LETTERS
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Reality Lies Offshore As pretty new hand in the Society and member of the Liberty Project I seek the aid of fellow members in research for an accurate historical account of all the vessels that have gained the Maritime Commission's designation as a Gallant Ship. Would any member who served aboard any of these ships at the time of the incidents for which they were awarded the citation please contact me? I want to include as much firsthand information as I can in the form of personal recollections and photographs. Write me at I 806 Bantry Trail, Ketnersville NC 27284. I would also like to make a comment regarding "Trust Youth, Give Them Room" by John Gardner in SH24. We are a nation obsessed with college degrees. But the course that is not ever taught is that of common sense in everyday life. I reversed the usual process, I guess. After high school I went into the Coast Guard and spent three years aboard the old Cutter Eastwind out of Boston . Then upon leaving the service, after learning two trades, I decided to give college a go and went on to obtain a degree and a permit to teach . There was no time or incident that I can recall in the college class that educated me like our first time around Cape Horn, or circumnavigating the Antarctic sailing in places that no man has been before. No, if you want an education go to sea, that is the prep school for life. Then come ashore and go to college if you like. There's wonderful things to learn in those books but reality lies offshore. IAN A. AILLAR
Log Chips Lives On Many thanks to Norman Brouwer and the National Society for continuing to produce Log Chips. It continues to fill a void in the sailing ship field . In your m~st recent issue, Supplement No. 6, on page 8, you refer to the Duncraig as hulked at Bermuda after dismasting. That hulk was not the Duncraig, iron ship of I870, but the Duncrag built by Russell & Co. at Port Glasgow in 188 I . Dun crag was towed into St. Georges, Bermuda, in March 192I after di sm ast ing whil e bound from Galveston to Buenos Aires with sulphur. In I 936 when I was in the 4-masted schooner Doris Hamlin we discharged our coal into her. I boarded her several times. She was in foul shape and leaking badly. I removed one of her port lights from her after quarters and look at it now as I type this. A few years later she was towed to sea and sunk. ROB ERT H . BURGESS Newport News, Virginia Copies of the Log Chips continuation, edited by Norman Brouwer, are available from NMHSfo r $1.-ED.
A Tug as an Educational Vehicle There is little to attract ¡visitors to the waterfront of Washington DC, except parks. What's lacking is any attempt to educate the visitors, including large numbers of school children, about maritime traditions. There is no suggestion to visitors (or residents) that Georgetown and Alexandria were once-thriving ports that predate Washington . We suggest installing a tugboat on the waterfront of the city park in Georgetown . She will stand out, we believe, and could serve as a mini museum teaching people about working ports and the maritime industry. Short tour trips might be offered. ANN BREEN & DI CK RIGBY Co-Directors The Waterfront Center
The Waterfront Center, at 1536 44th Street N W, Washington DC 20067, coordinates information about waterfront development everywhere and gets out an excellent newsletter on this subject. -ED. Sailing Ships Have a Way ... In February 198 I , I sailed to the Port of Galveston, Texas. While there I met the crew of craftsmen who were responsible for the early phase of the restoration of the iron bark Elissa. They were gearing up for the next phase which would complete the restoration and prepare the ship to sail during the summer of 1982. I am a strong supporter for the preservation of our maritime heritage. So, needless to say I was determined to return to Galveston and assist in the restoration . I returned to participate in the last year of the restoration, working with paid crew and vo lunteers. We all labored long hard hours for a common cause-to bring a fine old ship back to li fe and to sail her once more . I'll always remember the camaraderie among the tireless crew. Yes, sailing ships have a way of doing that. Elissa was opened to the public on July 4 as a floating museum , but our work was not over yet. Next we had to prepare the ship to sail at the end of the summer. We trained a crew to work the ship and sailed her successfully on four days in the Gulf of Mexico . It was very rewarding for me to be part of the Elissa restoration . I would like to give my highest praise and admiration to the Galveston Historical Foundation and all of those involved in the restoration and sailing of the Elissa. ER IC A. SPETH Chief Carpenter Elissa Project Galveston, Texas
Mr. Speth is now at sea sailing the Baltimore clipper Pride of Baltimore from the US East Coast to the West Coast. ..t SEA HISTORY, WINTER I982/ 83