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ANTIQUE MAPS • PRINTS • CARTOGRAPHIC BOOKS
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g ust we were on hi s doorstep in Aberdovey. We spent a long weekend with Stan and hi s wife Bronwyn. I never quite mastered hi s beer and rum concoctions but we had a tremendou s exchange on log material, viewed videos transferred from l 6mm fi lm of the voyage, and went over endless still photos. It was wonderfu l getting the crew's perspective of the trip. W .R. ROEBLI NG Longboat Key , Florida A Friend of Seamen The piece in the Autumn Sea History (No. 63, page 36) about the fiftieth anniversary of the United Seamen's Service pointed out President Roosevelt 's support of WW II merchant seamen and the United Seamen's Service; however, it neg lected to report that Mrs. E. S. Land, wife of Admiral E. S. "Jerry" Land , chairman of the Maritime Commission ( 1938- 1946), first suggested such an organization. In hi s autobiography, Winning the War With Ships, Admiral Land relates the following: "I consider the USS one of the most important accomplishments of my maritime career and I take pride in say ing that it was the idea of my Betty. " In the opening months of the war merchant seamen came off ships which had run the submarine gauntlet and, because they wore no uniform , they were welcomed on ly at places where money could be sq uandered . When admitted to USO canteens they were accepted in a patroni zing manner; after surviving a torpedoing and days in open boats, they were dependent on handouts. To change thi s state of affairs , my wife urged that I take steps to start an organization for merchant seamen. "At a conference in my office the USS was born , with Betty as godmother. Clubs were establ ished, hotels leased , entertainment programs establi shed, and advice provided for those who had no other place to take their problems. The organization spread to nearl y every seaport where our ships could call. Incidentally , particul ar credit is due Madeleine Carroll , the number one pin-up girl of the Merchant Marine. " Although the Lands were Navy people, their support of the merchant marine seamen was second to none. The seed Mrs. Land planted grew into the United Seamen 's Service. JOHN JOHNSTON Suffolk, Virginia
QUERIES
Steve Lawson is researching the ship Star of France built in 1877 by Harland & Wolff for J.P. Corry & Co. Interested in obtaining photos and relevant material on the vesse l, J. P. Corry & Co., Harland & Wolff, and the jute trade from 1870 to 1900. Can exchange information on ships and seafaring on the West Coast of the United States. Please write Mr. Lawson, 26015 Cypress St., #45, Lomita CA 90717. William Wheeler, former director of the defunct Dunedin Maritime Museum in Florida, is looking for ownership information about the ketch Wyomi, for the period 1941 through 1978. The 25 1/2-ft vessel (LOD) was bui lt in 1925 from a design by Dunedin native John G. Hanna. Wyomi was registered by Henry C. Warren at the Corinthian Yacht Club, Savannah , Georgia in 194 1. In 1978 she was in the ownership of Douglas G. Wellman of Port Clinton, Ohio. Contact Mr. Wh ee ler at 733 Edgewater Drive , Dunedin FL 34698. Fora new book in hi s series aboutclasssic ocean liners, NMHS Advisor Frank 0. Braynard is looking for names and addresses of people who came to the US aboard the linersRex and Conte di Savoia. Contact Mr. Braynard at 98 Duboi s Avenue, Sea Cliff NY 11579. Member John Lohmann is seeking a picture of the bark Fingal, used in the nitrate trade in the first decades of the 20th century. Please contact him at 450 I Sp1ing Creek, #298 , Bonita Springs FL 33923. Brian Crawford is researching a book about a British privateer, the Port au Prince, which raided the west coast of South America before being captured and sunk in the Tonga Islands in 1806. She was of 500 tons, 32 guns, and had been purchased by a Robert Bent of London , probably in 1804. She was formerly a French government vessel, Le General Dumouriez, captured by a British ship of war off Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He is seeking any information about the vesse l, i.e.plans , origin, hi story , etc. Please write to Mr. Crawford , 72 Oakland A venue, San Anselmo CA 94960.
SEA HISTORY 64, WINTER 1992-1993