NMHSNEWS:
Toward a Campaign for Sea History Sea History is not just the name of thi s magazine-it is the cause to which the National Maritime Hi storica l Society is dedicated! T he magazine has moved to the center of our concerns because it binds together our members, who give our Society both its sense of purpose and the support needed to carry out that purpose. Therefore, we 've been looking at a poss ible "Campaign for Sea History." The first goal of this would be to ach ieve a membership of 30,000 peop le dedicated to our shared purposes and vis ion, and by the e nd of this century, perhaQS 100,000. We believe there are thi s many Americans who care about the heri tage. Our task is to bring them together into an aware and acti ve constituency. If we can sign them on , we' ll certainl y ensure the future of the heritage we serve. So-can we do it? We start with certain assets that we should all th in k about.
•First, our membership is grow in g. W e' re on track to achi eve our initial goal, 15 ,000 members by May J 995. Membership grew by 25 percent last year. • Second, our national Membership C hairmen Nancy Pouch and Dick Scheuing are launching an innovative program to e nroll whole c lasses of the maritime acade mi es as members of NMHS. T hi s effort is beginning with the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point (see page 6), whose 200 firstclassmen will be enroll ed in February, as you receive this Sea History. • Third, our Charles Point Counc il in Peekskill NY, led by Harry and Caro l Vinall , with Norman Carathanasis as Membership C hairm an, has contributed mi ghtil y to active me mbership program and me mbership grow th . T his year we hope to establish regional counc il s in other citi es. • Fourth, a bequest of some $225,000 has recently been left to NMHS from the estate of the late Walter J. Pettit of Los A ngeles. This gives us start-up fundin g fo r a major campaign to build a large me mbership base. NMHS hi stori call y has raised more money for outside projects than for the Society 's ow n growth and development. But if we ca n match the fund s from the Pettit estate on a two-for-one basis-that is, raise $450,000 to matc h the bequest of $225,000-thi s will assure reaching our goal of 30,000 me mbers in the next two or three years. Achi ev ing such a goal wi ll bring into being a most productive asset for the nation 's heritage in seafaring and ass ure the future of our work. W e invite all ha nds to jo in in thi s most worthwhil e effort, e ncouraged by progress to date a nd c hall e nged by the great work before us. G. CHOATE Chairman
ALAN
P ETER STANFORD
President
Retired Coast Guard tug Tamaroa (former Navy tug USS Zuni) has been acquired by the Intrepid Museum in New York C ity. NMHS member Walter Hoyes ki , who was co ncerned fo r the preservation of the 1944 tug after hearing of its deco mmi ss ioning, and NMHS pres ident Peter Stanford brought the vessel to the attention of the Intrepid Museum in 1993 , which in 1994 stepped in to prevent it being sunk as a diving reef and now plans to make it avail- -· _::_:_~~~iiiiiiiiiiiii~~=:_:_::_ _J able as a fl oating headquarters fo r the Hudson River Park Conservancy.
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USCGC TAMAROA {WMEC 166) NEW CASTLE. NH
8
Three Honored at NMHS Annual Dinner An enthusiastic host of members and friends gathered at the NY Yacht Club on 18 November for the NMHS Annual A wards Dinner. Guests were serenaded during the reception in the Model Room by X-Seamen' s In stitute chanteyman Frank Woerner. After feasting, we got about the business of honoring several people who have contributed greatly to the maritime heritage and to NMHS. Elizabeth E. Meyer received the American Ship Trust Award for her dedicati on to the restoration of the J-Class yachts Endeavour and Shamrock V and for her most recent enterpri se-the creation of the International Yacht Restoration School, whose first project will be restoring Coronet. (See story on page 9) Walter J. Handelman, Esq. , was the recipient of our Founders' Sheet Anchor Award fo r hi s continued support of NMHS . And Schuyler M. Meyer, Jr., former chairman of NMHS , received a Distinguished Service A ward fo r hi s dedication to the State Council On Waterways, an organi zation he helped found which operates educational programs on New York's inland waterways. (See story on page 16)
Gazette Receives Award for Excellence At the 6th National Maritime Heritage Conference in Boston, 14- 17 September, severa l maritime organi zations and mu se um s rece ive d awards for exemplary work in carrying out th eir ma ritim e mi ssions. The Nationa l Maritime Historical Society rece ived a n A ward fo r Excellence in Marine Publications, with spec ifi c menti on being made of Sea History Gazette. The USS Editor KevinHaydon Constitution received acceptsNMA Award the Award for Exce l- for Exce ll ence in le nce for Ships a nd Marine Publications. Large Vesse ls wh ile the Museum Small Craft Association won in the Sma ll Craft category. The NMA recogni zed the South Street Seaport Museum 's presentation of Maritime Art, with a reference to the "Ship, Sea and Sky" ex hibit of James Buttersworth 's paintings. The Maritime Museums Award went to the Kendall Whaling Museum. SEA HISTORY 72, WINTER 1994-95