1992-Year
of the Ship S!V Regina Maris
ThebarkentineReginaMaris, veteran of story that he was too old now to go to sea: Morgan's and Moshulu's cases are set the transatlantic trade from Europe to the "I can only send prayers with the tight forth in the following pages. And then Americas, and of Cape Horn sailing and, ship and her merry hearts." Jim Delgado reports on the work of the latterl y, under the late Dr. George And, indeed, it is merry hearts, like US Government's Maritime Initiative, Nichols, the peaceful pursuit of which expresses the will of the the whale from Greenland to the American people that our hisWindward Islands fringing the toric ships be saved. Much has Caribbean, and from Mexico's been accomplished and much Sea of Cortez to Alaska's Bering more remains to be done. The Strait, is newly settled, as 1992 Regina, for instance, did not fit opens, in the old whaling town the parameters of the Maritime of Greenport, at theend of Long Initiative. The people who rallied to save her had to work Island, 100-odd miles east of New YorkCity.Shecomes from outside that framework. thefarreachesoftheocean world We are the Ship's People and from another age. In 1974thelateFrankCarr(see During long anxious weeks memoir on facing page) came this summer, and on into early from England to the United autumn , it seemed theRegina's States to tour the country advoold wooden hull with its ancating an American Ship Trust. tique, tattered rig-a rig dePrince Philip, patron of Engrived from the rig of Portu- Frank Carr, second from right, grasps the Kaiulani ' s wheel during land's Maritime Trust, sent us guese caravels of 500 years his visit to the United States in 1974. He is surrounded by others best wishes on this venture, ago--would not make it. Then active in the cause ofship preservation, including Admiral Walter F. saying "I can think of no-one Hajo Knuttle of Windsor, Con- Schlech, Jr., at far left, and Admiral John M. Will,farthest right. so well qualified to help. " After exploring several difnecticut, bought the vessel and saved her from scuttling. Merion Wiggin those sailors singing aboard the dis- ferent formulations, it was decided to ofGreenport's East End Seaport and Bill masted Regina, who make the tight ship. form the AST under the aegis of the Claudio of Claudio's Restaurant weighed It was in this sailorly spirit that Cape National Maritime Historical Society. in, with the backing of Karl Kortum Horn was first rounded and the ocean The Regina is just the latest in a series of across the country in San Francisco. world opened to mankind in the decades historic ships that we stood to lose withChairman Emeritus of the NMHS and following Christopher Columbus's voy- out the American Ship Trust; the steamer stalwart of its American Ship Trust, Karl age of 1492. We need that spirit in the John W. Brown in Baltimore, the bark had last seen Regina in the Canaries in world today,and in cities like New York Elissa in Galveston , the schooner 1969, when he wasservingas mate in the and San Francisco; we need also to un- Ernestina in New Bedford, and the steam paddlewheel tug Eppleton Hall in her derstand what ships and shipping mean tug Mathilda in Kingston, New York, are famous voyage from England's River to the story of mankind. others in that series. But, that is a story for Tyne to San Francisco. The barkentine The National Maritime Hi storical a future issue of Sea History. had been dismasted in a traumatic inci- Society takes the full sweep of the ship's For now, let us invite all hands to join dent of her varied career, but the ship 's role in history as its concern; at the heart in the work before us. The world as we people were in good heart and kept the tug of that concern lie historic ships like know it was built on the traffics of ships. crew up singing sea songs into the night. Regina and her elder di stant cousin the They challenge our young people to ven150-year-old whale ship Charles W. Mor- ture forth in that world, and they challenge Her Merry Hearts A century and a half ago the British gan at Mystic Seaport Museum in Con- all Americans to uphold their nation 's role mariner John Nicol (a spiritual relation, necticut, and the great Cape Horner in the defense of freedom by sea, and the surely, of Regina's Dr. Nichols) told the Moshulu, now at risk in the Delaware peaceful commerce that today binds all PS literary person who transcribed hi s life River across from Philadelphia. The the nations of the world together.
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