NMHS PROJECT NEWS A number of National Society projects have their own memberships, which receive, in addition to SEA HISTORY, project news and notices. East River Renaissance works from NMHS headquarters in Brooklyn NY to develop the maritime heritage of the East River basin around the Brook ly n Bridge (see SH 13). Friends of Ernestina/ Morrissey, chaired by Laura Pires Houston , works with the Massachusetts Schooner Ernestina Commission to return their historic schooner to the United States, and sponsors sail training efforts in Cape Cod waters. Meetings are at NMHS and various New England cities. Hudson Heritage. This group works to establish a Hudson Heritage Center in Kingston~ NY (see SH 10). A brochure is being prepared, and a maritime festi va l will be held in Kingston September 8-9, at which time a project office will be opened on site at Rondout Creek. Meetings in New York, Tarrytown, Kingston. Project Liberty. Under the chairmanship of Robert T. Young, this project to save the last East Coast Liberty Ship John W. Brown issues a newsletter Liberty Log, full of the lore of the Liberty. Nationwide subscription includes many people who worked building or sailing these ocean carriers of World War II. To sign on for any one of these projects, send $5 to NMHS. Non-members may join NMHS and sign on for a proj ect for $15. NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201
NEW YORK STATE WATERWAYS PROJECT Ten Penny Players has been working with NMHS to hold small press publication fairs on the waterfronts of New York. Scheduled fairs so far are: July 4 -So uth Street Seaport, Lower Manhattan August 25-26-NMHS Pier, Ful ton Ferry Landing; Brooklyn September 8-9-Rondout Creek, Kingston NY Those wishing to subscribe to this undertaking, which will include further events at other waterfront sites, are invited to be in touch with Ten Penny Players, 799 Greenwich St., New York NY 10014. 48
Above, the minesweeper Salute in her prime; below, as Frank Way photographed her.
A wooden warship in NY harbor
What Ship Was That? She first caught my eye on a hot Sunday afternoon while my wife and I were cruising on the schooner Pioneer from South Street Seaport. Being an old Navy man and naval history buff I instantly recognized the familiar white, trimmed in black, bow number 470, so familiar on ships of the United States Navy. My interest being aroused, my wife (who deserves a Legion of Merit for putting up with my nautical wanderings) and I made the trek by auto through the wilds of the Jersey City waterfront, now mostly abandoned and decaying, to a point where I could take a closer look at my mystery hulk . I found her, or what was left of her, sitting on the mud, the water gently lapping at the remains of her hull and exposed interior, next to a rotting pier. She did not always look like this. She was a proud member of the fleet, homeported, I believe, at Charleston , South Carolina. She began her career at the Luders yard in Stamford, Conn., on March 17, 1953 . She was launched on August 14, 1954 and christened the USS Salute. Her length was approximately 172 feet., beam 35 feet, and she drew about 14 feet when fully loaded, displacing 775 tons. A fine example of the latest in wooden-hulled ocean going minesweeper of the Aggressive class. Her career was not as momentus as the first USS Salute, AM 249, which fought her way across the Pacific in World War II, winning five battle stars and a Navy unit commendation. Having gone in harm's way and escaped undamaged so many times, she met her end on June 8, 1945, when she struck a mine while makSail to the islands of Maine on a truly unusual vacation.
•
En1oy a good breeze. an exciting day sailing. a Quiet harbor. a huge delicious dinner. new friends & great memones for an entire week.' $285 includes everything. 2 Free brochures
Cap·n Jim Sharp· Sch. ADVENTURE Cap·n Orvil Young· Sch. ROSEWAY Box 696 SH Camden. Me. 04843: Tel. 207-236· 4449 Largest Windjammers In The Camden Fleet.
ing pre-invasion sweeps at Brunei Bay, Borneo. Unable to control the flooding, and despite the help of neighboring landing craft, she sunk, and was stricken from the Navy list on 11 July 1945. Our Salute, on the other hand, provided her services mainly along the East coast of the United States and in the Caribbean, also making six trips to the Mediterranean, 1955-70, serving as a part of the Sixth Fleet. She took part in the search for the hydrogen bomb which was lost in the waters off Palomares, Spain after a mid-air bomber collision. Jn 1967 USS Salute showed the flag at the World's Fair held in Montreal, Canada and received many visitors. She remained on active duty with the Atlantic Fleet until she was decommissioned on 15 May 1970 for a planned major mine warfare overhaul and conversion. This scheduled conversion, however, was cancelled on 16 October 1970 and she was struck from the navy list on I February 1971, and subsequently sold for scrap. And so, if my research is correct, today she sits on the mud , a relic of what was once a home to some seventy men, and a proud member of the Mine Forces, Atlantic Fleet. As the years pile up, and time and the elements take their toll, perhaps this little article will be able to answer someone's question, "I wonder what kind of ship that was?'', should they sail past the deserted Jersey City pier that caught my attention on a summer day, not so long ago. The mud flats and broken piers of our great harbor, the port of New York , holds many such nautical stories and mysteries. FRANK WAY Rutherford, New Jersey
The very famous restaurant in Brooklyn. Brooklyn 's Land mark Seaf ood & Steak House 372 Fulton Street (nr. Baro Hall) . For reservaiti ons--875-5181 (parking nearby) Open lDa ily. lL30 A.M. to g,oo P.M. Sat.4,QO to 1 LOO P.M., Sun. 3:00 to g,oo P.M. Major creed it cards. Private party facilities.
Gage &lollner."
1879
SEA HISTORY, SUMMER 1979