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LETTERS A Marin er's Grave John Rousmaniere's look at the tenants of Evergreens Cemetery in Brooklyn brought to our attention the many sailors who found their peace among friends after they crossed the bar. In the Linden Hill United Methodist Cemetery in nearby Q ueens lie the remains of another maritimer, the man who designed the world's greatest sailing ships. His ships were likely crewed by some of the same seamen of the 1840s and 50s in reaching the apex in the 500-year history of sailrhe first American extreme clipper ships built in New York. John Willis Griffith s designed the first clipper ship, Rainbow, in 1845. Her passage to China and back was asto unding, and a second ship built in 1847 truly amazed the seafaring community. Sea Witch made her first two passages home from Canton with records for swiftness never to be equaled-not even by sailing ships twice her size.
editorial@seahistory.org or by USPS to: Editor, Sea History, 7 Timberknoll Road, Pocasset , MA 02559 readers agree, I think the least we can do is to see that Joh n Willis Griffiths, marine and naval architect who died 28 April 1882 at 73 years of age, has a headstone to mark his remarkable life. MELBOURNE SMITH
West Palm Beach, Florida
Thoughts on the Battle of Lake Erie After O liver Hazard Perry climbed aboard the US Brig Niaga ra after Jesse Elliott FINALLY arrived on the scene during the Bard e of Lake Erie, he then engaged the hopeless, and by then helpless, HMS Detroit. The victory that fo llowed gave Perry the distinction of being the first person to tweet a victory statement. At least, I th ink his note to General Harrison was under 140 characters. ~ Of course, if Elliott had fo l- ~ lowed Perry at the outset of h is maneuver, there might not be a Niagara for Captain Rybka to command. PAUL
A few weeks ago I asked a friend, Matt Carmel, to make a rubbing for me from Mr. Griffirhs's gravestone in Queens. Imagine my shock when I learned there is no marker on his grave. One of the greatest sailing ship designers of all rime lies in an unmarked grave. William Crothers reported in '!he A merican-Built Clipper Ships, 1850-56, "Sea Witch had more infl.uence on the configuration of fast vessels than any ship built in the United States." And the great clipper ship builder Donald McKay wrote Griffiths, "You are a Master of your Profession, have no Superior in it." The missing gravestone was first reported by Adam Brodsky in the New Yo rk Post on 25 October. The response from his readers has been encouraging, with ideas and offerings of support to rectify this grave error of omission. If Sea History SEA HISTORY 145 , WINTER 2013- 14
DrcK McGAUGHY
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
J. GALANTI
Indianapolis, Indiana
COURTESY MELBOU RNE SMITH
1882) by Theodore Roosevelt. He claims that the British testimony was unanimous that it was to the American gunboats the British defeat was primarily due. I wonder whether Capt. Rybka may have any comment in that regard.
I very much enjoyed rhe fine article about the Barde of Lake Erie by Captain Walter Rybka in the last issue (Sea History 144). That battle is not sufficiently well known, in spite of the activity of the current brig Niagara that sails out of Erie, Pennsylvania. I was curious about something I read in '!he Naval Wa r of 1812 (published in
From Captain Walter Rybka: I suspect this was because the gunboats from near the ends of the line would have been hitting more with raking fire than broadside. Raking fire is proportionately more destructive. A broadside h it will come crashing through the bulwarks, dismembering whomever it touches and scattering jagged splinters at those in the vicinity, bur once it has passed thro ugh the thin line of a gun crew, the ball will likely cause no more casualties. Raking fire comes down the fu ll length of the deck. O ne ball can rake somebody's head off at each gun down the length of the ship and h as more chance of striking the side of a gun or carriage (more target area than when pointed broadside to broadside) and then wildly ricocheting around the deck, scyth ing th rough more men . Coupled with the fact that most of these guns were 24- and 32-pounder long guns, and that raking fire could not be readily returned, a heavy ball from one of these gunboats wo uld definitely get your attention.
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