Saving the Nob ska by Meredith A. Scott
As the last of her kind the former Nantucket steamer N obska, presently moored in Fal l River, Massachusetts, has an important role to play. When the 1925 Maine-built steamer is restored and in full commission again she will help to keep alive the beauty, the elegance and the grace of steamship days. TheNobska, a distinctive and well-loved ship, maintained a regul ar schedule between the Massachusetts mainland and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket for 48 years. I travelled aboard a number of the old steamships, among them the Nobska . I can still hear the jingle of her engine room telegraph and the melodious, full throated tone of her steam whistle. I remember too, the contented cadence of her steam engine, a gentle double beat that accompanied the susurration of the bow wash and the clanging notes of a bell buoy surgi ng in the wake. Quiet, leisurely steamboat travel was something special to have experienced. People who have never known that pleasure will be able to experience it when the Nobska, after sixty-odd years , becomes a living steamship museum , taking passengers on hi storic cruises along the New England coast. To put Nobska in full commi ssion again has been the long-time dream of Rhode Islander Robert Cleasby, presi dent of the Friends of Nobska, or FON, a ship preservation society founded in 1975 fo r the purpose of savi ng the N obska. After years of effort there came the rewarding day when the vessel was donated outright to FON. In May 1988 she arrived undertow in Fall River where, by courtesy of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New England, a mooring place awaited her. Early in the summer I went to see the ship. Her tired , dispirited look dismayed me. She seemed devoid of li fe , but no wonder after her long years of di suse. Later in the summer I visited the Nobska again . The change in her outward appearance was incredible. From wheelhouse to waterline she had received a fresh coat of white paint. She looked trim and alive again . Here was a ship that was going to live up to all the dreams and hopes invested in her. It was obvious that Bob, FON members and volunteers had worked long and hard during the summer. T he volunteers even included a few willing and enthusiastic children. I know of two nine-year-old girls who together rolled SEA HISTORY 52, WINTER I 989-90
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The Nobska, photo by William H. Ewen , Jr.
up a respectable total of 48.5 volunteer hours scraping and painting stanchions. Bob's eleven-year-old son painted the tall stack. The original steam engine is still on board and in excellent condition , having been carefully maintained throughout the years. It is a valued antique , vitally important for the ship's role as a steamship in full commission . A vast amount of work remains to be done. The ship's interior is barren and empty, but ambitious plans call for restoring all accommodations to their former state of quiet elegance, befitting a fine old steamship. The Nobska is the last of her kind, but happily she is a ship with a worthwhile future as aliving representative of the vani shed age of steam. Ms . Sco tt, who has been a professional marine artist and writer, now lives in Rhode Island. More FON members and volunteers are needed! To help , contact Friends of Nobska , PO Box J-4097, New Bedford, Massachusetts 02741 . Antique U.S. Coast Survey maps from the 1800s Scarce, century-old original lith og raphs for most Am e rican coas ta l waters. Fine
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o~v~ oo ~ mv o®~ m[l A quarterly journal devoted to the history, design, construction and operation of warships from the advent of iron and steam to nuclear power. Covers all types , all nations. We feature a reader's question column. Published by Interna ti on al Naval Research Organi zation , a non -profit corporation , since 1964. Subscription: $18.00 per year U .S. Foreign $20.00. Sample Copy $4.00
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