, ~ c,wJ'I'- t'n ..l'M '"..4'C interests yo u, and the National History Day program will help you learn how to do your own research and guide you on how to present what you've learned in both scare The Essex being rammed by a whale, 1820. Sketch by and national contests.

Essex's Cabin Boy, 14-year old Thomas Nickerson.

Each year, the National History Day program picks a theme, and student projects related to the theme are judged on rhe historical quality of their work and on rhe clarity of their presentation. Students compete within each stare for the chance to participate in rhe national competition at rhe University of Maryland in June.

Projects might be a research paper, a performance, a documentary, a website, or a display. With the excep tion of research papers, projects may be worked on individually or by a gro up of up to five students. There are prize categories for middle- and high school students, and individual and group projects. This year, the National Maritime Historical Society awarded special prizes for maritime-related projects ar the NJ National History Day competition in May, and next year, NMHS will offer prizes in other states as well. The 20 11 national event is on 12-16 June, with the theme "Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, and Consequences." Winners of state competitions will be eligible to compete at the national level. Ask yo ur teachers if they want to participate and find out all the details at www.nhd.org. The Maritime History Prize winners and their teachers get a free membership in the National Maritime Historical Society for one year, including a year of Sea History magazine, and a Certificate of Achievement. First-place NMHS President Burchenal Green (far right) and NMHS Chairwinners also receive a scholarship award of $ 150. The names of the man Ron Oswald (4th from left) congratulate the 2010 NMHS winning students and their teachers will be listed on the NMHS New jersey National History Day Prize winners. website www.seahistory.org and in Sea History magazine.

I

The New Jersey National History Day NMHS Special Prize winners for 2010: FIRST PRIZE-Junior, Individual, Documentary: George Li from Grover Middle School for "Silent Hunters: An Unprecedented

Capab ili ty for Attack Incites Innovations in Naval Technology & Tactics." Instructor: Joan Ruddiman FIRST PRIZE-Senior, Group, Website: Farrah Liu, Manoj Muthukumaran, David Sherwood, Jerry Zhang, and Eric Zilber from Montville Township High School for"Innovation in Naval Warfare." Instructor: Peter A. Porter, Jr.

SECOND PRIZE-Junior, Individual, Exh ibit: Nicole Wroblewski, from Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School for "The Morris Canal." Instructors: Jacqueline Colon & Lisa Robinson SECOND PRIZE-Junior, Group, Exhibit: Julia Hansen, Alex Hutcherson, and Jade Pace from Valley Middle School for "Submarines: Weapons of War and Peace." Instructor: Judith Vihonski

Maritime Museum Librarian Paul O'Pecko Paul O'Pecko is a librarian, but he's a special kind of librarian-he's in charge of collections and research at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT. Because Paul works at a maritime museum, he also has to be an expert on maritime topics. A lot of his job is in the museum's library, but he is also in charge of the museum's collections and research facility.

"Along with my staff, I am responsible for all the types of collections we have at our museum (except for the watercraft and their engines!). All told, that's over a couple million items. Mystic Seaport collects all kinds of things that relate to our maritime heritage, from logbooks of whaleships that roamed the Indian Ocean to models of ships important to our history, from plans (blueprints) of yachts, boats, and ships, to just about any kind of object or film or photograph you can associate with the maritime world. We preserve all these items in a climate-controlled building so that people now and in the future can study and learn from them to better understand our maritime history and culture. Not only do we make the collections available for exhibits in our own museum, but we lend them to other museums all across the country. That way, more people get a chance to see and learn about them.

We also make sure researchers, no matter where they live, have the opportunity to look at what we have collected to help them in writing their books, building their boats, creating their art, or identifying historic paintings or even doing their homework. People come to visit us at the museum or they can use the tens of thousands of pictures and pages of research materials we have put on our website.

When I am not answering e-mails and phone calls from donors and researchers, I spend time helping students in our research library, giving tours of our collections, or working with authors on a new internet journal, an "e-journal," we are publishing called Coriolis. If you want to find information on ships, their journeys, or the people who sailed in them, we have put a lot of information on our web site for you! I think that is the part of my job that I like the best- figuring out what people need and trying to make sure that they can find it.

When I was a kid, I loved to read. I was always interested in history, but really I was most interested in facts. And if the facts weren't obvious, it was always fun to try and ferret them out. Sometimes you just have to figure out the answer no matter how long it takes you. My obsession with fact-finding and with books made me a great candidate as a reference librarian, my first job at Mystic Seaport.

I majored in history in college and then went back to school and got a master's degree in librarianship. When I started working at Mystic Seaport, I loved that learning something new every day was something I could get paid for. A lot of the questions I research have answers that are found, not just in the library, but also in the museum's collections of paintings and photographs, scrimshaw and artifacts. Not only does my work take me out of the library to work with the museum's collections, it has also taken me all over the world. As a kid growing up in a farming and former coal-mining region of Pennsylvania, I never thought I'd have a job that would have to do with the sea. But as a maritime librarian and museum professional, I have participated in an exchange program with a museum in New Zealand and traveled to conferences all over the world to give presentations on the work we do at Mystic Seaport. " -Paul O'Pecko To learn more about the G. W Blunt White Library and the Collections and Research D epartment at Mystic Seaport, visit them online at http://library.mysticseaport.org or, even better, in person. (Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic, CT 06355; Ph. 860 572-5315)

D

uring his voyage across the Atlantic from London to Philadelphia in 1726, Benjamin Franklin made observations about a peculiar type of fish in his journals.

"They generally fly in flocks, four or five, or perhaps a dozen together, and a dolphin[fish} is seldom caught without one or more in his belly. "He recounted finding one on board one morning: "His back and sides ofa darkish blue, his belly white, and his skin very thick. His wings are ofa finny substance, about a span long, reaching, when close to his body, from an inch below his gills to an inch above his tail. " Fish in flocks? Did Franklin really see a fish that could fly?

Countless sailors in history and modern times have observed these extraordinary creatures that use their wing-like pectoral fins to escape dolphin fish (a.k.a. mahi mahi), swordfish, tuna, and other predators. In the early twentieth century, these fish were even studied as a possible model for new airplane designs.

But do these fish actually have the power of flight? Only using high-tech cameras could scientists reveal the answer to this mystery. The photographic images confirmed that flying fish don't exactly fly, but instead glide on air currents like a kite.

ANATOM'Y OF A FL.Y\N6 FIS\+ T~\S SPEC.\eS \S A Foo~-\N\NEl60 FL.'1 \ N <; t:-\ S \-\, \N \-\\C...\-\ M-e..i.N S \\ ~AS ""tWO ?A\~ OF ~N\...P.0-~P FlNS T\-\AT

PEC.'tORA\.. rlN

\-\E=LP \T To ~L\OC..

\HG. 1...-0W~12.- PA~T Or -r~E. cAuOAL. F\N \S

/,-.,J_;,.--drAys oicc/cl~/aÂľs B 1-UNTNOSE:.. FLYIN& F\.St\

VSE.0 \0 "TA~t" B\:FOe.E L\Ft" -OF-r At-lO C.AN ST~~ uP To So-1o \\MES p.s'2- SEC.ONO.

First, the fish presses its large pectoral fin s against its body as it swims, resembling a torpedo , and, using its tail fin , can reach speeds up to 22 mph. With this momentum, the fish breaks the surface of the water and spreads its "wings," while using its tail fin to build up more speed along the surface. Keeping its pectoral fins stretched out, the fish gets caught in the updraft created by the waves. And liftoffi Unlike birds, flying fish can't flap their fins to gain speed or change direction , but when they start to lose speed, they land back on the surface, taxi again, and relaun ch with out going back underwater.

In this way, they can easily glide the length of a football field or even three! Sailing from Honolulu, Mark Twain said flying fish in the sun looked like "a flight ofsilver fruit-knives."

Unexpected encounters between sailors and flying fish have occurred throughout history, and it isn't unheard of for sailors to come under surprise attack from these high-speed fish. A sailor on the nineteenth-century whaling ship Mo rrison of New London, Connecticut, got hit so hard in the face that it looked "[as if one] of his shipmates had struck him with his fist. "While flying fish typically glide five or so feet above the surface of the water, they are capable of much greater heights. Just imagine, if these fish could fly over land, they could soar into your room through a third-floor window. Sailors who found them on the deck in the morning would often cook the fish for breakfast; although they are bony fish, they are tasty to eat.

Over sixty different species of flying fish live in the warmer ,..,,,.,..,_, -¡. water" escape their prey and cover distances in a way that JP,~ think possible. Though they can't fly like a bi Ci' a type of seaweed called sargassum, in __

Both seafarers from history and mod remarkable creatures that glide understand much more about the Next issue: Did pirates actually walk di more ''Animals in Sea History" visit

Trafalgar's Last Chapter-HMS Pickle's Moment

by Joseph F. Callo

T

here were many stories written about the Barde of Trafalgar. One of the most remarkable was the account of the smallest Royal Navy ship involved in that history-changing event. Her origin is murky, bur she was probably built in a commercial boatyard in Bermuda.

Around the turn of the 19'h century, she could well have been used for trade along America's Atlantic coast and for inter- island trade in the West Indies.

H er cedar hull, just under 100 feet in length overall and a displacement of38 tons, was powered by a generous topsail schooner rig, making her both sturdy and fast. Her original name was Sting, and she is believed to have been seized with other merchant ships in the harbor when rhe British captured the Durch island of C urac;:ao in 1800.

Eventually she was officially purchased by a British owner and then turned up in the Royal Navy as an armed render. The Royal Navy renamed her Pickle, a word that was possibly chosen

For Lapenoriere's mission, speed was essential, and rhe dispatches were handed to him with Collingwood's admonition rhar "a moment's rime may not be lost in their delivery."

The signal "I have urgent dispatches" was two-blocked at the top of Pickle's mainmast, and Lapenotiere set off for London on 26 October. The signal flying from her mainmast would have earned deference from any Royal Navy ship encountered on her mission.

Ir would also have attracted very special attention from any French or Spanish warship.

After clearing Gibraltar, and racing northwards, Lapenotiere was confronted by a violent storm off the Bay of Biscay. Ir was the kind ofweather a small ship would normally avoid. Bur Lapenoriere drove Pickle on through the gale and threatening seas, and when rhe ship began raking on a dangerous amount of water, he resorted to jettisoning her guns.

Afrer clawing his way past the Bay of Biscay, Lapenoriere was ironically faced with the opposite problem: light airs. With

Death of Nelson by Daniel Madise (1806-1870) because it was part of a place name in Britain's Plymouth area, but ir mighr also have been in reference to rhe English custom of calling a rambunctious youngster "a pickle."

The ren-gun HMS Pickle went to work doing what ships of her type did in rhe Royal Navy of the time, including inshore reconnaissance, suppressing privateers, rescuing crews from founderi ng ships, and carrying dispatches. And it would be in the latter role rhar Pickle had her moment in history.

As the smallest warship in Admiral Lord Nelson's fleet at the Barde of Trafalgar, she was not directly involved in the horrific combat action ar Cape Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. During char bloody barde between rhe British and rhe French-Spanish Combined Fleet, Pickle stood off and supported the ships-of-rheline rhat were the main combatants. In addition to supporting rhe British ships, history notes that Pickle and boars from the larger British ships came to the aid of the survivors of the French Achille when rhar ship exploded. During char event several hundred men and two women were saved.

Immediately fo llowing the barde, Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, who had been second in command under Nelson, selected Pickleand her young captain, Lieu tenant John Lapenotiere, to get the news of the British victory and Nelson's death to London with dispatch. Timely knowledge of events, such as rhe Barde of Trafalgar, were not only newsworthy, bur could be ofstrategic value if it was received quickly.

38

an easterly breeze, he was faced with a long bear to his original destination-Plymouth. Relying on his judgment as a seaman (Collingwood had given his yo ung captain discretion concerning where to land on Britain's C hannel coast), Lapenotiere chose a more westerly course and headed for rhe smaller port of Falmouth.

Given rhe sailing conditions, traveling overland likely would be fasrerrhan exrendingPicklehransir to Plymouth by sea. Lapenoriere also knew that there was reliable coach service between Falmouth and London.

On Monday, 4 November, Pickle eased into Falmouth, having covered more than 1,000 miles under extreme conditions ins lighdy more rhan eight days. Its successful completion was a tribute to Lapenoriere's determination and seamanship and to Pickle's speed and seaworthiness.

Within an hour of his arrival, Lapenotiere hired a post-chaise and departed for London. Racing through the countryside at breakneck pace, his horses were swapped our every ten to fifteen miles. He arrived at what is now known as the O ld Admiralty ar Whitehall at 0100 on 6 November, having covered more than 270 miles in abour 37 hours-a remarkable feat in a post-chaise.

Collingwood's dispatches were then delivered directly to William Marsden, Secretary of the Admiralty Board. Lapenoriere's statement as he handed rhe messages to Marsden reflected rhe seamen's way of saying a lot with few words: "Sir, we have gained a great victory. Bur we h ave lost Lord Nelson."

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN2010

in History In contrast, Collingwood's d escription of the actio n at Trafalgar put Nelson's death first: "The ever to be lamented death of Vice-Adm iral Lord Viscount Nelson, who, in the late conflict with the Enemy, fell in the hour of victory, leaves me the duty of informing my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, that on the l 9'h instant it was communicated to the Commander-in-Chief fro m the Ships watching the motions of the Enemy in Cadiz, that the Co mbined Fleet had put to Sea." The message went on to provide a summary of the action at Trafalgar.

The First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Barham , was notified right away, and copies of Co llingwood's messages were made quickly. Prime M inister William Pitt received word at 0300, by 0700 the King was notified, "I have urgent dispatches," by Gordon Prickers and by end of day a special London Gazette edition proclaimed the news to the public.

Navy career was ended, bur for eight days in October and NoFollowing the Battle ofTrafalgar, Pickle returned to h er Royal vember 1805, she had played an important and unique role in Navy duties, including close reconnaissance of Brest harbor durthe events that shi fted the balance of power at sea for the coming ing a blockade by Admiral Cornwallis, the capture of an 18-gun century. ,!, French privateer off the Lizard, and the rescue of more than 600 crewmembers from HMS Magnificent after that ship ran agro und.

Rear Admiral Joseph F Callo, USNR (Ret.) is an award-winning O n 27 July 1808 , Pickle met an untimely end wh en she was author and an NMHS advisor. H is most recent book is John Paul wrecked on a shoal at the entrance to Cadiz h arbor. Her Royal Jones: America's First Sea Warrior.

New York City "Pickle Night Dinner" Every year on November 4th, the Royal Navy Warrant and Chief Petty Officers' messes mark the Bartle of Trafalgar with a special dinner to commemorate the date when news of the battle (and of Nelson's death) reached England in HMS Pickle. On that date in 2004, a group of Americans interested in the historic career of Admiral Lord Nelson hosted an event in anticipation of the forthcoming Bicentennial of the Battle ofTrafalgar at the New York Yacht C lub. Seven annual events later, the New York City Pickle Night Dinner is now well established as an an nual tradition, with attendees coming from across the country and overseas.

Nelson is the foc us of the event, as well as the special relationships berween the United States and Great Britain and berween the US Navy and th e Royal Navy.

The American Friends of the Royal Naval Museum hosts the eve nt, with support from the 1805 .Club, the Nelson Society, and the National Maritime Historical Society. The 20 10 event will be held on Friday, 12 November. Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Sir Alan Massey, will be the guest of hono¡r and main speaker. (For more information, contact: sallymc79@verizon.net) (left) The annual New York City Pickle Night Dinner takes place in the spectacular model room of the New York Yacht Club.

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

39

National Maritime Historical Society's 2010 Gala Annual Awards Dinner Salutes Leadership in the Maritime Heritage Field Captain Cesare Sorio and Daniel W. Whalen, co-chairmen of the 2010 NMHS Annual Awards Dinner, are pleased to invite you to join the gala celebration on Wednesday, 13 October 2010, at the New York Yacht Club. As Captain Sorio says, "Besides giving well-deserved recognition for excellent achievement, this festive awards ceremony helps to validate the importance of outstanding achievement in maritime endeavors and to serve as an inspiration for others."

Nathaniel S. Wilson, Sailmaker Nathaniel S. Wilson, Sailmakerwill receive the NMHS 2010 Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Wilson will be honored for his thirty-five-year career as a sailmaker and rigger, recognized as the pre-eminent sailmaker of traditional sails in the country, if not the world. The Society salutes his extensive record of helping to keep many of the historic and replica ships sailing, such as USS Constitution, USCG

_.......

z 0 :'.!

~

~

~

z

:0 ~ ~ ~

L__..i'...j~. . .--_:_~..::::::~~~ 8

Eagle, Sultana, Clearwater, Spirit of Massachusetts, Harvey Gamage, Pride of Baltimore fl American Eagle, Lettie G Howard, Mayflower II, Godspeed and Discovery. Nathaniel Wilson sails are sought after for vessels large and small, from performance and classic yachts to hearty working craft. The vessels that hoist his sails span the history of water navigation, from replicas of Viking ships to modern vessels, and are true-to-form in look, materials, construction, and performance.

The Society also salutes Wilson's support of sail training and maritime heritage educational programs. His reputation of generosity in sharing his craft and its history precedes him : be it for visiting ships, school groups, or middle and high school history teachers, or the impromptu demonstration for the interested visitor who comes by his loft.

David Rockefeller, Jr. and Sailors for the Sea D avid Rockefeller,] r. and Sailors for the Sea will be recognized with the NMHS Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Maritime Education for their work in educating and empowering the boating community to protect and restore oceans and coastal waters.

Their sailing program, "Around the Americas," exemplifies the standards by which NMHS recognizes excellence in maritime education. The vessel Ocean Watch navigated 25 ,000 miles, visiting 30 towns and cities in 11 countries, to educate their populations aboutthehealthofouroceansand the effects of change in climate.

David Rockefeller, Jr., a director and former chairman of Rockefeller & Co., is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a past vice chair of the National Park Foundation, reporting directly to the Secretary of the Interior. Heservedasamemberof the Pew Oceans Commission that issued a comprehensive report on the health of US marine waters in June 2003. His commitment to ensuring that our government and communities embrace and implement the recommendations of the Pew Commission-and his passion for sailing and the sea-fueled the formation of Sailors for the Sea, a "new voice for ocean conservation." He is an avid sailor and has raced and cruised for over forty years in waters from Labrador to Miami, from San Diego to Alaska, and from Scocland and Sweden to Turkey and Italy, and this past January, he rounded Cape Horn as a member of the Around the Americas crew in Ocean Watch.

40

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 20 10

Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard of Mystic Seaport Museum, Dana Hewson and Quentin Snediker Dana Hewson, Quentin Snediker, and the staff and volunteers of Mystic Seaport's Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard will be presented with the NMHS Distinguished Service Award. Mystic Seaport stands out as a beacon of hope for the beleaguered ship preservation community by not only restoring historic ships but also building important reproductions, as is the case of the Amistad. At a time when some museums are considering giving up the stewardship of the historic ships in their care, Mystic Seaport has taken bold strides to properly care for its historic ships and boats, and they do it all in-house. Of great significance is Mystic's commitment to the restoration of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, a National Historic Landmark. Last year, they announced chat they will not only restore the ship so she remains stable at the wharf, but that they are taking her restoration one step further: the goal is to restore her to seaworthy condition and cake her to sea again, under sail.

Built by Jethro & Zachariah Hillman of Fairhaven, MA, the Morgan sailed for eighty years before retiring from whaling. Today, she remains the last wooden whaleship in the world-an icon of America's seafaring history.

Dana Hewson and Quentin Snediker More than 20 million visitors have come to Mystic Seaport to walk her decks and experience American maritime heritage in a unique and personal way. below deck in the C harles W. Morgan.

But, it is the people and their skills, learned and passed along, that are the heart of all heritage work. NMHS is honored to recognize Dana Hewson and Quentin Snediker and their staff and volunteers for their talents, dedication, and skill, and for the long hours and commitment to the ships chat are an inspiration to all. Dana Hewson has been an integral part of the Mystic Seaport waterfront for more than thirty years. Currencly, Vice President for Watercraft Preservation and Programs and the Clark Senior Curator for Watercraft, Dana has been involved with all aspects of maintenance, restoration, and operations related to the Museum's watercraft collection.

Dana's influence reaches far beyond the museum. He is currencly the vice president of the Council of American Maritime Museums and has served in an advisory capacity for such diverse vessels as Ernest Hemingway's Pilar at the Hemingway home in Havana, Cuba; the National Park Service's steam schooner "Wapama in San Francisco, Charles W. Morgan California; Ernestina in New Bedford, Massachusetts; and the Evelina M. Goulart at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum in Essex, Massachusetts.

Quentin Snediker is a graduate of SUNY Maritime College at Fort Schuyler and holds an M.A. in Historic Preservation from Goucher College. Throughout his career he has supervised the construction and maintenance of, as well as captained, traditional sailing vessels.

He also co-authored Chesapeake Bay Schooners and has written several articles and presented numerous lectures on ship preservation. He led the research and construction of the freedom schooner Amistad, and for the lase decade he has served as Director of the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport overseeing professionals, apprentices, and volunteers working year-round to preserve, restore, and maintain the museum's more than 500 historic vessels.

You are cordially invited

to

the

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER Wednesday, 13 October 2010 Reservations are $385 per person; $7,000 sponsors a table for ten, plus a feature ad page in the dinner journal.

Call 800-221-6647, ext 0 to make your reservation . Black tie optional. Visit www.seahistory.org for more information.

The gala event cakes place at the historic New York Yacht C lub in Manhattan. Richard du Moulin, an award winning yachtsman and leader of the shipping industry, will again serve as our Master of Ceremonies. The US Coast Guard Academy Cadet Chorale, directed

by Dr. Robert Newton, Director of Cadet Vocal Music at the USCG Academy, will provide the evening's entertainment. This affair is traditionally sold-out and seating is li mited, so earl y responses are recommended. For information about sponsorship opportunities or to order tickets for the Annual Awards Dinner, please contact the Society's headquarters at: Ph. 914 737-7878 ext. O; or email nmhs@ seahistory.org. Be sure to visit our website, www.seahistory.org, for more information. - Julia Church and Burchenal Green SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

41

just a preview ofsome ofthe great items featured in our Annual Dinner Auction ••• Cruise aboard Mariner Ill Enjoy a three-hour cruise from either Palm Beach or New York aboard the historic 1926 motor yacht, Mariner !IL designed by Ted Geary. The 122-foot Mariner III is perfect for up to 70 people for dinner or cocktails. Includes the yacht and crew, but not refreshments, catering or dockage.

Donated by Captain Sean Kennedy. Value: $5,520.

Private New York Harbor Cruise for 40 aboard Schooner Adirondack Indulge in a private champagne cruise while gazing at the New York City skyline under sail, from the deck of the schooner Adirondack. Cruises depart Chelsea Piers with a standard open bar for up to 40 guests.

Valid Monday-Friday, Expires 4 June 2011.

Donated by Scarano Boatbuilding and Classic Harbor Lines. Value: $2,500.

Ship in Bottle: The Whaler Charles W. Morgan The 1841 historic wooden whaling ship is recreated in miniature in a vintage Jack Daniel's bottle, handmade by master craftsman Jim Goodwin.

Donated by Mr. Goodwin. Value: $365.

Grand Mayan Resort Mexico Vacation Vacation in style at Grand Mayan Resort in Mexico. One-bedroom apartment with living room, kitchen, bath, and terrace for any week in 2011 starting Friday, Saturday, or Sunday except Christmas, Easter, or New Year's. Sleeps four adults. Can be at Grand Mayan Resort in Acapulco, Puerto Penasco (Sea of Cortez), Los Cabos, Nuevo Vallarta, or Riviera Maya.

Donated by Cesare Sorio. Value: $2,5 00.

Race with the Best Day sail, dinner, and an evening race with yachtsman Rich du Moulin aboard Lora Ann, the four-time class winner of the Newport-Bermuda Race. You and three guests will get a lesson in racing by Rich and a few of his racing crew for a day you'll long remember. You don't need to be an experienced sailor to enjoy yo ur adventure aboard the 37-foot ocean racing yacht. Lora Ann will sail out of the Larchmont Yacht Club (New York) on Long Island Sound. The racing will be low-key-but for real.

Winning (and losing) crews have been known to enjoy post-race festivities at the Club bar. Donated by Richard T. dlll Moulin. Value: $4,000.

Keep checking our web site, www.seahistory.org, for an updated list! If you are unable t0> attend NMHS's gala event on 13 October, let us bid for you! Call 800-221-6647, ext. 0, and we'll set you up with y our own personal bidding representative. All proceeds from the auction benefit the work of the Society.

42

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

OFF TO FIDDLER'S GREEN

Warren Marr II (1916-2010) Warren Marr II, ofValley Cottage, New York, died on 20 April 2010, at the age of93. After serving in the US Army in WWII, Warren made a career of journalism and printing, eventually being named editor of the NAACP Crisis Magazine, where he served until 1980.

He served on the board of the National Maritime Historical Society and then became an active overseer of the Society. Warren is best remembered by the maritime heritage community as the visionary behind the Freedom Schooner Amistad, launched in 2000, and was universally considered its "godfather." He founded Amistad Affiliates, Inc., was co-founder of the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, LA, and served on the Board of Directors of Amistad America in New Haven, CT. In 1995 Warren Marr II received the NMH S American Ship Trust Award for his perseverance and leadership in the long campaign to keep the Amistad story alive and to build the ship.

Warren first conceived of the idea of building a replica of the schoonerAmistadduring OpSail '76, when he chartered the schooner Western Union and, for the event, temporarily renamed the vessel Amistad. He hoped to revive the story of the Amistad incident by building a new vessel to represent Amistad permanently and sail it as a Boating classroom from port to port teaching the history of slavery, discrimination, and civil rights.

In 1839, the slave ship Amistad was at sea, off Cuba, when the fifty-three abducted Africans aboard seized the ship, killed some of their captors, and demanded that the surviving crew sail them back to Africa. American authorities apprehended the ship near Long Island and the Africans were brought ashore, arrested, and tried for murder. Former President John Q uincy Adams took wtlrren Marr II on their case and successfully argued on their behalf before the US Supreme Court in 1841. In time, thirty-five of the Africans were returned to Sierra Leone, the rest having died in captivity, either at sea or ashore in prison. The coalition that came together to defend these Africans evolved into a major national organization, founding more than 500 primary and secondary schools and ten colleges across the South for freed men. The Amistad case was a pivotal event in the history of the abolition of slavery in the United States, but by 1976, when Warren Marr was sailing in OpSail, few Americans knew anything about it.

When Peter Stanford, then President of South Street Seaport, met Warren aboard Western Union, Warren shared with him his plans to build an Amistad replica. When Peter, who well understood the magnitude of such an undertaking, asked how he planned to do it, Warren smiled in a way that Peter would come to know, a way that said, "it will be done." As Peter Stanford remembers, "Warren was an incredible gentleman-persuasive, foc used, generous, and accomplished."

NMHS trustee Captain William Pinkney also met Warren aboard Western Union that summer and in time would become the Amistad's master emeritus. Of that first meeting, Pinkney recalls, "I asked to come on board and discovered they were celebrating a story I had never heard before-that of the Amistad Incident of 1839. Warren himself enlightened me with not only the history but also with his dream to have a "real" Amistad to travel the world Amistad entering Havana Harbor, 25 March 2010. celling chis important story. I took it all in as a learning experience and viewed it as a dream of a man with a mission-one chat wo uld never come to pass. But, I didn't know Warren Marr. Twenty years later, I met Warren again when I was asked to join the board of a new group called Amis tad America, Inc., and felt rather foolish-never think that someone's dream will not come true, unless you know they do not truly believe in it."

Warren Marr passed away just a few weeks after Amistad made an historic visit to Havana, Cuba, this past March, a realization of Warren's dream for the ship and for the story it carries with it. Captain Pinkney said, "His dream has touched untold tens of thousands, from school children to heads of state. Through this ship, they have learned about the quest for dignity and freedom, support and determination, and most importantly that the human spirit cannot be extinguished by adversity. Bon Voyage, Warren Marr II, until we will meet again in Fiddler's Green."

Warren is survived by his wife, the Honorable Carmel Carrington Marr, sons Charles (wife Kenyetta) ofValley Cottage, NY, and Warren III (wife Julie) of Ro bard, KY, and his nine grandchildren and six great grandchildren. And as Peter Stanford best said it, "He is survived by the truly terrific, alive, and loving m emories he left in his passage through life."

-Burchenal Green, NMHS President

SEA HISTORY 132 AUTUMN 20 10

43

by Peter McCracken

MARITIME HISTORY ON THE I NTERNET

Using Google News and Al erts To Follow Topics terms, they'll appear o n yo ur Google News page. Be sure ra select oogle News and Google Alerts are two useful raols for "Sections,'' rather than "Lists," ra group yo ur news by subject and tracking in formation about a specific subject. Whi le it in the order yo u've selected. Also, yo u can change yo ur selections m igh t seem like these are only useful for current iss ues, at any time by cli ckin g o n "Edit personalization." they can actually be applied in many different ways and have no Above the Recent News on the right, select ''Add a section" specific chronological limitations. ra fin d other content. You can search for sections and find ones At h ttp://news.google.com , one can get an overview of the created by ocher individuals, then add those ra your page. world's news, drawn from numerous sources. You can easily see what iss ues are trending in importance in r---~~~~!!1111!--.

Thro ugh the "Settings" link in the rap righ t corner, yo u can furth er cusramize the regio nal, national, and international news. The best site, though you first need ra be logged inra part of Google News, however, is customizing results yo ur (free) G oogle acco unt. Choose "N ews setra match your interests. tings," and you can indicate which news sources The Google News page consists of three columns. yo u would like ra see more-or less-ofren.

The right-hand column shows recent news, local news If yo u prefer ra have yo ur news delivered and weather (click "Edit" next ra the location d irectly ra yo ur email acco unt, use Google nam e if Google's guess isn't quite correct), Ale rts, at http://alerts.google.com/ . Type in and assorted other items. The left-hand a te rm, select your preferred delivery optio ns, column shows the various news categories cli ck "Create Alert," and Google will send yo u you have selected; you can click on any regular em ails showing what it has found . of them ra see what's current in those Google Alercs is a great tool for seeking areas. The center column first shows the out information o n o bscure rapics. (Many people create Google up-ra-the-minute rap sraries, then the Alerts for their own nam e; yo u may be am azed ra see how m any "News for you" section. If yo u haven't others share yo ur name-and what they're doing with it.) Yo u cusramized the page before, you'll see a "Set up progress" indicarar here. You'll be asked how often you read news from various can easily have several dozen different Alerts set up and expect that perhaps only a few will find something on each given day. To broad subjecrs, such as "Business" or "Science," and you can receive updates about USS Enterprise, yo u could create an Alert change the order in which they appear on the page. Use the ''Add char reads "uss em erprise, -starship". The minus-sign in fron t of any news rapic" space ra rype in very specific search terms. For "starship" cells Google chat yo u don't wa nt ra see resul ts that inexample, you might rype "enterprise, aircraft carrier." Be sure ra clude rh e wo rd "starship," thereby no r returning news item s abo ut put a comma between each word or phrase. By adding "aircraft Star Trek m ovies and television shows. carrier," you are ensuring that yo u will not see sraries about the Suggestions for ocher sites worth m entioning are welcom e rental car company. Then click ''Add," then "Done." When you at peter@s hipindex.o rg. See http://www.shipindex.org for a free refresh the page (tap the F5 key) , you'll see yo ur search terms in compilation of over 140,000 ship nam es from indexes to dozens the left-hand column. Click on it, and you'll see results containing of books and journals. J, those phrases. When new articles appear that match your search

G

krlma~oock loo

H. Lee White Marine Museum 400 years of Maritime History Open Daily 1-5pm July & Aug 10-5pm

Celebrating our Presidential Heritage _____...______

Circa 1884 ~

~

Kilmarnock Inn 34 East Church Street P.O. Box 2100 Kilmarnock, VA 22482 Tel. (804) 435-0034

West 1st Street Pier, Oswego, NY w w w .hleewhitemarinemuseum.com 315-342-0480

www.kilmarnockinn.com 44

• l 6 Private Guest Rooms and Suites •Gourmet Breakfast served each morning •Meeting Room and Event Space •Private Lunches and Dinners •Walking distance to resta urants and shops •Free Wi-F i and HD TV

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

SIDP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS On 25 June, Senator John McCain (RAZ) announced that he has introduced legislation that would fully repeal the Jones Act. The Jones Act requires that all goods shipped between waterborne ports of the United States be carried by vessels built in the US and owned and operated

by Am ericans. McCain claims that "this res triction only serves ro raise shipping costs, thereby m aking US farmers less competitive and increasing cos ts for Am erican consumers." The issue cam e up recently during rhe discussion about how best ro clean up the G ulf of Mexico oil spill. The Jones Act forbids foreign vessels from working in US waters and thus the U S wo uld nor be able ro accept fo reign assistance . O ther US Senators h ave put forward legislation to waive rhe Jones Act during emergen cy situatio ns, and officials from rhe O bam a administrati o n have stated they would be willing to waive the USC G PH OTO BY P ETIY OF FICE R J RD CLASS ANN MARI E GORDEN.

Local fishing vessel M as ter C raig conducts skimming operations in the Gulf ofMexico.

restricti ons of rhe Jo nes Act in this particular situation. M cCain, h owever, states that "bes t co urse of actio n is ro perm anently repeal rhe Jones Ac r," calling it "unnecessary" and "antiquated." The M aritime Cabotage Task Force stated that it opposes legislation ro repeal the Jon es Ac t, claimin g rhat all the M cCain bill wo uld do is put more Am ericans o ut of wo rk. To read the text of the Bill (S .3525) and fo llow its pro gress thro ugh Congress, visit rhe Library of Co ngress THOMAS website at: hrrp:// th om as .loc. gov and type in S.3525 under "Bill N umber." ... The Maine Maritime Museum announced in June that is merging with the Portland Harbor Museum.

The MMM in Bath, abo ut a forty-m inute d rive fro m Portland, will abso rb the Po rtland m useum's collectio n and will begin ro explo re where ro display exhibits within the city of Portland in the fut ure. The SEA HISTORY 132, AU TUMN 2010

Po rdand H arbor Museum will close and its m embers will become m embers of rhe .MMM. As part of rhe m erger, rhe Portland H arbor M useum's executive directo r, M ark Thompson , will join rhe staff in Bath as the Maine M aritime M useum's n ew regional director for southern Maine. The Portland museum's building was being sold, and m erging with the larger m aritime museum was deem ed the bes t way to guarantee the safety and preservation of their collection. (MMM, 243 Washington Street, Bath, M E 0453 0; Ph. 2 07 443- 13 16; www. m ainem aririmemuseum.org) .. â&#x20AC;˘ The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) has been officially recognized by Congress as the National Sail Training Association of the United States, as well as the United States's representative in the International Sail Training Forum. Congress also commended ASTA for its adva ncement of character-building experi ences for yo uth ar sea. Th e US Senate passed Sen ate Resolution # 15 8 in M arch : principal spo nso rs included Senators John Kerry (MA), Jack Reed (RI), Sheldo n W hiteh ouse (RI ), and Lindsay G raham (SC). Patrick Kennedy (RI) has spo nsored the Ho use ve rsio n of rhe resolution (HR- 197), with Representative Elij ah C umm ings (MD), C hairman of the Subcommit tee on Coast G uard and Maritime Transpo rtatio n, staring, "ASTA's work is critical ro prese rving o ur Nation's rich mariti me heritage and ensurin g that its tradi tio ns are passed o n ro the next ge neratio n ." ASTA is a no n-profi t organization foc used on yo uth education , leade rshi p develo pment, and the preservation of the m aritime heri tage of No rth Am erica. Rep resen ting m o re than 200 m ember

vessels, ASTA organizes the Tall Ships C hallenge" Series, m anages scholarship programs ro make sail training experiences mo re affordabl e for yo un g peo ple, and administers grant programs ro assist crew of ASTA member vessels with the costs of profess io nal development courses and licensin g requirements. (ASTA, 29 To uro Street, POB 1459, Newport, RI 02840; Ph. 401 -846- 177 5; www.sailtraining.org) ... The Independence Seaport Museum has a new president and CEO as of 2 August-John J. Gazzola, most recently the vice president and general manager of the Philadelphia division of Moran Towing Corporation. H e replaces interim President Jam es

M cl ane, who in February took over after the resignation of Lori Dillard Rech.

M cl ane will return ro rhe board . "H aving been closely involved with the Delaware River since 1985, John brings with him a wealth of experience, deep passion fo r the waterfro nt, and strong relationships within the port community," said Peter McCausland, chai rman of the museum's board . Gazzola graduated from M aine M aritime Academy in Castine, M E, in 1982. He has wo rked fo r C rowley Maritime C orp. in the Pacific No rthwes t,

Making Plans for the War of 1812 Bicentennial?

NMHS and Sea History Want to Know.

If your museum , cultural center, historic

CO U RT ESY US SEN ATE AllT COLLECTION

site, educational organization, or ship will be commemorating the War of 1812, would you please let us know? We are spearheading efforts to promote these events and want to include you. We'd love to hear from authors about their work related to the anniversary as well . Please send information to bgreen@seahistory.org.

45

WeeksMarine/American Dredging Co. in Philadelphia, and is rhe pasr president of rhe Pons of Philadelphia Maririme Sociery. Gazzola has his work cur our for him; rhe ISM is sri ll recovering from years of mismanagement by former president John Carter, who is now serving a 15year prison sentence for fraud and tax evasion , having swindled the museum out of $9 00 ,000. One of the new president's first tasks will be making a plan for rheir museum ship USS Olympia. The museum announced earlier rhis year rhar rhey need to rid rhemselves of rhe famous naval cruiser, which is in need of repairs rhar rhe museum cannor pay for (see pages 5-6 for further informarion on USS Olympia's siruation). The Independence Seaport Museum, locared ar Penn's Landing on rhe Delaware River, was founded in 1960. Ir contains more rhan 25,000 artifacrs, as well as exhibirs, ship models, small boars and a boarbuilding workshop. Ar present, ir owns two vessels lisred as Narional Historic Landmarks: rhe cruiser Olympia and rhe Becuna, a World War II submarine. (ISM, Penn's Landing, 211 Sourh Columbus Boulevard. and Walnur Sr., Philadelphia, PA 19106; Ph. 215 413-86 5 5; www.phillyseaport.org) ...

The Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine, has sold its 83-foot sardine carrier Jacob Pike to a private party who will repair and maintain the historic vessel in Rockland. The Jacob Pike was builr in 1949 by Newbert and Wallace in Thomaston, ME, and worked rhe warers between Gloucesrer, MA, and rhe Canadian Maririmes, raking on sardine carches from fish-

Jacob Pike

ing vessels and delivering rhem to canneries.

In 2007, years afrer her retirement, she was given to rhe Penobscor Marine Museum, which used her as a working exhibir of Penobscor Bay's fish ing and boatbuilding indusrries. Afrer sreaming the Pike to several ports and fesrivals, rhe museum commissioned a survey to assess her long-rerm viability. The survey revealed condirions that precluded her use as an educarional vessel and indicared that rhe process of rebuilding

her to comply with US Coast Guard requirements for carrying passengers would have destroyed much of her historical significance, not to mention the price tag. In response to these findings, the museum decided to seek a buyer who could care for her properly. The Pike's new steward, Jamie Steeves, owner of J&J Lobsters in Rockland, recently completed the rebuilding of the Rockland Gulf, a historic wooden-hulled tanker abo ut the size of the Pike.

Steeves will bring the Pike to North End Shipyard in Rockland, where she will undergo repairs and a refit. Following her shipyard work, he plans to use the Pike as a bait carrier and to berth her in Rockland, where she will remain a visible reminder of the city's working-waterfront heritage. Penobscot Marine Museum is Maine's oldest maritime museum and home to the state's largest display of historic boats and collections of marine art and artifacts, ship models, and historic photography. (PMM, 40 East Main Street, POB 498, Searsport, ME 04974; Ph. 207 548-2529; www.Pen obscotMarineMuseum.org) ... The Nantucket Historical Association is accepting proposals for the E. Geoffrey and Elizabeth Thayer Verney Fellowship.

The award encourages research in the

Celebrate our maritime heritage this holiday season with NMHS greeting cards Based on the painting "New England Mackerel Schooner" by celebrated marine artist William G. Muller, this new greeting card captures the romance of a bygone era-and helps support the work ofNMHS. Greering reads, "Wishing you fair winds for the holidays and calm seas for the New Year."

Also available as blank note cards.

Box of 10: $ 14.95 , or $ 13.46 for NMHS members.

Add $4 s/h for one box and $2 for each additional box.

Please indicate your choice of holiday or blank cards.

Note cards by John Stobart and Paul Garnett are also available on our website www.seahistory.org.

Sample Card-New England mackerel schooner being assisted by a tug out ofport on a calm March morning in 19 05.

This original oil on canvas, 20 " x 24" (25 1/ 2" x 28 1/i'' with frame) is available for purchase: 25% of the proceeds of the sale direcdy benefir NMHS . For more information, please call 1-800-221-6647, Wendy (ext. 235) or Burchie (ext. 223).

To order, call 1-800-221-NMHS (6647), ext. 0, or visit our web site at www.seahistory.org.

Allow 2 to 3 weeks for deli very.

46

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

collections of the NHA Library and is open to academics, graduate students, and independent scholars. Fellows are given a stipend and are housed for up to three weeks at the historic Thomas Macy House. NHA fellows are expected to produce an article for publication in the NHA journal, deliver a public lecture o n the subject of their research, and give a presentation to NHA staff. (For information on the fellowship and how to app ly, visit their website at www.nha.org) ...

"Wooden Bones-The Sunken Fleet of 1758," a documentary written by Lake George (NY) nautical archaeologist Joseph W. Zarzynski and directed by Glens Falls filmmaker Peter Pepe, has been awarded the Gray's Reef Ocean Film Festival's prestigious "Maritime Heritage Category'' award. The DVD, released in May, is an hour-long docuWOODEN mentary abo ut Lake BONES George's Sunken Fleet of 1758 , when the British deliberately sank over 260 warships to protect them from the French through the winter of 1758-1759. The documentary investigates the history and underwater archaeological study of the lake's sunken bateaux-class warships and a 1758-constructed military dock fo und in the lake's shallows. Last year, Bateaux Below, Inc. was formally recognized by First Lady M ichelle Obama as a recipient of a "Preserve America Steward" designation . Volunteers provide monitoring and public outreach for three Submerged Heritage Preserves admin istered by the NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation.

Lake George shipwrecks incl ude: the "Sunken Fleet of 1758," seven batea ux (boats) used during the French and Indian War; the 1758 Land Tortoise, a floating gun battery that has been design ated a National Hisroric Landmark; and the motor laun ch Forward, which dates to 1906. The organization's volunteers open the preserves to divers in the spring, monitor the sites, and close them for the off-season. Mooring cables, underwater signage, and trail lines are all installed by volunteer divers. Bateaux Below vol unteers prepared the nominations for listing the shipwrecks on the National Register SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

of Historic Places and conducted research, developed text, and raised funds to install state historic markers abo ut the sites . In addition, volunteers have given public lectures, written articles, and presented professional papers on the shipwrecks. (For mo re information on the documentary, visit www.woodenbones. com) ... The Maryland Historical Society (MdHS) is accepting manuscripts for consideration for its Annual Marion Brewington Essay Prize for 2011. The MdHS Maritime Committee awards $1,000 for the best qualifying manuscript on an aspect of the history of seafaring, fisheries, commerce, warfare, or recreation on C hesapeake Bay or its tributaries. The prize is named for Marion Brewington to honor his dedication in preserving, documenting, and recording the maritime history of Chesapeake Bay. Manuscripts should be submitted to the MdHS by 3 1 December for consideration. Writer's guidelines are available at: www.mdhs.org/ museum/brewington.html. (MdHS, 20 1 West Mo nument Street, Baltimore, MD 2 1201; Ph. 41 0 685-3750) ... On 13 July, construction workers near the World Trade Center site in New York uncovered the wooden remains of a small 18th-century ship about 20-30 feet below street level. Archaeologists from AKRF, an enviro nmental, planning, and engineeri ng consulting firm hired by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) to document historical material that might be discovered during construction , were on site and recognized the curved timbers as ship fr ames . Workers at the site continued construction aro und the vessel, while archaeologists documented and tagged the remains in situ. The ship is the first large-scale ar-

chaeological discovery along the Manhattan waterfront since 1982, when a merchant vessel was discovered during construction at 175 Water Street, just a few blocks from the World Trade Center site. Like the Ronson Ship (named for the real es tate developer Howard Ronson who

World Trade Center Ship owned the site), this new find was likely used as cribb in g and fill when New Yorkers were extending the city's shoreline into the Hudson River during the 18th century. By 26 July, archaeologists began dismantling the ship, piece by piece, and readying it for transport to the Maryland A rchaeological Conservation (MAC) Lab in St. Leonard, MD, where the vessel's remains wi ll be co nserved. Accordin g to PANYNJ spokesman Steve Coleman, if, when, or where the vessel will be displayed when co nservation is complete in a few years has not been determined at this time. On site for the documentation and dismantling of the 32-foot hull were: AKRF archaeologists Michael Pappalardo, Diane Dalla! and Molly McDonald; Dr. Warren Riess, from the University of Maine (Dr. Riess worked on the Ronso n Ship in 1982, making it the subj ect of his PhD dissertation); and N icole Doub, head conservato r fo r the MAC Lab . .1

47

PJANNINGACRIJISE? c5'V[arine cA°ntiques - dlmericana (508) 228-46~7J,7_ _

Serving Collectors & Museums Since 1971

1

antuck ct , Massachuse t ts

www.ninahelln1anantiques.com

BREWER BANNER DESIGNS STARS AND STRIPES PENNAN TS .

Auth e nt ic hi storica l de s ign ex q uis ite ly handcrafted in the most durab le fa brics 4 ', 6', 8' and 12' sizes in stock-other sizes and des igns by custom order. Custom des ign and fabri cation is our spec ialty. Also in stock, a ll s izes U. S. , state, for e ign, histori ca l, ma rin e and decorati ve fla gs , ba nners, penn ants, and accesso ries. 77 Fores t St. , New Bedfo rd, MA 02740 508-996-6006.

www.brewerbanner.com

•Small Ships •River Boats •Sailing Vessels •Barges •Expeditions •Freighters •Educational&Traditional Cruises

Sa , 1 e '" i l.h 'I'l•a, , L -ti1•s lt..:1•;es

F REE Th lAL MEMBERSHIP INC L. T HREE I SSUES OF TRAVLTIPS P UBLI CAT ION (First hand cruise reports, listings, special offers, etc)

.J.f.TravLtiPslI.. www.travltips.com (800)

872 ~8584

sine• 1967

e -mail: info@travltips.com

CLASSIFIED ADS Collections ofJournals: shipping, fi shery, maritime and military history. ENSIGNPRESS.COM/JOURNALS.

EXPERIENCED MODEL BUILD ER. Ray Guinta, PO Box 74, Leonia, NJ 07605 ; www.modelshipsbyrayguinta.com.

Sea Buoys, Fresnel Lighthouse Lenses, Shipwreck and Maritime Antiques. See all at www.lighthouselens. com or Call Steve at 810-599-5147.

NAUTICAL SOUVENIRS WHOLESALE. Sextants, Telescopes, Compasses, Rum C ups, Signs, Sand Timers, and much more. www. HarmonicaNecklace.com for small sampling 1-800654- 1447.

Wallace Welch & Willingham boats & yacht insurance: A-rated companies, competitive rates, flexible coverage. Get a quote, www.Marineins.com or 800-783-5085.

BOOKS

Jonesport Nautical Antiques. We offer a wide selection of high quality nautical lights from Italy and th e Far East. 1-800-9965655 or see us on the web at www.NauticalAntiques.com.

NEXT VOYAGE WILL BE DIFFERENT by Captain Thomas E. Henry. Accounrs from my 37 years at sea. Available through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Also, CRACKING H ITLER'S ATLANTIC WALL. Call 772 287-5603 (EST) or e-mail: Arcome@aol. com fo r signed copies.

Photos of "messing around" boat yards, sailing in wooden yachts & boats. H ang beautiful pictures in your home or office.

(See www.StanSinowitzPhotos.com).

SHIP MODEL BROKER - I will help you BUY, SELL, REPAIR, APPRAISE or COMMISSION a model ship or boat. www.FiddlersG reenModelShips.com.

Thousands of century-old ship postcards, ephemera- in San Francisco; Ph. 4 15 586-9386, kprag@planeteria.net.

Elegant Ship Models. Individually handcrafted custom scale model boats. Jean Preckel: www.preckelboats.com or call: 304 432-7202.

Custom Ship Models Half Hulls. Free Catalog. Spencer, Box 1034, Quakertown, PA 1895 1.

FREIGHTERCRUISES.COM. Mail ships, containerships, trampers . . . Find the ship and voyage that's perfect fo r you.

Ph. 1-8 00-99-Maris.

1812 Privateer FAME of Salem, MA. Sails Daily, May - October. Ph. 978 729-7600; www.SchoonerFame.com.

A CARELESS W ORD-A NEED LESS SINKING by Captain Arthur R. Moore. Documented account of catastrophic losses suffered by American Merchant Marine and Armed Guard during WWII. 720 pp, lists crew members & ships, profusely illustrated. Eighth printing sponsored by American Merchant Marine Veterans. E-mail: gemurphy@carroll.com.

IT DIDN'T HAPPEN O N MY WATCH and SCUTTLEBUTT by George E. Murphy. Memoirs of for ty-three years with United States Lines aboard cargo and passenger ships. Anecdotes of captains, chief engineers, crew members and the company office.

Web site: www. gemurphy.com ; e-mail: gemurphy@carroll. com.

SHIPS O F THE U.S. MERCHANT FLEET and HISTORY O F ELECT RIC D RIVE FOR SHIPS by Captain John A. Culver. Model Kits of ships, tugs, CG Craft, lightships; catalog in www.jacmodel.net.

HARBOR VOICES by Terry Walton, WHEN FORTUNE FROWNS by NMHS Trustee William H . White, VOYAGES, Vols. I and II, by Prof Joshua M. Smith- these and other great maritime books are available online at the NMHS Ship's Store at www.SeaHistory.org or by ]phone at (toll free): 800-221 -6647.

Advertise in Sea History! Call 914 737-7878, ext. 235, or e-mail: advertising@seahistory.org.

48

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 20 I 0

CONFERENCES AND SYMPOSIUMS • "Atlantic World Literacies Conference: Before and After Contact," 7-9 October 2010 ar rhe Un iversiry of North Carolina at Greensboro, sponsored by the Atlantic World Research Network (email: awrn@ unch.edu; www.uncg.edu/ eng/ awrn/) • "People Make Places: Ways of Feeling the World," the 2011 conference sponsored by the Societe Internationale d 'Ethnologie et de Folklore (SIEF), 1721 April 2011 in Lisbon, Portugal. CALL FOR PAPERS deadline: 15 October. (www. siefhome.org) •Museum and Small Craft Association 2010 Annual Meeting, 26-27 October at The Center fo r Wooden Boats, Seattle, WA. (www.museumsmallcraft.org) • "Reading Coastal Footprints: Ecology and Maritime Archaeology in the Pacific," the 22nd Annual Symposium on Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawaii and the Pacific, 18-21 February in Hilo, HI. CALL FOR PAPERS deadline is 5 November. (MAHHI, POB 8807, Honolulu, HI 96830; www.mahhi.org) •New Researchers in Maritime History Conference 2011 , 11-12 March 2011 at the Universiry of H ull, UK. CALL FOR PAPERS deadline is 5 November. (www. maritimehistory.org. uk) •2010 Annual Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships, American Sail Training Association, 15-17 November aboard the Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA. (ASTA, 240 Thames Sr., Newport, RI 02840; Ph. 401 846-1775 ; www.sai ltraining.org) •Ninth Maritime Heritage Conference, 15-19 September 2010 in Baltimore, MD. Held every three years. (For full details, see page 9 or check www.seahistory.org) • "Moving People and Cargo-Safely, Efficiently and Responsibly," Green Pacific 2010 Conference, 2 1-22 September in Seattle, WA. (Registration and general info, email: marilyn@RHPPublishing.com; www.greenpacific.org) • "Encounters of Sea and Land," European Society for Environmental History Conference, 28 June-2 July in Turku, Finland. (htrp://eseh20 1 l.utu.fi) FESTIVALS,EvENTS,LECTURES,ETC. •Festival of Sail, 2-6 September ac the Maritime Museum of San Diego (1492

North Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 9210 1; Ph. 619 234-9153; www.sdmaritime.org) •Reception and Book Launch for Maritime Maryland: A History by William Dudley, PhD, 17 September, 6-8:30PM, at the Maryland Historical Sociery. Sponsored by MDHS and Johns Hopkins Universiry Press (MDHS, 20 1 W Monument St., Baltimore MD 21201; Ph. 410-6853750; www.mdhs.org) •34th Annual Wooden Boat Festival, 10-12 September in Port Townsend, WA.

(Wooden Boat Fdn., 31 Water Sr., Port Townsend, WA 98368; Ph. 360 3853628; www.woodenboat.org) •21st Annual Maritime Festival, 24-26 September in Greenport, NY (East End Seaport Museum & Marine Fdn., POB 624, Greenport, NY 11944; Ph. 631 4772100; www.eastendseaport.org/Maritime. htm) •Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival, 25-26 September in Portsmouth, NH. (For more information, contact Tom Hall at: PO Box 83, Nottingham, NH 03290; pmff@comcast.net; www.newenglandfolk network.org/ pmff) • "Mapping the Transition from Colony to Nation," the 17th Kenneth Nebenzahl Jr. Lectures in the History of Cartography, 4-6 November in Chicago.

Lectures are free and open to the public: reservations are required. (The Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography, The Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Sr., Chicago, IL 60610; Ph. 312 255-3659; www.newberry.org/smith/ smithhome.html) •Sultana Projects, Inc., Downrigging Weekend, 28-31 October in Chestertown, MD . Joining Sultana will be the vessels: Lynx, Pride ofBaltimore IJ, Kalmar Nyckel, A. ]. Meerwald, and Elf, plus a fleet of historic Chesapeake Bay "buyboars."

(105 South Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620; www.sultanaprojects.org) EXHIBITS •16th Annual Maritime Art Exhibition, through 18 September at the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, OR (235 Anderson Ave., Coos Bay, OR 97420; Ph. 541 2673901; www.coosart.org) • ~ter, Land, Sky: The Chesapeake and her Tributaries, a marine art exhibit, 24 September- I November at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. (AMM, 723 Second Sr., Annapolis, MD 21403; 410 2950104; www.amaritime.org) • The 31st Annual International Marine Art Exhibition at Mystic Seaport, opens 26 September. Also, Maritime Miniatures by Maritime Masters Exhibition, 20 November through January. (MSM Maritime Gal lery, 75 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic, CT 06355; Ph. 860 572-5388; www.mysticseaporc.org) •Heavy Metal: The Revolution Evolution in Marine Propuuion, thro ugh 8 November at the Maine Maritime Museum.

(MMM, 243 Washington Street, Bath, ME 04530; Ph. 207 443-1316; WWW. mainemaritimemuseum.org) •FreePort [no. 001): Charles Sandison, opens 2 October at the Peabody Essex Museum's East Ind ia Marine Hall. This installation marks the first in a series of contemporary art interventions in PEM's FreePort initiative. (PEM, Easr India Square, 161 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970; Ph. 978 745-9500; www.pem.org) •Lasting Reflections-Feuchter and Castelli-Two Centuries of the Chesapeake, through 7 Nov. at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (213 N. Talbot Street, Sr. Michaels, MD 21663; www.cbmm.org) •It Sprangfrom the River: Everyday Objects with Maritime Secrets, through 3 January 20 11 at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia (Penn's Landing, 211 South Columbus Blvd. & Walnut Sr. ,Philadelphia, PA 19106; Ph. 215 4 13865 5; www.phi llyseaporr.org) •Building Better Ships: Featuring the Paintings of Thomas C. Skinner, through 11 March 20 11 at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, VA (100 Museum Dr. , Newport News, VA 23606; Ph. 757 5962222; www.mariner.org)

"The best histone . al noveIs ever wntten . "ith the publication of Master & Commander, the first volume of the Aubrey-Mah1rin series, millions of readers began an extraordinary literary journey. Whilst the naval adventure novel has a long and distinguished literary history, none has inhabited the genre with such unqualified mastery as Patrick O'Brian.

As your introduction to The Folio Society, we are offering you a handsome four-volume set of Patrick O'Brian novels (published at $240.80) for only $19.95, including shipping.

Reply within 14 days and you will also receive the Oxford D ictionary of Quotations, worth $50 - yours FREE whatever you decide about joining.

The Folio Society does not send you unsolicited

W

books or 'choices of th e month '. In return for this special offer you simply choose four books from our ca talogue to fulfill your membership.

Our current publications include history and eye-witness accounts, biography and memoirs, modern and classic fi ction, children's books, humour, poetry and legend. Prices start at $3 7.95 , and many of our books are less than $50.

Our books are not available in bookstores.

No publisher devotes more attention to book design and production than The Folio Society.

Authentic bindings, rare typefa ces and illustrations by notable artists combine to make Folio editions unique. Only the finest materials are employed including acid free paper. Every title bas a fully sewn binding and comes with a protective slipcase.

IORDER TOLL FREE

1-800-353-0700 I

Please accept my applica tion for FREE trial membership of The Folio Society and send my four Patrick O'Brian novels, together wi th the Folio catalogue and my FREE Oxford D ictionarg of Quotations. If I decide to enroll as a member by choosing 4 books from your catalogue I will keep the Patrick O'Brian set for the special introductory price of only $19.95 (including shipping). If I am not satisfied - for any reason - I will return the Patrick O'B1ian set within 21 days. My membership will be cancelled and I will owe nothing. I understand that as a member of The Folio Society I have the right to return any book if I am not completely satisfi ed. The Oxford D ictionarg of Quotations is mine to keep whatever I decide.

Title

Name

Date BLOCK CA PITA LS PLEAS E

Address City; o

The Folio Society, established in England in 1947, publishes books for readers who wish to experience tlle pleasures of owning a collection of fine editions to enjoy now and in the fuhire.

Why not start your collection today? Please call us Toll Free (24 hours) 1-800-353-0700 or return tlle coupon today to take advantage of this special introductory offer.

The Folio Society Promise You will never be sent a bookgOll have not ordered.

THE FOLIO SOCIETY P.O. Box 693, Holmes, PA 19043 www.joinfolio.com

D

YES, l am replying within 14 days and claim my FREE Oxford reference book which is mine to keep whatever I decide. (plLasttiubox)

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations EW ED IT ION

State

Zipcode

Please all ow 21 days fo r delivery. Applicati ons subject to approval. Send no money now.

.

Plus your FREE gift ¡

Reply Today and Save Over $270 To: The Membership Secretary, The Folio Society, P.O. Box 693, Holmes, PA 19043, Fax:l-610-532-9001

NEw YORK TrMEs

Source= E3B X55

Reviews Warship Under Sail: The USS Decatur in during the Navy's wrenching transmon the Pacific West by Lorraine McConaghy from wood and canvas to iron and steam.

(University of Washington Press, Seattle, 2009, 38 lpp, illus, maps, notes, biblio, and index, ISBN 978-0-29598955-6; $34.95hc) Historian Lorraine McConaghy' s Warship Under Sail is a thoroughly documented (118 pages of notes!) scholarly volume of ships and sailors, war, politics, art, history, adventure, intrigue, institutional transition, and technological advancement

WARSHIP UNDER SAIL THE USS DECATUR

in /he PAC I FIC WEST Lorraine McConaglry

with an appeal to rival Herman Melville's White jacket and the Patrick O'Brian novels. Beautifully published in a large format and adorned with supporting maps and illustrations, this bargain-priced book is simultaneously worthy of coffee tables, research desks, and library collections.

Warship Under Sail is a study of the last years of USS Decatur's roughly quartercentury active service in the Navy-those years in the Pacific squadron (1855-59) when Decatur epitomized the best and worst of the wood-and-canvas navy. From afar, USS Decatur was a romantic cloud of white, cutting through waves at eight knots.

Up close, she was a vessel of rotten timbers, manned by sick and alcohol-dependent crewmen who were, in turn, commanded by sick and alcohol-dependent officers.

McConaghy places Decatur's actions in the context of Manifest Destiny and Young America's efforts to divert sectional struggle to national expansion. The four theaters of operations are set in separate chapters: passage of the Strait of Magellan; Seattle and the battle with Native Americans; Nicaragua and the filibusters; and on station off Panama-all taking place SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Decaturwas three months passing the Strait, for example, when the steamer Massachu- -lllll;;;~ilj setts passed in a matter of weeks.

Conflict-national, international, and personal-is reflected in the lives of the by the Crown. For a more balanced view, men of the Decatur. Drawing on logs and I suggest reading both Morrison's account letter books, McConaghy paints a picture and the journal of Dr. George Hamilton, of the men who lived and worked on the Pandora's physician, for the "other side" of ship . While not a pretty picture, it reveals the story. life aboard a warship at the end of the era For anyone interested in the Bounty of sail. saga, this vol ume is a most worthwhile DR. DAVID 0. WHITTEN addition to the extant non-fiction reading Auburn, Alabama currently available.

WILLIAM H. WHITE After the Bounty: A Sailor's Account of Rumson, New Jersey the Mutiny and Life in the South Seas by James Morrison, RN, edited and annotated The Hemingway Patro/,s: Ernest Hemingby Donald A. Maxton (Potomac Books, way and His Hunt for U-boats by Terry Dulles, VA, 2009, 270pp, index, biblio, Mort (New York, Scribner, 2009, 254pp, gloss, ISBN 978-1-59797-371-7; $29.95hc) illus, appen, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 978When I was researching the Bounty 1-4 165-9786-5; $26) story and the follow-on to it for my last Author Terry Mort was a student of book, When Fortune Frowns, I had occasion H emingway biographer Carlos Baker at to read parts ofBosun Mate Jam es Morrison's Princeton University and later, as a US journal in manuscript form at the Mitchell naval officer, served at sea on deployments to Library in Sydney, Australia. With the tale Vietnam and other locations. Thus, he brings now published in popular format and available to anyone interested in the nitty-gritty THE GLENCANNON of the story, I can suggest reading it with one caveat: Morrison's astonishing recall PRESS of the derails makes it useful to researchers, but also tends to make it somewhat tedious for pleasure reading.

At once a bosun's mate in the eighteenth-century Royal Navy, a linguist, NEW! Hardluck Coast, natural philosopher, zoologist, historian, west coast shipwrecks ... mathematician, and observer extraordinaire, Grave Passage, a Henry Morrison will amaze the reader not onlywith his in-depth observations of the peoples he Grave Mystery ... An Act of encounters in the South Seas, but also with Piracy, the story of the SS his remarkable memory for the detail of Mayaguez ... Hollywood to conversations and events surrounding the Bounty mutiny. Considering that he was Honolulu, LosAngeles. S.S. unable to write down any of his observations Co ... . The Tankers from A for nearly a year of his captivity, this is an to Z. The Victory Ships from incredible feat!

Having forewarned the reader of the A to Z. The Liberty Ships hazards of this book, I would not hesitate to from A to Z ... more. recommend it to any interested in the Bounty FREE CATALOG 1-800-711-8985 story or in life in eighteenth-century Tahiti.

Online catalog at Readers should keep in mind that Morrison is www.glencannon.com telling his side of the story; he was convicted of mutiny, though subsequently pardoned

51

VOYAGE TO THE EDGE OF MUTINY AND MURDER

I )>

"'0

"0<

m

"'

"Readers who long for the thrill of sailing around the Horn won't be disappointed. The description of th e death of the sailor John Warriner alone makes it worth the read."-Douglas Jerolimov, University of Virginia

A HARROWING TRUE STORY OF CAPTURE, TORTURE, SHIPWRECK, & SURVIVAL

"'°6 00

USS Pampanito's Unlikely Rescue of Allied POWs in WWII

~ w 9w .I> N

" 6 I

)>

"'0

"<0 m

"'

"We find ordeal and torment of a kind that afflicts the imagination. Unbelievably brave British and Australian POWs are its heroes. U.S. submarine crews are its angels. You and I are its beneficiaries."

-Michael Gannon, author of Operation Drumbeat

~

·~~~~~~~-- ~ UNIVERSITY PRESS OF FLORIDA 800.226.3822 j WWW.UPF.COM GAINESVILLE TALLA HASSEE TAMPA BOCA RATON PENSACOLA ORLANDO MIAMI JACKSONVILLE FORT MYERS SARASOTA

52

to his project the sensibility of a student of George Washington 's Great Gamble-and American literature and the perspective of the Sea Battle that Won the American a sea service officer. Bo th are evident in this Revolution by Jam es L. N elson (McG rawHill, NY, 2010 , 376pp, illus, notes, biblio, work.

Few H emingway scholars have taken index, IS BN 978-0-07-1 62679-8; $26.9 5hc) George Washington s Great Gamble tells serio usly the famous author's volunteer service o n anti submarine patrol in his the story of both the land and sea battles of thirty-six-foot fishing boat Pilar. Most accept 178 1, six years into the struggle fo r American the indictment of H em ingway's third wife, independence, that culminated in Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, M artha Gellhorn , V irginia. By 1780, W ashington that his efforts were 'The had come to the understanding little more than a HEM I NG w A Y that French naval power wo uld lark for the author PAT Ro Ls be the key to securing an Ameriand hi s drinkin g can victory. As he wrote to the cronies with gasoline Emrst Hetning•-ay and His H 11r1t for LJ.boau Comte de Rochambeau in July provided by the US of 1780 after his arrival at Newgovernment. port, Rhode Island, with French Mort does take troops and a fleet of warships: H emingw ay's en"In any operatio ns, and under all deavor seriously and circumstances, a decisive naval places it in context, superiori ty is to be considered part of the so-called as a fu ndam ental principl e, .

"H ooligan N avy, " and the basis upon which every that force of volunhope of success must ultimately teer yachtsmen who depend." Author James N elson patrolled the East Coast of the U nited States and the G ulf of gives this statement the place of prominence Mexico during the darkest days of the Battle that it deserves.

The "Sea Battle that Won the American of the Atlantic, before the US government was able to produce aircraft, blimps, and Revolurion" was the Battle of the V irginia sub chasers to do the job without them. Capes, fought in September of 178 1, w here M ort examines the submarine situ- the French naval victory sealed the fate of ation in the G ulf of M exico , focusing on th e British army under Lord Cornwallis at the north coas t of C uba-Hemingway's Yorktown . Was hi ngto n's "G reat Gamble" assigned patrol area-and expanding on was his decision to march southwards to Melanie Wiggins' Torpedoes in the Gulf Yorktown with most of his army, augmented (Texas A&M, 1995). M ort also scrutinizes by the French fo rces from Rhode Island, H emingway's audacious (some would say when he received word that the French fleet "harebrained") plan to attack a surfaced was coming north to the Chesapeake. H e U-boat with hand grenades and sm all arms. was relying on that fleet, under Admiral de H e finds it nearly suicidal but perfectly in G rasse, to block the British at the entrance to keeping with H emingway's mind-set and th e C hesapeake Bay. French naval forces had disappointed him before, bur if all went well world view.

Most surprising of all is the sensitive this time, the Royal Navy would be unable and insightful examination of the juncture to come to Cornwallis's aid. In the end, all of H emingway the artist, H emingway the the elements came together fo r the Ame rican sailor and fish erman , and Hemingway the forces, as the naval superiori ty W ashington patriot. After the war Hemingway was so desperately needed ensured victory over awarded the bronze star medal. Many saw C ornwallis.

This is award-winning author N elson 's it as pandering to the fame of the soon-to-be third non-fiction work on the naval aspects of Nobel Prize Winner. Yet after reading lhe Hemingway Patrols, the reader m ay reach the American Revolution , fa llowing Benedict a more nuanced judgment on this part of Arnolds Navy and George Washington s Secret Navy. I highly recommend it.

Ernest H emingway's wartime service.

R ONALD L. OSWALD JosEPH F. M EANY JR., PHD W ayne, New Jersey Albany, New Yo rk SEA H ISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

The Baltic Gambit:AnAlan Lewrie Naval Adventure by Dewey Lambdin (Thomas

scoundrel and womanizer, catch up with him. Not only does he have to deal with old adversaries, but also with fo rmer lovers who also "cross his wife's hawse." Meanwhile, a rendezvous with Napoleon Bonaparte to ret urn captured swords ends badly, causing assassins to set upon him. Lewrie manages to escape to the coast but at great personal cost. Once the peace ends, our captain goes back to sea to seek vengeance agai nst the French. In the frigate Reliant, he uses leadership and strategic mane uvering to defeat his enemy. Since most of King, Ship and Sword takes place with our naval hero ashore and recollects many earlier actio ns and characters, it is primarily recommended fo r longtime fo llowers of the series rather than for newcomers. In fact, both books have less naval action than usual. But for those who are fans of the Alan Lewrie series and relish the characters and their interactio n, yo u will find both books entertaining reading.

ROBERT BROWNING D umfries, V irgin ia

Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press, New York, 2009, 353pp, ISBN 978-0-312-60348-9; $15.99pb) and King, Ship, and Sword:An Alan Lewrie Nava/Adventure by Dewey Lambdin (2010, 358pp, ISBN 978-0-31260348-9; $25.99hc) Dewey Lambdin's Baltic Gambit and King, Ship, and Sword are the author's fifteenth and sixteenth books in the fictional series about the roguish and charismatic Captain Alan Lewrie. In Baltic Gambit, Lewrie initially finds he must deal with the ramifications of an incident that had occurred years before, when he liberated (or stole, depending on one's perspective) a dozen slaves to man his friga te. The subsequent trial draws the interest of the public and gives him unwanted notoriety.

Acquitted, he then is stuck on half pay "on the beach," awaiting another command.

Much of the story takes place in London, while Lewrie awaits orders to go back to sea. Always a philanderer, Lewrie embarks on a quest for affection and becomes involved Commodore Abraham Whipple of the in a disturbance in a brothel. The shadowy Continental Navy: Privateer, Patriot, Foreign Office spy-master Zachariah Twigg Pioneer by Sheldon S. Cohen (University of reappears in this novel and shortly thereaf- Florida Press, Gainesville, FL, 20 10, 232pp, ter Lewrie is summoned to the Admiralty illus, notes, biblio, index, ISBN 978-0-8130and later ordered to command the frigate 3433-1; $69.95hc) Of the twenty-seven men who were Thermopylae. Sent into the Baltic to deliver a peace delegation, he discovers that one of commissioned as captains in the Continenhis charges, an impertinent young Russian tal Navy, only two are remembered today: count, was involved in the earlier incident John Paul Jones and yes, Benedict Arnold at the brothel. After delivering the pair, not of the Bartle of Lake Champlain fame. A without incident, his ship is pressed into few have distinguish ed reputations, like service at the Battle of Copenhagen.

John Barry, Josh ua Barney, and perhaps Lambdin's latest book, King, Ship, Silas Talbot, but others wh o fo ught fo r and Sword, begins with Lewrie on blockade the Revolutionary War's maritime cause duty off the Dutch coast. For those familiar have largely been forgotte n. Sheldon Cowith the naval adventures of "Ram-Car" hen's book focuses on one of the latter in Lewrie, we know that he longs for action a brilliantly penned biography of Captai n rather than the fundamental nature of most Abraham Whipple. This is a scholarly, denaval activiLy-routine duty. Lewrie learns tailed work illuminating the early histo1y of that England and France have negotiated the Rhode Island colony; the Continental a peace at Amiens, and he is ordered to Navy's recruiting and maintenance of crew decommission his ship. Ashore again on challenges; the siege of Charleston, SC; the half-pay, Lewrie returns home to his wife. financial dealings of the nascent US governHere, Lewrie is out of his element: no deck ment; and the settling of eastern O hio. ¡ under his feet, no men to command nor conWhipple entered his maritime career as flicts to resolve. For a change of scenery, he a merchantman to take advantage ofAmeriagrees to travel to Paris to reconcile prob- can colonial needs; he becam e a privateer during the French and Indian War. Later, lems in his relationship with his wife.

In Paris, his days as a naval officer, disenchanted with British imperial politics, enemy to the French, fifth columnist, he played a role in the 1772 burni ng of SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

IN BRISTOL FASHION W1111â&#x20AC;˘\M

f

BtJR,,[\\.

JR

"Th e book's title, In Bristol Fashion , is the sea man' s uni ve rs al expression of the highest mark for a job done in tru e seamanly fashion. (The book) is a well-earned tribute to the peopl e from va ried walks of life who saved an abandoned treasure, to a spirit that shines through this book."

-Peter Stanford , NMHS President Emeritus Hardcover $17.99, Paperback $13.40, + s/h Sales phone : 1-888-280-7715 www.authorhouse.com

At Sea with God Owen Hardage with Jeanette Hardage Retired USN chaplain presents nautica l facts, photos, stories, and quotes fro m literature and the Bible.

A great gift book fo r those fasc inated by the sea.

5" x 8'', 10 1 pages, ISBN 978-1 - 11 03-2

Order from amazon.com and elsewhere or winepressbooks.com (877-421-7323) discount code:

ATS EA

MARITIME

BOOKS 1806 Laurel Crest Madison, Wisconsin 53705- 1065 (608) 238-SAIL FAX (608) 238-7249 Email : tuttlemaritime@charter.net http://tuttl emaritime.com

Books about the Sea, Ship & Sailor Catalogue Upon Request

53

HMS Gaspee in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, the first armed destruction of a king's vessel before the Revolutionary War. Whipple, one of the first captains appointed to the Continental Navy, later advanced to commodore. His greatest maritime success came in 1779 when he captured the largest number of enemy prizes seized in the war during a single evenr. After surrendering when his fleet was bottled up in the ill-fated defense of Charleston, he became a British prisoner for the remainder of the war. Whipple fell into poverty and finally emigrated to Marietta, Ohio, where he built and then commanded the first vessel to sail down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans and the Gulf.

Abraham Whipple is an overlooked and somewhat tragic naval hero, largely lost in the dusty history of the Continental Navy, but Cohen's stunning and seminal biography should go a long way in correcting this oversighr.

depth, with each chapter richly illustrated with photos and diagrams on ship construction, sails and rigging, and ship handling.

Early seventeenth-century ships are represented bya variety of reconstructions including the Mayflower, Henry Hudson's Halve Maen (Half Moon), Kalmar Nyckel, and the Duyjken. The Jamestown replicas, Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery, provide a unique study in that these vessels are the second recreations of these seventeenthcen tury ships of discovery, and the new ships are the products of lessons learned from the building and use of the first set of replicas.

The inclusion ofJapan's coastal trading craft, the Bezaisen, provides an important recognition that places outside the western tradition built very solid ships, and Japanese researchers and shipbuilders are starting to build replicas of their traditional craft.

The schooner Sultana may be, with the Endeavour, the best documented replica Lours ARTHUR NORTON vessel in the texr. As a Royal Navy vessel, West Simsbury, Connecticut Sultana's lines were recorded and archived, plus her original log survives and provides Sailing into the Past-Learning from today's researcher-mariners with critical Replica Ships, edited by Jenny Bennett sailing information.

Building new vessels in the 20'h and (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 2009, 192pp, illus, biblio, index, ISBN 978- 21 " centuries is from the outset, a compro1-59114-811-1; $45.95hc) mise between authenticity and the reality of Sailing into the Past is a wealth of having to choose alternate building materiinformation on modern replica sailing ves- als. The desire to build replicas that will last sels. Individual chapters represent specific decades requires the use of stronger wood vessels, with each having been contributed and better fasteners, canvas, and other maby authors with firsthand experience with terials. In addition, vessels have to comply "their" vessels. with modern safety regulations and many In the introductory chapter on "experi- have installed engines, electrical systems, and mental archaeology," Sean McGrail explains modern navigational equipment.

All in all, this book is an important how once a vessel's physical remains are recovered, the knowledge of how they sailed study, yet still a fun read, for anyone inand how to sail them has to be rediscovered, volved or interested in the growing field of most times by trial and error. He also brings replica vessel construction and operations. up the issue of replicas (copies of spe- Ultimately, replicas make researchers ask cific vessels) versus building a representative the kinds of questions that would never be vessel of a type from a bygone era for which asked by non-sailors. These questions relate no vessel plans, physical remains, or detailed to construction and life aboard, as well as descriptions exisr. In these examples, replica operating the ship under sail and oar. For watercraft are "floating hypotheses," where those interested in traditional sailing vessels, only by using and experimenting with them this is one book they should have, both can we begin to understand how a vessel may because of its broad reach through time and have been rigged, operated, and thus how the variety of different sailing vessels that are presented. life might have been structured on board.

Triremes, Viking ships, the Hanseatic LAWRENCE BABITS, PHD cog, and the caravel are each examined in Greenville, North Carolina 54

SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Columbia Trading Co. Nautical Books & Art ifa cts Free Moil Order Book Catalog • On-line Shopping • Cope Cod Store Open Year 'Round We Buy Maritime and Naval Book Collections

1022 Main St. (Route 6A), West Barnstable, MA 02668 508-362-1500 • Fox: 508-362-1550 • info@columbiotroding.com www . co I um biatra ding. com

iftl1\NIEL H. WU S( ~'\ ~"~~~ _, I~

& BREWER

Sustaining the Fleet, 1793-1815: War, the British Navy and the Contractor State ROGER KNIGHT & MARTIN W ILCOX

$ l 15, Oct 20 ZO, 978 1843835646

ID BOYDELL PR ESS The British Navy's Victualling Board, 1793-1815: Management Competence and Incompetence JANET MACDONALD

$125, Aug 20l0, 978 1843835530

G BOYDELL PRE SS

S1\ll.11' 11\l(J~ll

Trade and Trust in the 18'" Century Atlantic World: Spanish Merchants and their Overseas Networks

- - 0 on·llJ,\)' ~ ' ' 11111 NE

EAS"\ \'I

BOYDELL

®

Yacht Sails Rigging BUILDERS OF HIGH-QUALITY HAND-FINISHED SAILS Full-service sail and rigging loft

XA BIER LAMIKJZ

$95, jul 20l0, 978086 193306 8 R o YAL H 1STORI CA L S ocJET Y

P.O. Box 71 , Lincoln St., East Boothbay, Maine 04544 (207) 63~5071

-Ne"'"

VISIT US ONLINE! WWW.BOYDELLANDBREWER.COM

Ghost Lights of Lake Erie

By Tim Harrison

Over 200 historic photographs of lost & forgotten lighthouses, soft cover 175 p g.

..li.iTllGI~

$15 ·95

Also. Ghost Lights of Michigan: $12 Please add $3 per book ordered f or s&h

ADVENTURE IS IN OUR BONES

95

---~

~

www.Li hthouseDi est.net 207 259-2121

I cuttysark Nautical Antiques One of the most extensive collections offine old marine artifacts, collectables and art.

Visit us in Seattle or at

www.cuttyantigues.com 206.262.1265 SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

55

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY AFTERGUARD

J. ARON CH ARITABL E FOU NDATIO N

HOOPER FOU NDATIO

ROBERT F. KAMM

ESTATE OF WALTER J. PETTIT SR.

BENEFACTORS

HOWARD SLOTNICK

ALICE DADOUR IA

PROGRAM OF TH E J.M. KAPLA

FU 'D

S CA RANO BOAT B UILDI NG, !1 C.

PLANKOWNERS

JAMES A. MACDONA LD FOUN DATION

CAPT. CESARE SOR IO

THOR TO N D. & ELI ZAB ETH S.

DAVID M. MILTON TRUST

IN MEMO RY OF SHA NNON & LUCY WALL

DAV ID S. FOWLER

THOMA S F. DALY

LIB ERTY MARITI ME CORPORATION

RONA LD L. OSWALD

DA NIEL W. WH ALEN

WILLI AM H. WH ITE

IN MEMORY OF RODNEY N. HOUGHTON

GUYE . C. MAI TLAND

JOHN R. MCDONALD JR .

FURTHERMOR E: A

NA VY FEDERAL CRED IT UN ION

MR. & MRS. H. C. BOW EN SMITH

JAM ES CARTER Ill

TRA SPORTATIO , INC.

H ENRY L. & GR ACE DOHERTY CHARITABLE FO UN DAT ION

RICHARDO R. LOPES

RICHARDT. DU MOULI N

RALPH & DOROTHY PACKER

SKULD

LOCK HEED MART IN MS2

D. HARRY W. GARSCHAGEN

ORTH AM ER ICA INC.

MCALLISTER TOW ! G &

US A IRWAYS

STAR CLIPPER CRUISES

PHILIP&. I RMY W EBSTER

W ILLIAM G. WI TERER

SPONSORS

AMERICA N BUREAU OF SH IPPI NG

MR . & MRS. THOMAS B. CLARK. ROBERT

FISHER

PAU L F. BALSER

TARA B. CLIFFORD

PAUL G ARNETT

JAKOB ISBRA DTSE N

EIL E. JONES

DAVID J. & CAROLYN D. MCBRIDE

ALEX AN DER WEINTRAU B

DONORS

CAPT. B. H. WOOD

MRS. D. L. FLEISCHMA NN HERBERT B. HALBERG LOOM IS FOUN DATION DR . JOSEPH F. MEANY, JR.

WALTER C. MEIBAUM Ill

JOH A. AMORY

RI CHARD M. BR ESSLER

RADM DAVID C. BROWN

MORGAN DALY

LARRY GR AHAM

HAR RY W. MARSHALL JERRY SCHWAB

1 (RET.)

JAMES W. C HEEVERS

M ARS HALL P. CLOYD

ROBERT M . J OH STO

W. T. DICKEY

CA PT. R. S. CRENSHAW

IN M EMORY OF PIETER M. FONTE IN JEFF GREGSON ROBERT E. HAV RA N

B RIAN K AVA AGH

H E ' RY K EENE

MARITIME HER ITAGE PRI NTS

COM. CH IP LOOMIS THOMAS A MORAN

HENDR IK RYSDORP

HAROLD 0LS E

CLA IR E A. RI CHARDSON

EDM UND SOMMER

DI X WA YMAN

THE K ELTO

ALI X T. THORNE

HENRY T. CHA NDLE

R USSELL P. C HUBB

LOU IS CLAIRMONT

CHARLES D. CLARK

SEAN H. CUMM INGS

MR. F. CARRINGTON W EEMS

CAPT. JAMES S. CUNN ING HAM, USN ( RET.)

C HARLES H AMRICK

JOYCE NELSON

JAMES G. SARGENT

ALFRED J . W ILLIAMS

US

CHRIS O'BR IEN

H OWARD l'INS KEY R EED ROBERTSON ROBERT W. SCOTT

ELI ZA BETH STEELE

ED O ' CONNOR J . N . PRITZKER

WILLI AM C. RUPERT DANIEL J. SENTILLES

L . M . STRAYER Ill , M.D .

C HARLES TOB IN

W ILLIAM R. TOWER, JR.

AVAL ACADEMY NIM ITZ LIBR ARY

J AMES D . W ATK INS

CARL W. TIMPSON, JR.

A LFRED TYLER II

JAMES M . MCALEER

C DR. JOH N R . MILL ER , USN (RET.)

JAMES S. PERRY

NEIL ISBRA NDTSEN RISING

DAN IEL P. KIRB Y

MR . & MRS. T. E. LEO ARD

DAVID MARTIN

JACQUES M EG RO Z

CA PT. MUSICK Ill USN (RET.)

LARS P. HANSON ELLIOTT G. JARDI N

J AMES L . KERR

HON. JOHN LEHMAN

DAVID EMERY

CAPT. DWIGHT GERTZ

STEVEN A. HYMAN

FOU N DAT ION

VA DM ROB ERT J. PAPP

WILLI AM ELLIOTT

IGNATIUS J. GALGAN

H URST K. GROVES

SPIR IT & SANZONE DI STR IBUTORS, INC.

ROBERT J . T YD

JESSE M. BONTECOU

DAVE CANTERA

IN MEMORY OF WARR E MARR II

RALPH N. THOMPSON

C HARLES R. BEAUDROT, JR.

RADM JOSEPH F. CALLO

CHARLES LARSEN

MR. & MRS. LEE H. SA DIVEN

MR. & MRS. DONN SPEAR

ER NEST T. BARTOL

IN MEMORY OF CAPT. FRED HAWK INS

WILLI AM E. RI CHARDSON

ART SAMUELS

SWIMMER F AM ILY FOUNDATION

MR. & MR S. T ED T UR BLA CE R

56

PAUL JAY LEW IS

CAPT. JAMES MCN AMARA

MR S. EL EA ORF. BOOKWALTER

FREDER ICKS. FORD

TH OMAS MCK ERR

CHARLES T. MORSE, J R.

ERIC A. OESTER LE

MR. & MRS. WILLI AM P. RI CE

MR. & MR S. WILLI AM SIMMONS

DR . & MR S. JOH

ROB ERTS. HAGGE, JR .

PETER D. PRUDDEN

ARTHUR & PATRICIA EDWARDS

MARC GR ISHAM

JOHN L. LA NG ILL

CLEM & B ARBARA M CDO NAL D

O ' CONNOR & H EW ITT FOUN DATIO

PETER BARTOK

REY NO LDS DUPONT, JR.

W. PETER LI ND

M ARTY SUTTER

NATH AN IEL PHI LBR ICK

C HESA PEAKE BAY MARITIME M USEUM

JOHN K UBEL

ROBERTS. REGAN

JOH N C. COUC H

CYRUS C. LAU RI AT

MR. & MRS. AL MASSON I

MR. & MRS. JOHN SHA NA HAN

ROBERT L. CADRA ELL

MR. & MRS. CHESTER W. KITCH! GS, JR .

GEORGE F. RUSSELL, JR .

C LIFTON S. GUSTAFSON

H. K! RKE LATHROP

CAPT. PAUL L. BONGE

ATHENA COLUCCI

GEORGE T. HATHAWAY

JACK & MARCIA MOORE

DONALD W. PETIT

D AVI D & C IN CALLA HAN

TIM COLTON

TH E EDGARD & GERALDINE FEDER FOUNDATION, INC.

D. GUMPERTZ

JAMES P. LATHAM G INGER MARTUS

PAUL E. BAUMER

ROB ERT P. BURK E

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

H AROLD G. MCAVE IA

DA NIEL R. SUK IS

PHILIP E. STOLP

JAMES 0. BURR I

JOHN W. ELDER

HOWARD P. SEARS

ARTHUR A. BIR NE Y

DR. JOHN FI NE RTY

CHARLES R. HARTWIG

PETER H. SHARP

DR. TIMOTHY J. RUNYAN

MR. & MRS. JAMES M . CLARK

BURCHENA L GREEN

RI CHA RD W. KURTZ

PHILIP B. P ERSINGER

DI BNER MAR ITI ME ASSOCIATES LLC

DA !EL FELGER

JAMES H. BR ANDI

RICH ARD H. DUMAS

B ERNA RD BARDEN

SUSA N V. BENF IELD

GEORGE F. CLEME TS, JR.

NEW YORK YACHT CLUB

WILLIA M G. MULLER

MRS. CAROL Vi ALL

A NNE E. BEAUMONT CAPT. GLEN R. CHEEK, US

E SO CIETY OF TH E CITY OF NEW YORK

BRADFORD D. & STEPHAN IE SMITH

HARR IS CLARK

JOHN F. GR ADEL

HOW LA DB. JO ES, JR.

MR. & M RS. PETER ROEHSLER

GILBERT VER NEY FOUNDATION

PATRONS

B ECTEC H

A NDRES DUARTE V

T HE MACPHER ON FUND, INC.

HARRY E. RICHTER

THE INTER LAKE STEAMS HIP COMPANY

M ARI

w. Roos

CAPT. JOH

TODDS. FARRA ND

H OWA RD E. & VIRGI NIA M. H IGHT

JEAN WORT

ROBERT FRA NZ BLAU

GARY JOBSON

J. GREE N

ROBERT E . MORR IS, JR.

H ON . S. JAY PLAGER

JAMES R. BARKER

C UTLER DAWSON

WILL IAM

THOMAS H. CARRUTHERS

DR. WILLI AM S. & DONNA DUD LEY

CAPT. JAMES E. H EG, USN (RET.)

ISAAC A. MORRIS

MR . & MR S. N ICHOLAS CARLOZZI

MR. C. W. CRAYCROFT

EDWARD A. D ELMAN

R ICHARD KRE MEN TZ, J R.

A N C. & C. HAM ILTO SLOA N FOUNDATION

MR. A. A CEB EDO

DOUGLAS CAMPBELL

K ATZENSTE IN

MRS . GODWI N J. PELISSERO

R. SHERWOOD Ill

MR. & MRS . JOH

HAR RI S CORPORATION

B ENJAM I

DAN IEL J. MCCA RTHY

TH E BETTY SUE &ART PEABODY FU D

IAN DAN IC

WILLI AM H . G ARVEY Ill

TH E RUTH R. HOYT/ANN E H. JOLLEY FOUNDATION, INC.

AL & A NN BERNAR D

MS. PATR ICIA A. JEAN BARI LE

FELIPE A. CUSTER

JOHNS. WI NGF IELD

WILLI AM E. WOOD

SE1A HlSTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010

Come with us on a luxurious Caribbean cruise aboard the legendary Queen Mary 2® ...

CARIBBEAN DELIGHTS

CUNARD

Join NMHS trustees, president and fellow members aboard the great ocean liner Queen Mary 2 ® for a great 11-day trip to the Caribbean with 5 days at sea leaving November 27, 2010. Prices start at the very low rate of $1,648. Includes maritime lectures and special receptions for our NMHS group.

Q.\:}EEN MARY 2

ITINERARY DAY

PORT

New York, New York

TIME SPENT IN PORT

Embark PM

2-3

Cruising the Atlantic Ocean

4

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Full Day

5

Castries, St. Lucia

Full Day

6

St. George's, Grenada

Full Day

7

Bridgetown, Barbados

Full Day

B

Cruising the Caribbean Sea

9

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Full Day

10-11 Cruising the Atlantic Ocean 12

.,

New York, New York

Disembark AM

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

New Yor k ·

Panama Canal Treasures 17 nights, Queen Vi ctoria Jan 13 - 30, 2011 Pisa Brothers Exclu sive • ' 150* shipboard credit wit h In side or Oceanview • ' 300* sh ipboard credit wi th Balcony or Suite

07 - Inside

C3 - Outside

Hawaiian Adventure 14 nights, Queen Vi c toria Feb 17 - Mar 3, 2010

• Los A n geles

\~-~.--·o-·-

Ft. Lauderdale •

Pisa Brothers Exclusi ve

~nzanil lo A capulco'

A6- Balcony

• ' 150* shipboard cred it w ith Inside o r Oceanview • Huatulco

P2 - Suites

~,69:___ _ $3,095:_ _ __.:!~~ $6,379*

• ' 300 * shipboa rd cre dit w ith Balcony or Suite

J

..J

I

07 - Inside

C3 - Outside

AG - Balcony

P3 - Suites

$1,995*

$2,395*

$2,595*

$5,395*

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

-

Panama Canal Adventure

Round-trip Panama Canal

15 nights, Queen Vict oria Mar 3 - 18, 2011

11 night s, Queen Vic t oria Mar 18 - 29, 2011

Pisa Brothers Exclus ive

Pisa Brothers Exclu sive

• ' 150* shipboard credi t w ith Inside o r Oceanview

• ' 150* shipboard c red it wi th In side or Oceanview

• ' 300 * shipboard c red it with Balcony o r Suite

• ' 300 * ship board c red it w ith Balcony or Suite

QJEEN VICTORIA CUNARD®

~---

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

Ft. Lauderdale

Contact Society Member

•

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

*Fares are in USO; per person, based on doubleoccupancy, and subject to availability. Government fees &taxes, airfare, air taxes and transfers areadditional and subject to change. Stated shipboard credit is per stateroom based on double occupancy for limited time only and may be withdrawn without notice. Cunard line reserves the right to impose afuel supplement of up to $9 per person per day on all passengers if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel, even if the fare hasalready been paidin full. Other restrictions may apply. Ship'sRegistry: Great Britain. Pisa Brothers strongly recommends the purchase of travel insurance. We reserve the right to correct typographical errors. Offers are capacity controlled and may not be combinable with other offers or discounts. For complete terms and conditions contact Pisa Brothers.