V24 N2/3 Remembering Rosie: Women Shipyard Workers in World War II

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Spring/Summer 1998 Vol. 24, No. 2-3

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A review and newsletter from the Columbia River Maritime Museum at 1792 Marine Drive in Astoria, Oregon

Welders in Portland, Oregon, 1942 - Photo courtesy of Alex Blend!

Remembering Rosie: Women Shipyard Workers in World War II Shannon Lynch, in a cooperative program with the Columbia River Maritime Museum, researched and wrote about Rosie the Riveter for her 1998 senior project at Astoria High School. We are proud to present her work.

The morning of December 7, 1941 dawned like any other day. But by that evening, the life of every American would be changed in some way. On that day, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, giving the

by Shannon Lynch

United States cause to enter World War IL And not just the members of the armed forces, but every citizen of the United States went to war in some way. It was a time of rationing and shortages, of buying war bonds and collecting rubber. Everyone pitched in to help win the war and bring the boys back safely. The increased wartime production effort also made it a time of homefront opportunities for many people, especially women.

Continued page 3

COLUMBIA Afterguard Robley Mangold, President Jim McClaskey, Vice Pres.

W . Louis Larson, Secretary Don Magnusen, Treasurer Ted Natt, Immediate Past Pres.

Jerry L. Ostermiller, Executive Director

Board of Trustees: Graham Barbey Mitch Boyce Peter Brix* Ted Bugas Richard T. Carruthers * Ronald Collman Ward V. Cook Jack R. Dant - in memoriam Jon Englund Cheri Folk J.W. 'Bud' Forrester, Jr.* Walter Gadsby, Jr. Dr. James H. Gilbaugh, Jr. Alan C. Goudy Don M . Haskell Senator Mark Hatfield Captain Rod Leland Eugene Lowe Chet Makinster Chris Maletis John McGowan * Ken M. Novack Scott Palmquist Larry Perkins Charles Shea Sid Snyder June Spence Herbert N . Steinmeyer Joseph Tennant Willis Van Dusen Frank M . Warren Samuel C. Wheeler Harold Wilde Ted Zell * Trustee Emeritus

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From the Wheelhouse ALLHANDS ONDECK! Throughout history the call to rush to the deck and give one's all generates both excitement and anxiety for a ship's crew.

As a general alarm, the message clearly signals that much is at stake. Sailors give this command their immediate attention because they know that it is of great importance.

Recently the Columbia River Maritime Museum made an "all hands" call for volunteers. We had been given the responsibility of assisting as many people as possible to walk the deck of one of the nation's most historically significant Navy vessels, USS Missouri. Organizing quickly, the Museum crew assembled a deck force consisting of 80 people. These dedicated volunteers contributed over 1,100 hours of effort in just five days! Dressed in snappy CRMM uniforms, our outstanding crew worked tirelessly to bring 57,040 visitors across the decks at an average rate of 1,200 people every hour the ship was open for tours.

The Museum also extended its opening hours as part of this historic ship's visit, experiencing a record-breaking 350% increase in visitors who came to see the special exhibits and films our staff created in support of Missouri's visit. Of special interest were the large color photographs of Missouri firing her 16-inch guns, and an actual 2,000-pound projectile now on display in the Naval History gallery.

I was certainly impressed with the enormity of the crowds and the intense interest shown by the visitors. I was also impressed by how polite and appreciative these folks were after spending three or four hours in a car, standing in line for three more hours, and climbing up steep ramp to board the ship and then having to negotiate narrow ladders once on board.

But my greatest impression was that these

CRMM volunteers and staff aboard USS Missouri

people were not visitors in the traditional sense, but pilgrims fulfilling a need to walk hallowed ground. For all of us greeting and visiting with these folks, it was an experience of a lifetime that was richly rewarding.

Following Missouri's visit, the Museum hosted an appreciation party for our crew of volunteers. This gathering was a most enjoyable experience as photographs were shared and war stories exchanged. Yet, as all of us remarked over and over again as the evening unfolded, it was indeed a most wonderful feeling to be called up on deck to perform. Our outstanding crew performed handsomely and with great good will. Our volunteers and staff gave all they had to the challenge, and exceeded anyone's best expectations. I am proud of everyone involved. I am also totally confident that when the call is again made for "all hands on deck," there will be 100% turnout with style, verve and first-class performance.

It is experiences like this visit of USS Missouri that remind me of how tremendous our crew of volunteers and staff really is. It is, after all, what makes a ship or any venture truly awesome - the people we learn to count on. Bravo Zulu!

Jerry Ostermiller Executive Director Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

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Remembering Rosie Continued from front page

As the men joined up, women flocked to take over their jobs in factories and shipyards. Dubbed "Rosie the Riveters," these women produced an amazing number of ships, planes, and other important war materials. They came from all walks of life - they were wives, mothers, and girls just out of college - but all pulled together to help the United States increase the enormous industrial production that would enable military victory.

In 1941, America was still recuperating from the effects of the Great Depression. In the 1930s unemployment had been extremely high, and working women were most often in the labor force by necessity: to support their families. Still, there was much prejudice against women workers, especially if they were married. A 1936 survey (cited by Sherna Gluck in her book Rosie the Riveter Revisited) showed that 82 percent of Americans believed that if a woman's husband had a job, she should not work.

Restrictions were even enacted to see that married women would have a hard time getting jobs. Despite these restrictions, one in every nine married women was working in 1940, and between 11.5 and 12 million women held jobs.

But World War II would change all that.

In May 1940, more than a year before the United States entered the war, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched a program to make the United States "the greatest arsenal for democracy," creating new jobs and helping end the Depression.

As production increased, so did the demand for workers. Although men were hired first a few companies began to hire women. ' When the United States entered the war, the campaign to bring women into the work force really took off. More defense jobs meant more opportunities for minorities -not only women, but also African-Americans, Hispanics, and other groups that had Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

"See you at lunch," says shipyard worker Lois Nelson as she climbs the 30-foot steel ladder to her overhead crane.

The Bo's 'n's Whistle, Kaiser Co. August 19, 1943

previously encountered job discrimination.

President Roosevelt issued an executive order to prevent discrimination in hiring.

With vast numbers of men joining up to fight, women were mobilized so that defense production would not decrease.

According to Penny Colman, in her book Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II, women began to look for war jobs because the money was so much better than the typical pay for more traditional women's jobs, such as teaching. But in order to find the numbers of workers needed, the government had to advertise. The War Manpower Commission (WMC) and the Office of War Information (OWi) took on the job of persuading women to take defense jobs.

In advertising, states Sherna Gluck "themes of patriotism and glamour we;e used to appeal" to younger women. A popular song, Rosie the Riveter, told about a young woman who worked in a war plant

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American women were bombarded with propaganda urging them to do their part to win the war

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while her boyfriend was off at war.

Norman Rockwell's image of Rosie the Riveter, published on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, immortalized a young woman riveter, clad in overalls, stepping on a copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and eating a sandwich. An American flag billows in the background. Rosie the Riveter became a catch phrase to describe all women in defense industries.

American women were bombarded with propaganda urging them to do their part to win the war.

Women did respond, entering the labor force in large numbers. People flocked to urban areas where there were factories and shipyards building war equipment.

Since no one really had much experience with building airplanes or ships, companies advertised "No Experience Necessary," and paid wages during training.

Women performed hundreds of different jobs, ranging from bench work to the better known jobs such as riveting and welding.

Women became crane operators, lathe operators, riveters, scalers, welders, and welder's helpers, or took on other work from a seemingly endless list of jobs. "We have women helping design our planes in the Engineering Department, building them on the production line, operating almost every conceivable type of machinery, from rivet guns to giant stamp presses," declared a 1944 article by L. Bradley entitled "Women at Work," published in National Geographic. Other women worked elsewhere in the war plants. Susan Hartmann, in her book The Home Front and Beyond: American Women in the 1940s, described the placement of women counselors to help women adjust to problems, both on-the-job and personal. These counselors were not always professionally trained, but they did their best to make sure the women kept coming to work.

The jobs women performed were sometimes dangerous, forcing them to

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wear protective gear. It was counterproductive to wear a skirt while riveting or welding; many women donned slacks or overalls for the first time in their lives. Any woman working with machinery had to keep her hair out of the way, using a hair net or the bandanna in which Rosies were so often portrayed. Welders wore goggles, and sturdy shoes and heavy gloves were often a necessity. However, articles and advertisements urged women not to lose their femininity by printing stories and pictures of women who THE RIGHT WAY

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worked in war jobs, yet were able to look "glamorous."

Despite safety precautions, there were definite dangers for women workers. Thirtyseven thousand people (both women and men) were killed in industrial accidents between 1942 and the beginning of 1944. Amelia Bristow, a local "Rosie" who worked in a shipyard during the war, spoke of a girl who got her hair caught in a drill. Other risks included chemical exposure, breathing rustfilled air, climbing scaffolding, or explosion.

To persuade employers to integrate the workplace, the War Department issued a Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

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The Bo's'n's Whistle, Kaiser Co., Nov. 11, 1943

booklet entitled You 're Going To Employ Women: "In some respects women workers are superior to men. Properly hired, properly trained, properly handled, new women employees are splendidly efficient workers.

The desire of a new woman worker to help win the war- to shorten it even by a minute - gives her an enthusiasm that more than offsets industrial inexperience" (quoted in Penny Colman's Rosie the Riveter). While not every employer followed suit, many were persuaded to hire women.

Another dilemma for the woman worker was child care. In order to get large numbers of mothers to work, all employers would have to expand day-care programs. In Oregon, the Kaiser Corporation established child care centers right in its shipyards. Most women workers, however, had to leave their children with family.

Despite the difficulties, an amazing number of women entered the work force during World War II, swelling the ranks of employed women from 12 million to 18.2 million between 1940 and 1944. Not all of these workers were in defense industries; women worked in civilian jobs as well as for the government. Altogether, about 3.5 million Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

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women worked in war production jobs.

Surveys showed that a majority of women enjoyed and hoped to stay in their jobs after the war. But as the soldiers returned, they wanted their jobs back. Even before the fighting ended, the propaganda recruiting new women workers stopped; instead, advertising began to convince women that it was their "patriotic duty" to give up their jobs and go back to their domestic duties.

When peace arrived, that is exactly what most Rosies did. Massive numbers of women in both war industries and other jobs were laid off, receiving notices that they were no longer needed. Although some women were glad to go home to their families, many were not, and wanted to continue to work. But the discrimination had returned: although qualified, they weren't hired because they were women. Former Rosies who still wanted to work ended up in more traditional women's jobs.

More than fifty years later, we can see that World War II provided great opportunities for women. War jobs helped women prove their capabilities at doing mechanical, hands-on work. Learning new skills gave women pride in themselves. War work also broadened horizons, by providing an opportunity to meet and interact with people of different races and ethnic groups. And the era was the beginning of an important struggle by women for equal job opportunities. As Susan Hartmann wrote, "Although World War Two did little to ameliorate permanently the secondary position of women in the economy, it did contribute to changes in economic behavior... the war expanded job opportunities for women and added a greater element of choice to their lives." The emergence of "Rosie the Riveter" showed women that they were truly capable of any kind of work, if given the chance. World War II changed America, and it changed the way American women saw themselves.

-Shannon Lynch

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"The desire of a new woman worker to help win the war-to shorten it even by a minute - gives her an enthusiasm that more than offsets industrial inexperience."

- War Dept., 1942

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Shipyard Women I interviewed three Northwest Oregon women who worked in shipyards during the war. Talking to these women personalized the subject of working women in World War II; I would like to share their fascinating stories.

- Shannon Lynch

Amelia Bristow:

TheBo's'n's Whistle, Kaiser Co.

Sept. 27, 1942

Those shipyard days were really something Amelia Bristow is a sprightly 91-yearold woman who lives in Svensen. "I wasn't Rosie the Riveter, but I was Millie the Scaler," were almost the first words out of her mouth.

Amelia worked at two shipyards-Oregon Ship and Swan Island.

Her first job was on a scaling crew on Liberty ships, washing and scrubbing the rust and dirt off tanks under sometimes uncomfortable conditions.

After a year, Amelia became a welder's helper and moved to the upper decks, where she worked for almost three years. The job "paid well at the time," she recalled - nearly $100 per week. Amelia enjoyed her job, and took it very seriously, never missing a day. cf;

Margery Wolford:

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So many things were happening!

Margery Wolford grew up on a farm in Estacada, where her family got through the Depression by growing everything on their farm. A few years later, Margery's family moved to Portland, where she graduated from the High School of Commerce (now Cleveland High School) in 1942.

Margery, like Amelia Bristow, was quick to point out that she wasn't "Rosie the Riveter." Her first job was for Hirschweis, a company that made Army

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tents. Margery then went to work in the office at the Swan Island Shipyard.

At Swan Island, Margery recalled, every worker had to show their badge to get into the shipyard. It was approximately the size and shape of a silver dollar, with her picture on one side and her identification number on the other. One day, she forgot her badge, but a friend slipped her a silver dollar and she managed to get in the gates.

The shipyard put out a ship every four days.

These quickly assembled merchant vessels were known as Liberty Ships.

At the shipyard, Margery found her first introduction to African-Americans and other minorities. Margery's next job was at Willamette Iron and Steel, a shipyard that built landing ships, Navy vessels, and some Liberty ships. Margery summarized her wartime work as "really an experience," not only because of the work she did, but also because of the people that she met. Margery held several jobs after the war, as well. ~

Georgia Maki: What did I learn? I learned to weld Georgia Maki lives in Astoria and was no stranger to the working world when the war came along. Georgia and her husband ran a mom 'n'pop store and gas station, but they couldn't get supplies because of wartime shortages. They closed up and headed to Portland to work in the shipyards.

Georgia's first shipyard job was at Oregon Ship, where she worked on a "cleanup gang" armed with brooms and buckets. She wanted to be a welder, but there were no positions open at the time.

Later Georgia went to work at the Navy shipyard, where she became a "welderette."

She worked on aircraft carriers called baby flattops - "just beautiful ships."

After the Japanese surrender, Georgia and her husband returned to the store in Clatskanie. They bought the business with her income from the shipyards. cf; Quarterdeck, Vo l. 24, No. 2

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Q&A: Charitable Trusts at Your Museum

A recent advertisement in local papers has raised a number of questions about charitable trusts. This Q&A section will address many of the questions our members have posed in recent weeks.

Q: I recently saw an advertisement in our paper about a big fundraising group that was offering a 7% to 8% return on a "charitable trust" that also would give me a charitable gift tax deduction. Does our Museum do anything like this?

A: Yes. The ad you saw referred to a charitable remainder trust. This kind of gift pays the donor, or donors, lifetime income.

As an example, a $100,000 gift at 7% would provide an annual income of $7,000.

The Maritime Museum has had a charitable trust program in place for three years.

Q: What about the tax deduction for making a gift?

A: As a donor, you will receive an immediate tax deduction based on the amount of your trust and your age. For example, a gift of $10,000 at age 70 would provide a charitable gift deduction of $4,224.80. At age 60, the deduction would be $2,837.90.

In addition, this deduction may be spread out over as many as five years.

Q: Do I need cash to fund the trust?

A: Any asset of value can be used to fund a trust. This can include stock, bonds,

real estate, collectibles, and life insurance policies: in all, any asset that has value and can be sold.

Q: What about the appreciation on the asset?

A: This is one of the most positive benefits of establishing a charitable trust.

No capital gains taxes are applied against assets placed in a charitable trust. This provides you with income based on the full value of an asset, stock or property, free and clear of all capital gains taxes.

Q: I've heard that it takes a lot of money to create a charitable trust. Is this true?

A: No. The Museum offers a "pooled income fund" which allows a donor to make a gift of as little as $10,000, and provides all of the benefits of a charitable trust. In addition, most charitable trusts can be added to over time, and can benefit more than one charity.

Q: What about other ways of supporting theMuseum?

A: There are a lot of ways to make gifts to the Museum. A gift can be made in your will, or you can donate your house to the museum and live in it for the rest of your life. Another way to support the Museum is to donate an asset such as stock, real estate, or any other appreciated asset. All of these kinds of gifts are beneficial to both you, the donor, and the Museum.

Q: This sounds great. How can I learn more?

A: You can call the Museum for a brochure about this program, or talk with any local bank. It is very helpful to talk to your accountant or attorney about charitable trusts. If you'd like more information, please call Rob Rudd at the Museum at (503) 325-2323 . C:";

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Crowds patiently wait in line to go aboard the world's last battleship at the Port of Astoria

An estimated 125,000 people came to say goodbye to the old warship before her last voyage.

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Mighty Mo's Last Voyage

by Michael Paul Mccusker The famous battleship USS Missouri spent a few days in Astoria this spring.

Certainly, reflecting upon the polyglot mass of humanity that came to see the old warship before she left the continental U.S. forever, everybody in this part of western America is aware that a vital relic of the nation's history has gone to her Pacific gateway in Hawaii. There she will take up station as a museum, near the sunken ruin of another battleship just as famous: USS Arizana, enshrined in the mud of Pearl Harbor with most of her crew entombed with her. Quite fittingly they will be positioned as the "first" and "last" battleships, memorials to the Pacific War. The "Mighty Mo" was not the most veteran American warship when President Harry Truman designated her as the site upon which defeated Japan would surrender and end World War II. It might have been more fitting to designate one of the resurrected battleships sunk at Pearl Harbor to accept the surrender. But Truman was from Missouri, and so, on September 2, 1945, USS Missouri became

the country's most famous battleship.

Missouri stayed in service through the Korean War, leapfrogged over the Vietnam conflict (although her sister New Jersey was recommissioned for that war), and served with another Iowa class battleship, Wisconsin, in the Persian Gulf War. Missouri, like her sisters, was put in mothballs more than once, until only recently the U.S. Navy was put upon to make a decision whether to preserve her or scrap her. The pressure of preservationists prevailed, which is why the old battleship came to Astoria, under tow from Bremerton, Washington (by an appropriately named towboat, Sea Victory). Missouri became a part of Astoria's history as a result of the need to kill saltwater organisms clogging her bottom in the Columbia River's fresh water. An estimated 125,000 people came to say goodbye to the old warship before her last voyage. Such crowds may never be in Astoria again (unless, as one man suggested to the mayor, the city hosts the Olympics).

Although hundreds of Astorians pitched in to handle the huge crowds, Columbia Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

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River Maritime Museum volunteers got the special "plum" of manning Missouri's decks, welcoming the more than 57,000 people who came aboard. This amounts to approximately 1,200 visitors an hour for the five days the ship was open to the public.

The average wait in line to board Missouri was three to four hours, and once aboard people had more waiting: to view the plaque placed on the deck where the Allies and Japanese signed-off World War II, and again to leave the ship. Almost everyone was patient; most felt "honored" and "awed" that they stood on the exact spot where ended the worst war in history.

Among the visitors, of course, were thousands of veterans of virtually every war the U.S. has fought in this century, and of the years between wars when Americans were stationed all over the world.

Thousands more came down to the docks just to take a final (and, for many, also a first) look at Missouri. They came to see, as Herman Wouk described in his famous novel Caine Mutiny, "the vast flat steel wall of the battleship's side [that]

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Bow view of USS Missouri

towered like a skyscraper and stretched away on either side, seemingly for blocks ... the great citadel of bridge and stacks [that] jutted out of the deck skyward, a pyramid of metal..."

Americans are notorious for being largely indifferent to their history, yet sometimes a collective chord of memory revives and they respond as they did to Missouri's short visit to Astoria. A full century after the first battleships made the United States a world power, Missouri, almost the world's last battleship, represents our nation's military high-water mark half a century later.

USS Missouri left Astoria in the same manner she arrived, under tow, disappearing to a watchful crowd into late-afternoon fog that rolled up from the river's mouth on June 3rd. The old battleship towered over more recent Navy vessels visiting the city before sailing upriver to the Rose Festival in Portland. As "Mighty Mo" moved toward the ocean under tow, another famous vessel, Astoria's own Salvage Chief, blasted her horn in tribute. e,f;

Michael McCusker was born the same year USS Missouri's keel was laid (1941).

He was a CRMM deck volunteer during the battleship's stay in Astoria.

The museum crew poses before a busy day of tours Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

"The vast flat steel wall of the battleship's side towered like a skyscraper and stretched away on either side, seemingly for blocks ... " -Herman Wouk

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News and Notes • Check it out! Our new web site can be found at www.crmm.org. Many thanks to Astoria High School students Ryan Holrnstedt and Sasha Rappaport, who did a fine job putting it together.

Museum Staff: Russ Bean Celerino Bebeloni Chris Bennett Nikki Bryan Trish Custard John Davis Charlotte Jackson Stephanie Kiander Bonnie Kozowski Lynne Leland Jennifer Miller Jim Nyberg Jerry Ostermiller David Pearson Sheila Radich Rob Rudd Elaine Rusinovich Arline Schmidt W Hampton Scudder Anne Witty Rachel Wynne

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• On the waterfront, the Museum's troller Darle recently cruised upriver to Cathlamet, Washington to join other vintage workboats in a recreated harbor scene for the filming of Snow Falling on Cedars. The film, based on David Guterson's best-selling novel, is due out in December.

• In crew news, several staff members attended the annual meeting of the Council of American Maritime Museums, held in May at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, B.C. Discussions centered on the theme of partnership and collaboration.

• Director Jerry Ostermiller has worked on several professional collaborations this spring. At the San Francisco Maritime Museum, he advised on an exhibition of marine communications technology. He also assisted the National Endowment for the Humanities in an on-site evaluation of the Idaho Humanities Council.

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• We bid farewell to Quarterdeck editor and museum communications coordinator Karen Carpenter, who has returned to her home state of Maine. In four years with the Museum, Karen's cheerful and creative approach to projects touched everyone on the staff as well as museum members, friends, neighbors and the media. We wish Karen, Dave and Megan best of luck Down East.

• BZ, Volunteers! At our annual volunteer recognition evening, held in April, we had the pleasure of applauding our volunteers' considerable contributions in all areas of museum operations. But the story doesn't end there. A superlative effort brought our volunteer and paid crew out in force to handle the deck tours, special events, and thousands of extra visitors during the port call of USS Missouri (see related stories, p. 2 and 8). A Hearty ''Well-Done" to All! • A special thank-you to volunteer Richard Fenscak, formerly education coordinator for the Museum, who returned to teach his popular Columbia River maritime history course to a large and enthusiastic

class of volunteers and would-be docents. If you'd like to be notified of upcoming training and learning opportunities, please call volunteer coordinator Chris Bennett at 325-2323.

• Larry Thompson wrote and authoritatively identified last issue's cover photo of the 44-foot motor lifeboat: "I was the coxswain on that boat at the time the picture was taken, on the Washington coast off La Push ... In fact, the boat in the picture (#44363) is the same Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

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News & Notes, continued ...

In Memoriam

one that carried three of the crew that lost their lives off La Push last winter. The picture was taken during 1972 while I was stationed at La Push. Many stormy nights my wife listened to the 44s leave La Push harbor and said her prayers for the boats and their crews."

• Withdeep sorrow, we note the passing of Museum trustee Jack R. Dant, in April 1998.

Invited to the board in the Museum's first years by founding director Rolf Klep, Mr. Dant served as a trustee for 35 years. He continually brought his love of history and his broad maritime and business experience to the benefit of the Museum.

Born in Portland and educated at the University of Oregon, Mr. Dant worked for his family's lumber company, Dant and Russell. After serving in World War II as a naval lieutenant, he entered the steamship side of the family business. In 1956 he became president and owner of States Steamship Lines, presiding over the company until it ceased operations in 1980. During his career, Mr. Dant developed roll-on, roll-off (RO-RO) vessels, considered an important technological innovation.

Jack Dant made another lasting contribution to maritime history when he wrote and published a fine history of States Steamship Company, The Way of the Seahorse. He was honored by the Columbia River Maritime Museum as one of a select few Maritime Fellows. Director Jerry Ostermiller recalls Mr. Dant as a consummate gentleman who always had time for the Museum. We will fondly remember his thoughtfulness: a winter box of grapefruit, lemons, or oranges always arrived from California just in time to save the crew from scurvy.

On the Horizon "Oregon Rivers: Photographs by Larry Olson, Words by John Daniel" Exhibition opens in the Kern Room on July 17 th - through mid-October The Lower Columbia Row-In July 18-19th -All human-powered watercraft welcome! Contact the Museum at 325-2323 for registration information.

Passages • We join our colleagues at the Oregon Maritime Center and Museum in mourning the recent loss of Dr. Everett Jones, a cofounder and tireless advocate for the maritime museum in Portland.

One of the five founders of the Center, he served two long terms as chairman and president. Under Dr. Jones' leadership, the Oregon Maritime Center was incorporated in 1980 and moved to the Portland waterfront in 1986.

The restoration of the sternwheel steamboat Portland, typical of the steamers that worked the Columbia and Willamette Rivers over the past century, was another of Dr. Jones' projects. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues.

The Quarterdeck Volume 24, No. 2-3 The Quarterdeck is published four times a year by the Columbia River Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, Oregon 97103.

Telephone : (503)325 -2323 Fax: (503)325-2331 E-mail us at: columbia@seasurf.com www.crmm.org Editor: David Pearson Editorial Staff: Jerry Ostermiller, Anne Witty, Rob Rudd, Jennifer Miller, Patricia Turner Custard, Rachel Wynne.

Printed at: Printing Arts Center, Longview, Washington

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Books from The Museum Store A Seaworthy Culinary Companion

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Perhaps best of all for armchair cooks, selections from the novels appear with the recipes. For those who haven't

By Richard and Helen Witty yet had the pleasure of an introduction, the Lobscouse & Spotted Dog is a Aubrey/Maturin novels have given rise to fetchingly titled new cookbook by the a literary cult on both sides of the Atlanmother-daughter team of Anne Chotzinoff tic. After sampling this delightful cookGrossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas. book and meeting amiable Jack Aubrey The subtitle - Which It's a Gastronomic and quirky Stephen Maturin, even a Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin confirmed landlubber will want to read of Novels - fairly detheir exploits in war (mostly) scribes the scope of this and peace, on every sea dandy book. Lobscouse and most of the land masses is a hash of salt meat of the world. plus whatever else, Dear reader, do pick especially hardtack, is at up O'Brian's Master and hand. Spotted Dog is one Commander, the first of the of the steamed or boiled Aubrey/Maturin series, and suet puddings so dear to make a delightful literary the hearts of seamen. The acquaintance. Lobscouse puddings, including and Spotted Dog joins Spotted Dick, Drowned distinguished company by Baby, Dog's Body, and adding itself to the O'Brian Roly-Poly, are actually fleet. There are sufficient quite toothsome desserts; good things in the cookthe cookbook tells how book, with background Anne Chotzinoff Grossman • Lisa Grossman Thomas to recreate them - and notes (and an excellent foreword by Pl\TRICK O'BRIAN many more alluring dishes bibliography), to content - without undo fuss. the hungriest historian, plus The merry and ingenious authors enough amusing reading to entertain the cannot be praised too highly for the way hardest working cook. We're going to they went about their research. First they make Rout Cakes, Kedgeree and Goosecombed Patrick O'Brian's distinguished berry Fool, and Christmas Mince Pies as Aubrey /Maturin novels for references to we further explore the recipes. meals consumed on sea and land, in good Helen Witty has most recently times and bad, by Jack Aubrey, a fighting written The Good Stuff Cookbook (Workcaptain of the Royal Navy, and his man, 1997). Richard Witty is a retired unlikely sidekick Dr. Stephen Maturin, publisher and co-author, with his wife, of who is also ship's surgeon, naturalist, Feed the Birds, a book, with recipes, for patriot, and intelligence agent struggling backyard naturalists. against Napoleon. They then researched the food and drink of the late 18 th and Lobscouse & Spotted Dog, by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman & Lisa Grossman Thomas, W.W. th early 19 centuries before writing recipes Norton Publishers, pb $29.95/$28.95 usable in our modern American kitchens.

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MUSEUM

Memories of the Homefront

By Rachel Wynne My mother stopped at the Museum the other day for a visit. I remembered that she had worked as a "Rosie" building P-38 aircraft for Lockheed during World War II, and showed her a new book, Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II, by Penny Colman.

As she looked through it, she recalled many stories from her time working for the war effort. The book illustrates riveting, and she told me about her partner on the other end of the rivetgun - the "bucker." "You

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had to be pretty strong to be a bucker," she said. "She had to hold the other end of the rivet in place while I hammered away, so that the rivet would mushroom and pull tight."

We talked about the high wages paid to women in the shipyards and aircraft industry.

Not many wanted to give up their new-found independence and financial security at the end of the war, including my mother.

This little book brought me closer to my mother's history, and that of thousands of American women who answered the call of liberty. Highly recommended!

Rosie the Riveter, by Penny Colman, Crown Publishers, pb $10.99/$9.90 Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

USS Missouri Memorabilia Videos "Mighty Mo" This 3-video set covers Missouri's role in three wars, for a comprehensive history of one of the world's most famous battleships.

(2-1/2 hours total) $40.00 Photographs Five different color images of USS Missouri (8 X 10) $5.50 each Commemorative T-Shirts "USS Missouri in Astoria, Oregon 1998" (sizes L & XL only) $20.00 The Book Battleship Missouri: An Illustrated History, by Paul Stillwell.

An excellent and complete history including interviews with dozens of men who served on Missouri's crew. Read all about her, from keel-laying to the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945 and through the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

(450 pp, 380 photos & drawings). $56.95

Visit the Museum Store 9:30-5:00 daily, or call and order your purchases today at (503) 325-2323 All members get a 10% discount!

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COLUMBIA

RIVER

New Members January 1, 1998 - May31 , 1998

Ensign/Individual Mr. Charles Blight Mr. John Craddock Mr. Del Heiner Mr. James Maltby Ms. Joan Masat Mr. Clayton Naset Mr. Joshua Smith Ms. Patricia Smith Mr. Tom Sutherland Crew/Family Charles & Diane Awalt Mr. Ray Bagley Mr. Richard Carlson Bill Coons & Lynne Hacklin-Coons Mr. and Mrs. Randy Cox Arthur and Laurie Dolan Gary & Violet Ewing Mr. and Mrs. Hal E. Gardner Mr. Steven Glusman & Family Mr. and Mrs. Don Hillgaertner Robert Jarrard & Merianne Myers Mr. and Mrs. Ben L. Jennings Mr. Neil Johannsen Mr. and Mrs. James Maggert Robert & Kathy Mansfield Kevin & Nancy Miller Mr. Gary Nothstein Mr. Edward Perkins Mr. John Plenty Mr. and Mrs. Jack G. Robinson Dr. and Mrs. Mark G. Schwei Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Stahley Mr. and Mrs. Robert Steiner Lucien Swerdloff Les & Heather Turner Mr. and Mrs. Andrew C. Vanderplaat Mr. and Mrs. James West Mary Helen & Steve Windell Gordon & Eileen Wolcott Boatswain VADM James C. Card

Increased Memberships January 1, 1998 - May31 , 1998

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Crew/Family Mrs. Gettrude Marvin Mrs. Ernestine Bennett Capt. & Mrs. John Marcus Baldry Mr. Glen Bay Dr. Bernard Berenson Mr. and Mrs . Charles F. Cardinell Dr. George Cottrell Mr. and Mrs. Jack Foster Mr. and Mrs. Rand E. Hartill

MARITIME Troy & Lori Johnson Ms. Lisbeth A. Miller Ms. Cheryl Pesch!

Mr. Rodney Welshans Helmsman Mr. and Mrs. Robert Adams Dr. and Mrs. Daryl Birney Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bish Mr. and Mrs. John C. Bleakmore Mr. Charles Canfield Mr. and Mrs. John Ducich Leonard Ellis & Charlene Hadfield Mr. Kenneth Ginn Mrs. Leonora Dart Graham Mr. & Mrs. Joseph L. Heinz Mr. Roy C. Hopgood Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Johnson Mrs. Henry E. Nilsen Mr. and Mrs. Jim Strickland Mr. OmarM. Susewind Mrs. Marie J. Vandewater Boatswain Mr. Edwin K. Parker Governor & Mrs. Victor Atiyeh Rev. Edgar G. Bletcher Mr. and Mrs. Brian Borton Mr. Jim Casterline Mr. and Mrs. Stephen B. Dudley Mr. George Hammond Mr. and Mrs. Michael Jacobi Mr. Jon Kearney Mr. and Mrs. Fred W. Korhonen Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lee Mrs. Dorothy R. Mickelson Mr. and Mrs. Ed O'Brian Mr. and Mrs. Bob Perry Mr. & Mrs. Robert H. Richardson Pilot Mr. Tim Abshire Mr. Robert Emrick Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Comstock Navigator Mr. & Mrs. Paul McCracken

Welcome Back Memberships January 1, 1998 - May 31 , 1998

Ensign/Individual Ms. Susan C. Lewis Mr. John E. Nelson Mr. Michael Parker Mr. David Riswick Crew/Family Robert & Marilyn Bourn Lee Caldwell & Family Mr. Toby Dyal Mr. Mike John stun Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Lampa Nicholas Marshall & Family Kelly McDermitt Mr. Daniel Van Dusen

MUSEUM Helmsman Mr. and Mrs. William F. Hidden Mr. Arne Jylha Boatswain Mr. and Mrs. Samuel E. Johnson

Library Cataloging January 1, 1998 - May 31, 1998

Gifts James F. and Marion L. Miller Fund John and Jane Youell Fund Oregon Community Foundation

Memorial Donations January 1, 1998 - May31 , 1998

De Vere 'Mick' Allen Mr. and Mrs. George Abrahamsen Capt. & Mrs. Joseph Bruneau Mabel Anderson Mrs. Carol Nygaard Pete Antoniou Mr. Melvin H. Iverson Steve Antoniou Mr. and Mrs. Trygve Duoos Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Knutsen Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Larson Mr. Michael E. Lynch Dr. and Mrs. David I. Williams Thomas Autzen Mr. and Mrs. Robley L. Mangold Raymond Brandon Mrs. Ruby Smith Allan Bue Mr. Melvin H. Iverson Florence Bull Mr. George H . Shaver Mary Dahl Mrs. Freda Englund Mrs. Nora Johnson .lack Dant Mr. and Mrs. Byron Broms Ms. Alyce Cheatham Mr. Maurie D. Clark Mr. and Mrs. Richard Cole Mr. and Mrs. Ward V. Cook Mrs. Margueritte H. Drake Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. Fred W. Fields Mr. & Mrs. C. Edwin Francis Mr. and Mrs. Walter Gadsby, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Ripley W. Gage Ms. Mary Goodell Jane & Larry Harris Mr. and Mrs. John C. Hart Mr. & Mrs. Joseph L. Heinz Mrs. Mary B. Hoffman Mr. & Mrs. Eliot H. Jenkins Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

COLUMBIA .lack Dant (cont) Mrs. Frances M. Johnsrud Mr. James MacGregor Mr. and Mrs. Robley L. Mangold Mr. and Mrs. David C. Meyer Mr. James F. Miller Ms . Susan Monti Mr. Jerry Ostermiller Ms. Vivienne Snow Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Tevis Mrs. Sarah L. Trullinger Mr. Frank Warren Mr. and Mrs. Donald G. Ziessler Lois Nicolai Ducich Mr. and Mrs. Ken Thompson Gladys Haglund Duncan Mrs. Dorothy Labiske Millie Edison Mr. and Mrs. Ernest J. Barrows Capt. & Mrs. Joseph Bruneau Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Larson Dr. and Mrs. David I. Williams Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas D. Zafiratos Anita Everson Dr. and Mrs. David I. Williams William Fornas Mr. Melvin H. lverson F.J. Friedrich & Family Dr. R.V. Friedrich Mrs. Pauline Friedrich Mestrich Chet Gilroy Mr. and Mrs. Donald Magnusen Kermit Gimre Capt. & Mrs. Joseph Bruneau Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Larson Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mestrich Mr. Donald V. Riswick Dr. and Mrs. David I. Williams Paul Hakanson Mr. and Mrs. Merrill Ginn Helen Heisler Mrs. Marcella L. Hatch Carl Hertig Mrs. June Spence Ruth Hill Mr. and Mrs. Ernest J. Barrows Harold 'Take' Tacob Mr. and Mrs. Graham J. Barbey Mr. and Mrs. Robert Erickson Mrs. Lucille Perkins Mr. and Mrs. William Perkins, Jr. Henry 'Hank' Kaufman Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Knutsen Dorothy Kuratli Joe Bilanko & Family Mr. Gordon Childs Columbia House Homeowners Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Forrester Jr. Mrs. Donna M. Gustafson Dr. and Mrs. Richard Kettelkamp Mr. and Mrs. Roy D. Moultrie Mr. and Mrs. Ken Nordling Mr. and Mrs. Elroy G. Schindler Quarterdeck, Vol. 24, No. 2

RIVER

Mr. and Mrs. Hugh A. Seppa Mr. and Mrs. Michael Soderberg M r. and Mrs. Donald G. Ziessler Agnes La,ndwehr Mr. and Mrs. Robert Erickson Donald Landwehr, Sr. Mr. Ed Lundholm Mr. and Mrs. Alan J. Skille Dr. and Mrs. David I. Williams Donald Leslie Mr. Melvin H. Iverson T. W. Lipscomb Mr. and Mrs. John B . Souther Tames Lipscomb Mr. George Blinco Capt. Ken McAlpin Capt. & Mrs. Joseph Bruneau Tune Palo McLennan Mr. Donald V. Riswick Dr. Tohn McLoughlin Mr. and Mrs. Ernest J. Barrows Thelma Niskanen Mr. Ed Lundholm May Nock Mr. Phil Nock Conrad Petersen Mrs . Vernon 'Curley' A. Larson Mrs. Lucille Perkins Phillip Pinkstaff Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Bakkensen Mr. and Mrs. Jack Brown Mr. and Mrs. Jon Chambreau Mr. and Mrs. Erland Fahlstrom Mrs. Nancy L. Grimberg Mrs. Donna M . Gustafson Mr. and Mrs. Donald Helligso Mr. and Mrs. Eldon E. Korpela Mr. Walter Larson Mr. Allan Maki Mr. and Mrs. George Moskovita Mr. and Mrs. Grant Orr Mr. Elmer Raitanen Mrs. June Spence Mr. Gordon Wolfgram Capt. Ed Quinn Capt. & Mrs. Joseph Bruneau Edythe Rogers Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Knutsen Mr. and Mrs. George Moskovita Roy H. Salmi Mr. Ed Lundholm Irene Salsberry Ms. Dorothy Gabol Daphne Scott Mrs . Lucille Perkins

Onnie Silver Mr. and Mrs. Tom Boardman Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Kairala Ms. Sylvia Mowrey Roberta & Julia Riutta Ms. Patricia Struloeff Mr. Leland Westley Mr. Gordon Wolfgram

MARITIME

MUSEUM

George Siolund Mr. and Mrs. Mervin Andersen Mr. and Mrs. James Hope Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Knutsen Mr. and Mrs. Don E. Link Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Thompson Robert H. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mestrich Edward F. Swanson Mr. and Mrs . John Bergquist Mr. Larry Clark Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Coffin Hillsboro Public Library Friends Mr. and Mrs. John S. Hopkins Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Hubbard ILWU Local #8 Mrs. Betty Korpela Mr. and Mrs . Willard H . Kraker Mr. and Mrs. Einor J. Long Ms. Ida Long Ms. Catherine Miller Mr. and Mrs. Lester D. Nielsen Mr. John Nordgren Mrs. Gail Schultz Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Thompsen Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Wakefield Mr. and Mrs. Baxter D. Wilson Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Wilson Tordis Tetli Mrs. Freda Englund Mrs. Nora Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Johnson Mrs. Carol Nygaard Mr. and Mrs. Grant Orr Mrs. June Spence Paul Tolonen Mr. and Mrs. John L. Nielsen Rusty Urell Mr. Melvin H. Iverson Howard Gust Wakkila Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Teppola In Honor of. ..

Allen & Natalie Cellars' SO!ll Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Tevis Mr. and Mrs. James Durkheimer

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Prestigious U.S. Coast Guard Award Surprises Director On April 17th, Executive Director Jerry L. Ostermiller received one of the highest awards given to a civilian by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Meritorious Public Service Award. In a ceremony at the Museum, Mr. Ostermiller was honored for his "outstanding dedication and professional competence while advancing public awareness of the history and missions of the U.S. Coast Guard." Pacific Area Commander Vice-Admiral James Card presented the prestigious medal at a surprise award luncheon, also attended by Rear Admiral J. David Spade (13th District), Captain Gary Blore (Air Station Astoria),

COLUMBIA RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM 1792 MARINE DRIVE ASTORIA, OREGON 97103

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED FORWARDING & RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED

Vice-Admiral James Card gives Director Jerry Ostermiller the Meritorious Public Service Award

Chief Warrant Officer Paul Bellona (National Motor Lifeboat School), Commander John Yost (USCGC Steadfast), Commander Tedric Lindstrom (USCGC Alert), and representatives of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Elizabeth Furse.

Non-profit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE PAID Astoria, Oregon Permit No. 328