SHIPNOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS International Protection Sought for Underwater Sites Growing international concern about increased exploitation of underwater cultural sites has led the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICOMM) to adopt new standards for the ex ploration of sites and the acquisition of artifacts recovered. In announcing the new standards, !COMM President Richard Foster, the Director of the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside in Liverpool , stated that "due to the rapid advances in underwater exploration technology, numerous cultural heritage sites have been destroyed. These standards establish additional international guidelines for the protection of these sites." The re so lutions adopted require ICOMM member museums, which include 323 museums in 37 countries, to "not knowingly acquire or exhibit artifacts which have been stolen, illegally exported from their country of origin, illegally salvaged or removed from commercially exploited archaeological or historical sites" since 1990. Members are also asked to recognize that artifacts from underwater sites are integral parts of archaeological assemblages, which should remain intact for research and display. A campaign by American maritime museums last year failed to prevent the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Quebec from displaying Titanic artifacts obtained through commercial salvage.
Legislative Effort Seeks $5 Million Annually for Maritime Preservation In an effort to preserve maritime history for future generations , Representative Thomas H. Andrews of Maine, on I 5 September, introduced the National Maritime Heritage Act of 1993 to Congress. Congressman Andrews worked closely with the National Maritime Alliance (NMA), an umbrella organization of maritime heritage groups, to author the bill. If passed, the bill will provide $5 million an nually in funding until the year 2000 for maritime preservation and education projects nationwide. Citing a backlog of more than $80 million in unmet preservation needs alo ng the nation' s lakes, rivers and seashores, the NMA is calling on supporters to write the ir congressional representatives in support of the bill. The NMA considers the measure necessary to redress the current imbalance in federal funding whereby tens of millions of doll ars are provided each year to land-based preser34
Led by the Providence ofNewport, Rhode Island, the brigantines St. Lawrence II of Kingston , Ontario , and the Fair Jeanne of Otta wa, Ontario, salute the watching crowd of 25,000 spectators at Put-in Bay, Ohio, as part of a commemoration of Oliver Hazard Pen y' s victory on Lake Erie in 1813 . (Photo courtesy of Harry Foster.)
Battle of Put-in Bay Draws Crowds and Ships Guns blazed and colors flew high when a fleet of Canadian and American replica vessels sai led together to mark the 180th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie over the weekend of I 0-12 September. The commemorative event, staged by the community of Put-in Bay, Ohio, in the Bass Islands and the US Park Service, involved the tall ships " HMS " Rose and the US Brig Niagara. To join with their American counterparts in marking the event, the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa also organized a " Royal Navy Squadron" consisti ng of the Canadian vessels Fair Jeann e (brigantine), St. Lawrence fl (brigantine), Bee (schooner) and guest American vessel Providence (sloop) which sai led to Put-in Bay to represent the British squadron of Captain Robert Barclay in the original battle. Crewed by 120 seamen and fifty marines , all in correct 1812 dress, the "British Squadron" sailed from Amherstburg, Ontario, early on Saturday morning , fought a mock sea battle with itself on the approximate site of the 1813 battle, and then, to the sound of fife-and-drum music, made two firing passes in Put-in Bay harbor in salute of the watching crowd of25,000. The squadron, commanded by Canadian War Museum director Victor Suthren, then went a longs ide to join the Rose and Niagara for dockside visitation. The Canadian vessels sailed for Canada the next morning, pausing only to lay a wreath in company with the Brig Niagara to the American, Canadian and British losses in the war. Suthren described the event as demonstrating the growing comm itment of the Canadian Sail Training Association to early naval and maritime heritage. Coparticipants in the event were the Canadian Parks Service, the Province of Ontario and Brigantine Incorporated of Kingston , Ontario.-KH
vation while maritime preservation has received little more than $ 10 million in all its history. Proposed fundin g for the Maritime Heritage Act will come from scrapping obsolete vessels in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, which is currently owned and maintained by the Maritime Administration. The bill also calls for the establi shment of a National Maritime Trust, modeled after the National Trust for
Historic Preservation, that will set policy and adm ini ster, in cooperation with the Nationa l Park Service, a competitive grants program to qualified maritime heritage organizations. The bill will go before the House Subcommittee on the Merchant Marine sometime in October. Information about the bill and how to support it can be obtained by writing NMA at 229 Washington Street, Bath ME 04530; 207 443-4550. SEA HISTORY 67, AUTUMN 1993