NMHSNEWS
•• •• •
Educational Programs
Come for a 'Week_g,m{ at Mystic for
'J{AfJ{S 's 35tfi .9lnnua{ Afeeting
•
25-26.9Lpri{1998
: • • : • :
The Business Meeting and project reports on Saturday morning will run from 10AM to 12:30PM at the Seamen's Inne in Mystic, Connecticut. They will be followed by a buffet lunch and cash bar in the beautiful River Room overlooking the Mystic River. After lunch we will hear from our keynote speaker. We will conclude the luncheon meeting with a report on the state of NMHS. The cost for the day is $35 per person. During the late afternoon small group tours will highlight the new Amistad exhibit and end with a presentation and cocktail party in the Carpenter's Shop where the replica schooner Amistad's keel has been laid. You will then be free to go to dinner with NMHS friends-we will provide a list of local restaurants for your convenience. On Sunday, NMHS members will have free admission to Mystic Seaport to enjoy the ships and historic buildings and savor the maritime atmosphere. Members will gather for lunch. For further information on the schedule and for a list of hotels that will offer special rates for our members, contact us at: NMHS, PO Box 68 , Peekskill NY 10566; phone: 914 737-7878or1800221-NMHS (6647); e-mail: seahistory@aol.com.
--------------------------------------NMHS Salutes USS Constitution at Annual Awards Dinner At our Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Yacht Club on 14November 1997, NMHS welcomed a host of distinguished members and guests in a salute to USS Constitution in the wake of her historic sail on 21 July. We were especially pleased to welcome Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton, CDR Christopher Melhuish, captain of USS Constitution , and Samuel Thome, chairman of the USS Constitution Museum. Tyrone G. Martin, CDR (Ret), due to receive the NMHS Robert G. Albion/James Monroe Award for Excellence in Maritime Historiography for hi s classic account of "Old Ironsides," A Most Fortunate Ship (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 1997), was snowbound in Pittsburgh. Anne Grimes Rand, curator of the USS Constitution Museum , battled the storm, abandoned her car in a ditch , rented another and arrived just in time to give her compelling slide presentation on the great ship. CDR Christopher Melhuish , in accepting the Karl Kortum American Ship Trust A ward on behalf of USS ConstiFrom left: CDR Christopher Melhuish, Captain, USS Con- tution , captivated all hands stitution; Capt. Jean Wort, Trustee , NMHS ; Peter Stanford, with his tribute to hi s prePresident , NMHS; John H. Dalton , Secretary of the Navy; decessor CDR Michael Charles A. Robertson, Chairman, OpSail Beck, who sailed the ship in July, and with his recogniI tion of the children who contributed pennies to provide the ship's new sails. John H. Dalton, Secretary of the Navy , then brought the room to its feet 0 with a rousing salute to 6 USS Constitution and all her captains and crews, ~ centering on John Paul "':=: Jones ' s adage that "men ~ mean more than gun s in ~ the rating of a ship ." ,t
8
6
NMHS 's education program is going forward under full sail! Students from across the country have been submitting essays for our "Capital Ship" essay contest. Those still working on essays should not miss the 15 April deadline. Thanks to sponsorship from Mobil Corporation, the three winners will receive pri zes of $ 1,500, $750 and $500. As part of NMHS's work with the Rockland County (NY) Bicentennial, as many as 200 kids will spend a full day sail training aboard ships like Rose, Bounty, Ernestina and Providence, as a fleet of tall ships sails up the river from New York City to the students' homeports on 22 May. This exciting opportunity to navigate, handle sail s and stand watch at the helm will be further enhanced through classroom discuss ions and pre-v isit communication with the ships via the internet. And in July, 30 kids from Boston and 30 from New York City will sail aboard the frigate Rose for a week where they will be immersed in the challenge and adventure of working a ship. (See page 35 for more on this program .) We also have been working with teachers and boatbuilders in the Hudson Valley to develop a program that will teach kids to build replicas of hi storic rowing craft. The students will then participate in rowing races on the Hudson River. We hope to have as many as 50 "Whitehall s" rowing out to meet the fl eet of tall ships in New York Harboron 4 July 2000. This is just one of several initiatives to take peopl e beyond the spectacle of the tall ships into the vitality of America's maritime past. DA YID ALLEN, Education Director
-----------------We're looking for a few
good volunteers! The replica of Capt. Cook's Endeavour will be docked on New York City's West Side, 26 June-5 July . The Port of New York Historical Society will host the ship, and NMHS has been asked to provide 100 interpreters to talk to visitors about the vessel. You will be asked to attend the training session on Saturday, 27 June, and work for at least 12 hours over the course of the visit. If you are interested in joining this team , please call the NYC office of NMHS at 212 3499090 x250, or write to us at PO Box • 68, Peekskill NY 10566. •
•
SEA HISTORY 84, SPRING 1998