NMHS: A CAUSE IN MOTION NMHS Annual Meeting
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he National M aritime Histori cal Society is grateful to the US Coast G uard Academy for hosting our 43 rd Annual M eeting on April 29th. NMHS C hairman Walter Brown was pleased to ann ounce that the Society is in good shape and is facing its challenges with vigor. He welcomed three new trustees: John R. McDonald Jr., class of 2009, H. C. Bowen Smith, elected by the board to fill the vacancy of Marshall Streibert's term until
2008, and trustee elect Robert F. Kamm. Mr. Brown announced that graphic artist Brigham Pendleton is designing a new N MHS web site, which should be ready this summer, and that D r. Joshua Smith, Asst. Professor at the US M erchant Marine Academy at King's Point, is producing a new N MHS textbook, The A merican Maritime
Attendees gathered for a p hoto on our tour after the m eetings. After the Society's business meeting, we heard M aritime H eritage Reports from local maritime organizations and institutions. Pictured lower right, (l to r), CWO Dave French, USCG; Capt. Ted Foster, Chairman, Charles Point Council; Chairman Walter Brown; Peter M ello, Exec. D irector, American Sail Training Association; Rear Admiral James Van Sice, Superintendent, USCG Academy; Brenda M ilkofsky, Curator, Connecticut River M useum; Dana Hewson, Vice President for Watercraft Preservation and Programs, Mystic Seaport; Peter Stanfo rd, NMHS President Emeritus; and William Borchers, USCG Academy Class of 1962.
I Reader, with support from the David M. M ilton C haritable Trust. Treasurer Ronald Oswald remarked , to everyone's joy, that the Society is fi nan cially stable, and D evelopment Chairm en Tom Daly and D ave Fowler beseeched m embers to support us to maintain that status. Dave Fowler reminded members of the inextricable role that maritime histo ry has played in American histo ry as a whole, and it is paramount that we fi nd beques ts and grants of suppo rt to furth er this message. Bill White remarked that Sea History has developed into a wo nderful vehicle for sharing wh at we are all about with both o ur membership and the publ ic at large.
"The Box That Changed the World"
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n 26 April 1956, the converted tanker Ideal X sailed out of Port Newark, NJ , bound fo r H ouston carrying 58 containers. Fifty years later, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey brought the leaders of today's shipping industry togeth er at Berth 50 in Port Newark to co mmemorate the 50th anniversary of co ntaineri zation. They unvei led a plaque to mark the milestone
anniversary of Malcolm McLean's innovative concept to move cargo in containers directly from truck and train to ship, streamlining th e entire process. At the ceremo ny, Port Authori ty C hairman An th ony Coscia gave credi t to many in the shipping industry for making McLean's idea a success. "The concept was revolutionary and embraced by people nationally, who were ready to do things in a better way." Port Authori ty Executive D irecto r Kenn eth Ringler Jr. reiterated that theme when he emphasized that the annive rsary events celebrate th e spiri t of entrepreneurship. One person's ideas can make a difference, but it demands public and private cooperation to make it a reali ty. N MHS trustee Richard Larrabee,
(left) A nthony Coscia, Chairman of the Port Authority of NY & NJ, speaks at the commemoration ceremony.
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Directo r of the Po rt Commerce D epartment, and Lucy Ambrosino, O utreach and Legislative Affairs Manager of the Po n Authori ty, welcomed NM H S C hairman Walter Brown to the ceremony and introduced him to many shipping indus try leaders. Charles C ushing discussed plans to build the McLean Container Center at King's Point. Today, the Po rt Authority of NY & NJ handles nearly three million containers each year. The process of transferrin g cargo fro m shore to sh ip to shore aga in is now so efficient that the p resen ce of a maritime culture- ports, ships, and sailors-is nearly gone fro m the docks. Containerization h as streamlined the industry and, by doing so, has transfo rmed the merchant marine. Ir is the Society's mission to preserve th e ri ch histo ry and traditions of commercial shipping and its mariners.
- Burchenal Green, Executive Director
SEA HISTORY 11 5, SUMMER 2006