EDITOR'S LOG Nowhere do the continuities of American seafaring make themselves felt more strongly than in the naval service. We celebrate some of these continuities in this issue centering on USS Constitution. And on her decks this Fourth of July , as it happens, one of our members , Captain Edward Beach , will receive the Samuel Eliot Morison Award . We recently went to hear Captain Beach speak at one of those fine lunches held by the New York Council of the Navy League . "We are the inheritors of Britain's navy ," said Captain Beach, expressing a transatlantic continuity as well as one reaching across centuries . Ned Beach's ¡ novels and books on naval history reflect his own experience in command of a US submarine in World War Il , and as skipper of the nuclear submarine USS Triton on her historic voyage round the world submerged in 1960. He proceeded to regale us with a few exploits of Horatio Nelson , notably his breaking the hitherto sacrosanct line-of-battle at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent-an act which won the battle and earned hi s boss, John Jervis, the title of Lord St. Vincent. His act quite easily might have led to his dismissal. In a service necessarily built on taut discipline , it is important to know when to break the line . And it is good to hear a man so active in this century reach back nearly two centuries into another service to find an example of this imperishable principle' Admiral Arleigh Burke, another naval person we are proud to number as a member of our Society , understood that tradition very well when he foug ht for a doctrine under which his destroyer squadron would go right into the attack at first contact with a hosti le force and let the unrolling battle itself deve lop the information needed for ultimate decisions-even the decision to get out if necessary . We can obviously make no attempt here to develop Arleigh Burke's contributions to sea warfare . But he did something for our business , the business of history , when he said in SEA HISTORY five years ago: "Every American sailor has his own idea of what Constitution stands for, why she is impo1tant, what she means, even as men do about their nations. " He went on to point out: "Everything in the Navy changes so rapidly that each succeeding generation deals with completely different equ ipment in a completely different manner to accomplish the same basic tasks that confronted the skippers of Constitution and their men. " That is the essence of history's message: It is not a set of lessons. It cannot be learned by rote. It is a living challengeone each generation has to define, and PETER STANFORD meet, for itself.
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LETTERS For a Grand Alliance!
A Nice Balance
The Grand Alliance suggested by Harry Anderson (SEA HISTORY 43) is a great idea and high time. The essentials appear obvious: to get going, and for "all hands ." What better man than Harry Anderson to come forward with the proposal! A sad illustration of what delayswhatever the reason--can cause is what has happened here to the Wapama. Best wishes and good luck! JOHN G. ROGERS San Francisco , California The Wapama is a national concern and
It was with pleasure that I read another of Frank Farrar's sea stories in SEA H1sTORY 42 ("Winter Alongside"). I had watched for over a year for another of hi s anecdotes, which bring back strong memori es of when I was a young , green Sheepshead Bay graduate. Farrar's tales add a nice balance to your excellent features on marine art and restoration . I hope to see more of them in the future. JOH N L. COLE Schenectady, New York
we look forward to the alliance focussing resources to save such important threatened ships.- ED.
Captain Farrar' s article, and the accompanying illustrations by sailorman-artist Os Brett, drew lots of praise from our readers . A collection of Capt. Farrar' s stories will be published by Sea History Press later in the year. -ED.
From a Lakeside Porch I'm sitting on the porch of my cottage, watching an ocean freighter overtake a Great Lakes steamer. It's a brisk but sunn y day here on Lake Ontario. A good day to write! The Annual Meeting was well organized and with interesting speakers. I look forward to seeing you good people at the Canal Museum gathering in Syracuse. God's blessing on you, the Society , and our fundin g program , the Maritime Initiative . BILL DALE Rochester, New York
As we went to press, our New York affiliate, the State Conference on Waterways, was to hold its Annual Meeting on 8 June in Syracuse . It is good indeed to see members with strong local or regional interests recognizing and acting on the overarching national interest which is addressed in the Maritime Initiative. - ED.
Spectacular Film! At long last I'm returning the Ghosts of Cape Horn film. It 's had a rather long run here in rural North Caroli na , but everyone who saw it really raved (or else got seasick) and it was most appreciated. I really came to realize what my Dad-an alumnus of the NY State Maritime Academy at Fort Schuyler-used to talk about when he recounted hi s days on the schoolships St. Mary's and Newport. CAPT. WILLIAM WINBERG , III Arapahoe, North Carolina Ghosts of Cape Horn records what Alan
Villiers called "The War with Cape Horn" in footag e made by Villiers himself among much other first-hand testimony. The film is available free to members who want to show it to groups in their areas. Simply write to the Society, Allention Heidi Quas.-ED.
Drop Dead, Heroes During World War II , each cadet midshipman entering the US Merchant Marine Academy federal training program was sworn into the US Naval Reserve . Naval Science and other Navy related courses were taught by US Navy assigned instructors and were a basic part of each man's training from entrance until graduation. Indeed , each cadet midshipman wore a Gold USNR pin above the breast pocket of his dress jacket. The fully authorized Navy program led to a commi ssion of Ensign, USNR, upon grad uation . As you perhaps know, the curricu lum called for six months or more of sea time for each Cadet in training. Because of enemy ac tivities involving American merchant ships, 142 young Cadets were killed in action. It is interesting to note that the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, is the only Federal Academy that is authorized to proudly carry a Battle Standard in recognition of these 142 men lost in World War II . During their sea time , each of these men earned a Purple Heart and other medals and ribbons authorized by the US Navy. However, the Navy will not allow the posthumou s awa rd of these honors. The apparent reason: They did not grad uate . (S urvivors who graduated are eligible.) The obvious problem has been called to the attention of the Navy but they are holding fi1111; the answer is "No." In 1985 formal application was made by surviving family members of C/M Edw in J. O'Hara and C/ M Arthur R. Chamberlin, Jr. (both of whom were ki lled on the SS Stephen Hopkins, a vessel that received the Gallant Ship Award) fo r posthumous awa rd of the following SEA HISTORY, SUMMER 1987