We Welcome Your Letters! P lease send correspondence to :
LETTERS
editorial@seahistory.org or by US PS to : Edito r, Sea H istory, 7 T imberknoll Road , Pocasset , MA 02559
Weather L ore Reading the section "for kids" in the las t issue of Sea H istory, I was intrigued by yo ur quote of the old weather ditty as : "M ares' Tails a nd M ackerel Scales Make Tall Ships Carry Low Sails." Whi le I realize there could be a variety of for m s of th is old classic, my grandfa ther, who grew up in a m aritime fa mily in t he small tow n ofH antsport, Nova Scotia, always reci ted it as : "M ackerel Skies and M a res' Ta ils M ake Tall Ships Set Low Sails." My grandfat her, A rthur D avison (1856-1953) was a blacksmith and a rigger in the local shipyards and in rhe Royal Navy Ya rd in Bermuda, before headi ng west to the Californi a gold mines in 1882 . In his later years, my grandfa ther enjoyed singing sea chanteys to the tourists at rhe Prairie C reek State Park in Califo rnia. There were 32 sea cap tains with the name D avison in and around H a ntsport, plus several shipbuilders. In closing, A rthur's fa ther, John Fox Davison, was a wellknown shipbuilder in the firm of his brother-in-law, E . Chu rch ill & Sons. The firm bui lt 99 sh ips in the 19th cent ury includ ing the Hamburg, the larges t barque ever built in Canada.
The 1886 Barque H a mburg
citize n ofltaly and most likely was brought to Venice by his father fro m Bristol. H e lived the required fiftee n yea rs in Venice to qualify as a citizen, upon which he imm ediately m arried a Venetian girl. After being spurned of sponsorship in the Latin European countries, he journeyed to Bristol to seek same, perhaps via his fa ther's contacts. H ENRY H . (H ARRY) AN DERSON
Mys tic, Connecticut Rega rding Philip Bri mblecom, USS Constitution and the War of 1812 I enj oyed Dr. Louis Norton's article on Ph ilip Brimblecom and his advenm rous li fe as a seaman (Sea H istory 147). I do believe, however, that if Brimblecom 's mother wrote to the Secreta ry of State in 18 12, it wo uld not h ave been to Ja m es Madison. Madison was elected President in 1808 and served as President fro m 1809 to 1817. Jam es M onroe was Secretary of State in 1809. W I L LIAM GEMMI LL
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Constitution's original battery of 24-pounders were eight feet lo ng, but were fo und to be too short fo r efficient op eratio n o n board . Abo ut 1809, she received a battery of 10-fo ot-long 24s that had been cast by Samuel H ughes of the Cecil Iron Wo rks at H avre D e Grace, M aryland.
The distinction of "men" and "boys" often is misleading, as the rate "boy" generally was used to indicate a neophyte tar under the age of21, not an immatu re youth. Furthermore, "powder monkeys" or "passers" were not always "boys." Thomas Boozer, the passe r on Brimblecum 's 1 gun, had been enlisted as an ordinary seaman prior to the Guerriere fight, and thus was more experienced in that regard than Philip. Bainbridge's gun crews, despite the fac t that most had fo ught Guerriere, were woefu lly wild shooters, and , until the range was sho rtened late in the Java fi ght, the Briton was getting the bes t of it. Since Bainbridge followed Isaac Hull 's decision to do uble-sho t his guns thro ugho ut the battle, I doubt they were able to get off two shots every three minutes. 1 A note on spelling: where he is mentioned in ship's papers-quarters bill, etc.-his name is spelled "Brimblecum" and "Brimblecomb." In other records, such as Vital Records of M arblehead to the End of the Year 1849, his name is spelled "Brimblecom," while his father is listed elsewhere as "Brim blecome." C DR TY MARTI N USN (R ET) Tryon, N orth Carolina The Beverly (MA) fishing schooner Hannah, comm issioned on 24 A ug ust 1775 and ma nned by mostly Marblehead sa ilors, was not the first vessel of the C ontinental N avy, as relayed in Louis A rthur N orton's
Join Us for a Voyage into History
M AU RICE
N . D AVISON
Coarsegold, Califo rnia John Cabot, Englishma n Congratu lations to Dr. Eugenia Russell on her po rtrayal of the ancient ports in the Eastern Mediterranean ("T h essa lo nica: th e Maritime H istor y of a M edi eval Met ro poli s," Sea H istory 146) . It coincides w ith my reading an article in Saudi Aramco World, "Bosphorus, Strai t Between Two Wo rld s" (M arch/Apri l 2014). I write respecting her reference to John Cabot as an "Italian explorer." Cabo t was never a SEA HISTORY 147, SUMMER2014
Our seafaring heritage comes alive in the pages of S ea Histo1y, from the ancient mariners of Greece to Portuguese navigators opening up the ocea n world to the heroic efforts of sailors in modern-day conflicts. Each issue brings new insights and discoveries. If you love the sea, rivers, lakes, and
bays- if you appreciate the legacy of those who sail in deep water and their workaday craft, then you belong with us.
Join Today ! Mail in the form below, phone I 800 221-NMHS (6647), or visit us at: www.seahistory.org (e-mail: nmhs@seahistory.org)
Yes, I want to join the Society and receive Sea History quarterly. My contribution is enclosed. ($ 17.50 is fo r Sea History; any amount above that is tax deductible.) Sign me up as: D $35 Regular Member D $50 Fam ily Member D $ 100 Friend D $250 Parron D $ 500 Donor
147
Mr./M s. - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -- -- ----------------------~ZIP _ _ Retu rn to: Natio nal Maritime Historical Society, PO Box 68, Peekskill, NY 10566
_ __ _
5