NMHS: A CA USE IN MOTION NMHS Visits the Palm Beach Maritime Museum
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s part of our 50'h anniversa ry celebration, the National Maritime Historical Society is holding receptions for our members around the country for the next five yea rs. What better kick-off than the Palm Beach Maritime Museum (PBMM) , where our advisory board chairman, world-renowned m arine architect Melbourne Smith, is the m arine superintendent, building a replica of John Paul Jones's Continental Navy ship Ranger. PBMM chairman Thorne Donnelley and his board and staff gave us an enthusiastic recep tion at the museum on Peanut Island. Together, we hosted more than fifty NMHS members, many of whom had nor yet visired the museum or Pea nut Island. The museum, in Curie Park on the Intracoas tal Waterway in West Palm Beach, Florida, presents the maritime history of rhe Straits of Florida and the Caribbean Basin. Exhibits include a series of historic photographs from 1911 depicting the lntracoastal Waterway and the Lake Worth Lagoon. On display is the old steel desk that once belonged to nava l architect Jack H arg raves, the designer of H atteras yachts who introduced fib erglass to boatbuilding. This new material and technique filled the Intracoastal with affordable boats, changing the waterway from an important commercial route to one of recreational use. Ship models, morors, shipwright tools, and navigational instruments are among the many artifacts also displayed and interpreted . The museum's grounds include five acres on Pea nut Island, the location of President John F. Kennedy's bunker bui lt during the C uban Missile crisis, the histo ric 1936 Coast Guard Station, a boathouse, and other historic structures. The museum plans to build a replica of]ohn Paul Jones's ship as a showcase of wooden shipbuilding. The Ranger of 1777 was the first Continental Navy ship to defeat a Royal Navy ship in British waters during the American War of Indepe ndence. *Te mu seum hopes that this President john F Kennedy's bunker, ship- and its construction, open to built during the Cuban Missile Crisis the public-will " insp ireournarion's Ranger
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yo uth to emu late the character of John Paul Jones and inspire them to maritime voca tions, linking their future to their past a nd Florida to her rich maritime roots." During Ranger's two-yea r construction phase, the museum will di splay a special ex hibit, john Paul Jones and the Continental Navy. Before this bigge r project gets underway, the museum , w ith help from 1 area students, w ill first build a reproduction of Ponce de Leon's chalupa in celebration of the 500'h a nnive rsa ry of the founding of Florida. We were enthralled with our visit to the Palm Beach Maritime Academy, a Kinderga rten-ro-Srl'-G rade "/\' rared charter school, guided by principa l M a rie Turchiaro. This awardwinning school is a stella r exa mple in the growing field of ma rit ime-themed academies for younger students. Teacher Steve A ll en was a ve teran of the NOAA Teacher-at-Sea program a nd has participated in underwater archaeology field work in the G ul f of M ex ico. His enthusias m has in spired his students; Eighth grade r Ca meron Mason recently wo n the state's ROV competitio n. "The hardest part of it," he rold us, "was the control box. If you mess up one wire you mess up t he whole thing." Which he didn't. It was a worthy win ning proj ect from a school w ith a w inning environment. For details on our upcoming events and anniversary celebratio ns, please visit ou r website: www.seahisrory.org. -Burchenal Green, President ROV Champion Cameron Mason
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SEA HISTORY 143 , SUMMER 20 13