Navy in th e defense of freedom wo rldwide is now more generally and accurately understood thanks to C olin's imaginative and tireless efforts on this broad theme, and particularly on the life and times of Lo rd Nelson, who epitomized that cause in actio n. His meticulous scholarship and his infectio us pleasure in spreading the wo rd have spread light, in times rather short of enlightenment on history and its ineluctable lessons in national securi ry and the advance of freedom in the wo rld. His generosiry of spirit encouraged others to follow the paths he opened in studies of the maritime world. His legacy will go o n inspiring people into the future, and his unbo unded helpfulness to his fell ows in the work will always be remembered with deep affection and gratitude, by all who knew him, and should be known to all those not fortunate enough to have worked with him. P ETER STANFORD
President Emeritus Na tional Maritime Historical Sociery N OTE: In the las t issue of Sea H istory (1 26), we mistakenly omitted the byline fo r Colin White's obituary. Mr. W hite's tribute was written by AoM. Joseph F. Callo, who also contributed this photo of HMS Victory flying the white ensign at half mas t. In January, the Royal Navy signalled for all ships in Portsmo uth H arbor- including N elson's flagshi p-to lower their ensigns to half-mast to mark White's fun eral.
Making Maritime History Personal I am absolutely thrilled with the issue of Sea H istory that arrived today in the mail, particularly because I have a large Marshall Johnson oil painting hanging over my fireplace, acqui red by my great-grandfather Elbridge Webster, a Boston clipper ship captain. It depicts a square- rigger beating her way off Cape Cod Light in a storm (see image above). The article on the artist (Sea H istory 126) brings this painting mo re to li fe. Speaking of my great-grandfa ther, using tips fro m Sea H istory's "M ari time History on the Internet" guide, I discovered that Captain Webster skippered the barque William Penn from San Francisco to Port Jackson, New So uth Wales, Australia, between September 185 1 and Jan uary 1852 in 106 days under sail, stopping long enough in Fiji to recruit five Fij ians fo r his crew. All of this info rmation I found o nline from the State Record Authoriry of New South Wales. O nline, I also learned of his adventures skippering the ship Louisa in 1854, from Sydney to San Francisco and back, a voyage that included storms, drunkenness, hijinks, a mutiny and knife battle. At once, yo u can see the val ue that Sea H istory can bring to one's research projects. PHI LIP
J. WEBSTER
Trustee, NMH S
Treasure Hunting The letter in defense of treasure hunters in the last issue misses several crucial points.
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That a few treasure hunters employ professionals and modern equipment is irrelevant when their basic mission must always be to grab the goodies in the m ost economical way in their to at temp t to make a profit. Scientifi c wo rk becom es no more than window dressing to be dispensed of at need, as we see in the outcomes of an endless row of treasure-hunting projects. W here are the in-depth studies of the sites and their arti fac ts? W here are the scientific reports? I have seen o nly one fro m treasure hunters in a nearly fifty-year career in the field . Coffee-table books, aucti o n catalogs, and borderline-fiction adventure tales don't co mpensate for the destruction of unique nautical history sites. Where are the opportu nities fo r scholars to see the wo rk in progress and its results? No t likely when treas ure-hunter secrecy is the watchwo rd. W here are the museum exhibits which wo uld bring new knowledge abo ut ships and o ur seafaring history to the public? I know of very few, and their m essage usually is glorification of these m odernday destroyers of our common heritage. M os t artifac ts are sold off, dispersed, and provide no benefit fo r sociery. 1h ere are good reaso ns why enlightened nations and states are passing m ore and m ore restrictive laws regarding disturbance of our underwater heritage. The day of these m odern pira tes is drawing to a close, and none too soon given the destruction they leave in their wake. EDWARD Vo N D ER P ORTEN
San Francisco, Californi a
SEA HISTORY 127, SUMMER 2009