.SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS SPUN YARN New Bedford Whaling Museum acquires prized Fortier photography collection. The collection of professional photography, created by New Bedford-born Norman Fortier during the period from 1947-2003, includes more than 100,000 negatives surrounding his interests of yachting, aerial views, coastlines, hurricanes, landscapes, boat building, the fishing fleet, and local scenes. He concencrated on photographing vessels in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. Presently a watercolorist with a studio in Dartmouth, MA, Mr. Fortier is known for his work in the 1968 book The Bay and the Sound, which he co-authored with John Parkinson, Jr. A major exhibition is planned for June 2005. (18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740; 508 997-0046; web site; www.whalingmuseum.org) . . . Executive Director of South Street Seaport Museum appointed. Paula Mayo, recently Acting Executive Director, has been with the museum since 1990. In her
new role, she will work with the Board of Trustees to identify projects and opportunities for museum funding and will also oversee research to prepare grant applications to government agencies, foundations, and philanthropic organizations. (207 Front St., New York, NY 10038; 212 7 48-8600) ... Last winter, PT Boats, Inc. received five radar masts from a California surplus store. The organization was notified by Rich Pekelney from the Historic Naval Ships Association about the masts. Once they confirmed the masts' authenticity, interested parties worked to acquire them. Isaiah Taylor, owner of the surplus shop, donated the masts to PT Boats, Inc. The masts are nine feet tall without their radar domes. (PT Boats, Inc., National Headquarters, PO Box 38070, Germantown, TN 38183-0070; 901 755-8440; web site: www.ptboats.org; e-mail: ptboats@pop.net. ... The North American Society for Oceanic History (NASOH) has announced Charles Dana Gibson and Kay Gibson winners of the 2004 K. Jack Bauer Award for service to NASOH and the Maritime History
Profession. In 1988, NASOH created the K. Jack Bauer Award to honor those who have given distinguished service to NASOH and have made life-rime contributions to the field of maritime history. Jack Bauer (1926-1987) was a friend and colleague of many founding members of NASOH and a mentor to many other younger people, who followed him to become members of NASOH and active scholars in the fields of maritime or military history. The Gibsons have published eight books, plus many articles reviews and monographs in: American Neptune, Northern Mariner, Periodical, Naval History, US Naval Institute Proceedings, and Sea History. The Society presented the award to the Gibsons at their annual meeting in May in St. Michaels, Maryland. (For information on NASOH's 2005 meeting, contact Joseph Meany Jr., PhD., 2005 Program Chair, c/o Sam'! Hutton Assoc., 2830 Cornhill St. , Annapolis, MD 21401; e-mail: NASOH2005@aol.com) ... The PAST Foundation has launched a new study in the Gulf of Mexico. "The Deep
The Launch of the Canal Schooner Lois McClure, 3 July 2004
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n a picture perfect Independence Day weekend in Burlington, Vermont, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) launched the first canal schooner built there in over a century. After three years in the making, the 88-foot long replica of an 1862-class canal schooner was launched in front of several hundred spectators with speeches given by museum staff, donors, and government officials. The ship was launched from the public ramp after having been moved from the Burlington Shipyard. Lake C hamplain is one of the most historic waterways in North America (and briefly a "Great Lake") and the site of major strategic battles that helped determine the region's destiny. The opening of the Champlain Canal in 1823 changed lake navigation forever. This water-highway connecting Lake Champlain to the Hudson River create vast new marker opportunities. Southbound lumber, iron, farm products, and quarried stone; and northbound coal, manufactured goods, and imports were all moved by a new breed of boats and boatmen. Canal boars, both towed and sailed, were designed to fit the locks on the canal. The region's shipbuilders designed a new vessel unique to the area, adding a centerboard and sailing rig to the canal boat. The newly-launched Lois McClure will tour the lake through late October making stops on both the New York and Vermont sides conducting school programs and dockside tours. The canal schooner joins the Philadelphia II as replica vessels LCMM uses to interpret their regional maritime history. (LCMM, 4472 Basin Harbor Rd., Vergennes, VT 04591; web site: www.lcmm.org; e-mail: info@lcmm. org). Photos courtesy LCMM.
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SEA HISTORY 108, AUTUMN 2004