HELP US CELEBRATE AN IMPORTANT 75th BIRTHDAY! Yes, that's how old US Naval aviation is this year-75 . The gallant few who took their flimsy canvas-and-wood contraptions aloft in 1911 knew they were doing something important-but could they ever have dreamed how important? Today the US Navy's ships with wings are the nation's first line of defense . Join us as a member of the Navy League! You'll be helping celebrate an important birthday the way it should be celebrated-with an eye to the future . New York Council members of the Navy League are invited to monthly briefing luncheons; they visit ships . .. and they help keep ' em flying. Sign on today! Send $25 to:
NAVY LEAGUE of the UNITED STATES 1 East 60th Street New York, New York 10022
ISSN 0146-93 12
SEA HISTORY
No. 41
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE WORLD SHIP TRUST
SEA HISTORY is pub li shed quarte rl y by the National Maritime Hi storical Society , 132 Mapl e Street, Croto n-on-Hud son, NY 10520. App li cation to mai l at Second C lass rates is pe nding at Croton-on- Hud son, NY . POSTMASTER: Se nd address changes to Sea Hi story , 132 Mapl e St. , Croton , NY 10520 . COPYR IGHT © 1986 by the Nati o nal Mari time Hi sto ri ca l Society. Te l. 9 14 27 1-2 177. MEMBERSHIP is in vited: Pl a nk ow ne r $ 10,000; Be nefactor $5,000; Sponsor $ 1,000; Donor $500; Sustai ning Patron $250; Patron $ I 00; Contributor $50; Fami ly $35; Regular $25; Student or Re tired $ 12 .50. All me mbe rs o utside the USA pl ease add $5 fo r postage. OFFIC ERS & TRUSTEES are Chairman : James P. McA lli ster; Vice Chairmen: A la n G . Choate, James Ean; Presidenr and Treasurer: Peter Stanford; Vice Presidenr: Nonna Stanford ; Secretary: John H. Reilly, Jr. ; Trustees: Alan G . C hoate , Thomas Hale , Karl Kortum , J . Kev in Lall y, Richardo Lopes, Robert J. Lowen, James P. McAllister, John H. Reilly, Jr. , Spencer Smith , Pe ter Sta nfo rd ; Chairman Emerirus: Ka rl Ko rtum ; Preside/I/ Emeritus: Alan D. Hutc hi son. OVERSEERS: Chairman: Townsend Hornor; Harris L. Ke mpne r, Cli fford D. Mall ory, Schuyler M . Meyer, Jr. , John G . Rogers, John Stoban. ADV ISO RS: Co-chairmen: Frank 0. Braynard , Dav id Brink , Ray mo nd Ake r, George Bass , Francis E. Bowke r, Oswa ld L. Brett , George Campbe ll , Frank G . G . Carr, Willi a m Ma in Doerflinger, Harry Dring , John Ewald , Joseph L. Farr, T imo thy G. Foote , Ri chard GooldAdams , Mel Hardin , Robert G. Herbert , R. C. Jefferson , Irving M . Johnson, John Ke mbl e , Char les Lundg re n , Conrad Mil ste r, Wil liam G. Muller, George Nic ho ls , Ca pt. David E. Pe rkin s USCG (re t. ), Ric hard Rath , Nancy Richardson , George Salley, Melbourne Sm ith , Ralph L. Snow , Albe rt Swanson, Shannon Wall , Robe11 A . Weinste in , Thomas Well s, A ICH . C harles Wittholz . American Ship Trust. Secretary: Eric J. Berryman. WORLD SH IP TRUST: Chairman: Frank G . G . Carr; Vice Presidenrs: He nry H. Ande rson , Jr. , Vi scount Ca ldecote , Sir Rex Hunt , Hammo nd Innes , Sir Rt. Hon. Lord Lewin , Sir Peter Scott , Rt. Hon . Lord Shackleton; Hon . Secretary: J . A. Forsythe; Hon . Treasurer: Ri chard Lee; Mensun Bo und , Dr. Ne il Cossons, Maldw in Drummo nd , Alan McGowan , Arthur Prothero , Peter Stanford. Membership : £ 12 payabl e WST , c/o Ho n. Sec ., I 29a North Street, Burwel l, Cambs. CBS OBB , Eng land. Reg. Charity No. 27775 1. SEA HI STORY STAFF: Editor: Peter Stanford ; Managing Editor: No rma Stanford; Assistant Editor: Lincoln P . Paine; Assistant to the President: Barbara Ladd ; Accounting: Alfred J . Schwab; Advertising: Joseph Stanford ; Membership Secretary: He idi Quas; Membership Assistanr: Patri cia Anstett ; Corresponding Secretary: Marie Lore.
AUTUMN 1986
CONTENTS 2
EDITOR 'S LOG & LETTERS
6
PROJECT REPORTS: THE YAVARI , Meriel Larken
11
S .C .O .W . IS LAUNCHED , Alexander Aldrich
12
SEAMEN ' S RECOGNITION: THE PRICE OF LIBERTY , Peter Stanford
13
THE JOHN W. BROWN, Michael Gillen
16
THE AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE MUSEUM , Frank 0 . Braynard
18
REFLECTIONS , Thomas A. King
19
TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC , Shannon Wall
20
A PROPOSAL, Harold D. Huycke
23
MARINE ART: REMARKS , George F. Campbell
25
A SPLENDOR OF SHIPS , Alex A. Hurst
29 30
ART NEWS SHIP NOTES : OPERATION EDUCATION , Cam ille Freas and James Ean
31
SAIL TRAINING : THE PRIDE OF BALTIMORE, Annin E. Elsaesser ill
38
MEETING ULTIMATE VIOLENCE AT SEA
39
BOOKS : THE BOOK LOCKER , Brion Toss
46
STEPH EN HOPKINS , John Fitzhugh Millar
COVER: On Friday , Jul y 29, 1983, despite telephone negottat1ons through Thursday ni ght that continued Friday morning until the ship 's towrope was picked up just before noon , the Liberty ship John W. Brown was towed out of New York Harbor , bound for the James River in Virgini a, where she would join other " reserve " ships, one step short of th e scrapyard. In this iss ue of S EA HISTORY , we reach out , with others, to bring her back. Photo , Michael Gillen.
The National Maritime Historical Society is saving America's seafaring heritage. Join us. We bring to life America·s sea farin g past th ro ugh resea rch , a rchaeo logi cal expedi tions and ship preservation effo rts. We work wi th museums, hi sto ri a ns a nd sa il training groups a nd re port o n these acti vities in ou r quarterly journal Sea Hisron ·. We are also th e American arm of the Wo rld Ship Tru st, a n inte rn ati ona l group wo rking wo rld wide to he lp save ships of hi stor ic impo rta nce .
Wo n "t yo u join us to keep ali ve o ur natio n ·s seafaring legacy"? Membership in the Society costs only $25 a year. You ' ll receive Sea Hisrory. a fascin ating magazine fi ll ed wi th a rti cles of seafa ring and hi sto rica l lore . You ' ll also be eli gibl e for discounts o n books. prints and o th e r ite ms .Help save o ur seafar ing herit age. Jo in the ationa l Ma ritime Hi sto ri ca l Society today '
TO: National Maritime Historical Society, 132 Maple St. , Cro10n-on-Hudson. NY 10520
YES
I want 10 he lp. I undcr, 1a nd 1ha1 my co ntribution goe, 10 fo rwa rd th~ wo rk o f the Soc ie ty ' and 1ha1 I"ll be ke pi in fo rmed b) receiving SEA HISTORY quarte r! ). Enc losed is:
D $1,000 Sponsor0 $500 DonorD $100 Patron D $50 Contribulor
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NAM E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (please pri m ) ADDR ESS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ZIP Co nlributi ons lo NM HS are lax deductib le.
NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
41
EDITOR'S LOG " I guess we were all young then ," says Shannon Wall , president of the National Maritime Union, in his memoir of adventure and misadventure in an aged wooden steam schooner in the Pacific in the depths of World War II. The story , told on pages 19-20, is part of the National Maritime Hi storical Society 's Seamen's Recognition program. And what's that about? Just making the public more aware of their stake in seafaring, and of what we owe our ships and their people. The sai lor, it seems, has always been an odd man out in society . He has seen things the rest of us have not, he brings a different vision of the world. But what he does to sustain our society is simply too important to be forgotten. Sea trade may just be one of those things, like parenthood , that really shouldn 't be farmed out. At the least, we should know what we have at stake on the oceans that are the highways of world trade, and what this has meant to our development as a nation among nations. And then, there is the human side, in which our Society has a direct and vital interest . Shannon Wall spoke lately about a moving and beauti ful ceremony in whi ch the Maritime Union and the NMHS took part, honoring James Smith, who had won the Medal of Honor in the Battle of Mobil Bay in 1864 . Wall noted: " After the war, Smith went to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard where he suffered an accident that led to his death. His wife and children had no money to bury him, so this Medal of Honor winner was laid to rest in a mass pauper's grave in Queens , NY. "One of the speakers at the service, Peter Stanford, president of the National Maritime Historical Society, noted how over the years the unions had succeeded in putting an end to the kind of shameful treatment suffered by this seaman and his family .'' I was glad we were able to see justice done to Smith's memory over a hundred years after his death. We are all diminished by injustice, and exalted by its opposite. It is to be hoped that we shall not have to wait so long to see the role of merchant PS seamen in our times recognized. Young Shannon Wall , at sea in the reaches of the Pacific Ocean during World War II .
2
LETTERS A Seaman 's Recognition I have watched, entranced, the Statue of Liberty saga unfold on TV the past few days. As I listened and stared, memories flooded back to my many years at sea. What did I feel as I, too, sailed past her, both inward and outward bound? Before the War, the fast sight of her conjured up visions of a good meal, girls, letters from home. Leaving, it was with regret, but tempered with visions of the ports to which we were bound. She became, perhaps, too fami liar; always there, taken for granted. Then came the War. I sailed by her, over and over, bound for God knows where. Quite unconsciously a prayer rose and stuck in my throat: "Let me see you again , inbound ." And it was answeredover and over I steamed by her, headed for an anchorage in the upper Hudson, or a berth. Surreptitiously I would raise my hand , thumb and forefi nger circled, and mutter, " Thanks, old girl. " Once, on a ship carrying 2,500 troops home , she heaved up on the horizon. The cheering of those men surely was heard by her ladyship . They were screaming their delight at being home, safe and alive. True , they weren't immigrants-but they shared their joy. CAPT. FRANK F. FARRAR Melbourne Beach, Florida
Something Impressive! Here is a check for the copies of SEA HISTORY I sold at the Seattle boat show over the Fourth of July weekend. One woman came up to my booth and wanted to know all about sail-training ships after seeing the OpSail broadcast on TV that morning. She had seen something impressive about a French vessel and was all fired up to start a sail-training program in this area. I encouraged her. So, you can see that all that publicity does influence people nationwide! ROB ERT CHAPEL Bainbridge Island , Washington Mr. Chapel is a long time supporter of the Society's cause on our West Coast, as well as a frequent contributor to SEA HISTORY. While at boat shows he promotes the Society through sales of SEA HISTORY and memberships.-ED .
Of Ships and the Pride Elissa was here! After reading for some years about the ship's Magdalene-like career, in SEA HISTORY , it was refreshing to see her now as a great lady of the sea. The crowds were such that I was unable to get aboard; but I could see marvelous craftsmanship in polished wood and other deck-level features. The buzz of people commenting, "She's over 100 years old . . . '' were a tribute indeed to all who made the current voyage a reality.
That Elissa came to Baltimore was due only to the loss of our own ship , the Pride of Baltimore. It is still possible to catch the wistful looks, the ardent hopes, that the Pride might once again come into view . This city was reall y touched by the loss of the vessel and four of her crew, including the captain . Local shipwri ghts have just fini shed another sailing vessel, Lady Maryland. It wi ll be a teaching platform for high school students. Have a good Fourth ! And God bless us, one and all . REV.EARLE A . NEWMAN,S.S .J . Baltimore, Maryland The loss of the Pride of Baltimore affe cted all of us. But it was good that Eli ssa-herself newborn after 109 years-could sail in tribute to the Pride, and that as she sailed, the pungy schooner Lady Maryland was being launched on Baltimore Harbor, the first vessel of her kind built in more than forty years . - Eo.
School Ships and Training Ships Whil st I have not had the pleasure of meeting Frank Carr, his reputation is well known to me. Nevertheless I must correct his view of the meaning of the term "sail-training ship" (see SEA HISTORY 38 , Letters) . As master of the fourmasted bark Abraham Rydberg in the last years of her trading, I can assure you that she was a "sai l-training ship " since she carried cargo, did not run to schedules and carried a large number of cadets who received instruction aboard. The previous two vessels of this name , owned by the Rydbergska Stiftelsen , did not carry cargo, and were thus "school ships." Not all school ships run to strict schedules (though most do) , but this was manifestly impossible in the case of a cargo-carrying "sai l-training " ship . I should also add that, although the "sailtraining" ships carried larger complements than usual , these were nothing like the size of those carried by the "school ships" in relation to their size . As a Swede , I hesitate to pontificate on English usage and accept that language is constantly changing; yet all my experience in both England and the United States has been that the expression '' tall ship '' was one used by a landsman rather than by a sailor. OSCAR MALMBERG Master Mariner Forslov, Sweden
Complementary Visions The enclosed contribution is for a gift membership to renew that of Dr. Name Withheld (SEA HISTORY 40 , Letters). In SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
doing this, I hope she will further reflect on, and at least revise to forbearance and tolerance , her views on the NMHS 's endeavours. Her criticism may indeed be valid, but I suggest that we-amateurs , enthusiasts, dilettantes, buffs , romantics and lovers of nautical matters-need her professionalism as much as she may require a forum for an untutored audience eager to absorb but a portion of her maritime knowledge. Our complementary visions-be they seaport museums, ship preservation or a nautically erudite generation-will be achieved only if we accomodate and work together with those who share with us their version of that vision. LEON KAPLAN College Point, New York I believe Dr. Withheld is suffering from an advanced case of PhDitis . I like SEA HISTORY as it is and look forward eagerly to every issue . The journal is well written, well illustrated and well balanced. I would h¡ate to see it become a professional history journal with the typical turgid writing, multitudinous subscripts, superscripts, brackets, footnotes and dreary details of unfascinating subjectsminutiae, l suppose, is the term . JOHN GORDON SCHMIDT Sherwood Forest, Maryland It Means a Lot to Us, Too I was both surprised and pleased to see the advertisment of the New York Council of the Navy League of the United States in the Spring SEA HISTORY , featuring an early Naval Aviation recruiting poster. The poster was designed by my father, Frank Simpson , Jr. , when he was Aviation Aide , Western Division , in about 1920-21 . (You can see his initials in the lower left comer of the picture of the plane .) l had no idea that there were any copies still in existence other than the ones I have . The original painting for the poster hangs in my office. My father was Naval Aviator No. 53 and was the first Californian to earn his Navy wings. An article in the Spring 1984 issue of California History gives more information about him. I'd be most interested in knowing where you found the poster. My father would have been very pleased to see his poster being used in a Navy League ad celebrating the 75th anniversary of Naval Aviation . Navy flying meant a lot to him . FRANK SIMPSON , III Los Angeles , California
We are very glad to run this kind of advertising , and this kind of letter shows why. The poster in question hangs in a SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
dim-lit upper hallway in the New York Yacht Club in New York City . We and the Navy League are looking for a few more good posters for this series!-Eo.
Floreat Coriolanus! ''The Last Days of the Coriolanus'' (SEA HISTORY 39) by Fred T. Comee gave me a sharp nostalgic twinge. Coriolanus, of all vessels , was and I suppose still remains the object of my affection since first I saw her in Boston in 1932 . I spent a lot of time and effort tracing her distinguished early career as a jute clipper and her final dismal years as a Brava packet, not to mention her many years under the German and Norwegian flags in between . I collected photographs of her by the score, including incidentally all the pictures shown in Mr. Comee 's fine story, the negatives of which were lent to me by Norman Matson more than fifty years ago. I gathered reminiscences of some who had sailed in her but, interestingly enough, had few of the details of her final voyages so well reported by Mr. Comee . Frankly, I never expected to read in 1986 anything ~ didn't already know about Coriolanus and it was a thrill to do so. My thanks to Mr. Comee! Clarence Rogers , who bought what was left of her in 1932 , becarr.e a good friend and we remained so as long as he lived. He was a travel agent by profession and had a heart-breaking , impractical dream for Coriolanus during the depths of the Great Depression which sadly led to the shipbreakers. However he didn't exactly sell. her to the breakers; she was seized by the Bath Iron Works for the long unpaid cost of towage from Boston and probably also the value of several years' wharfage at Bath. While she was there I had the pure pleasure of measuring everything I could get at for the late Harold Underhill of Glasgow with whom I collaborated in the development of a set of accurate model-maker's plan of the old beauty . A few years ago I gave my extensive collection of Coriolanus photos and other memorabilia to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich where it may be seen today embellished by the addition of a splendid rigged model of the vessel. But perhaps the finest model of Coriolanus is the '14in-scale model built by Michael Costagliola which may be seen at the Whaling Museum of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in New Bedford. CHARLES S. MORGAN former Chairman of the Board Maine Maritime Museum ' 'There is no one I would rather have pleased with my story than Charles S.
Reported lost in the great gale that hit Algoa Bay , South Africa, on the night of September 5 , 1902 , the Coriolanus (high and dry at left) lived to sail again. Lying damaged at a Boston wha1f in 1921 after being seized for smuggling liquor, the aging beauty had a rocky road ahead, until she went to the scrapyard fifteen years later. But she li ves on in the memories of sailormen including Charles Morgan , who sends us these portraits from his collection on the ship .
3
LETTERS
ASH SH ELL BLOCKS with bron ze sh eaves a nd strap . Gu ara nt ee d qu ali ty- US made . Manufactured for lin e sizes 1/.i ", 3/ 8 ", 1/ 2 " . Send sta mp fo r catalog. BA INBRIDG E BLOC KS, I IOI Win g P o in t Way, Bainbrid ge Island , WA 98 110 (206) 842-5802 .
Morgan," says Fred T. Comee, who wrote the account of the latter-day voyaging of the beautiful iron bark Coriolanus that appeared in the Spring issue of SEA HtsTORY. In her first year her model won the Gold Medal in the Shipwright's Exhibition in London, and in that same year, 1877, she made a record passage from the Scilly Isles to Calcutta , 60 days via the Cape of Good Hope. Fifty-nine years later, in 1936, she was broken up at Fall River, after tremendous efforts to save her. Here we are, another half century later, celebrating her memory.-Eo .
But ... I Was There
MARINE CHRONOMETERS Boug ht , So ld and Serviced Re storation and Appra isals
Commodore George Dewey flew his flag in the Olympia at the Battle of Mani la Bay durin g the Spanish-American War in 1898. It was Rear Admiral Robley D . Evans who flew his flag from the Con-
necticut in command of the Great White Fleet which set off rou nd the world on December 16, 1907-not Commodore Dewey as you suggest in the Spring SEA HISTORY , page 29. The reason I know this is that I was an ordinary seaman, age sixteen at the time . I was in the New Jersey, one of the sixteen shi ps in the fleet. I am now almost ninety-five. H. A . KR UM Chief Boatswai n' s Mate , USN (ret.) Master, Merchant Marine (ret.) Oakland , Cali fo rnia Others wrote in offering corrections to the article about Herb Hewitt's paintings-a summary of corrigenda will be published in a future issue . None , we hasten to add, go to the accuracy of Mr . Hewitt's work, only to the commentary on it. - Eo .
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Thank you for the thoughtful article on Nautical Archaeology in your spring issue . The hundreds of cards I have received as a result of the article represent a tribute to the readers. I am writing to provide your readers with additional information that may be of interest. The Abandoned Shipwreck Bill (H .R. 3558) is a proposal pend ing in the House of Representati ves before the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, of which I am Chairman, that ari ses out of a series of judicial decisions call ing into question the authority of states to manage archaeological salvage within state waters. The legislation would confer upon states title to a narrow class of abandoned shipwrecks that are either substanti all y buried , located in coral fo rmations, or listed on or eligible fo r listing on the National Register of Hi storic Places . The centra l purpose of the legislation is to cl arify that states have the authority to protect historic shipwrecks within state waters whi le preserving the traditional freedoms to dive on and explore those wrecks. The principal groups affected by the legislation are marine archaeologists, the states , recreational di vers, commerc ial salvors and the general public . To date , fears that state governments would prohibit or unreasonably restra in fo r-profi t salvage efforts have moti vated the commercial salvors to oppose legislati ve modifications to the current admi ralty system . Apparentl y diverse interests in marine archaeology, states' ri ghts, recreational diving and commercial salvage
may be reconcilable . H .R. 3558 constitutes a studied attempt to ac hieve just such an equi table reconc iliation. H.R. 3558 was introduced on October 11 , 1985 by Congressme n Charles E. Bennett (Florida) and Jim Wright (Texas) , and as introduced is identical to H .R . 3 194 , the hi storic shipwreck legislation that passed the House of Representati ves in 1984 . T hat earlier bill died because the Senate version was blocked by Senators who favored traditional maritime salvage law. A widespread and energetic campaign is needed to overcome this opposition in the Senate . In the interests of an orderly and equitable approach to preserving our marine heritage, I onl y hope this occurs sooner rather than \ater . Once agai n, I want to express my appreciation to your readers for their interest in this fasci nating subject, and I look forward to the opportunity to enact federa l legislation as soon as possible . WALTER B. JONES Chairman, House Sub-Committee on Oceanography, US Congress We might not go so fa r as Congressman Jones in accommodating the interests other than historic that exist in historic wrecks. But a broad concensus now exists that Federal law is needed. This is recognized by the Reagan Administration as well as sports divers and ofcourse us historians . On this fo undation, competing interests can be sorted out with values that transcend the moment properly recognized . We are confident that, once recognized, these values which are unique will prevail.-Eo. SEA HI STORY, AUTUMN 1986
The Ship on the Roof of the The following article is adapted from an audibly breath-taking slide presentation given at the NMHS annual meeting held at Mystic, Connecticut, this past June. Ms. Larken attributes her fascination with ships and remote places to her remarkable-to our mind-lineage. One great grandfather sailed in HMS Alert with Captain Nares' expedition to the Arctic Circle in 1875, and a great uncle travelled with Captain Scott in HMS Discovery (see SH40) to Antarctica in 1911. Yet another great uncle was Sir Alfred Yarrow who
founded the Yarrow Shipyard. Ms. Larken has spent a lifetime of travelling and exploring. She has traversed South America from the Sierra Nevada in Colombia, through the Amawn Basin and down to Patagonia. The country she knows best is Peru, where she has already made two film documentaries and was administrator to a fiveyear archaeological project in the southern Andes, and by whose government she was decorated with the Order of Merit for Distinguished Services in 1983.
FOREWORD by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, KG, KT
"In an Unpressurized Passenger Ship at 12,500 Feet" In 1962 I was travelling round South America and one of my most vivid memories was an overnight crossing of Lake Titicaca in an unpressurized passenger ship at 12,500 feet. As we left Puno , my attention was drawn to the remains of another ship of an earlier vintage. As I was told the same story about her having been brought up from the coast in pieces small enough to be carried on the backs of mules, I can only assume that she was the Yavari. I also gathered that she had been replaced by a more modem ship some years later but in this case the pieces cou ld be somewhat bigger as they were able to be transported up to the lake by the newly constructed railway. I have therefore a rather personal reason to be interested in the idea of restoring this unique vessel as a touring ship on the lake. I very much hope that the Yavari Project will attract the necessary support to make it a resounding success.
At rest on the placid waters of Lake Titicaca, 12,500 feel up in the Peruvian Andes, the Yavari represents a Herculean example of the extension of iron and steam technology to remote corners of" the world. Here , in the 1960s, emblazoned with her number 19, she is surrounded by younger sisters on the Lake; ji-0111 the le.fi, the Coya ( 1889) , Ollanta ( 1930), Inca ( 1903) and her sistership Yapura. launched three years after the Yavari and still in service today as a naval hospital ship. Photo, Tony Morrison.
World: The Yavari Project by Meriel Larken
The Yavari is 124 years old , 157ft long, 17ft wide and has a gross displacement of 240 tons. Her home is Lake Titicaca , which is 110 miles long, 35 miles wide and 900ft deep . It is overlooked by the snow peaks of the Cordi llera Real which rise to heights of over 21,000ft. Its wi ldli fe is outstanding and it is the legendary birthplace of the Incas. Yavan¡ was built in 1862 by Laird Brothers at Birkenhead on the Mersey. Laird had already made quite a name for themselves in pioneering the iron ship---indeed the first iron ship to operate successfu ll y in American waters, the steamer John Randolph, was built at this yard. The instructions Laird received were to build two steamers for use on Lake Titicaca and th at no piece cou ld be heavier than cou ld be carried by a mule. The second ship , Yapura , was launched in 1873 and is st ill in comm ission as a naval hospital ship. This was duly done and the pieces were shipped off to the West Coast of South America where they were landed at the port of Arica wh ich , before the War of the Pacific ( 1879-83), belonged to Peru. From Arica , the disassembled ship was transported by rail across the thirty miles of coastal desert to the town of Tacna. It was here that the new owners first confronted the formidable- indeed , today , the inconce ivable- task which lay before them: to carry the 2 ,766 pieces of the Yavari- including cy linder blocks , capstan and anchors, and prope llor shafts-up to I 2 ,500ft above sea level , virtuall y straight up the Andes , a journey wh ich wou ld take them over passes higher than many of the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. At Tacna they retained a muleteer who contracted to do the job in six months. And so the great trek began , 186 miles as the condor fli es. Well, I have made that same journey , and it is no surpri se th at it was , in fact , six years rather th an six months before the last parts arrived by Lake Titicaca. The way is very steep and very rugged , and that is withou t carrying a propellor shaft. By 1869 , a shipway and jetty had been built in Puno on the southwest shore of the Lake . As soon as the pieces had all arrived , they were reassembl ed and on Chri stmas Day, 1870 , Ya vari was launched. She was designed as a steamer wit h auxi liary sail. Her engine was fired by dri ed llama dung, the most convenient fuel available in qu antity. The volume of dried llama dung needed to dri ve a sh ip any distance at that altitude took up more or less all the cargo space, so her hull was lengthened by 50ft. Yavari underwent further alterations in 1913 when her steam engi ne was replaced with a Bo llinder 4-cylinder, hot-bulb , semi -d iesel eng ine. At the same time , passenger accommodations were reduced to make more space for cargo. In the same year, owners hip of Yavari was transferred from the government to the state ra il ways corporati on , ENAFER. Yavari continued to pl y the Lake carry ing passengers and cargos - supplies to remote outposts along the Lake , produce and local manufacture back to Puno. She remained in thi s
Built in 1862 in Birkenhead, England, the ship was broken do wn into pieces-2,766 of them-which were carried up through this steep mountain pass on the backs of mules.
COLOMBIA
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Th e distance from Tacna to Puno ( 190 miles) appears deceptively short on a map . The Yavari is named for the river that forms the northern part of Peru 's border with Brazil.
Lake Titicaca (12,500 ft.) \I I
- '-CH ILE
Laird Bros ., in Birkenhead, shown in a contemporary engraving (leji) , built the Yavari , the Confederate raider Alabama and other steamers for the Confederate Na vy.
Yavari initially carried auxiliary sail including a longish bowsprit-customary precautions in the steamers of the day . Yavari was lengthened 50fr and steam ed confidently into the twentieth century as a miniature of the British tramps that were carrying most o{ rh e 1vorld's cargo-bur this one was doing it at airliner altitudes '
Her Bollinder diesel engines , installed in 1913, are valuable and fascinatin g museum pieces today .
wo rk until 1975 when she was taken over by the Peruvi an Navy and rechri stened BAP Chucuito . I first boarded the ship in 1982 and was immedi ately determined to examine the feas ibility of restoring her as a working maritime monument. In 1985 I commissioned a Lloyds Conditi on Survey wh ich reported Yavari as being in serv iceab le condition. Owing to the high altitude and fresh water, there has been minimal ox idi zation and the rivetted iron hull has withstood the test of time very well. Much encouraged by the report and having sought additional technical adv ice, I then put a pro posal to the Peruvian government , and with a word from the President , Alan Garcia , the navy (whi ch had take n over the vesse l in the 1970s) was urged to make her avai labl e fo r restorati on as a first cl ass touring ship on the Lake. The excellent team of consu ltant naval architects and marine engineers who are advi sing me recommend that we base the restoration on the Genera l Arrangement of 191 3, the oldest plan currentl y ex tant. We shall need to reinstate the second storey of the bridge to all ow fo r the captain 's cabin and ex tend the whole of the main deck 20ft fo rward to where it was before. This will provide a very comfortable sa loon with large picture windows. Below , the forward hold (which is 47ft x 17ft) will convert nicely into galley, bar and the main dining sa loon fo r the ship ' s complement of ninety passengers , with ex hibition and video fac ilities for film s and photograph s on the va ried wildlife of the Lake . We also plan to restore the Bollinder engine . It rea ll y is a co ll ector' s item though not , unfortunately , a cost effective one. It wi ll be restored as a working model and a modern diesel will be in stalled for propulsion. The sa me is true for the Petter generator . The work will take pl ace on the shipway just outside the town of Puno . It is planned to offer thi s as an opportunity for a team of yo ung apprentice shipwrights from the west to test their new ly acquired sk ill s in these unfamili ar surroundings and to li ve and work alongs ide the locall y contracted workforce. In add ition , the whole restoration is to be telev ised for global distribution , giving the whole effort worldwide exposure. Now such a project requires much time, ex pert know ledge and , of course , good old-fashioned cash. To date , I have personall y financed the enterprise. I am now confident that , from a structural point of view , we ca n achieve the finished artic le, and I am launching the second stage of the project. The project has been endorsed by the Peruvian government and local Peru vian touri st in stitutions have ass ured me of their finan cial investment. I am seeking the balance from personal and corporate pockets both in the United Kingdom and in the United States. Immediately, the Yava ri Project is a rescue operation to save a unique maritime monument. Ultimately, though, it is designed to be a seriou s commercial exercise. There is onl y one highest navi gabl e lake in the world and on ly one ship of such character and age upon it. There is no comparable craft in which to tour the Lake and she wi ll offer every comfort to touri sts wishing to visit the fl oating islands and Taquil e Island , and every facility , like infl atable dinghies, for small spec iali st groups of naturali sts and particularly bird watchers. .t The Yavari Project, which has been endorsed by the World Ship Trust and the NM HS, is actively seeking support from the commun ity at.large. Any inquiries regarding this projector contributions to it- should be addressed to: The Yavari Projecl- NMHS, 132 Maple Stree/, Cro/On-on-Hudson, NY 10520.
8
SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
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SCOW is Launched on NY State Waterways by Alexander Aldrich After the National Maritime Historical Soc iety and the New York State Museum he ld the ir Rensselaerville conference in January of this year on New York State Waterways, a small group of particularly interested participants got together and started planning for the future . The result of this process turned out to be the incorporation , on June 19th , of the State Conference on Waterways, Inc . (SCOW) , a not-for-profit corporation whose purposes are to culti vate " the appreciation , understanding and appropriate use and treatment of the waterways of the State of New York. " SCOW ' s interest is both environmental and developmental. It will be concerned with the scenic, historic , cultural , recreational and natural resources , as well as the appropriate development of the commercial , industrial, transportational , residential and other useful potential of the State' s waterways and their banks. The officers of the newly formed corporation are Peter S tanford , Chairma n , Martin E. Sullivan , Secretary/Treasurer , Alexander Aldrich, President , and Frank Zammiello , Vice President. The other two members of the board at the present time are Kent Barwick a nd Schuyler M . Meyer, Jr. The first major event pla nned for the conference is a proposed meeting on November 18th at the Leg islat ive Office Building in Albany. Thi s meeting wi ll be co-sponsored by State Senator James Donovan of Utica and State Assemb lyman Maurice Hinc hey of Sa ugerties. This wi ll be a most important meeting , since it is desi g ned to he lp us define the future activities of SCOW , and especially to develop a c lose re lat ionship with the public sector in exploring the bes t uses of our waterways. SCOW is a not-for-profit membership corporation. Contributions and memberships are tax deductible. SEA HISTORY readers are invited to become me mbers and to participate in SCOW's deliberations . We warmly welcome inquiries , both about
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Outward bound again, the John W. Brown , which steamed by this way with the troops and hopes of America aboard fo rty-odd years ago, is towed out of New York Harbor three years ago. Sign on to bring her back! Photo, Michael Gillen.
THE PRICE OF LIBERTY: An All-Hands Appeal to Sign on for a Most Important Voyage of the Liberty Ship John W. Brown .- to Deliver Her Message to the Future by Peter Stanford For over a generation, from 1947 to 1983 , the old Liberty ship lay alongside a New York City pier, serving as home to a city maritime trades school. In this role she was singularl y effecti ve--0ne of the few vocational high schools in New York that really worked, graduating city yo ungsters into producti ve careers, wi th high moti vation , self- identi ty , cooperati veness and the heads-up attitude that overcomes obstacles. When the decision was made to close the school the educators -and students-involved in her program declared their sense of loss. What was the secret of the success of the Liberty Shi p John W. Brown in her years as pierside schoolship? Romanti cists mi ght say it was some lingering spirit of the yo ung men who sailed in her to brave Atlantic gales and the fire of German 88s (fi re ret urned by the Brown) off the Anzio beachhead in 1944-something of that resolution that led unarmed America to mobil ize all its latent power and send its most precious product, its yo ung people, to sea in an unparalleled fl eet of some 2,700 such shi ps to liberate Euro pe fro m Nazi occupatio n. Not all these Liberty ships, rather primitive, slow vessels propelled by outdated (but easy to manufacture) triple-ex pansion engines , carried troops. But , as it happened, the Brown did . Whatever virtue there is in her simple , workmanli ke des ign and the stu ff of her aging steel pl ates fo rged in the greatest industri al surge the world had ever seen, the point about the Brown' s career as schoolship is that it worked. She carried her message to a generation that knew not Jose ph- and the message worked. 12
It is to a similar service that we of the National Maritime Historical Society and Project Liberty Ship are working to see her restored today-as a museum ship and educational center set up in Liberty State Park , near the Statue of Liberty, not as a verdigrised monument in some forgotten com er of a little park , but as a lively center of learning and acti vity, and as a reminder visible to all who come to New York Harbor of what kind of ship , and what manner of people , went forth in the New World ' s great effort to redeem the liberty of the Old . One other such ship has been saved , the Jeremiah O'Brien in San Francisco-and she makes a glorious precedent. But as Shannon Wall of the National Maritime Union has reminded us (more than once), we must have another of these ships in the harbor that served as springboard for the liberation of Europe. Others heard this call , and after hearings held aboard the ship , Congressman Mario Biaggi of New York introduced legislation authori zing use of the ship as "a permanent living memorial to those valiant seamen who gave their li ves so that others might live in freedom." Under that legislation, the Brown was made available to Project Liberty Ship , a nonprofit educational corporation, in June this year.
To Save a Liberty What is it, really , to save a ship--a massproduced ship at that? A fa mous museum director once told me of his tri als bringing a 5-ton stone statue out of the Central American jungle to New York. I spoke to him in turn of bringing a 2 ,000-ton artifact fro m South
America to New York . For a moment Tom"Hoving was stunned. Then- " Oh , yo u mean a ship!" he said, reproac hfull y . Yes, I meant a ship , in that case the Wavertree, a surviving square rigger from the fleets that built New York City fro m the sea. A ship is an artifact, one embodying the technology and picture of the world of its time, and the sense of fi tness of things shared by people in its culture, and- the dreams and highest aspirations of the society that produces and sail s it. A Liberty ship is mass-produced , yes. She is one of nearly three thousand built in the United States and Canada in the agonies and exaltations of peaceful societies turned to reversing the tides of history' s most terrible war. That is her glory . That ordinariness , that ability-a nd will- to do a difficult , dangerous and te1Tibly important job is why the ship and the people who sai led in her should be re membered . She was rightly named Liberty . She enabled us to save liberty in our world and she can carry the message of her work fo rward into the world of our tomorrows. Do we think that message worth delivering-worth the time and tro uble and the money? I hope we do.
Send your contribution, of $1, $100 or $1,000, to "NMHS-Liberty" if you wish to support the National Maritime Historical Society Campaign in support of Project Liberty. Those contributing $20 or more will be enrolled as members of Project Liberty and receive their informative illustrated newsletter, Liberty Log. SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
THE SS JOHNW. BROWN: The Ship's People Speak by Michael Gillen Co-Director, Project Liberty Ship The wartime log books ,of the Liberty Ship John W. Brown provide only a rough outline of her voyages , participation in a number of invasions (including Anzio and Southern France) , a trip around Cape Hom , duty as troopship and POW carrier, and encounters with Nazi planes and artillery , and with Atlantic storms. Since Project Liberty Ship launched the effort to save the John W. Brown as a memorial-museum , with a Liberty Ship Seminar held at the Seamen ' s Church Institute in New York in 1978, many of the gaps of her history have been filled in by former merchant crew members and Armed Guard personnel who have joined the Project over the years . A selection of their recollections , many of which have appeared in the Project newsletter Liberty Log, are presented here to provide further insight into the history of the SS John W. Brown .
First Voyage ROBERT J. BLOXSOM , Second Mate: We sailed from Baltimore on September 9, 1942, and proceeded to Norfolk where we went through the degaussing procedure. * We sailed from Norfolk on October 3 and arrived at New York on October 6. We signed Foreign Articles on October 7 , loaded Army cargo at the Brooklyn Army Terminal and sai led from New York October 18 for the Persian Gulf. On the way we stopped at Guantanamo , Cuba , then transitted the Panama Canal (October 26-28) , proceeded around Cape Hom (November 13) for Saldanha Bay , Capetown before arriving at the Persian Gulf anchorage on December 25 . We moved up to Karamsha on January 23, 1943 and departed the Persian Gulf March 11 homeward bound. On the way we stopped at Bahrein, Capetown , Bahia, Paramaribo, Trinidad and arrived at New York May 26, 1943. *To protect the ship from magnetic mines. - ED,
Part of the bridge over troubled waters that brought Americans ashore to liberate the Continent of Europe from Na zi armies, the Brown offloads supplies f or the young soldiers she's put ashore at Anzio, halfway up the Italian boot, in 1944 . Her three-inchers returned the fire of German 88s sited in the hills overlooking the embattled beachhead.
The first trip of the SS John W. Brown is worthy of a book in itself; crazy, great and wonderful things happened on the maiden voyage of the SS John W. Brown .
Anzio and Southern France WILFRED GOSLIN , Able Seaman: I shipped on the John W. Brown as Able Seaman in early 1944. During the six months I spent on her we operated in The Med , mostly out of Naples with trips to Oran , Anzio , Bizerte and ferrying Italian prisoners of war from Sardinia to Naples (ten trips) . We also made the Invasion of Southern France at St. Tropez at 0600 hrs. , 15 August 1944, which was D-Day , H-hour, transporting 350 Gls of the 36th
An anonymous Liberty, deep loaded, waits near the Statue of Liberty. Th e ship is really at anchor; a wartime artist painted out the anchor chain and painted in the bow wave. But she really did sail, and to good effect, in the cause of Liben y .
Division . We were anchored for five days on the beachhead without anyone firin g a shot . On sailing day, one lone German recon plane flew over and was shot down . The John W. Brown, with every other Liberty in the armada , claimed the downing and painted a swastika on the stack . After the invasion we returned to Naples for bunkers, stores (cases of C-rations and Spam) and 350 German POWs which we transported to Newport News . HERBERT W. RITIER, Chief Mate: I was aboard the John W. Brown during her most hectic days in the Mediterranean . Sicily, Salemo and about a half dozen trips in and out of the Anzio beachhead and the invasion of Southern France. When her bottom was so overgrown with barnacles we were sent back to the States , because her speed was now reduced to about eight knots. Thank goodness it happened so I could finally sit for my Master's license. I took part in five invasions and thank the good Lord I am still alive . I have a very unique souvenir from World War II- a sliver of steel in the bone of my left leg. I was given this courtesy of the German artillery at Salemo. Always remember that the Liberty Ship won the war. When the supplies were needed the merchant seamen delivered them . VER NON H. JOYCE, US Navy Armed Guard Coxswain: Naples had not been in Allied hands too long when we arrived . In fact, some Fascist sympathizers took occasional shots at liberty parties. And the population was in terrible financial and moral condition. Small children were pimping for their mothers and sisters and US currency and cigarettes were at a premium. The only thing I have that was bought in Naples are three large cameos. I think I paid several packs of cigarettes for the lot, and they were reChief Mate Ritter (left) , ashore with Armed Guard officer Joe Humphreys, poses with a captured Germanfreight car. It will take the Allies another year of savage fighting to reach that railcar' s home yard.
li¡------------
The Brown 's boatswain takes a break on a cargo hatch. " Fortunately for me, he taught me a loJ of deck seamanship that l never forgot,'' says Vernon Joyce, remembering his days in the Brown 's gun crew forty-odd years ago . He knew thefiftyish Finnish seaman as ''Boats'' - the toughest title to win in a tough trade, and in on-deck situations, the most respected.
cently appraised at about $300 each. During one of the trips to Anzio we and several other ships were fired on by German 88mm artillery from the hills overlooking Anzio. We fired several rounds from the aft three-inch guns** but the Germans gave up firin g when US planes showed up . On returning to Naples from Leghorn, after Anzio, we loaded troops and equipment for the invasion of Southern France, and I recall Winston Churchill's boat going by close enough for us to see him and his " V for Victory" hand sign. We arrived and anchored off what we heard to be La Nartelle, France, shortly after the first wave went ashore . Vivid in my memory is the sight of US and British cruisers and battleships shelling the **The Brown received two additional Jin. guns when she was outfitted as a troopship in 1944. - ED.
beach with the projectiles passing over our ship. I can recall Captain (George) Brown and the First and Second Mates. However, the crewman who impressed me the most was the Boatswain. He was a Finn and about 50 years old, and a master seaman if there ever was one . As a 19year-old kid I idolized "Boats" and, fortunately for me , he taught me a lot of deck seamanship that I never forgot .
New York City Schoolship WARREN McCONNELL , Deck Teacher, 1946-76: To tell the story of th is part of John W. Brown's history would take a good size book . Students that walked her decks have not only gone into the merchant marine , but every branch of service that is marine related . The list of successful students is endless . To bring things closer to my home in Maine, the skipper and owner of the ferry to Monhegan Island is a graduate of the John W. Brown , Class of 1961 . . . . All these got their start training aboard the John W . Brown. KURT B. OSTLUND, graduate, John W. Brown Class of '70: I am disheartened that the NYC Board of Education has discontinued a viable maritime voca-
tional course of study, but am overjoyed by the prospect of flag hoist KHJL (John W . Brown's call letters) becoming a permanent memorial-museum highlighting the merc hant marine's sacrifices during World War II. Memories of my studies aboard John W. Brown include: Traveling from home at Staten Island in sub-freezi ng weather to a classroom in No. J upper 'tween deck where the temperature wasn't much warmer than the winter day outside . After two hours of textbook work the hours un til lunch were used working the booms , re-riggi ng, moving du mmy cargo off the pier with the booms and spotting it over the holds. When the ice of the Hudson finally melted, the Monomoys , which had been re-caulked during the wi nter, were put over the side with the ship's booms and we took up rowing and sailing. And lest it be forgotten , there were many hours of chipping , scaling and painting , of learning scores of knots, spl icing fiber and wire-things to be learned too numerous and wonderful to be fu lly described here . w NOTE: Mr. Ostlund is currently Second Officer on the USNS Redstone, T-AGM 20.
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The American Merchant Marine Museum by Frank 0. Braynard, Curator The American Merchant Marine Museum is a celebration of the people and ships of the long, but all too frequently unheralded , history of the United States merchant marine. Beautifully situated on the grounds of the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, overlooking the western end of Long Island Sound, the Museum occupies a dozen rooms in the mansion of William Barstow, an inventor and businessman who apprenticed under Thomas Edison and who undertook the e lectrification of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Museum itself was the inspiration of a graduate and later administrator at the Academy, Captain Charles E. Renick . Although he initially conceived the idea some forty years ago, it was not until 1979-Maritime Day , of coursethat the Museum opened its doors , due largely to the help of a local philanthropist , Beverly Seegar. Although I have served as Curator since that time , I am only incidental to the Museum's success. In fact, I am a part-time employee--0ne of three- the only full-time staff member being Charles Heath, the Museum Administrator who is supported by us and a very loyal group of nine volunteers who give at least one day of work each week. As is true of most museums, we have a variety of permanent exhibits. These
serve to educate the public about the role of our merchant marine in peace and war. Among our artifacts are models of merchant ships from the original steamship SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic back in 1819, to the world 's first nuclear-powered merchant sh ip , the NS Savannah built in 1958. We also have many paintings and photographs depicting the life of ships and our great portsnot only coastal , but lakes and inland ports as well. Among our more interesting exhibits are the Hales Trophysometimes known as the Blue Ribandawarded to the passenger ships making the fastest transAtlantic crossing. This is currently held by the queen of US-flag ships, the SS United States. Another fascinating display is a col lection of some 800 cups an.d saucers , all with the insignia of different shipping lines . These were collected by two graduates of the Academy who served as pilots on the Panama Canal . What I am most interested in is our collection of 5,000 onion skin ship drawings that were being thrown out by the government. These include not only longitudinal and sectional plans, but all sorts of other features of standard wartime merchant ships , such as boom arrangements and cargo hatch design. The types of ships represented range from the C- 1
The museum spans the eras from sail to steam to nuclear power and f eatures a question-and-a11;swer panel shown below.
16
freighters to the T-series , P-series and C-series ships , including the EC-2s- the Liberty ships . We desperately need a volunteer to help us sort them, catalogue them and make sure they are in a safe place for posterity. Another choice collection is some I0,000 hand-written passenger lists from various companies owned by the International Mercantile Marine. These were given to us in 1979 by the United States Lines when they closed their famous One Broadway office. These too must be cared for and removed from the boxes they are kept in in our cellar and stored in a way and place that will prevent their rotting. A Museum Which Will Do Things But while these attractions make up the standing museum , they are not what the Museum stands for by themselves. Here , we are trying to create a museum which will do things, not just show things, and to this end we have started a number of spec ial events that will take our museum out of its lovely old building and into the minds of many people all around the United States. The first is the National Maritime Hall of Fame, which began in 1980 . A selection committee of sixty men and women from all over America picks one ship and one person associated with four different areas of maritime endeavor: the
A ten-ton bronze propeller from a World War II P-2 troopship is moved into position near the museum' s entrance.
... ...
SEA HISTORY, AUTUMN 1986
SHIP PORTRAITS
Great Lakes, th e inland waterways , coasta l shipping and deep sea . T his may seem weighted aga inst deep sea, but it is vital th at all hands realize th at we have a trul y national hall of fa me. (One meas ure of our success can be seen in th e development of the National Ri vers Hall of Fame at Dubuque , Iowa, which inducted its first class thi s spring.) Our Maritime Scho lar o f the Year, or Bowditch Award , is g ive n to a li ving person who had done much to pro mote th e maritime industry . Although the rec ipie nt does not have to be a student or a writer, the first two so honored have been just th at. They are C. Bradford Mitchell , who wrote We' II Deli ver , a hi story of the U.S. Merchant Marin e Academy and Cedri c Ridgely- Nev itt , author o f the mag nificentl y detailed book on pre-c ivil wa r passenge r vessels , American Pas-
senger Ships. Perh aps our most successful program-although it' s onl y one year o ldis our steamship line reunion. The firs t, held in the spring o f thi s year , honored the alumni of Moore-McCorm ack Lines , and it was a grand success with almost 150 alumni and th e ir fa milies coming from as far away as New Orleans to re new old fri endships and rekindle old memories. Among those present was Dick Shepard , who had served in a Mormac ship durin g the war, but who was covering the event as a reporter for th e New York Tim es. I as ked him to stand up and tell a bit from hi s memory bank . He described th e diffi c ult and very dangerous voyage he had made as a radi o operator in the Mount Evans . He had run into many problems because it was hi s first time in a ship and he knew very little about radi os. Hi s grand sense of humor had everyone roc king w ith laughter as he re lated his first shipboard ex peri ence as " Sparks." When he sat down , a chap onl y one row behind him stood up and addressed us all. ' T ve been wonderin g about thi s fellow for fo rtythree years. I was second assistant engineer then in the Mount Evans, and I remember he was always study ing languages. Radi o operators led a lonely life aboard and we all thou ght they were a little crazy , and I wondered what became of him ." As Shepard reported in th e Times the next day: '' I ex perienced one of th ose great moments of emotion that one so ra re ly encounters. I had told my wife I was going to cover the meeting as a Long Island event , that I doubted anyone would re member a nineteen-year-old kid who was not even a footn ote in the company hi story. I shook hands w ith my o ld shipSEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
mate. Hi s name was William F . Croly . ' ' Thi s coming fa ll , we are hav ing a reuni on of veterans of the Military Sea Transport Service (now known as the Military Seali ft Command ) to which we hope to attrac t even more alumni th an we d id at our fi rst such gam ! Thi s November w ill also see th e firs t of an annual seri es o f seminars on the reviva l of American coastw ise and inland waterways overni ght passenger services. Although thi s meeting is aimed at trave l writers in parti cul ar , to demonstrate to them the amaz ingly fas t-paced growth of thi s arm of our merchant marine , we do in vite the participation of anyone interested in the many passenger ships th at pl y our lakes, rivers and coastwi se routes. It is certainl y not just the technical end , the tonnages and ro utes of so many ships , th at we want to remember in the Museum , but the people, too , who sailed th ose ships and who made our merchant marine and our nati on great. If I can draw aga in on Dick Shepard , he best sums up the fee lings o f all who parti cipate in the purpose of the Museum when he writes, " At sea one does not li ke to have loose ends ly ing about , cert ai nl y not on a taut ship . On th at ra in y day in Kin gs Po int , it was re markable how many of those loose ends were able to bind themse lves w ith beginnings that seemed as good as new .'' And that is what the American Merchant Marine Mu seum is about , ra in or shine.
Mr . Braynard, Co-chairman of Advisors of the National Society, has been a member since the fo unding. He was also a fo under of th e Steamship Historical Society and South Street Seaport Muse um. He is the author of the six-volume Lev iath an: World 's Greatest Ship and other books.
The American Merchant Marine Museum is open to the public four days a week: Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 :00-3:30; Saturday and Sunday, 1:004:30. It is also open for group visits by appointment. Admission is free. To help the progress of the Museum, membership is invited, $25 for regular members, which entitles you to receive the bimonthly newsletter, The Manifest, and to discounts at the Museum's gift shop. For father information , contact the Museum at: US Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY 11204; 516 466-9696.
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The Case for Seamen's Recognition:
Reflections on Merchantman? or Ship of War by Rear Admiral Thomas A. King, USMS
Now in its fifth decade, the discussion continues about whether merchant mariners who were in active support of allied forces in World War II should be accorded the same recognition and benefits as veterans ofthe armed services. Charles D. Gibson, a licensed captain and scholar of the role of merchant seamen in the defense of our country, has just published Merchantman? or Ship of War (Ensign Press, Camden, ME, 214pp, illus, $20hb). What follows are thoughts on the book, and the subject, by Rear Admiral Thomas A. King, Superintendent of the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York. At a time when the conscience of America appears to compel recognition for so many who have been overlooked and whose lasting contributions to our nation and our society remain unacknowledged, author Charles Dana Gibson has surely struck a nerve with Merchantman? or Ship of War . Carefully , coherently and with meticulously crafted logic he builds the case for recognition of the unique wartime role of America's merchant mariners. Merchantman? or Ship of War focuses most sharply upon the seafarers who sailed World War Il ' s " bridge of ships " and whose sacrifices made victory possible. The book does more , however, in tracing America ' s reliance upon merchantmen back to the Revolutionary War, when merchant ships and those who sailed them were a significant portion of our fledgling nation ' s sea power. Author Gibson leaves scant room for doubt insofar as his thesis that in war the American Merchant Ma1ine is far more than simply another supporting component of our mobilized industrial complex. Mr. Gibson starts where others most often stop. Those others simply accept that in World War II the American Merchant Marine was nationalized and consisted of armed, public vessels. But Mr. Gibson most convincingly traces the historical acts of the United States and other world powers in defining the status-legally and pragmatically--0f merchant shipping in time of war. His case is far more reasoned than are the numerous ad hoc actions and decisions that fail to call the armed merchantman of World War II what it actually was. Consider the role of a shipmaster during World War II: He commanded a well armed ship with an assigned US Navy gun crew. He was ordered to supplement the Navy armed guard with his merchant crew , to fight the ship if attacked and , in fact , to assume that any hostile ship would attack and maneuver his ship to
18
Convoy PQ 18 under attack on Sept. 13, 1942. Derail of a painting by John Hamilton from his newly published War at Sea (seep. 41 ).
facilitate opening fire first. If necessary and possible, he was to ram and sink the enemy. His ship was totally engaged in transporting the muni~ions of war to America's armed forces through contested waters. The shipmaster's daily plots of the enemy sinkings of sister American merchant ships starkly confirmed that his ship was a target and that the enemy ' s men-of-war were dedicated to searching out and destroying his ship , his cargo and often his crew. When an American merchantman was routed by national authorities in convoy with other merchantmen , they were each locked into joint effort with accompanying naval forces. Like the navy ships , the merchantmen were subordinate to the senior naval commander. Ships in the convoy maneuvered together and opened fire on military command. When attacked by enemy submarines, surface ships or air force, the merchant ships took their fatal losses . As author Gibson brings out , proportionally more ships and mariners were lost from the merchant ranks than the Navy suffered from its own . An ironical circumstance is brought out in the book through comparison of civilian manned merchant ships with a good number of Navy- and Coast Guardmanned logistical support ships. By silhouette and often by full daylight observation, an enemy submarine commander could not distinguish between the naval ship and the merchantman. The two ships could be of the same design , painted the same, similarly armed and their actions and reactions upon sighting the enemy were identical. It would have been impossible for the enemy to pre-determine that one was a belligerent manof-war and the other a defensively armed- but non-combatant- merchant ship. The irony is complete when a judgment can pretend to be made four dee-
ades later saying in effect that the crew on one qualified for veterans' status but the crew on the other, composed of purely civilian , industrial employees, did not. The recent actions of the Department of Defense review board seem to say that the World War II merchant mariner in convoy on the North Atlantic was, at best , only in support of the military in the same degree as a factory worker at home. What the enemy submarine commander could or could not determine by periscope in time of war, is now irrelevant at a Washington desk or hearing room. Six thousand merchant mariners' life expectancy would have been greater if the enemy had the insight that has apparently developed , forty years late, in the peacetime deliberations of a review board. With equal insight, the submarine commander might have said ' 'this one is a man-of-war and I am entitled to sink it on sight , but that one is a merchantman and must be given warning and allowed to safely abandon ship prior to torpedoing." Six thousand casualties document the reality ... merchant mariners and military serviceman were equally in the service of their country and they paid with their blood for that patriotic privilege. My own experience-from cadet to shipmaster during World War II-and four decades of reading and thoughtful reflection, confirm Charles Dana Gibson's conclusion that World War II merchant ships and those citizens who sailed them were in this nation's service. They shared the risk and contributed to victory in a measure equal to those who presently are designated veterans. There is an injustice in the failure to recognize and to correct this, and Merchantman? or Ship of War documents that oversight and injustice for all who are willing to be instructed. J,
SEA HISTORY, AUTUMN 1986
"We Were All Young Then"
To the South Pacific in a Steam Schooner by Shannon Wall
In Sea History 38 we published Ed Zelinsky's account of sailing with war supplies in the steam schooner Esther Johnson to Australia and New Guinea. Here, Shannon Wall presents his own memories of a similar assignment. While Mr. Zelinsky went on to become a paint baron in San Francisco and, more recently, to lead an effort to bring the Gold Rush ship Vicar of Bray back to that city, Shannon Wall remained in the maritime industry and now serves the National Maritime Union ofAmerica (the NMU) as its president. In April of 1943 , a number of us who had just been paid off the Army Transport Troopship, Frederick Funston , were staying at the old Drake Wilshire Hotel on Stockton Street , just up from Union Square in San Francisco. A couple of young shipmates from the Frederick Funston-I guess we were all young then-came into our room laughing and carrying on. They had just shipped aboard an "old pirate ship , " which , we soon learned , happened to be the lumber schooner, the
Esther Johnson . They left to pursue their fantasies about wooden pirate ships never to be heard of or seen by us again. Covering our usual nightly haunts such as the Cirque Room at the Fairmont Hotel or the Top of the Mark, Carl Anderson, Murray Runstad and I put all this talk of pirate ships down to youthful imagination. They were I remember all of two or three years younger than us. A day or two later, funds running low , we went back to Fort Mason for subsistence and travel money due us and for another ship. Yes , the dispatcher said , he had one ship in port that had room for three ABs. Well by that afternoon we had our own pirate ship--the steam schooner Barbara C. She didn't look romantic to the three of us " old hands" as we stood looking at her with our seabags over our shoulders. She was old; she was dirty; she had been squatting on the mud flats of Alameda for years. But , we decided , she could still do the job that was required of her and that was to get lumber and piling to the war in the South Pacific. Besides , we suspected that she might not be worth torpedoing. So we signed on . Much of our itinerary paralleled that recounted by Ed Zelinsky in the Esther Johnson : San Francisco , Hawaii , Pago Pago, Australia and New Guinea. However, our shipboard experiences were quite dissimilar. We too had a street-car trolley type of lever that activated the steering engine. If my memory serves, it was the Chief Engineer who complained of the constant clanging , rattle and thumps of the steering chains as they passed through his cabin. Our Skipper's cabin was aft of the wheel house and his door faced aft, where he sat most of the time dreaming of another life . Coupled with the Chief Engineer's complaints was our own dissatisfaction with the lever steering arrangement. Because of the inertia of the magnetic compass , there was a pronounced delay in answering the helm. This-along with the steam engine ' s delay to the lever' s request, and the slack in the chain leading aft to the steering quadrant-prompted us to request the Captain to let us use the ship's wheel which was connected directly to the rudder. Permission granted , the Chief Engineer slept better and the Barbara C ceased her involuntary zigzag course across the Pacific Ocean. But all was not sweetness and light on the wheel watch . As the wheel was attached directly to the rudder , any wave action was transmitted directly to the helmsman. We rigged a stopper line from the deck which could be attached to a spoke of the wheel to take the shock of severe wave action . Still , I recall being driven to my knees every once in a while by rogue waves hitting the rudder. There were other times when two helmsmen SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
were needed to manhandle the wheel: the ki ng spoke was five feet off the deck. On the other hand , on most wheel watches a moderately competent wheelsman could handily balance the rudder with course to be steered and not have to touch the wheel for minutes at a time. I recall a dark , ca lm night with Murray Runstad at the wheel as we were heading for New Guinea inside the Great Barrier Reef for perhaps the third or fourth time . The Third Mate came in from the starboard wing to the chart room. Murray was out on the port wing. As the Third Mate returned to the wheel house he realized no one was at the wheel! Dashing into the wheelhouse grabbing for the wheel the mate collided with Murray and almost knocked him down. Sputtering " but , but , but ," the poor Third Mate finally got out, " But there was no one at the wheel." "I have been at this wheel all watch , mate ," Murray stated flatly. To this day the Third Mate probably still has some doubt as to his sanity that quiet night aboard the Barbara C . Our ship never sai led in convoy, but one experience between Hawaii and Pago Pago made me wish we had company. Plowing ever southward about two days out of Pago Pago the Chief Engineer gave orders to switch to the stern fresh water tanks. The engineers acco rdi ng ly shut down the forward tanks and opened the valves to the after tanks. Nothing happened. There was a whoosh of air and nothing else. Hurriedly they sounded the stern tanks only to get a dull thump at the bottom of the empty tanks . There we were over 400 nautical miles from Pago Pago , our nearest and only port for thousands of miles and NO WATER . Fresh water was never a problem in the Northwest lumber trade , so evaporators were not something lumber schooner crews worried about. We limped along barely making steerage way for a day or so. Then the evaporator gave up the ghost , never to be revived. Although under strict orders to maintain radio si lence the Old Man had to break them when the evaporators gave out. Thirty-nine lives , including the Army gu n crew , were at stake. But in spiie of breaking radio silence we drifted and wallowed for almost two days with no help or relief in sight . l don ' t know whose prayers were answered , but on the third day we ran into a tropical rainstorm. Luckily most of the crew had been sleeping on deck under tarpaulins stretched over the cargo booms forward. Water began cascading off the tarps and down the scuppers. In short order garbage cans , oil drums , galley pots and pans-everything we could get our hands onwas brought out to catch the rain. Bucket brigades fill ed the life boats and the engine room ga ng manned pumps from the life boats to the fresh water tanks. It was a wild scene as everyone, captain to ordinary seaman, chief engineer to wiper, chief steward to messman, sergeant to buck private , pranced naked on deck soaping, shampooing and washing while collecting every possible drop of water. Four days later we limped into Pago Pago. They had not yet sent anyone out for us: so much for our value to the war effort. Nevertheless for the crew of the Barbara C there never was a tropical island as beautiful as Tutuila in American Samoa 19
Master Mariners' Written Histories, A Proposal Capt. Harold D. Huycke Last year I had a small pa1t in helping a retired shipmaster get hi s autobiography edited , printed and illustrated . He is Captain Do nald Johnson , a long-time captain with Grace Line- now retired- whose seafaring career began in the mid 1920s on Puget Sound. Originally, hi s intent was to simply type and reprint hi s autobiograph y for his kids and grand-childre n. So we had a discussion at o ne of the monthl y meetings of the Council of Ameri can Master Mariners, and I said I'd root th rough my photos and other collecti ons fo r pictures of his ships. One thing led to another and I gave him a hand in editing the manuscript. Good photos we re found in local coll ecti o ns , and the manu script was fini shed on a word-processor, with the e nd res ult being a first -class job not o nl y for Captain Johnson and hi s fa mil y but for the readers a nd s ubscribe rs o f th e Sea Chest , the quarte rl y jo urn al o f the Puget Sound Maritime Histo ri cal Soc iety in Seattle. The broad subject of World War II ships and their operation over the course of the three decades followin g the war, has been on my mind for a few years. They are gone, and the generation of men who went to sea before World War II and are now retired is going the same way. It is inevitable that we will soon be looking upon the Liberty Ship sailor and even a steamship sea man as somethin g o ut of hi sto ry. Digging out hi sto ry whe n it is ma ny miles astern is an awful lot hard er , and less accurate, than preserving it with the partic ipants still at ha nd. Using Ca ptain Johnson 's example as a starting po int , I would like to propose th at a proj ect be
undertake n to acquire autob iographies by men of comparable ex perience fo r publicati o n. The idea is not compli cated: obtain auto biographies o f as many shipmas te rs as care to take the time to write o ut at le ngth all th at is pe rtine nt to the pro fessio nal a nd pe rso nal life they spe nt at sea. 1 quit go ing to sea fi ftee n years ago and already th e shape o f things is radi ca ll y diffe re nt. The mea ns o f nav igatin g th ese mode rn ships is c ha nging qui ckl y . Skill s required of th e seama n o f 1940 and 1986 are diffe rent- new skill s have take n over fro m o ld o nes . New pu sh-butto n skill s require a know ledge of which butto n to push and whe n . The needs of maintaining a bi gge r and fas te r ship are diffe re nt in many ways today th an they we re thirty o r fort y yea rs ago . The o ld ways are going, and with th e m the skill s and th e people who prac ti ced th e m. I e nvision an edito ri al progra m fo r a publi shed work o n the fo ll ow ing lines : A re presentati ve edito ri al board to revie w submitted manuscripts sho uld be establi shed with a fair mi x of seafarin g authors and expe ri e nced and kno wledgeable scholars of th e pe ri od . They should es tabli sh in adv a nce what cross section o f Ame ri can shipping sho uld be re presented. For example, three autho rs who spe nt time in the intercoastal service , ge neral cargo, lumbe r, steel a nd o il be ing th e re prese ntati ve commodities. T wo o r three in th e No rth American-Medite rra nea n and Transatlantic service ; two or three No rth Ame ri ca-South Afri ca a nd ro und -thewo rld ; Alas ka, So uth America (east and west coasts) ; Austra li a/New Zea la nd ; Far
To the South Pacific ... (co ntinued) and its port of Pago Pago. My most lastin g impress io n o f Pago Pago was of a yo un g native boy about nine years old wh o scampe red up a coco nut palm tree full y fifty feet o ff the ground and knoc ked down three coco nuts. The n , prying o ff the g reen husk with a sharpened sti ck stuc k in th e ground , he picked up a machete full y as tall as he was, lopped o ff the coconut top with three blo ws and ha nded us the cool milk y juice to enj oy. We were about fort y- fiv e days o ut of Australia . Landing in Sydne y , we worked our way up th e coast to Ne wcastl e, Bri sbane, Townsville , Ca irn s, and the n o n to Port Moresby, Tufi , Morobe , Lae and Fin schhafe n in steamin g New Guinea. There , ri ght in the midst of the war zone , a great USO troupe was entertainin g th e Gl s . We me t the m in man y of the front line ports. The troupe was led by the great Holl ywood star John Wayne . Years late r I ran into " The Duke " in Rome, and was able to express my appreciatio n , not only for hi s be ing o ut the re, but also for the great USO pe rformances. It was many months before we turned the Barbara C o ve r to the United States Arm y in Australia , and I ha ve ma ny me mories o f my time o ut the re, not just the endless days o f loadin g and unl oading a millio n-a nd- a-half board feet of lumbe r into a nd o ut o f the Barbara C. 20
East , inc lud ing pre-War C hin a, Japa n and Indi a; and Atla ntic , G ul f a nd Pac ific coastw ise shippin g. Emphas is sho uld be o n the eve ryday runnin g of th e ship , the headac hes , ru sty li fe boats, fi sh oil slo pped o n deck , color sche me a nd company colors, dri ving wedges to sec ure hatches , stow ing and sho rin g cargo, send ing seame n to th e marine hos pital fo r rea l and imag ined ailme nts, resc ue at sea, leaky do ubl e botto ms , los t deck loads and so o n . By what rul es we re dail y c hores o n a ship set? Wh at we re the hours o f wo rk , the rates o f ove rtim e- a nd fo r wh at kind of wo rk ? What skill s had to be learned , retained and practi ced by all me mbers o f the c rew? What was the foo d like? Who ra n the slop chest? Who made the coffee fo r the o n-coming watc h , and what was the ro utine of standin g watch? What was the effect of th e ri se and influe nce of th e licensed and unli censed uni ons? 1 be lieve that a primary qu ali ficat io n sho uld be a caree r which began some ti me before th e war. At the ve ry least , th e careers doc ume nted sho uld be th ose th at spanned th e steamship era and " breakbulk " mode l of ship , of th e 6, 000 to 12,000 Dwt to nn age ca pac ity , with o ld conve ntio nal cargo booms and steam o r electri c w inc hes. In othe r wo rds, and putting it simpl y , careers th at started befo re the container revo lution changed it all . '1i Captain Huycke , who spent most of his career at sea, is an advisor of the NMHS and active in the effort to save the schooner Wawona in Seattle (SH2 I & 22).
In Finschhafen we swam o ff th e ste rn in water that was too salty for the crocodiles and too fres h for the sharks. (We still pos ted a loo kout in the a ft g un tub with a rifl e to scare off th ose th at ventured too close.) At Lae, the re was " C harli e ," the Japanese Ze ro pilot wh o almost dail y came o ut o f th e sun low over th e airfie ld and did barre l ro ll s and loo ps before di sappea ring aga in bac k into the sun . He neve r bo mbed or strafed the airfield or the po rt and o ur P-38 pl anes , fas t but not so maneuverabl e, could neve r catc h him . On o ne occasion we were sent o ut of Po rt Mo resby to search fo r two navy sailors who disa ppeared fro m the ir ground ed vesse l during a salvage operati o n. We located them the nex t day on a re mote island . As th e loca l chie f came alon gside in hi s du gout canoe , our Chief Mate started to di spl ay hi s kn o wledge o f th e local pidg in Eng li sh: " Last moon two long pigs . . . " at which point the C hief ra ised hi s arm and said , in pe rfect O xfo rd Eng lish , " If you are re fe rrin g to the two Ameri can sa il o rs, they are in camp res tin g and doing fin e." Afte r almost a year in Austra li a and New Guinea we fin all y turned the ship ove r the Arm y, and we re shipped back Stateside in the Dutch troopship , Klip Fountain . We arrived in San Francisco fourteen months afte r we first signed on our "old pirate ship. " u, SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
Yankee Clipper's Wavertree Room The Yankee Clipper, one of South Street Seaport 's finest restaurants , recently dedicated an opulently refurbished room to honor the historic Wavertree , a tall ship now berthed just outside the restaurant's multipaned windows . The dedication of the Wavertree Room goes beyond its physical proximity to its namesake, however, for the room actually once served as the office of Baker, Carver & Morrell, general agents who represented the Wavertree in the
1800s. Seen left in the photo right is the President of the National Maritime Historic Society, Peter Stanford , presenting a commemorative print of the Wavertree which will serve as a focal point of the restaurant to Patrick Cooney, owner of the Yankee Clipper. Mr. Cooney, also a devotee of historic vessels , acquired the building as a gutted shell in 1982. Its interior has been entirely hand-fitted with solid oak panels, brass, leaded glass, antique fixtures and nautical embellishments throughout. The building was saved due to the National Maritime Historic Society's campaign to have it granted landmark status in 1972, as the only full-granite building of its genre remaining in lower Manhattan. Mr. Stanford indicated, " We regard it as a museum of its own." The room , according to Mr. Cooney, is intended not only to honor the Wavertree, but the scores of volunteers working tirelessly year-round to restore the ship and its many counterparts at the South Street Seaport .
4... ..A
~~to by Jerry Rosen, courtesy Port Authority of NY & NJ.
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- VIA PORT OF NY-NJ, March 1986
Corporate events in the grand style and elegant private affairs can be arranged aboard our traditionally-styled boats sailing out of South Street Seaport.
Pier 16, South Street Seaport Museum, New York, NY 10038 Telephone: 212 406-3434 SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
21
CHARLES ROBERT PATTERSON American Marine Artist
The Passage Makers image : 2 1 x 25%" Investm ent qua li t y limited edition print series
The Black Hawk image : 2 1 X 28"
of works by C h arles Ro bert Patterson . A lso ava il able is the grand Do wn-Easte r "Charles E. Moody" unde r fu ll sa il. Editi o n s limited to 950 hi ghest q ualit y, full -co lo r prints. Each numbered pr in t is now ava ilab le for $95.00. Bea utifull y m at ted (ac id -free ) in h andsome trad it io na l woode n fr ame (w/o glass ) fo r $325. 00. Order by pho ne o r mail for prompt shipment. S hippin g add $7.50 (unfra med) , $ 15.00 (framed).
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50 Year Old America's Cup Prints
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Marine transportation of petroleum and chemical products. New York harbor based tugs, barges, tankers. Shipside bunkering a specialty. 1571 Richmond Terrace Staten Island, NY 10310 Telephone: 718-442-1271 Shipyard tel : 718-273-8300 Dispatcher's tel: 718-442-1112 TWX: 710-588-4152
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We have acquired a limited number of Ernest Clegg's 1934 multicolor lithograph, A Chart of the Waters, from the 15th defense of the America's Cup by the J-boat, Rainbow These original, 50 year old, 22" x 19" prints are in mint, uncirculated condition. Each numbered print contains a capsule Cup history along with portraits of various defenders and challengers from America to Rainbow. $125 unframed postpaid; $195 gold frame, matted, no glass, postpaid.
Andrew Jacobson Marine Antiques Box 255, Arlington, MA 02174
617-648-5745
SEA HI STORY , AUTUMN 1986
Of Transom Sterns, Beam Trawls and Pinkies Remarks on the Work of John Groves by George F. Campbell , MRI NA When commenting on John Graves 's exSeparate traw l ropes were shac kl ed to cellent marine paintings (SEA HISTORY the lower part of the hoop bridles and 38) Robert Simper makes some surpri sthe who le cont raption dro pped overboard ing assertions regarding supposed artistic fro m one side. The hoops wo uld scrape mi stakes, on which I would like to coma long the seabed with the beam about ment from persona l ex peri ence. two feet higher, thus forming a long narThe boat shown in the " Famil y of row mouth to the net . The intention was to catch fl at fi sh such as flukes , plaice , Crabbers," which Mr. S imper supposes to be a pulling boat with a motorboat's so le, dabs, monk fis h and eels which tra nsom , wo uld be more correctl y ca ll ed habituall y lie on the sea fl oor. The smack had always to keep the net full by going simply a row ing boat. The square transom slow ly ahead, or against any current , and stem with its sculling ape1ture or row lock, was considered a " must" long before the it was imposs ibl e to change course withadvent of the motorboat. out los ing some contents of the net. How It is over sixty years since I he lped in fa r back in time thi s system goes, I don ' t my un cle's cutter-ri gged fis hing smack know , but some thirty-fi ve years ago in the Irish Sea and Mersey estuary when when I made some sketches and dimenwe used to bring ashore twenty or more sio ns of one of these iron hoops near boxes of fis h from the river moorings to Whitstable harbor, an aged local saw me the landing stage in such a boat. T he and commented that to hi s know ledge it boxes fill ed up our boarding boat (punt was well over 100 years old . or dinghy) nearl y two feet higher than Many fac ts about local craft of the past the gun wales and the onl y space left for have passed into obscurity unrecorded . propul sion was the tra nsom row lock fo r For instance, the pinky is well recorded stern scull ing and a cramped row ing poson the eastern seaboard of America. But ition up in the bow. It was a hairy experiit is not so well known that such craft ence at times in a six-k not tide. also ex isted in the north west coast of England. My uncle was nickn amed All sailing craft, oceangoing or coastal, Pinky , I supposed because of his comand indeed many steamships canied a plex ion. However, another re lati ve insmall transom-sterned boat with a sculling fo rmed me that it was because his first aperture which was very useful in a confi shing boat was a pinky. I well regested harbour or dock. Local fi shermen member seeing in the 1920s the hulks of usually acquired them for a few pounds two pinkies rotting away on the banks from breakers' yards along the coast. o f the upper Mersey. Of the many modMr. Simper next comments "one of ern books purportin g to describe all local the luggers appears to have a beam trawl craft anc ient and modern around the although in Britain this ri g was used onl y Briti sh coast I have never read any acfor drift net fi shing.' ' count of such craft and have onl y come For the benefit of American readers across one engraving showing them who may be misled by thi s statement I somewhere on the Cumberland coast. will correct it. Firstl y, I have yet to unFinall y, Mr. Simper comments on derstand how on earth (or sea) a drift net John Gra ves's picture of beached luggers could use a beam . Many a time have I that he never knew of Penzance luggers stood in the cockpit of the smack helping be ing hauled up on any beach . With the to haul aboard the heavy beam and a full flat beach depicted and a ri se and fall of net, by leaning across the side deck and tide of about l 5ft it would hardl y have gunwale, awaiting the rise of a swell to been necessary to haul them anywhere grasp a fi stful of netting. Once aboard , as they would remain wherever they the cod end was untied and the fi sh would grounded long enough to unl oad . As to cascade knee-deep into the cockpit ready them be ing clinker built with Penzance for sorting out on the opposite side deck . markings on the ir sail s, I wo uld g ive Mr. The beam consisted of two iron bridle Groves the benefit of some imag ination hoops shaped somewhat like a horse colin assuming that they were built e lselar, on the upper side of which a long where and re-registered in Penza nce-a wooden beam was wedged each end into not uncommon occurrence . w square or round hoops. Often the beam was a rough tree branch . The net was George Campbell , advisor of the NMHS , shaped as a Jong sleeve , tapered , which has served as architect of the Cutty Sark was secured to the beam along its upper restoration in Greenwich, England, and edge and its extremity was seized toof the Wavertree restoration at the South gether to form a bag: the cod end . Street Museum , New York . His book, China Tea Clippers, was reissued last year by Adlard Coles (UK) and Sheridan House, Dobbs Ferry, NY.
MUSEUM QUALITY
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OSMUNDSEN
LIBERTY'S RAINBOW Bas-relief medallion cast in Bronze, by the lost wax process. Wm. Barth Osmundsen's tribute to the " Parade of Sail" which honored the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. Featuring the fi rst three tall ships of the line; USCG EAG LE, DANMARK and Norway"s CHRISTIAN RADICH. This scu lptured relief captures th e spirit of this stirrin g event. " Liberty" is a sensitive depiction of Auguste Bartholdi's "'Liberty Englightening the World .. and like the m onument is fi nished in the familiar green patina. The torch and crown are well arti culated in a full 3-Dimension. The individually signed and numbered 14 inch bronze m edallion is carefully finished at every stage of the casting process. The three color, polychrome patina is applied under heat with chemicals which naturally react to the bronze. Ships are patinaed white; the rainbow & lettering a dark bronze. Hard wood framing is available in teak, white oak and mahogany. Th e sculpture is packed in a prese ntation crate and will be shipped free in the continental United States. Please allow 6-8 weeks fo r delivery. Introductory pricing thru Dec. 31, 1986: $750.
BRONZES FROM THE SEA, P.O. Box 61,
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011 Oc1ober 3, 1602 1he Dwch Ship Samson , leji, rammed and sank 1he Spanish Lucera- one of Spinola' s galley flee! harrying Brilish and Dulch shipping in !he Channel-in !heir jlnal 11igh1 aclion. Pas/el, 186 x 284 mm by John Groves. Below, in Augus/ 1704 the Swedish 56-gun ship O land, overwhelmed by an English squadron of eigh150-gun ships and a friga1e , surrenders dismas/ed and leaking ajier four hours of ballle. Oil , 188 x 280 mm by Alber/ Berg.
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SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
A Splendor of Ships, People and Their Voyaging Or How the Two Hundred Illustrations that Grace the Pages of The Maritime History of the World Were Chosen or, in Some Cases, Commissioned by Alex What an assignment! To weave into one tapestry the whole story of mankind's adventuring by sea. Large vision and a healthy, nay flourishing, ego are surely the vital pre-requisites of such an unde1taking, and these, the reader may be grateful, Alex Hurst brought to his task as co-author with Duncan Haws of the widely acclaimed Maritime History of the World. To cap the organization of a couple of lifetimes ofexperience, research and thought in well ordered prose, the two large-format volumes also present the story in paintings and drawings from masters ancient and modem. As readers of these pages are aware, Mr. Hurst has a.fine explorer's eye for marine art, and a vision formed in his own deep sea experience in square rig and steam. The result is a superb gallery of marine art incorporated in the book. How the pictures that got there made it (or were produced for the occasion) is described by the only person who could explain it, Alex Hurst. -ED. The chron ology of The Maritime History of the World spans some 7 ,000 years and embraces all aspects of maritime hi story . This does not impl y that it is onl y a hi story of the development of ships a lthough, inevitab ly , there is much info1111ation on this pa11icular subject, since it affected the central themes. The text tends to g ive greater prominence to indi vidual ships invo lved in battles and explorati on than in trade since , with relatively few exceptions , the legions of me rchantme n did not increase in size apprec iab ly until almost th e middle of the last
A. Hurst ce ntury , with the res ult that few stand out in their own right down the ages. Maritime hi story may be like ned to a cone , expanding its diameters as the world was discovered and ope ned up . The naval actions of the Second World War , for instance , eq ua l th e textual content of generations of Mediterranean history in antiquity. This was one consideration. Another was that, so far as possible , illustrations shou ld match the text in having an international flavour. Although great and abo11ive efforts were made to trace the work of ce11ain a11ists (Oswald Brierley's paintings of the Spanish Armada, for example) , it was felt that most a11 ists prior to the turn of th e nineteenth ce ntury were seldom satisfactory clue to the long-standing convention o f "painting what might be termed " putty" seas. For example , the sinking of the Kronan and immediate di smasting of the Svare/ off Oland may be regarded as one o f the more dramatic episodes of nava l warfare, yet the on ly picture of this event , already well known , is horribly stiff. This aspect apai1, we did not wish to include pictures which had already been reproduced in other works to the point of tedium. To overcome this , we comm issioned John Groves to paint a picture of thi s episode, together w ith others which are less commonly seen. How many people reali ze that Spanish ga lleys were operating around the Straits of Dover at the encl of the sixtee nth cen tury , let alone the dramatic final ni ght act io n between them and a co mbined Dutch and Eng lish fl eet') I doubt if anyone has
In late October 1568 the Dutch flee t is welcomed imo Copenhagen ajier a bloody encou111er with the Swedish/lee! at the Bc111le of" the Oresu11d. Oil by C. Ne 11111ann .
The Venetian P. Coronelli designed these camels ca . 1630 to overcome the draft problems of his port city. It was claimed that a loaded ship could be lifted eight (Venetian) f eet. The fleets of Denmark and Sweden engage each other in the Second Battle of Fehrman in 1644. Oil, 161 x 284 mm by J .C. Andresen.
26
seen such a picture before. Thus, for their unique interest, it was felt that pictures of this sort should take preference over more hackneyed subjects, however important they might seem to be . So we included the Korean tortoise boats routing the Japanese at much the same period together with details of the Battles of the Svold and of Salamis from the same hand. We went to Groves for these not only because he entered into the spirit of the enterprise but because we feel he outshines his contemporary marine artists in his figure work . Other artists helped with their work. Derek Gardiner's name needs no introduction and, if I mention in particular his magnificent painting of the Battle of Quiberon Bay it is because it must be one of the more faithful pictures of naval battles. As a rule, those artists who have portrayed close fleet actions have assumed that the scene was visible . Of course , this was seldom the case for, once the cannon in its varying forms took hold , the admirals often had little more idea what was going on than generals ashore , due to the pall of smoke which quickly obliterated the scene of battles. But Quiberon Bay was fought in a gale of wind and on a lee shore! This generation is fortunate in having a few marine artists whose work is in the top class and who do not play to the gallery by over-dramatizing their subjects (e.g. painting a clipper leaving South Street under all sai l! ). These are men whose ships sit in the water properly and who do their research before taking up their brushes. It was to some of these that we turned: Mark Myers whose inspired endpapers alone do much to trace the development of the ship herself; to C-H Friberg in Sweden, whose painstaking pictures reveal more under glass than the eye itself can discern; to Cdr. Rex Philips whose convoy scene gives a better idea of atmosphere than any photograph , and to others. It was not all plain sailing. Some pictures we simply could not locate. Indeed , they may no longer exist. The situation over the last century was eased by photography in some sense, and of course color photography on ly helped in the last few decades . Certainly the color photo of the last Atlantic
SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
Blue Riband holder, the United States, has a dramatic qu ality which few artists wo uld dare to e mulate . Thus, within the parameters of chronology, intern ati onalism , ava ilability and all else, it was impossible to be too objective, fo r the majority of entries in the C hronology were capable of carrying their own illustrations. Thus we foreswore people, whether ad mi rals, explorers or anyone else, since the potential was legion and no two countries would agree on those who should take pride of place . Yet, had we selected a fe w of the greatest or more important (and how controversial that short list would have been '), the choice would have been confined to that small selecti on of busts, portraits o r photographs which have already been reproduced ad nauseam . Too many considerati ons pulled in too many directio ns . If some specific scenes and ships are included it is because they are typical of their genre: if a C a naletto is included , it is because Venice played so great a part in hi story in those years when she dubbed herself La Serenissima and we did not believe we could improve upon it . If th ere is a sli ght weighting towards acti ons in the va ri ous Scandinav ia n Wars it is because they are less commonl y seen outside Scandinav ia . Albert Berg's painting of th e fi ght of the Oland off Orfo rdn ess has few peers, whilst Neumann 's portraya l of th e battl e-scarred Dutch fl eet entering Copenhagen has an atmos phere all its own . For years I have remained bewildered th at Admi ra l Jaco b Hagg's pictures, so hi storicall y acc urate yet w ith so light a touch , are little known by the world at large. If the inclusion of a few of them redresses th at balance to some extent , I be lieve it to be for the bene fit of all. All we kn ow may be a mere drop in the ocean of the hi story of mankind , yet a peri od o f 7 ,000-odd years was dauntin g enough. It extended from the log to th e super-tanker; from th e first gall eys to the nuc lear subma rine. S ince it was manifestl y impossibl e th at any mi x o f pi ctures could pl ease all the readers all the time, the aim was to please most of the m fo r most of the time, juggling with styles and subjects to th at end! w
S111eeps 111ere standa rd equipment in most 111arships and are being used here by the dismasted vessel in the fo reground to bring her head round and a/10111 her broadside guns to bear . From a contemporary engra ving.
The fi rst Swedish vessel to cross the Atlant ic was the Dutch-built Calmar Nyc kel , which brought settlers to the Delaware Ri ver and Bay in 1637. Couache, 137 x 190 mm by C- H . Friberg.
The Constitution Collection
STEAM ON THE RIVERS
The San Francisco Ship Model Gallery proudly announces exhibition of original art objects and collectables from the oldest commissioned warship in the U.S. Navy - The U.S.S. Constitution. Included in this rare display is a painting of Esek Hopkins, the first commander in chief of the U.S. Navy, which originally hung in the captain's quarters. Also offered will be an antique, museum-quality model of the Constitution and memorabilia from various "Old Ironsides" restorations (1858, 1927, and 1970-1975). This unique collection will be offered for sale in its entirety, or as one of a kind pieces, in the beginning of May. The San Francisco Ship Model Gallery 1089 Madison Avenue, at 82nd St. New York, NY 10028 212/570-6767
ST. LOUIS Marine art publishers of limited edition prints documenting the great riverboat era by Robert Sticke r, F., A .S.M.A. , the fast and able fis hing schooners by Thomas Hoyne, F.A.S .M.A. a nd our contemporary coast by West Fraser A.S .M.A. Call our toll fre e number for information regarding these series of fine prints . Color catalog $5.00.
PO Box JJOJ , Hilton Hcod lslnml, S.C. 29928 Tel: (80J) 681-1242 Toll Fr ee 1 (800) 992 -8356
DAVID THIMGAN - HISTORY RICH NAUTICAL SCENES FROM A BYGONE ERA * * * * *
Member of the United States Naval Institute Member of the National Maritime Historical Society Member of the American Society of Marine Artists Published in the "Dictionary of Sea Painters" Represented in the '85 "Mystic International"
Simic Galleries features more than 90 of today's finest contemporary artists: Montague Dawson, Mirich, Chapelet, Eugene Garin, James Fetherolf, Alex Dzigurski, Wendell Brown, Mario B. Simic, Anthony Casay, Dave Dalton, Maurice Meyer, Kresman, David Thimgan, Galien LaLoue, Cortes, Blanchard, Va/ere, Rigaud, Ribout, Dyf, Jean-Claude Guidou, Corsius, Claude Cambour, Greg Harris, Oorshot, Andre Ba/yon, Paul Moon, Jim Daly, Tom Darro, Diane Green, Van Beek, David Garcia, Elena Markov, William Slaughter, Bernard Wynne, James Verdugo, Robert Wood, Roberto Lupetti, Stanley Maxwell Brice, Maxfield Parrish, with many others.
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SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
MARINE ART NEWS Mystic Maritime Gallery's seventh International Exhibit opens September 28 and will run through November 18. The juried show , chosen by Thomas Bourne , of the Richard Bourne Co., auction house in Hyannis, and Duncan Robinson , Director of the Yale Center of British Art in New Haven , features seventy-nine paintings , drawings, sculptures and scrimshaw by sixty artists from the US , Canada and Great Britain. A catalogue is available for $3. November 23, the Gallery will open "Overseas Empire," which focuses largely on the maritime affairs and development of European colonies through paintings, sculpture and ship models. The exhibit will run through the new year. (Mystic Maritime Gallery , Mystic, CT 06355; 203 536-9685). Throughout his lifetime , and in the eighteen decades since he fell at Trafalger, the genius of Lord Nelson has held people in awe. This wonder , handed down generation to generation , is celebrated in The Mariners' Museum exhibit "Lord Nelson: The Immortal Memory," a collection of some 250 prints, paintings and objets which collectively show nearly every aspect of his brief but brilliant career. From expensive commemoratives to cheap curios, pieces produced while he lived or hawked today outside St. Paul ' s Cathedral (where he is entombed), one can see Nelson in heroic triumph or lampooned in his affair with Lady Hamilton; depicted on goblets or as a ci garette lighter. This most unusual view of England ' s foremost seaman is on view through 22 March 1987 at The Mariners ' Museum (Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606; 804 595-0368). Mark Greene died June 17 , after an eight-year bout with cancer. A founder of the American Society of Marine Artists, and steadfast supporter during its bumpy early years, he was the recipient of its first Iron Man Award. His art is distinguished by a visionary calmness and control, within which is contained a lot of inner drive and power. Mark's was a halcyon vision of the world of ships and seafaring . He rejoiced in the de licacy and strength of the sailing ship in all her incarnations: tall clippers , heavily sparred nineteenth century yachts, modern Cup challengers and defenders with their swelling acres of taut, gleaming Dacron sails. It all had a special quality, like the man himself, a quality not soon forgotten. J.. SEA HISTORY, AUTUMN 1986
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THE "URGER"-The familiar landmark N.Y. State Tugboat in the Upper Hudson River/ Erie Canal area was painted by noted maritime artist TONY J. CAPONE. A limited edition of 500 prints signed and numbered by the artist are available at $100. each . Prints are 20" x 2 7" on museum quality acid free paper. A truly fine addition to any collection. LIBERTY ART PRINTS
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Operation Education by Camille Freas and James Ean On 14 May 1980, the fifty-piece United States Navy concert band from Annapolis gave a once-in-a-lifetime perfonnance for the students of a high school in the South Bronx. In two brief hours, a relationship of respect , empathy and shared pleasure was evoked between the Navy and the community made famous as "Fort Apache." This was revealed through a deafening silence followed by a tumultuous ovation-a feat which bears need of repetition. This was the genesis of a three-pronged educational program called Operation Education: The Harbor Experience, an effort to bring together all the components of a model program translating the maritime tradition and its unique experiences into a tangible educational format for students. It began with a student version of an educational orientation visit to the Norfolk Naval Station by students from two outstanding New York high school s, Midwood High School in Brooklyn and Arts and Design in Manhattan . The students participated in a three-day visit which included living in barracks, using the facilities, touring the schools and visiting the ships where they could ask about related jobs and adventure. This aspect of the program was made possible by contributions from the New York Council of the Navy League of the United States. The second phase of the program was the establishment of a project called Technical Horizons for Youth , aboard the aircraft carrier museum , Intrepid. Under the direction of Camille Freas and with the encouragement of James Ean , students from Midwood, Design and Arts, and Seward high schools participated in a course in technical drafting given by Robert Freas , an architect and industrial arts teacher. Shortly after the program was begun aboard the Intrepid, students at the Park West High School lost the use of their training ship, the Liberty Ship John W. Brown. The students of the maritime
deck program were integrated with those of Tech Horizons already aboard the Intrepid with Capt. Anthony Litano as maritime instructor. The students of the maritime deck program were introduced to the essential up-keep of ships , concentrating on chipping and painting, general maintenance and e lementary engineering. Aboard the Intrepid, they used this practical education to help create their own classroom and work space. These two programs subsequently moved to Brooklyn College and the South Street Seaport Museum ship Wavertree with funding being provided by the Edwin Gould Foundation and Brooklyn Union Gas. A significant number of graduates from the maritime deck program have, in the past , gone on to attend both the Maritime College (SUNY) at Fort Schuyler and the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, and thence to become officers in both the merchant marine and the U.S . Navy . Such is the success of this program , in fact, that the National Maritime Union g ives a one-stop advance to all graduates entering the union. With the hoped-for return of the John W. Brown to the New York and New Jersey area this fall , it is hoped that the maritime deck program will continue at its fo1mer site. The broader educational aspect of the OpEd program is addressed through The Harbor Experience, which includes an introduction to maritime culture through visits to places of pote ntial employment in the maritime industry a nd related fields . These have included trips to tug and towboat companies such as Moran and McAllister, excursion boat operators and marinas , all of whom have a definite need for skilled, hands-on operations personnel. This aspect is not geared only to vesse l operations, however , and some students have been introduced as vo lunteers to administrative pos itions aboard the Intrepid thereby getting a tas te of
RepCica 15tfi Century Hand Compass Early mariner 's compass in fine woocf case. Hana macfe 15tfi centw;y reprocfuction in cfarli Stained W00U. 3 aia. 2 1/z 11 li01i, witli remova6le (icf. Great 9ift ... even for yourself. A fine co(lecti6(eji-om: I
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Studems learn drqfting as par! of the OpEd program that combines classroom work with shipboard training.
marketing, public relations , membership drives and dealing with the public and patrons of the museum. The thrust of Operation Education is to provide students with a sound educational experience in an environment that is conducive to learning and which leads to meaningful economic independence or furt her educational opportunities when they have graduated . The maritime experience has provided this in the past and can do so in the future. With ongoing support and new ideas from participants and other contributors, Operation Education wi ll continue to provide young people with a contemporary maritime program relevant to today 's opportunities and challenges.
Before developing the OpEd program, Camille Freas was a bi-lingual counsellor at Phoenix House, and a teacher at the Convent School of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd and at high schools in the South Bronx. Jam es Ean, formerly president of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, currently serves as vice chairman of !he National Maritime Historical Society. Operation Educalion is a recognized projecl of the NMHS , and any inquiries or suggeslions can be forwarded 10 the Society, A!tention: OpEd. Contributions should be made out to ' 'NMHS - OpEd.'' SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS Currentl y at the Naval War College Museum (Founders Hall , Coasters Harbor l sland , Newport , Rl 02840; 40 I 84 1405 I) are two very worthwhile ex hibits .
" The Commodore and the Shogun: Matthew C. Perry and the Opening of Japan, 1853-1854" celebrates the people, ships and cultures o f what is stil l regarded as the most importa nt peacetime nava l mi ss ion in Ameri ca n d iplomati c hi story. Here, one gets a fee l not onl y fo r the parti cul ars o f the treaty negoti ati ons, but fo r the nearl y fa ntas ti c diffe rences between th e navy of the a ntebellum United States and the martia l spirit o f samu ra i Japan. These diffe rences are dra maticall y ju xtaposed in tw o sets of views o f the occas ion - prints by Peter B. H. Heine (who illustrated Perry 's three-volume report of th e mi ss ion) a nd a collecti on of panoramic scrolls whi c h offer the contemporary Japanese view of Ameri cans in their country.
"America 's Mosquito Fleet: PT Boats in World War II " is a coll ecti o n of photographs, arti fac ts, manuscripts and im prints acquired, fo r the most pa rt , fro m members of Peter Tares, the PT Boat O fficers Assoc iati on. The ex hibit concentrates on the fo ur major theate rs of operati on in which PT Boats were acti ve (the Ph ill ipines, the Solomons, the Mediterranean and the Eng lish Channe l), as well as on the development o f the motor torpedo boat. Both ex hibits w ill be on view throu gh the end of the yea r.
The fi rs t International Register of H istoric Ships Update has been re leased by Norm an Bro uwer, author of the work co- publi shed last year by Sea Hi story Press and the Naval In stitute Press. The Update includes ten changes of status, five deletions-three ships scrapped , two scutt led-and twenty- nine additions to the Register. Those interested can obtain co pies o f the Update by sendin g $2.50 to the NMH S, Attn: Update. Those pu rchas ing the Register from the Society wi ll rece ive the Update at no additional cost. Further in fo rm ati on on cand idates fo r the Register can also be add ressed to Mr. Bro uwer in care of th e Society . Commi ss ioned at San Francisco in 1895, the armored cruiser USS Olympia (Brouwer, p260) ga ined swift renown when she led Commodore George Dewey ' s victori ous squ adro n aga inst the Spanish fl eet at Ma nil a Bay in 1898 . After serving as flags hi p of the Caribbean Division and later as a trai ning ship fo r Naval Acade my midshipmen , she was reti red as a barracks shi p in 19 12.
* All references to "Brouwer" refer to Norman Brouwer' s Intern ati onal Register of Histori c Ships, Sea History Press , 1986.
Duri ng Worl d War I , she sailed patro l duty in the North Atlantic and the Medi terranean, and she returned to the US bearing the remains of the Unknown Soldier from France in 192 1. She th en lay in th e Phil ade lphia Navy Yard until acquired for restoration as a national monument by the C rui ser O lympi a Assoc iati on in 1957. In 1983, fo llowi ng the acc ide ntal death of a deck hand, a j ury fo und the Associati on gu ilty of neglige nce and awarded th e man's fam il y $250,000, a cl aim not covered by the Assoc iat ion's insurance. When the fami ly attem pted to attac h the ship , the Navy intervened, citin g that the possible sale o f the Olympia woul d not be in accordance with the restri cti ons imposed on the origi nal transfer of the crui ser to the Associat ion. Granted an extension by the courts, the Assoc iati on is making headway in ra isi ng the necessary funds to honor their debt. Major fu ndrais ing events are sched uled for the fa ll , inc lud ing the Association 's annual "n ight under the stars" aboard the Olympia. Yo ur support and in terest w ill be warm ly rece ived by the Associat ion (PO Box 928, Penn 's Land ing, Phil ade lphi a , PA 19 106; 2 15 922- 1898).
HMS Rose, a reconstru cti on of th e Briti sh ship that blockaded New po rt , Rhode Island , in 1775 (w hich acti on led to Pro vidence's petiti on to the Cont ine ntal Congress fo r naval relie f; see "Stephen Hopkins," p46), has late ly undergo ne an extensive restorati on. Orig inall y built fo r John F. Mill ar in 1970, she passed th ro ugh a success ion of ow ners before being acqu ired by Kaye Will iams of Brid geport , Connecti cut. Wi th the HMS Rose's restorati on nearl y com plete, W illi ams plans to sa il the vessel in sail tra ining, with operati ons sched uled to begin in the spring of 1987 . (HMS Rose Foundation, Captain 's Cove Seaport , 1 Bostwi ck Avenue, Bri dgeport, CT 06605 ; 203 335- 1433.)
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SEA HI STORY , A UTUMN 1986
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June 4 saw the launching of the 72ft pungy schooner, Lady Maryland , on Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The mainstay of the Chesapeake cargo and passenger trades throughout the nineteenth century, the shoal draft pungy retained a highly designed but anachronistic form until outmoded by trucking early in this century. Lady Maryland, the first pungy built in decades, will be used as a floating classroom for students to learn about loca l maritime hi story, the complex ecology of the Chesapeake env ironment and , of co urse, sai l training . The program is administered by the Lady Maryland Foundation ( 1444 World Trade Center, Baltimore , MD 21202; 301 837-0862).
Welcome, a replica of the Revolutionary War British sloop which plied between the Straits of Mackinac and Detroit , will undertake her first extended voyage next year. Commissioned in 1980, the 55ft topsail sloop has been used primarily as a standing exhibit at Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan. The Mackinaw State Park Commission , Welcome's owners, would like to see her sai ling in Lake Huron and Lake Michiga n next year in commemoration of the sesq ui cente nni a l of the State of Michigan. In addition to their other preparations , they are looking for a licensed captain and qualified crew for the voyage. Those interested should contact Keith Widder , c/o Fort Michilimackinac , P.O. Box 873, Mackinaw City , Ml 49701; 616 436-5563 . The
MARITIME INDUSTRY MUSEUM at Fort Schuyler Ded icated to preserving th e history of the Inte rnational Merchant larin e, promoting its current activities, and prepa ring for its future . Loca ted in historic Fort Sch uyler on the SUNY Maritime College campus, Throgs Neck section of The Bronx, NYC ity. Open Saturdays 9 A.M.-4 P.M. Sundays Noon - 4 P.M. (212) 409-7200 32
was built in 1881 as a steam schooner for trade between Oree:on and Californi a. She was sold out of that work for serv ice as an Arcti c wha ler and rerigged as an auxiliary brigantine. The first American whaler to winter over in the Beaufort Sea, she had a record breaking cargo$400,000 worth of wha le bone-on her first voyage. Having no tryworks on board , she cou ld take no oil. The Hume later served as a cannery tender and then as a log tug on Puget Sound until retired by the Crowley Maritime Corporation in 1977. She is now owned '-'
Drawing br William Gilkerson from American Whalers in the Western Arct ic, bv William Gilkerson and } 0'111 R. Bocks/Oce (Fairl;a ve11, Mass .: Edward J . Lefkoivicz . Inc., 1983).
by the Curry County Historical Society (920 South Ellensburg Ave ., Gold Beach , OR 07444; 503 247-61 13) who , unable to afford a proper restoration , are anxious to find her a new home. At the prompting of the National Maritime Museum 's Karl Kortum , the Nautical Heritage Society of Dana Point, California-owners of the training ship, Californian-have undertaken to find new owners for the Hume in Southern Ca liforni a. Readers are invited to offer their thoughts or suggestions as to how the Hume can be saved, either to the Curry County Historical Soc iety, or the Nautical Heritage Society (24532 Del Prado , Dana Point , CA 92629; 714 661-1001).
Sailing Ships & Sailing People: Seafaring Throughout the Ages is the title of a conference scheduled for 14-21 January 1987 , at Perth, and jointly organized by the Australian Association for Maritime History, the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology a nd the University Extension of the University of Western Australia. Dedicated to the memory of Alan Villiers, the forum will include speakers from around the world, sem inars and group discussions focused on the role of the sailing ships and their owners, commanders and crews in world hi story . Further information on this venture , which coincides with the America 's Cup races, is available from The Director , Sailing Ships and Sailing People , University Extension , Univ. of Western A ustralia , Nedlands 6009, Australia . This year's American Sail Training Association annual meeting will be he ld November 20 and 21 at the Viking Hotel in Newport, Rhode Is la nd. Owing to the success of last year's progra m, the conference will have a numbe r of workshops in which participants can focus on specific aspects of sail-training program desi g n and implementation . Fees for the conference are $35 for members, $50 for nonmem bers. (Add itio nal tickets can be purchased for $ 10 less .) Friday evening there will be a banquet followed by an illustrated lecture. For details , please contact Kris Mann , ASTA, Newport Harbor Center, 365 Thames Street , Newport , RI 02840; 401 846-1775. The Ocean Schools Foundation is holding a conference on sailing school vesse ls, October 2-3 , in Durham, New Hampshire. Joinin g in this effort are the Sailing School Vessels Council and the American Sail Training Association. More than ten tall ships will be represented in the first day's presentations, devoted to life aboard the ships; the second day will take up curriculum development. Registration: $50. Foundation, 25 Woodman Road , Durham, NH 03824; 603 868-2718. The Kendall Whaling Museum (PO Box 297 , Sharon, MA 02067; 617 7845642) hosts its a nnu al Whaling Symposium , October 18-19. Among the speakers is Jules Van Beylen , director emeritus of the National Maritime Museum of Belgium (at Antwerp) and a specialist on early Netherlandish watercraft. Dr. Van Beylen will discuss aspects of Dutch whaling in the seventeenth and e ighteenth centuries. Kansas City, Missouri , will be the SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
NEWS ve nue o f thi s year' s National Trus t for Historic Preservation Conference , October 15- 19. Of spec ial interest will be reports on the eva luati ve in ventory of maritime resources be ing undertake n by the National Trust, the Nationa l Park Serv ice and members of the maritime preservation community. For in fo rm ation , contac t the Trust' s Maritime Division, 1785 Massac husetts Ave nue, NW , Washington, DC 20036; 202 673 -400 0 . Nove mber 7 and 8 , M ystic Seaport will hold its sixth annual Symposium o n Southern New E ngland Marit ime H istory , inc ludin g talks on "Shipping of the Port o f Prov ide nce " and " Ri c ha rd Henry Dana: Seamen' s Lawyer" amo ng others . Reservation s can be made through the Curatorial Department , Mystic Seaport Museum , Mys tic , CT 0635 50990; 203 572-07 1 I . SPECIAL EXHIBITS The Mary Rose exh ibition curre ntly tourin g the US (see SH37) , will be at the Florid a State Museum in Gainesv ill e , FL 326 11 from mid-November to midJanuary. Call or write for exact dates and location (tel: 904 392- 172 1). The S mithsoni an' s exhibit , " Magnificent Voyagers: The U.S. Exploring Ex pedition , 1838-1842" (see SH 38) contin ues at the Na tional Mu seum of Natu ra l Hi sto ry through November 9 , then moves to the Ind iana State Museum (202 North A lbama St. , Indi anapolis , IN 46204 ; 3 17 232- 1637) February 7 - May 3, 1987. A co llection of Winslow Homer 's wate rco lors (see SH39) will be at the Ya le Uni versity Art Gallery ( 1111 Chape l St. , Ne w Haven, CT ; 203 436-0574) September I I-November 4 .
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the life of the river. (See Ms. LopezMena ' s testimony in SH37: 17.) " To those of us who knew him ," concluded Mabie , " Bill made his comer of the world Immeasurably richer by his presence. " Sterling Hayden Mastheadman aboard the Gertrude Thebaud in her 1938 race against the Bluenose , mate aboard Irving and Exy Johnson's Yankee in her world-girdling voyaging, OSS agent in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia in World War II , historian , novelist, drunkard and raconteur sans parei 1, as well as a noted movie actor, Sterling Hayden slipped his cable on May 23 after a long bout with cancer in his Sausalito home . (He lived there, in Connecticut, and aboard a barge in Paris in his later years, and also, incognito, in the Meyer's Hotel in South Street while he was writing his massive novel Voyage.) Three years ago he visited Gloucester, where he had grown up in the roughand-tumble of the fisheries and where he is remembered with respect, and he sat reminiscing with the Gloucester historian Joe Garland . "I see Piney," he said, meaning Ben Pine, the Thebaud' s famous skipper. " I see O'Toole [his pal Larry O'Toole]. I see the Taybow [the Thebaud]. Gone . Damn it. All gone. " The Johnsons , our Chairman Emeritus Karl Kortum , your president , all who knew him, remember the grandeur he found in ships in the man himself. His stormy , heroic, tremendous life is ended now, and his name sits secure with that of Piney , O 'Toole, the Taybow ... '' Gone , damn it. ' ' But never to be forgotten among sai lormen. C. Bradford Mitchell Brad Mitchell , widely known in New York shipping circles and among steamship aficionados across the nation , died February 23 at age 78 . An early member of the Steamship Historical Society and sometime editor of its journal Steamboat Bill, Brad's genial but sometimes caustically witty presence was felt at the helm of the American Merchant Marine Institute and in work done for the Institute of Marine Underwriters, American Salvage Association and kindred bodies. A full list of his published work is given in the Summer issue of Steamboat Bill, where , as elsewhere, his authoritative knowledge and always helpful outlook will be missed . An appreciation of the life of Captain Armin Elsaesser appears on pages 3637, and of the marine artist Mark Greene on page 23. PS SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
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Pride of Baltimore: To Teach as well as To Inspire by Armin E. Elsaesser III-
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The words above were written by Armin Elsaesser of the Baltimore Clipper Pride of Baltimore on the eve of the 90ft topsail schooner's departure from her home port for the Pacific Coast in 1982. Captain Elsaesser died at age 41 on May 14 this year when the ship, on her return voyage from a triumphal European tour, was overwhelmed and sank in a squall of hurricane force north of Puerto Rico. With him were lost crew members Barry Duckworth, Vinny Lazzaro and Nina Schack. Armin was a first-rate , admirable skipper, and we have great respect for the people who designed , built and sailed the Pride. We think the best tribute to the ship and her people is to publish her skipper's testament on why she was built and how she was sailed in the nine short years since her launching on the Baltimore waterfront on May 1, 1977. In the war of 18 12, the remarka ble earl y success of a small , enthusiastic naval fo rce was augmented by a group of sw ift " Baltimore_-bu ilt" schooners and brigs . They were -designed and built with the ex press purpose of speed and di spatch. Size and cargo carrying capacity were a liability to vessels transportin g small , high-value shipments_ Quickness and maneuverability ensured survival. By mid- 1814, the " persiste nt, noiseless" British blockade was so effecti ve that even this fl ourishing , governmentsanctioned private enterprise was brought nearly to a halt. Nevertheless , a di stincti ve regional vessel type had evo lved which inspired the idea of speed under sail and which influenced progressive sailing vessel des ign many years hence. Howard Chape lle fe lt that " ... the Baltimore C lipper will always remain the type representati ve of the highest development of small sa iling craft , as built by American builders. " Unobscured by romantic fa ncy and hi storic hyperbo le, pri vateering ge nerall y was not profit able_ And although the Briti sh merchant fleet suffered signi ficant losses , it survived . Perh aps more important , in retrospect, was the rise of a di stinct, creati ve achievement in ship des ign which was highl y admired on the Continent and whose audacio us success gave at least a psychological boost to a brash young Republic seekin g identity and independence_ The stunning visual impact and thrilling perform ance satisfi ed an infatuation for beauty and speed . D. Calhoun helped to de fin e the impact o f those sharp model schooners in The Intelligence of a People: " The fas t smuggling ships and privateers that Americans had begun to build even before the Revolution, and that had reached their highest state during the Napo leonic wars , di splayed a problem-solving and produc36
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Captain Elsaesser at far right with crew members aboard the Pride of Baltimore at Hamburg, Germany. Photo by Ma rtin Brinkmann.
ti ve capacity to all the wo rld . Shipbuilding proved the American mind ." It was pri vateering and the vessels that served in that trade which wo uld turn out to be Baltimore ' s greatest contribution to maritime history . Chapelle specul ated on the difficulty and validity of technical and practical analysis o f ship types and fo rms from evidence other than the ships themselves . Would we ever be able to do more than " visualize the long black Baltimore model schooner under a cloud of snowy whi te canvas reaching across the wind ?" Would we ever feel the thrill o f dri ving thi s " light weather fl yer . .. calculated for extraordinary sailing?" There is evidence that a true Baltimore Clipper, Vigilant, survi ved as late as 1928 serving fi nally as a packet between St. Thomas and St. Croi x. Until 1977, she was the last vesti ge of thi s di stincti ve and significant Ameri can vessel type. In February o f that year, the topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore was launched . The details of her inception and construction are already well known to the readers of thi s publication _ She would serve the city as a sailing symbol of the vital role Baltimore had played and continues to play in the course of A meri can maritime commerce . Let' s look at the
value of Pride in another dimension: that of a tra ining platfo rm for the practice and pe rpetuation of nautical skill s and as an acti ve, sailing reminder of the ex plo its of A merica ' s ri ch maritime heritage . O n Pride we are committed to an authe nti c ri g tempered onl y by safety considerations. T hat means that she is properl y equipped with modern navigationa l gea r, a n auxiliary engine, and some synthetic standing and running ri gging. But her appearance and shape as a representati ve , peri od , sharp-built schooner has in no way been altered . It has evolved in some small changes in ri g as we learn some of the secrets of sailing thi s once extinct type. She is maintained in the traditional manner using materials which, over time , have proven effective. A loyal, hard working, profess ional crew of twelve keeps her in fi rst-class condition. In May of 1982, crewmembers and fri ends of Pride celebrated her fiv e years of acti ve , successful sailing; proving, I think , that properl y managed reconstructions o f significant , historical vessels can work . This is a valid approach to maritime preservation which should seriously be considered in a time when the fund of unrestored , hi storicall y significant vessels is nearl y depl eted , and the cost of restoration is so prohibitive. Perh aps the most important consideratio n here is the fac t that a ship reconstruction has no intrinsic value as a hi stori c vessel, thus she can be sailed actively . There are man y dimensio ns to thi s, since a working vessel serves more fun ctions than a static display. For example , over forty people have sailed as paid crewmembers on Pride-* Admittedly, thi s is not a large group . Neverthe less , access to sailing aboard a large tradi tio nal vessel is available and that number wi II continue to grow . Personal reactions to that service are ex pressed firsthand to many others by di scuss ion, photographs and narrati ve. A progra m has been instituted to introdu ce inex perienced Baltimore City res idents of vari ous ages and backgrounds to that unique opportunity of sailing as crew on a Baltimore Clipper. This program promi ses to increase community invo lvement and support of the ship in a dy namic , individual way. In addition, the reconstruction can be a learning event in itself. It serves as a foc us for interests and talents within the maritime community as well as within the community at large. Thus , Pride has served to perpetuate traditional sailing , seamanship and boatbuilding skill s and has exposed crewmembers to the ri gors *Thi s article was written in 1982. SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
Pride dances away into the sunlight under a cloud of canvas. She's on the West Coast trip to which Captain Elsaesser was lookingforward when he wrote these pages . Eager hands, at left , became a disciplined, hardy crew in this long-distance deepwater voyaging. Here they' re about to send a yard aloft.
and exhil aration of the sea li fe. Important , too, is the body of info m1ation we are gradually gathering on the handling and performance of this li vely, fragile, nineteenth-century sailing machine . We are learnin g some of the ad vantages and di sadvantages of natural fiber materi als, the specifics of a traditional rig, and the consummate skill and vigil ance required to safely sail this extreme schooner. An acti ve vessel inspires her crew and is constantl y and properl y looked after. She will escape the ravages of the envi ronment which are so destructi ve to static vessels. There is a pride of association and serv ice which will never be fe lt fo r an inactive ship. A sailing vessel generates continuing interest in her schedule and operations . The capti vating profil e of Pride under full sail is seen th roughout the city as a constant vis ual reminder to the people of Baltimore of the ir schooner. She stimulates much local media coverage as well as numerous stories, articles and photographs at her many ports of call , reaching people beyond counting. On a broader scale, it is estimated that half a million people have actually boarded Pride to appreciate a workin g vessel and to admire an impress ive ri g and a level of crafts manship rare ly seen today. In some cases, cost may be a significant factor. It might cost less to build than to resurrect. Also, expenses may be offset SEA HI STORY , AUTUMN 1986
by the carriage of cargo, sail trai nees or passengers, souvenir sales (substantial in the case of Pride), rentals for receptions and o ther events, and movie or adverti sing contracts, all without compromi sing the integrity of the ship . Is such a program feasible fo r other communities?-Emphatically, yes ! But the fo llowin g g uide lines sho uld be con s idered : • A large vessel may be more dramatic, but ultimately it is not des irable . Costs are simply too great. It seems that lOOft, more or less, length on deck is a manageable size. Moreover, this size encompasses the majority of distinctive regio nal types which , until the earl y nineteenth-century, tended to be relatively sma ll vessels. • The ship should be historicall y significant to the area; perhaps a small whaling o r fi shing vessel, a packet or coastal trade r , professionally designed and historically accurate . The reconstruction sho uld be thoroughl y documented by film , photographs, perspective drawings and a construction log. This acti vity is not o nly a good educational exercise, but will create a valuable resource bank of information . • Funding must be adequate and available for planning and construction and the initial periods of operation . A realistic plan should be adopted right at the start to clearl y define the mission of the ship, her operating area, income producing poten-
tial, continuing funding and goals. • Her operation may be regulated by the US Coast Guard. They should be consulted at the outset, in any case. It is vital to the success of the ship that the efforts and intentions of the naval architect, the planning group and the Coast Guard are coordinated and clearly understood. • The ship may be unique, but she must be profess ionally operated by competent crewmembers who have a special appreciation fo r the care and attention required of a traditio nal ship . • The importance of continuing, e ffi c ient and knowledgeable shore support can hardl y be overemphasized . The ship and her crew require dedicated admini strative and logistical ass istance that onl y an office as hore can pro vide. And those staff personnel must have an understanding of, and be sensitive to, the peculiar and incessant demands of a working, sailing vessel. In a time when spiraling costs and a shi ft in values conspire to threaten maritime preservation, reconstruction of a significant regional sailing vessel may be a viable alternati ve to restoration, if, in fac t, a hull ex ists. It is a direction in the field which has proven successful Bluenose, the charter schooners, the growing acti ve sailing fleet at the Rockport Apprenticeshop, and which emphasizes a most vital aspect: perpetuation of skills. For what good is an artifact or a technology saved if it fa ils to teach as well as inspire? ,i, 37
Meeting Ultimate Violence at Sea Pride of Baltimore driving along under a press of canvas. The lack of reserve buoyancy forwa rd is vividly apparent in this photo taken from the jibboom by G reg Pease .
Warren Eginton, father of John , the mate on the West Coast trip which Captain Armin Elsaesser was looking forward to when he wrote the article on the preceding pages, noted of Pride's behavior in stormy weather encountered on this trip: "She came through intact, even though often the crew on watch would observe the jibboom go under and wait nervously and hopefully for it to come up again. " As we all know, there came a day when Pride's jibboom dug in and did not come up again, as the vessel was laid over and driven under in a squall of overpowering violence in May this year, with the loss offour lives including Captain Elsaesser's. The circumstances were similar to those in which the bark Marques went down off Bermuda two years before, with even heavier loss of life. Risk is inherent in navigation, but it is our mission not to court risk but to control it. Below, three distinguished practitioners give their views on improved safety in the face of conditions of ultimate violence at sea. Axes and Signals In view of the recent loss of Pride of Baltimore, your editorial on safety under sail in the spring SEA HISTORY was tragically well timed. It is quite true that nobody can plan and drill fo r every possibility and, if they could , the right lesson might not come to mind in the confusion of dire emergency. Captains and crews do their best, and even so can be overwhelmed by circumstance . They have been for centuries. It seems to me that only one negative comment could be made about the Pride's loss , that the two EPIRBs* were stowed below where they were of no use to anyone. I am a great advocate of the use of EPIR.Bs. Although in this instance I doubt that any of the lost lives might have been saved by their proper stowage and deployment , there is no question that aircraft from Puerto Rico could have been overhead in less than an hour after the sinking had an EPIRB gone off. I would also comment to all sailors of square-rigged and replica vessels that their ancestors kept sharp axes stowed in handy places along their decks , as shown in many photographs. These were not fire axes . They were to cut away sheets, or even shrouds if necessary, to save the vessel in the event of a sudden knock-down . *Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon .
38
This is not to suggest for a moment .any criticism of Pride's crew , which was fllfstrate. She was always in good hands and was always a credit to those who designed , built and sailed her. It is merely to suggest that others might be able to modi fy or adopt certain procedures that could contribute to future safety, as more and more men and women seek adventure at sea under sail. It would be useful if the old-timers would pass along to the youngsters more of the tricks of the trade, perhaps published in the form of a modem Sheet Anchor. THOMAS FRENCH NORTON Ch ief Executive Officer Signal Technologies Group, Inc . Annapolis , Maryland
No Recovery from Downflooding Yo ur ed itorial " Co nt ro llin g Ri sk at Sea " (S EA HI STORY 39, Sail Training) was most appropri ate and I wa nted to address a few points that are worthy of careful cons ideration. No matter how experienced a skipper or crew may be, there will always be times when there is enough weight in the wind to get the vessel over around ninety degrees . The important thing is the ability to recover from extreme angles of heel. And it seems quite easy to sell the need for secure ballasting that will provide the ability to right from an extreme knockdown. But along with thi s, attention must be paid to minimi zing-and hopefu ll y e liminating- the tendency to downtlood . The obvious way to accomplish this is to keep the necessary deck openings absolutely on the centerline and as narrow as they can be . I continue to be shocked at the lack of attention paid to this essential characteristic. It is frequently overlooked in favor of ventilation . However, that can be dealt with by having better-than-average, well trapped cowl ventilators-also on the centerline. It appears that in several cases, the desire for fresh air below has lead to dangerous arrangements as far as hatches and hatch covers are concerned . It is not good enough for a skipper to be very careful about securing portholes and hatches to prevent downflooding. Rather, openings which can contribute to downflooding must be permanentl y tight. There is no point in havi ng e no ugh secure ballast to recover from a knockdown if you take in so much water that the stability rapidl y becomes ineffective. RODER ICK STEPHENS . JR ., President Sparkman & Stephens , New York
What We Have Forgotten Early in the research we performed in support of modified Coast Guard stability regulations for Sailing School Vessels it became obvious that, in the design area of appropriate proportions of hull , ballas t and ri g size , more has been forgotten in the past 100 years than remembered for midsized and larger vessels . It is important to understand that a successful " historic" vessel type was not a stroke of luck but the result of carefull y considered modification of what had worked and what had fa iled , with consideration of the serv ice and the level of safety then acceptable in that service , and of the manning and experience leve ls employed in that service. It cannot be taken as a given that all larger sailing vessels are, or were, noncapsizeable . Many types are capsizeable; but the rig evolved for them was proportionately smaller than might be expected (in the absence of pressing contrary service requirements). As we were searching for acceptable stability minima one truth that emerged is that the primary stability fa ilure for the midsized and larger vessel is the sudden and unexpected squall that is too much for the sail be ing carried. In that situation , seldom encountered , the vessel ro ll s down to an extreme angle of heel in a period of time too short for any crew intervention . The vessel might be knocked down to nearly " fl at in the water" and then give the crew a chance to intervene, or the squall intensity might abate . Otherwise , the crew intervention , or the passage of the event, may take place too late to save the ship . PARKER E. MAREAN III , President Woodin & Marean , Inc. Wiscasset, Maine
MR. FRENCH was for years editor of that remarkable boating magazine The Skipper. He keeps, thank heavens, a keen eye on the sailing field in general and the Society in particular. MR . STEPHENS, another old friend, is of course the one and only ''Rod,' ' the outstanding sailing yachtsman of our time , whose firm has designed race-winning boats for well over half a century now . MR . MAREAN leads a younger firm of naval architects who have conducted a computer analysis of vessel characteristics enabling comparison to be made between vessels that had problems at sea, and vessels that overcame the problems. SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
THE BOOK LOCKER
Aye, Gordius! -
A Tribute to Clifford W. Ashley by Brion Toss
The Ashley Book of Kn ots, by C liffo rd W. Ashley, has bee n continuously in print fo r 42 years, has so ld over 175 ,000 copies and still e njoys a steadily climbing sales trade. As its author observes in an introd uctory essay, " The urge to write a book is nowadays accepted as ample excuse fo r any delinquency." But no other knot book has achieved anything like the success of Ashley' s. It is a warm, concise, readable and authoritati ve encycloped ia of 3,854 lovi ngly depicted knots. The Intern ati onal Guild of Knot Tyers (IGKT) , a London-based organizati on devoted to the preservati on and increase of knot knowledge , has 28 1 me mbers in 20 countries . The members are seri ous ligaturi sts who know of-or have writte nevery worthwhile word on knots. Ashley's is their bib le. So whe n Geoffrey Budworth , edi to r of the Gui ld ' s quarterly newsletter, " Knotting Matters ," suggested an As hley ti e-a-th o n , the response was immed iate and e nthusiasti c. The scope , vo lume and technical challe nges whic h the book presents are so great th at an atte mpt by a n individual to ti e everythin g in it co ul d take months, eve n years. (As hl ey spent forty years co llectin g kn ots, eleve n years writing the book and draw ing the illustrati o ns .) But a ti e-athon would allow membe rs to contribute according to the ir spec ialti es and spare time, to an ex hibit which wo uld de mo nstrate to th e publi c kn ottin g's ri c hn ess and var ie ty, and a lso pay ho ma ge to th e ir mas te r. The site chosen for the eve nt was the Inigo Jones-des igned C harltow n Town Ho use, a 379-year-o ld , 3-sto ry , brick and sto ne building near Greenw ic h. Its third fl oo r is a maze of rooms large a nd small. On 2 1 June, most o f th e rooms, as well as the lobby , were full o f knots and knot tye rs. Eric Franklin , a professio nal magician since we ll before Ash ley's was printed , discussed the design of Chinese Priest Cords while cas uall y fli cking overh and knots , one handed , into a length of string. Vernon Hughes, hi s copy of Ashley 's on a music stand , finished up the very diffic ult Solid Sinnet chapte r, whi ch begins with a 6-strand braid , triangul ar in cross-section , and fi nishes with a 6 1-strand Pe ntalpha . Des and Liz Pawson, whose ropework li brary surpasses even th at of the National Maritime Museum , are proprietors of Footrope Knots. They suppl y many guild me mbers with books , tools, materi als and encouragement. J. Fletcher turned o ut grommets, short , lo ng, eye, and tail splices of wire rope , and had the bandaged fingers to prove it. Geoff Budworth described an example SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
of urban rope usefulness: " My VW was s lo wly sliding down an icy London hill . I jumped o ut and managed to bring it to a s top, the n he ld on with o ne hand while I reached unde r the bo nne t fo r the towrope with the oth er hand . I made a bowline around the fro nt bumper , slipped and stumbled uphill to a la mppost and took a turn , then slow ly eased away, letti ng the car slide into a parking space. It was at a n ang le to the pier- I mean c urb--so I got o ut anoth er line, warped in the stern a nd made all fast." John Smith delivered an analys is of the re lati ve security of several bowline vari ati o ns, including a crowd-pleasing Flying Bow line. He then demonstrated 1wen1yone uses fo r hi s favorite knot , the Pile Hitch . Professor Harry As he r demo nstrated how a n inte rmedi ate stab ili zi ng knot makes for a more eas il y adj usted a nd carri ed Jug S ling. Desmond Mandev ille , lately retired from the Foreign Office , explained hi s Alphabend , a knot code comp lete w ith le tters, punctuation marks and arithmetical fun cti on signs. Mr. Mand ev ille is also the inventor of Tramb les (" tu c king ramb les"), in whi ch a s tartin g kno t suc h as a Reef Kn ot is progressive ly a lte red to fo rm a n o rde red seri es o f vari ati o ns, each a legitimate , use ful kn ot in itself. The va ri ations proceed , Bach- like, further and further fro m the startin g th e me, yet always in relati ons hip to it , before returnin g, by an e ntire ly diffe re nt seri es , to the original knot. And Neal Pawson , twe lve-year-o ld so n of Des and Li z, de mo nstrated a ropemak ing mac hine of hi s ow n design w hich he made fro m Lego parts. Hi s piece de resista nce fo r the day was a 2ft length of 1/4 in. di a mete r , 4-strand , cablela id rope, a constructi o n in which each of the strands is made fro m a smalle r 4-strand rope, which in turn is made of le ngths of twi sted line n yarn. Neal knelt befo re hi s brightly colored machine , ri g ht hand on the crank whic h twi sted the strands, left hand on the fair lead , or "gate," wh ic h regul ated th eir conjoinm e nt , attending to hi s task with the sere ne concentration of a koto player. * These tyers and hundreds of other tyers , tourists and members of the press c1w.vded in among knot-laden tables SUITOunded by Ash ley ' s button knots, turk 's heads, ring hitc hes, mi scellaneous hold fasts , tricks a nd puzzles, odd splices, lashings , slings, mo nkey ' s fists and chest beckets. They compared tackle confi gurati ons, speculated on the limits of careless bell ropes and traded stori es of struggles with the in fa mous Ashley's index.
But perhaps the most significant thin g about the event was its air of refinement and innovation, its lack of orthodoxy. Near the e nd of hi s book, after describing what surely seems to be every conceivable convo lution of line, Ashley writes that "There are still old knots th at are unrecorded, and so lo ng as there are new purposes for rope, there will also be new knots to discover." In this spirit , Guild members gathered, hands full of cordage , to discuss procedures, material s and applicati ons of which Mr. Ashley had never dreamed . They turned the ex hibit into an adventu re, demonstrated the surpri sing vitality of their ancient art, and by surpass ing him , gave their teacher the greatest possible tribute. w
Mr. Toss , a native of Kentucky, has practiced this "ancient art" for nearly two decades. Now a resident of Maine, he helped rig the Eli ssa, and authored the recently published book, The Ri gger's Apprentice, reviewed in SH 40. The Ashley Book of Knots is still in print, published by Doubleday, New York , and available for $24.95hb . For further information on the International Guild of Knot Tyers , write Geoffrey Budworth, 45 Stanbourne Way , Upper Norwood , London SE19 2PY, England. Rare and Out-of-Print Books
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*The koto is a long Japanese zither having thirteen silk strings .
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REVIEWS
War at Sea, 1939-1945, John Ham ilton (Sterling Publi shing , NYC ; Blandford Pr. , Dorset , UK; Ca pricorn Link , Lane Cove, NSW , Aus. , 1986 , 272pp, illus , maps, $49.95 hb). John Hamilton' s paintings , as gathered in thi s magnificent volume, convey vivid images of ships in act ion in all oceans in what all mu st hope is the last of th e great world wars . From the gall ant sight of the Ajax and Achilles steami ng into ac tion aga in st the Graf Spee , battle fl ags streaming at the peak , to U-boats be ing harri ed in th e bitter Battle of the North Atlantic (which the auth or-artist ri ghtl y declares at th e outset was the critical arena of th e whole war at sea), or a corvette standing by a stricken tanker, or a horror-struck torpedoed merchant seaman hunched over, alone , on a drifting raft , Hamilton encompasses the full range of the war at sea. The written narrati ve is clear, strai ghtfo rward and fact ual, mak ing an understated seamanl y accompan iment to these terrible sometimes inspiring scenes. The war is long over now , and in another few decades , it will slip over the hori zo n of living memory . It should never be forgotten, however. This powerful testament will help make sure th at its terrors, its sufferin gs and destructi ons and moments of hero ic performance will live on for th ose who escaped its ex perience. PS
Icebound: The Jeannette Expedition's Quest for the North Pole, by Leonard F. Guttridge (Naval Institute Press , Annapolis, MD, 1986, 336 pp, illus, $23.95hb). In the late nineteenth century, there were few secrets of geography so impenetrable as the nature of the Arctic's North Pole. Theori es of the day held variously that the Pole itself was ice-free; that it was warmed by them1al currents from Japan; that the Arctic Ocean was an enormous glac ial continent. Numerous major expeditions were launched amidst great fa nfare, and all were defeated--often at terrible cost- by the Pole's indomitable sentries: excruciating cold , treacherous weather and , worst of all , impassable icepac ks. By far the gravest threat to any expedition was to be trapped in the ice , isolated in a bleak and unforgiving wasteland , with dwindling supplies and dwindling hope for success. It was these rigors th at the 420 ton bark Jeannelle face d when she left San Francisco Harbor on Jul y 8, 1879. Her destinati on was th e North Pole by way of th e Bering Sea , her nobl e purpose , in SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
Captain De Long ' s words , ' ' to determine laws of meteorology, hydrography, astro nomy and gravitation , reveal ocean c urrents, develop ocean fis heries , discover lands and peoples hitherto unknown , and by ex tending the world ' s knowledge . . . solve great prob lems important to humanity ." The expedition 's more profane purpose was to boost the circulati on of the New York Herald, which financed the trip and had exc lusive rights to its story. (The Herald had also backed Henry Stanley's wildly newsworth y search for Dr. Livingstone in Africa.) T hrough the influence of the Herald's owner, Ja mes Gordon Bennett, the US Navy was induced to put its own considerab le reso urces behind the Jeannette exped ition , whose departure fro m San Francisco that summer day was celebrated by much of the city ' s population. Here was an unprecedented opportunity for the United States to win th e North Pole , the press shrilled , an ac hievement that would be th e " event of the century. " Leonard G uttrid ge ' s Icebound: The J eannette Expedition ' s Quest for the North Pole is the story of the Jeannette' s spectacul ar fa ilure to achieve any of its stated goa ls, and of the unre lieved misfo rtune which dogged the trip from th e o utset. Guttridge re lates in heartbreaking detail the escalating seri es of miscalculations, mi sunderstandin gs and mi shapsand appallingly bad luck- which doomed the expedition. The first blow came when the Jeannette was imprisoned in the ice- pack early on, even before reaching Wrangel Is land , the gateway to the Arctic. And the pack they were caught in was drifting south . The Jeannelle was found to burn too much coal. There was a shortage of wa ter. The maps were inaccurate. The nav igator we nt blind from a secret illness. There were regular equipment fa ilure s . And still the Jeannette remained locked in the ice. In 1880 , Captain De Long wrote despondently: " The knowled ge th at we have done nothing [i s] alm o st enough to make me tear my hair in impotent rage." In the end , the Jeannette spent an inc red ible two winters trapped in th e floes befo re th e ice finally crushed and sank he r earl y one morning. The party retreated in three small boats toward Siberia in an increasing state of desperation and disarray. The final outcome of the ex ped ition was so shattering that a nava l enquiry was convened-and devoted the greater part of its energies to suppress ing its findin gs . Guttridge does a fin e job of recreating th e drama of the Jeannette fiasco , and
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TI-IE WOODEN WORLD An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy By N.A.M. Rodger Focusing on the British Navy during the Seven-Years War (1756-63), this study provides an in-depth look at life aboard an English warship during the mid- eighteenth century. It covers a wide range of topics, including the place of children and animals in shipboard life, toed and health practices, the incidence of mutiny and desertion, and more. 466 pages. 11 appendices. Bibliography. Glossary. $21.95
ICEBOUND : The J eannette Expedition's Quest for the North Pole By Leonard F. Guttridge This riveting account of America's unsuccessful quest for the North Pole in 1879 and the cover-up that followed reads like a gothic mystery, with a cast of true-life characters usually encountered only in fiction. It reveals for the first time the full impact of the ordeal suffered by the men of the Jeannette. an ordeal unmatched in the annals of polar exploration. 296 pages. 39 illustrations. Bibliography. Index. $23.95
NICHOLAS POCOCK, 1740-1821 By David Cordingly This handsome volume describes the life and work of one of the greatest figures of eighteenth-century English marine painters. A practical seaman who made painting a second career when halfway through his life, Pocock found that the technical knowledge of shi ps and the sea that he gai ned in his years as a sailor formed the foundation upon which his drawings and paintings were based. 128 pages. 84 black & white and color illystrations. 2 appendices. Bibliogaphy. Index. $ 18.9~
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is parti cularl y adept at portraying the deteriorating re lati onships of men dri ve n almost mad from fr ustrati on and d isa ppoin tment. Wi sely, he lets the ordea l unfo ld w ith onl y an occas iona l portentous foreshadowing of events. The true achievement of De Long and the members of hi s crew was the fo rtitude and resolution with which they met each success ive d isas ter. G uttridge rightl y concl udes th at it is th is hero ic spiri t which won these men their pl ace in the hi story of polar ex pl orat ion. HAL FESSENDEN Mr. Fessenden has had a long fas cination with marrers polar and recently returned from a trip north of the Arctic Circle. Australia's Maritime Heritage, Graeme Andrews (Cro marty Press, Sydney , 1984 , 88 pp , illu s, ÂŁ5 pb (incl. sea mail postage). O rder d irect fro m the auth or, 5 Kent St. , Epping, NS W 2 12 1, Aus. Mr. Andrews has produced a comprehensive and well illustrated guide to the mari time heritage of Austra li a and Tasmani a . In addition to larger vessel s such as the barks Polly Woodside and James Craig a signi fica nt number of nava l craft are included , and mention is made of the goodl y number of surviving paddle ships which once were the princ ipal fo rm of transport on Australian ri vers and in major harbours. The book is di vided into two sections, the first dealing with museums , educati onal fo undati ons and sim ilar hi stori cal preservati on soc ieties, whil st the second part contains an alphabeti cal list of histori c ships which have survived . With 1988 marking the anni versary of the arri val of the First Fleet from Brita in , wo rld-w ide interest in Australia ' s hi story and maritime heritage is bound to develop extensively. Thi s little book will provide an excellent handbook to the Austra li an scene , and is to be recommended to sea histori ans everywhere. JAMES FORSYTHE Majo r Forsythe is Hon . Secretary of the World Ship Trust. P acific Marine M useums a nd Dat a / R esearch Cen ters, Lynda ll B. and Do nald A. Land auer (I nst. fo r Marin e Info rmation, Pasadena, CA , 1985 , 247pp , illus, $ 19 .95pb). From the Maritime Museum of Singapore, to the Pratt Museum in Homer, A laska, and from the Museo Nava l at Valpara iso to the Seto Inl and Sea Folk Hi story Museum in Takamatsu , Japan, thi s first effort to bring between two covers a cata log ue of the enormous interest in maritime heritage around the Pacifi c Ocean is a remarkable undertak ing.
Li sting 175 maritime museum , oceanographi c institutions and marine collections , this is a very good compi lation of mariti me ac hievement in the Pac ific, and what is being done to remember it . LI NCO LN P. PAINE T he Du tch Republic a nd t he Hisp anic World , 1606-1661 , Jonath an K . Israe l, (Oxford Uni versity Press, NYC, 1986 , 478 pp, illus, $54.00hb/$ 19.95 pb). It was in 1605 that th e Dutch overran th e Moluccas and by do ing so captured contro l of the spice trade. By 1661 the government at Madrid needed Dutch support so much th at it agreed to abo li sh th e Sev ille Admiralty, or Almirantazgo , which had been effective in contro ll ing illicit trade. The United Provinces had become a world power, the Spanish Habsburgs the "sick man of Europe ." The intervening years had seen tru ly a world war, in which the Dutch acquired T aiwan and Cey lon , and fo r some years had contro l of Braz il. But th eir West India Company was never entirely successfu l; nor we re th e Spanish always losers. Their pri vateers, operating out of Dunkirk and later Ostend , took hundreds of Dutch vessels in a good year. On land the enemies were not unevenly matched , until th e rebelli ons in Catalonia and Portu gal in 1640 broke the wi ll of Phi lip IV and hi s mini ster Oli vares . This monumental study is based on the Dutch, Belgian and Spanish archives as well as on English diplomatic dispatches. Dr. Israel is a bit too enthusiastic about hi s discoveri es; no other serious student of the seventeenth century would argue that " it was not in any sense a war of religion. " Of course it was. But it was also an economic and naval war of astonishing complexity and importance, and Israel has performed two notable serv ices : one in di gging the material out, and another in putting it all together so well. STEPHEN B. BAXTER Dr . Baxter is Kenan Prof essor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill . Cham pion of Sail : R . W. Leyla nd and His S hipping L ine, Dav id Wa lker (Conway Marit ime , London; Sheridan House, Dobbs Ferry, NY , 1986, 19 1pp , ill us, $32hb). Imag ine if you were looking into yo ur great grandfa ther's business in sailing ships in the last century and learn ed , in midstride, th at one of hi s ships had most improbab ly survived , and had not onl y survived but was be ing restored in a big city museum! That 's what happened to David Walker, looking into R.W . LeySEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
land 's shipping activ ities in Liverpool , when he learned that the Ley land ship Wavertree was being restored at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York. That fact lends an extra excitement to th is chronicle of a nineteenth-century Liverpool magnate and his ships. The fate of the ships of the Leyland line is traced with care , together with the complex economics of their bui lding and sa iling, laws uits over sailors' rights, a nd the way of life of a rich merchant family in Liverpool. Gorgeous photographs of the ships, caught in various parts of the world, and richl y detailed scenes of famil y li fe augment the sense of real presence one gets from Walker's careful documentation of other days and ways. A final chapter records the who le career of the one survivor of the Leyland fleet and pays fittin g tribu te to the latte rday shipping- man who leads the restoration: " It is through lsbrandtsen and hi s no-nonsense attitude that the restoration of the Wavertree has fina lly got moving. " The author' s writing seems stra ined on occas ion , but hi s convict io n shines through it and the reader comes to share hi s absorption in the saga of a once-great shipp ing family and the so le PS survivor of their fleet. Friendship Sloops, Roger F. Duncan (International Marine Publ., Camden, ME , 1985, 208pp , illus, $35hb) . These lovely traditional vessels, usl!all y around 30ft in length , often gallantly rigged out with clipper bow , eagle figurehead and sometimes (riskil y) a fitted topmast, were a vanishing breed after World War II in the Maine waters where they had flouri shed. They seemed a mythic type from another age, and one regretted the ir passing. Duncan , a true devotee of the type , here goes beyond the myth to search out the derivation of the type from earlier Muscongus Bay sloops, and the changing design ideas , reflected in the bi g fi shing schooners of the late 1880s and '90s , that led to the Friendship-with her high , sharp bow , backed by a heavy hull with lots of heft to it, wh ich "cut through the sharp chop of a smoky sou'wester," as Duncan observes with verve and authenticity. Design and bui lding techniq ues are discussed with anecdote and word-of-mou th memories , a rlenitude of ill ustrations and a list of a ll known members of the fam ily of Friendship sloops-which today is not a dy ing but a growing breed. Oh yes , the " ri sky " topmast: The working boats sent up the topmast only in summer weather, but the boats in trade that relied on tons of rock ballast when not loaded with salt SEA HISTORY, AUTUMN 1986
1987 Tugboat Calendar Thirteen 8 X IO Quality Pictures of Contemporary Boats $6.95 plus $1.00 postage and handling. Wash. residents add 58< sales tax. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. HARBOR IMAGES, P.O. BOX 11 76, RICHLAND, WA 99352
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was keen and filled with many exciting aspects; shipwreck was common. This book contains much valuable reference material with respect to the schooner barges, their builders and the companies who owned them.
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43
REVIEWS cod or cordwood, could be unstable when yachtsmen took them over and drove them as one would a racing yacht. The work ing boat sailor knows just what his craft will take, he ' ' nurses her along . '' The new boats, born as yachts, have outside ballast. PS
Pacific Schooner Wawona, HatTietTracy
An American Treasure The Hudson River Valley photographs by Ted Spiegel text by Jeffrey Simpson 8-1/i'' x ll"/ 139 color photos clothbound - $29.95 paperback - $14.95 The spirit of America's most fabled Valley is now captured in a new book of color photographs published by Sleepy Hollow Press . From the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, to the stunning natura l beauty of the Adirondacks, Ted Spiegel has photographed ''America's Valley," a place of beauty and history where, in Jeffrey Simpson's words, " much of America comes from and the pl ace to wh ich-in a day or two's drive-we can go home again." To : Sleepy Hollow Press c/o Sleepy Hollow Restorations 150 White Plains Road Tarrytown , N .Y. 10591. Please send me ____ clothbound copies or paperback copies of An American Treasure. Ship to - - - - -- - - - - - .Street or box - - - - -- - - - City _ _ _ _ _ State __ Zip _ __ MasterCard or VISA (circle one). Number _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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DeLong (Doc umentary Book Publ. Corp, Be llevue , WA , 1985 , 158pp. illu s, $29. 95hb/$ I9. 95pb). Taking th e three- masted schooner Wawona and her builder, Hans D. Bendixsen , as points of departure De Long traces th e development of schooner design and trades in the Pacifi c Northwest from the late nineteenth century throu gh the 1940s. Proud , stout-timbered ships these were- Wawona still is, though she has great needs for her continued preservation- bui lt of Douglas fir for the lumber trade and the Alas ka fisheries . Drawing on first-hand accounts and journals , log books , contemporary periodica ls , and books , as wel l as photographs assem bled from thirty-o ne public and private coll ection s, De Long lets the ships and the men who built and sa iled them te ll their own story. Virtually no aspect of the ships ' lives is neglected , from the fe lling of the trees th at built or were transported by them , the finances of the home office and the ports of call to the marketing of codfi sh. One can only wish th at th ere were more authors (and publishers) who could present the history of regional shipping with such a warm balance of visual aesthetic and clean writing as De Long has. LPP
from New York to Brazil were never wide ly publi shed. Voyage of th e Liberdade has been obscure also. The Aquidneck business, in which the Captain had to use his carbine to quell a mutin y, shows Slocum 's mettle in an incident wh ich he did not inc lude in hi s books. Teller gives a brief biography of Slocum , and his commentary is helpful in illuminating the Captain 's voyaging. My on ly criticism of the book is that it does not inc lude the Fogarty and Varian drawings which gave the early ed itions of Sailing Alone so much chann. R OBERT C HAPEL
Mr. Chapel is editor of Lines and Offsets.
St. Johns River Steamboats, Edward A. Mueller (E .A . Mueller , 4734 Emp ire Ave, Jacksonville , FL 32207 , 1986 , 2 19pp, illus , $29.40hb/ppd). Written in an easy and familiar sty le, St. John 's River Steamboats traces the development of steamboat na viga ti on o n Florida 's larges t river in hi stories of a doze n or so sh ips that plied th ese placid waters. Although the focus is on th e St. John ' s, the narrative follows th e careers of the sh ips themselves, many of which worked as ferr ies or exc ursion boats in the north and served the St. Johns on ly durin g th e touri st season . The gun-running exploits of Captain (l ater Governor) Napo leon Bonaparte Broward and hi s tug , Three Friends , prior to the Spanish-American War are a good read. Of particular interest are the author's comprehensive listing of passenger and cargo vessels, tugs and miscellaneous steamers through 19 10, and the period photographs. LPP
The Voyages of Joshua Slocum, ed. Walter Magnes Teller (Sheridan House, Dobbs Ferry , NY 1985 , 40 1pp, $24 .95hb). Walter Teller, we ll known as Slocum 's biographer, first brought out this book twenty-seven years ago, but without Slocum's letters relating to the loss of the Aquidneck on a South American sandbar. In the preface to this new edition Teller writes that in the intervening years the most significant gain has been the "i ncreasing acknowledgement by serious commentators that Sailing Alone Around the World is one of the great books of American literature." Teller quotes Robert Fou lke who wrote, "Although he lacks the metaph ysical exuberance of Melville or the brooding sensitivity of Conrad , [Slocum] does impart a c lear Yankee sense of seeing things as th ey are ." Sailing Alone is by no means Slocum ' s on ly work , although it is certainly his best. But except for the ori ginal, very small runs , Rescue of Some Gilbert Islanders and Voyage of the Destroyer
Tall Ships on the High Seas, Beken of Cowes (E.P . Dutton, NYC, 1986 , 224pp, illu s, $35.00hb). For a hundred yea rs three generations of the Beken fami ly ha ve produced unequalled photo documentation of the great ships of our times. This coffee-table volume in magnificent color, is a tribute to the camera aitistry and love of ships of the younger Bekens. The accompanying narration, however, leaves much to be desired. With its man y typos and poor writing the text seems to have sailed by the editors. Partic ul arl y disturbing was the failure to keep up-to-date on vesse ls' names, ri gs and ownership . Yet time wi ll ease most of these shortcom ings, and Tall Ships on the High Seas will end ure as a handsome photographic record of the efforts to preserve and re-create the Great Age of Sai I. GERARD R . WOLFE
Gerard R. Wolfe has written a number of books and articles on New York. SEA HISTORY , AUTUMN 1986
QUERIES I wou ld be very grateful for any in fo rmation about the exact location a nd present conditi on of any burial grounds in the approaches to New York which have the graves o f Roya l Navy personne l inte1Ted ashore in the e ighteenth century . My pa1ticular interest is those who died of an epidemic aboard the HMS Corn wall in 1778. In that ship 's journal, the commanding officer records that a marine major, two midshipmen and twenty seamen or marines were buried on Staten Island , the ship being anchored off Bluff Point; and that later the purser and three seamen were buried at Newport, Rhode Island . A new fri gate named Cornwall is now building, to be completed next year. S he was launched last year by HRH Princess Diana, who is Duchess of Cornwa ll as we ll as Princess of Wales. CoR. J.R. S. E GLEDUE 22 Orleans Road Twickenham , TW 1 3BL Eng land For a book I am writing about the blizzard of 12 Marc h 1888 I am look in g fo r photograph s of th e storm. There were many shipwrec ks up and down the coast and some 200 lives were lost at sea o r aboard
beached vessels. S hips at New York docks were sheathed in ice , and the East Rive r was so jammed with ice fl oes that people could wa lk across it. There were many shipwrecks in Long Is land Sound , at Sandy Hook , at the Delaware breakwater in Lewes and o n C hesapeake Bay. I wou ld be grateful fo r photocopies or descripti ons of any ava ilable and pictures.
twenty). On 2 1 June 1777 he became master of the privateer sloop Black Joke (o r Jack; eight cann on , fo ur swive ls; crew of twenty-five). Captain Polk was killed in acti on with British warships off the Virginia coas t in December 1777. KEAN DEGNON
2 195 Widgeo n S treet Winston-Sa le m , NC 27106
MARY CABLE
18 10 Calle de Sebast ian, J-2 Santa Fe, NM 8750 1 We are trying to organi ze a ll the Patrol Craft (PC) sail ors of World War II and th e Ko rean War fo r a possible sq uadro n . We wou ld apprec iate hearin g from any and a ll Patrol Craft sa ilo rs. WESLEY JOHNSON
6484 North Park Ave. Indi anapo li s, IN 46220 TOM G AFFNEY
195 W hipple Street Manchester, NH 030 12
I am wri1ing a book abo ut Ameri can-built sc hoo ne rs that are ali ve and sailing today. This is a n atte mpt to preserve , inspire and record an important e le me nt and evo luti o n in American maritime hi story. I am ask in g ow ners, captai ns and builders of America n sc hoo ners to suppl y their name, address and th e name a nd a brief description o f their schooner. T hey w ill rece.ive a questionnaire and a req uest for a photograph of th e ir schoo ner suitab le fo r reproduction in this book. A ll hull materials , sizes and types of schooners are e li g ible. AL TAUBE
I a m seek ing information about Captain Robert Po lk and hi s ships. On 5 September 1776 he became capta in of the Maryland Committee of Safety-comm iss ioned privateer schoo ne r Montgomery (two ca nno n , five sw ive ls, crew of
America n Sai ling Schooners P. 0. Box 030490 Fort Lauderdale , FL 33303-0490
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Sagas of High Adventure in the Vanishing World of the Old Tramp Freighters. Captivating stories and exotic full-color illustrations provide a vivid sal ute to a vanishing era of maritime history. Clothbound, 160 pages $35 00 at bookstores, or cal l toll free (U.S.) 1-800-722-6657, (CA) 1-800-445-7577 or send $38.00 postpaid to :
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45
STEPHEN HOPKINS by John Fitzhugh Millar
" Stephen Hopkins formerly identified as John Hopkins," drawing by John Trumbull.
In SH35 we ran a story about the Stephen Hopkins' sinking of-and sinking by-the Gennan raider Stier. The Stier was the most heavily armed German surface unit to be sunk by any American vessel during World War II. Here, John Millar recounts the exploits of the gallant American patriot who was the Liberty Ship's namesake.
In past issues of Sea History several references have been made to the World War I1 Liberty Ship Stephen Hopkins and the heroic way in which she met her end. However, it is safe to assume that even her officers and crew knew very Little about the man for whom their ship was named. The bare bones of Hopkins' life are easily found: he was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, to a Quaker famil y in 1707, and entered Providence politics at an early age. He was Speaker of the Rhode Island General Assembly and subsequently Governor and Chief Justice of the colony. Elected one of Rhode Island 's two delegates to the Continental Congress, he appears in Trumbull's painting of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence (although he is not, as many have believed, the man in the back row with the wide hat, but seated in the front row , as befits a man of his accomplishments). He died in 1785 after a long bout with Parkinson's Disease. While in the Continental Congress, he was responsible for founding the US Postal Service, although they have never seen fit to issue a stamp in his honor. Hopkins earned fame in his own day as one of the most active champions of American rights . His opportunities for this resulted from the liberal charter granted Rhode Island by Charles II in 1663. This guaranteed not only religious but political liberty, as it provided that all Rhode Island officials be subject to election in Rhode Island and that no Rhode Island officials could be appointed from England . Early in the eighteenth century , Rhode Islanders took advantage of the charter by making smuggling their chief industry . British colonies were normally permitted to purchase rum and molasses only from other British colonies, who greedily raised their prices. French West Indian sugar planters were not allowed to make their molasses into rum for fear of harming the French brandy industry , so the French planters had large quantities of molasses (a by-product of sugar refining) they were willing to sell at a low price. Rhode Island ships bought all they could, knowing that the local customs inspector, appointed by the elected governor, would pretend not to see the illegal imports. Because Rhode Island was so small , officials in London chose to overlook Rhode Island 's behavior, until the Seven Years War. During that war (1756-1763) , British officials were full of prai se for the vigor with which Rhode Island privateers captured French ships. In this period , it was the custom to repatriate prisoners of war on cartel ships which were exempt from attack by either side, and which were even permitted to trade in the enemy port to pay for the voyage. The British , however, were annoyed but helpless when Governor Stephen Hopkins authorized fifty Rhode Island cartel ships to go to the French West Indies, each with one French pri soner aboard , rather than one ship with fifty prisoners, an authori zation he granted repeatedly . He thus prevented the ruin of the Rhode Island economy which depended so heavily on French molasses . After the war, the British tried to lower the boom on Rhode
46
Island by sending Royal Navy ships to intercept the smugglers before they could be " cleared " by the Rhode Island customs officers. When the 8-gun schoone r HMS Saint John began her work , Hopkins fearlessly convened his Council and ordered Fort George on Goat Island at the entrance of Newport Harbor to sink the schooner. The schooner was damaged by some of the 18-pounder shots but was able to escape. A plaque commemorating this first act of resistance agai nst British authority in America on 11 July 1764 was un veiled on Goat Island by former Secretary of the Navy, J. William Middendorf Il , in 1979. The British made sporadic atte mpts to continue where HM S Sa int John left off, but local mobs took countermeasures before the guns of Fort George could be ordered into ac tion: inspired , no doubt , by Hopkin s' lead , mo bs burned the Royal Navy ' s schooner Maidstone Tender on 4 June 1765 , the sloop Liberty on 19 Jul y 1769 and the schoo ner Gaspee in 1772. While Hopkins was temporarily out of offi ce in 1765, he took the most practical course available to oppose the Stamp Act: he got the Providence Town Meeting to invite representati ves from the other colonies to a Stamp Act Congress, the colonies' first political action of national scope. In 1773 , after a serious British error in the inves tigation of the burning of Gaspee, Hopkins built on this national constituency by establishing the Committees of Correspondence. When the Briti sh overreacted to the Boston Tea Party, Hopk ins was again responsible for inviting the other colo nies to a Continental Congress, and Rhode Island promptly elected him a delegate. The Rhode Island delegation introduced a resolution fo r the creation of an American fleet and , despite vigoro us opposition fro m southern delegates, primaril y, o n 13 October 1775 , the Congress agreed to fit out two vessels to intercept British storeshi ps . Hopkins took the responsibility for findin g an appropriate commander-in-chief for the ne w Navy. He first approached Jahleel Brenton of Newport, the highest-ranking American officer in the Royal Navy . Brenton declined and Hopkins turned to hi s seafari ng brother Esek Hopkins. Congress confi rmed the appointment on 5 November. Hopkins also made sure that a di sproportionate nu mber of the Continental Navy's officers came from Rhode Island , including Esek's son John . This was in part a political favo r for fr iends at home . But it was also a realistic reflection of the fac t that Rhode Island depended more on the sea for her livelihood than did any of the other continental colonies a nd thus produced a disproportionate number of excellent seamen. As earl y as 1774, Hopkins was reported to have said , " Powder and ball will decide thi s question. The gun and bayonet alone will fini sh the contest in which we are engaged , and any of you who cannot bring your minds to thi s mode of adjusting the question had better retire in time.'' This courageous and far-sighted man , who ordered the first shots of resistance against British authority in America, who fo unded the Stamp Act Congress, the Committees of Correspondence, the Continental Congress and the Continental Navy, was ranked by his contemporaries with Washingto n, Franklin and Jefferson . Yet he is almost virtually unknow n two centuries later. That a Liberty Ship was named after him was simply due to the fact that Hopkins had been a Signer of the Declaration of Independence . What an extraordinary coincidence that this ship should distinguish herself from her many sisters by the same kind of bravery as her namesake had shown at the birth of our country! J,
.i,
.i,
John Millar, an historian living in Williamsburg , Virginia, built and sailed the replica ship HMS Rose (see Ship Notes). His latest book, Early American S hips, has just been published by Thirteen Colonies Press. SE~ A
HI STORY, AUTU M N 1986
Holiday Gift Ideas from Sea History International Register of Historic Ships by Norman J. Brou wer. More than 700 vessels are included in thi s authoritative hi storical and photographic guide with essential data . lndispensible fo r reference , it also makes excellent reading. 368 pp . 230 x 270mm . 400 illustrati ons. $28 .95 . Shipping = $2. 75 domestic, $3.50 outside the USA . The Maritime History of the World (2 volumes) . Embracing the period from 5000 BC to the present , thi s major work by the maritime authors Duncan Haws and Alex A. Hurst deals with wars, trade , ex ploration, slavery, piracy, jurisprudence, developments in navi gation and ship design, conditi ons afl oat and numero us other subjects. The text is arranged chronologicall y and interspersed with hi stori ca l commentaries, setting the vari ous periods in the perspecti ve of world hi story. This is not on ly a magnifi ce nt reference work, encyclopaedi c in range, but one which makes fasc inating reading. In two large vo lumes printed on 960 pages of art paper including 3 1 maps, 200 illustration s (62 in color) and over 100 pages of index with 26,000 entri es; 304 x 222mm . $120. Shippin g = $4 .50 domesti c, $7.50 outside the USA.
MAR/1 OFTJ
Anton Otto Fischer, Marine Artist by Katrina Sigsbee Fischer and Alex A. Hurst. A comprehensi ve and lov ing look at the art ist's life and work as seen by hi s daughter. Beautifully produced on art paper with many personal photos, the art ist's preliminary sketches, and 200 of hi s fini shed works, I03 in fu ll color. 259pp. 230 x 290mm . 235 illustrations, I03 in color. $50. Shipping = $2.75 domesti c, $3.50 outside the USA. Stobart by John Stobart with Robert P. Davis. The leading marine arti st of our day sets forth hi s life and achievements in hi s own words and pictures. Presented in full color, fin e art reproductions with extensive notes. 208pp. 232 x 388mm . 60 full-page illustrations , 50 sketches and drawings. $75. Shipping = $3. 00 domestic, $4 .00 outside the USA . Peking Battles Ca pe Horn by Capt. Irving John son. A spirited account of a young man 's voyage round Cape Horn in the Peking with a thoughtful after-word written 48 years later . Foreword by Peter Stanfo rd and a brief hi story of the Peking by Norman Brou wer. I 82pp. 130 x I 90 mm . Photos by the author. Hardback onl y. $11.95. Shi pping = $ 1.50 domest ic, $2 .25 outside the USA. Operation Sail 1986/Salute to Liberty. The offi cial commemorati ve book , publi shed by OpSail ' 86 , includes descripti ons of more than 100 of the offic ial participants in the parade of sail , a hi story of OpSail , a look back at Jul y 4 , 1886, a hi story of the Statue of Liberty and a li st of more th an 125 maritime museums and collecti ons around the country. 64pp, full-color, pb . $5. Shipping = $ 1.00 domesti c; $2.00 outside the USA. The Passage Makers by Mi chae l Stammers. Covering all aspects of the legendary Liverpool Black Ball Line of clippers and the background to their operati ons. 530pp. 244 x 190mm . 120 plates etc. $31.75. Shipping = $2.75 domesti c, $3.50 outside the USA . Ships and Memories by Bill Adams. Hi s account of four years in the 4-m. barque Silberhorn is quite excepti onal descripti ve writing. Marve ll ously rev iewed. Many plates. 490pp . 244 x 190mm. $20.75. Shipping = $2. 75 domestic, $3 .50 outside the USA . Heralds of Their Age , the clippers and the American Spirit, by Melvin Conant: soft-cover, illus , index , 24pp. $5.00 (shipping included) The Ship' s Bell: Its History and Romance , by Karl Wede: soft-cover , illus, index, 62pp. $5.00 (shipping included) Shipwrecks and Archaeology: The Unharvested Sea , early underwater archaeology by a pioneer of the field, by Peter Throckmorton: hard-cover, illus, index, 260pp. $17.75 (shipping included) American Viking-The Saga of Hans Isbrandtsen, the story of a pioneer who almost singlehandedly built a successful sh.ipping empire and became a fiery legend in his own era , by James Dugan: hard-cover, illus , index, 295pp. $9.95 (shipping included) NMHS Cloth Patch True gold braid on black background, ship and sea embroidered in white and blue, 3". $4.50 (shipping included)
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NMHS Member's Decal Bright metallic gold and white on royal blue, 3". $1.00. (shipping included)
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NMHS Lapel Pin Attractive enamel gold braid and white on royal blue, 314". $5.00 (shipping included) TO: National Maritime Historical Society, From:
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DI ELLE FLEISHMAN S EIGN IOUS CHARLES W. SHAMBAUG H M ARVIN SHAPIRO H . K . SCHAEFFER H UG H R . SHARP MICHAEL T . SHEEHAN WILLIAM A. SHEEHAN R OBERT P . SHEEHY R OBERT V. SH EEN. JR . K ENNETH W . SHEETS , JR. SHIPS OF THE SEA M USEUM LT . ERIC SHUTLER Q. ANTHONY SIEMER SIGNAL COMPAN IES I NC . FRANK SIMPSON GEORGE SIMPSON R OBERT SI NCERBEAUX FRANC IS D . SK ELLEY EASTON C. SKI NNER SANFORD SLAVIN CHARLES R. SUCH. Ill MR . & MRS. E DGAR F. SMITH ERIC PARKMAN SMITH L EE A. SMITH L YMAN H . SMITH THOMAS SMITH MR. & MRS. EDWARD W . SNOWDON E. P. SNYDER M AX SOLMSSEN CONWAY B. SONNE DR . JUDSON SPEER PHILIP STENGER SUSIE STENHOUSE R ODER ICK STEPHENS FITZ H . STEVENS. JR . CDR . V ICTOR B. STEVENS , JR. SONAT M AR INE, I NC. T . STEVENS W IL LIAM STEWART J. T. STILLMAN H OUSTON H . STOKES GEORGE R. STONE LT. H OWARD L. STONE WI LLIAM STUTT FRANK S uccor D AN IEL R . SUKIS BRUCE SULLI VAN W ALTER J . SULLI VAN CAPT. JOHN 0. SVENSSON RICHARD SWAN LCDR . THOMAS L. SWIFT EUGENE S YDNOR J. C. SYNNOTT H EN RY T ALBERT A LEX F . T AYLOR D AV IS T AY LOR C. PETER TH EUIT B ARRY D . THOMAS JOHN W . THOMAS CLARK THOMPSON JOHN THURMAN L UIGI TIBALDJ GERALD A. TIBBETS R OBERT TICE DOUG LAS A . TILDEN CARL W. TIMPSON. JR WILLIAM E. TINNEY G EORGE F. T OLLEFSEN MR. & MRS. ALLEN W . L. TOPPING NOAH T OTTEN ANTHONY TRALLA ALFRED TYLER II ANDREW H . UNDERHILL UNIVERSAL M AR ITIME S ERVICES CORPORATION KENNETH F. URBAN JOSEPH URBANSKI R ENAUD V ALENTIN CAPT. R OBERT 0 . VALENTINE M AJRION V ALPEY TED V ALPEY 0. C. M . VA N D ER KROFr JOHN D. V AN ITALLI E PETER V ANADI A EDSEL A. V ENUS DALE R . VONDERA U BLAIR VEDDER. JR . D ALE V ONDERAU FR ANZ VON Z IEGESAIR JOHN VREELAND JAMES W A DATZ BRI AN D . W AKE GLENNIE W ALL ALEXANDER J. W ALLACE R AYMONDE. W ALLACE THOMAS H . W ALSH T ERRY WALTON B RUCE E. W ARE ALEXANDER W A\TSON D AV ID P . H . W ATSON THOM AS J. W ATSON. JR . J ACKSON WEAVER EDWARD R . W EBER MR. & MRS. TIMOTHY F . W EBER KENNETH WEEKS R AYNER W EIR H OWA RD A . WEISS T HCOM AS W ELLS L. H ERNOON W ERTH RANDY W ESTON CRAIG W. WHITE SIR GORDON WHITE KBE JOHN R OBERT WHITE R AYMOND D. WHITE G EORGE WHITESIDE G. G. WHITNEY. JR . FR . ] AMES WH ITTEMORE L AU RENCE WHITTEMORE J. S. WILFORD L AURENCE WILLA RD STEPH EN J. WILLIG EDWA RD WILSON PERCI VAL WI LSON R OBERTr WILSON H . PAU L WI NALS KI JOSEPH WI NEROTH W ILLIAM A. A . WICHERT JOE B . WISE W ILLIAM F . WISEMAN WOM EN°S PROPELLER CLUB. PORT OF B OSTON W OM EN·s PROPELLER CLUB. PORT OF NEW YORK JOHN F. WI NG RICK W OOD F . R . W . W ORTH DoRAN R . WRIGHT GLENN WYATT WILLIAM C. WYGANT JAMES H . YOCUM JOHN Y OUELL H EENRY A. Y OUMANS KIRK YOUNGM AN TH E ZN IDER·s
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MODEL SUCCESS STORY' "The Maritime Prepositioning Ship program is a model success story, and I couldn 't be more pleased . MPS is on schedule and proving to be an extremely valuable strategic asset." - General PX. Kelley Commandant U.S. Marine Corps
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DISTRICT 2 MARINE ENGINEERS BENEFICIAL ASSOCIATION -ASSOCIATED MARITIME OFFICERS AFFILIATED WITH THE AFL-CIO MARITIME TRADES DEPARTMENT 650 FOURTH AVENUE BROOKLYN, N.Y. 11232 (718) 965-6700
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RAYMOND T. McKAY PRESIDENT
JOHN F. BRADY EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
This Is MM&P Country We salute the AMERICAN NEW YORK on her maiden voyage leaving Hong Kong, with additional Ports Of Call at Pusan Korea; Kaohsiung Taiwan; Kobe and Yokohama Japan; Savannah and New York, U.S.A. The AMERICAN NEW YORK, is the first of twelve United States Lines Econo Liners manned with MM&P Officers. The AMERICAN NEW YORK carries 2241 40-foot containers, with a cruising range of 30,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. The AMERICAN NEW YORK is 950 feet long and 106 feet wide. The successful operation of this ship has been entrusted to MM&P deck officers, whose skills are regularly sharpened by the Maritime Advancement, Training, Education, and Safety (MATES) program. MM&P ship officers make a practice of retum.ing to the Maritime Institute Of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) at Linthicum Heights, MD, to sharpen their skills and learn new ones with the aid of the most modem teaching equipment available.
LLOYD M. MARTIN
ROBERT J. LOWEN
International Secretary-Treasurer
International President
International Organization of
Masters, Mates & Pilots 700 Maritime Boulevard, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090 •Tel : (301) 850-8700 •Cable: BRIDGEDECK, Washington , DC• Telex : 750831