Preserving Our Fleet of Historic Naval Ships: The Continuing Challenge by Channing M. Zucker
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sitation to historic naval ship museums and memorials has shown a signifi cant upsurge in recent years . In 1994, some seven million people boarded the vessels. In 1999, the total was over nine million, a nearly 30 percent increase. In yea rs past, as expected, veterans of World War II and Korea and their families made up a significant portion of the visiting public to the fleet of warships, most of them veterans of those two conflicts as well. This is no longer the case. Surprisingly, today's visitors are more likely to be a young couple and their children; and the chances are good that neither parent served in the military. Why is this younger generation attracted to the ships of the historic fleet? It could be because one of the children spent a weekend camping aboard a battleship or destroyer with his or her Scout troop. Or it may be because an educator from the aircraft carrier's staff spoke at the youngsters' school. Another reaso n might be a newspaper article, periodical or travel publication description of interesting exhibits aboard the ship that appealed to the husband or
wife. Yet another possible lure could be a catchy description of the ship museum that a member of the family clicked onto while surfing the internet. The ships now mount exhibits and hold events to attract the full spectrum of our citizenry. Special efforts are made to cater to the younger generation. No longer need one have had military expe rience in order to enjoy and bring away an appreciation for the accomplishments of the ships and their people in defending their nations. Their exploits are interp reted in such a manner as to appeal to all ages and backgrounds. Volunteer tour guides, ranging from grizzled veterans to fresh-faced teenagers, tell th e stories of the ships and their crews in ways that excite visitors as they walk through the narrow passageways and gain a sense of what it was like to take the ship into battle. Docents also make a point of describing how the crew spent their time in the cramped quarters aboard the submarine or frigate when not engaging the enemy. Just the very idea of being able to enter an artifact; to touch, feel, and even smell "the real thing" can be an exciting
THE HISTORIC NAVAL SHIPS AsSOCIATION The Historic Naval Ships Association was founded in 1966 by five organizations with historic naval vessels. Today it promotes the preservation and exhibition of more than 120 Naval, Coast Guard, Army and merchant ships and boats in seven countnes. The Association assists both organizations with ships in place and groups working to obtain them. Information is provided on sources the organizations can turn to for all aspects of operating their museums. HNSA also publicizes the historic naval fl eet through a Visitors' Guide, a web site, presentations to interested organizations, and articles in periodicals. In addition, HNSA conducts economic impact surveys, consolidating data provided by the museum ships to determine just how significant they are to the communities in which they are located. The Association's annual conferences are hosted by a member vessel museum.
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The delegates discuss such matters as educational programs, preservation methods, collections management, insurance, exhibiting, fund raising, and marketing ships and programs. This year's conference is being orchestrated by HMCS Sackville in H alifax, Nova Scotia. In 2001 the battleship USS North Carolina will do the honors in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Association operates an Individual Member program, allowing persons interested in supporting the preservation and exhibition of the ships to be a part of the organization. Free or reduced admission to most of the ships, a quarterly newsletter and the biennial Visitors' Guide are among the benefits. -t
Executive Secretary, Historic Naval Ships Association, US Naval Academy Museum, 118 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis MD 21402-5034; web site: www.hnsa.org
venture for parents and children alike. Education directors on the larger shipsprimarily aircraft carriers and battleshipsrun programs for students from elementary school age up through high school and even college level. Overnight encampment programs are now conducted by sixteen museums, and others are working to implement such programs. In 1999, over 100,000 persons, mostly yo ungsters , participated in these live-aboard events. During their time aboard, they learn about the shipboard routine, are given demonstrations of seamanship skills, and are shown films depicting the Navy in action. But ship museum education programs are not limited to the young. A dozen of the Navy vessels participate in the Elderhostel Program. As attractive as the ships have now become to the public, they also require agreat deal of time and effort to keep them properly preserved. The prob lems associated with, quite literally, keeping the vessels afloat, are significant. Hull preservation, as one might expect, is the major maintenance issue. Drydocking of active naval vessels is normally performed at about fiveyear intervals. With museum ships, however, that is just a dream. The problems brought on by extended time between overhauls can be severe. The sloop of war USS Constellation's restoration completed in 1999 cost $9 million. The battleship USS Massachusetts and submarine USS Lionfish were recently drydocked for a total of $10 million in repairs. The dreadnought USS Texas was nearly lost before beingdrydocked in 1988. Her repair bill exceeded $1 1 million. In the case of both battleships, more than 40 years elapsed between the overhauls. No museum aircraft carrier has ever been drydocked. The annual costs of operating museum ships range from an average of $500,000 for small ships such as destroyers and submarines, to over $2 million for battleships and more than $3 million for aircraft carriers. In nearly all cases, the income from admissions, special events, encampment programs, gift shop sales, and foundations is not sufficient to cover all required maintenance after wages, utilities and other operating costs are paid. For the dozen ships
SEA HISTORY 94, AUTUMN 2000