LETTERS
INTREPID
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S~-·f!/·Air· Space MUSEUM
After decades of worldwide service, this historical vessel now rests peace fully in New York harbor. Today , Intrepid no longer makes history. Instead , she is the storyteller for America's history and technology on the sea, in the air a nd out in space. •Five major exhibit theme balls• Continuous movies&:: videos
• Hundreds of artifacts, models and diorama.o • More than 70 historic aircraft., rockets, capsules and satellites
Open Wed. thru Sun. year'round, lO:OOAMto 5 PM Adults $4.75. Children $2.50. Seniors $4.00 Box office closes at 4 PM
NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK
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CANADIAN RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
• Excavation of 18th -cen tury frigate • Ship weaponry and artifacts • Cod fi shing • Whaling in the North Atlantic • Canal construction, trade a nd navigati o n ... .. FIND OUT WHAT WE KNOW. Send for Free catalogue of our publications on these and other archaeological, architectural and historical subjects. WRITE TO: Research Publications • Canadian Parks Service • Environment Canada • 1600 Liverpool Court • Ottawa • Ontario • KIA OH3 •CANADA
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"HOW FAR FROM THE SEA CAN A SAILOR EVER BE••••• " LONG ISLAND 'S newest luxury "Country Inn " right on the water at PORT JEFFERSON harbor. The expansion of our current to a full scale 75 boat marina will enhance your stay in the antiques-filled suites and rooms with the panoramic balconies overlooking the harbor activity.
At
BAYLES DOCK East Broadway at the harbor of Port Jefferson (516) 928-5200 6
To quote from a letter by I.B. Hazelton to the New York Journal , dated 2 1 January , 1928: " Windjammer is a good, full-mouthed word, which is possibl y the main reason for its misuse so freely in these days when steam vessels are called 'ships' and ships are called 'w indjammers.' This word was coined bac k in the l 880s-90s by deep water, squarerigged seamen, and referred to schooners only. "The fore-and-aft sail s of thi s new (to deep-sea) craft enabled them to jam into, or sail closer to the wind than a squarerigged vessel. And so, they just naturally became 'w indjammers."' Thi s referred , not to the litt le twosti ck coasters, but to the bi g three and four masters, then five and six masted vessels. And the te nn , "jam into the wind" meant to sa il as close-hauled as possible and still ma inta in good way on the vesse l. R OBERT G . H ERBERT, JR. East Northport, Long Island NY
NMHS Advisor Herbert is surely right ahout the original usage of th e word "windjammer," hut even tru e seafaring usage today includes square riggers. See, for example, Captain J . Ferrell Colton' s wonde1ful book ahout th e big harks Moshulu and Hans. It 's entitled Windjammers Signifi cant.- £0. The Spring 1989 issue#49of Sea History is one of the best. Ju st a couple of points tho ugh! As Mr. Coughlin states Irving Johnson grew up and still li ves in Hadley, Massachusetts. So even though the Connecticut Ri ver does flow past Had ley, Captain Johnson was a Massac husetts farm boy rather th an a Connecticut one as the capti on of the pi cture on page 7 states. And on page 7 we meet " the world's largest sailing ship , the four-masted bark Peking," but then on page 8 we find " the greatest of them all-the 440ft, l 1, 150 ton five-masted ship Preussen." Perhaps in reference to the Peking, Mr. Coughlin meant to say " then the world 's largest sa iling ship ." I yield to no man or woman in my admiration for Irving and Exy Johnson. Could they be encouraged to tell the tale of the ir adventures during World War II? I' d like to add that book to the fascinating ones I still read and reread . ER IC P ARKMA
SMITH
Concord , Massachusetts
Massachusetts farm boy it is-and the editor was responsible for this error, not Mr. Cough lin. The Peking-Preussen SEA HISTORY , SUMMER 1989