natural environment. He capably tackles murky areas of Southern New England history, such as the boundary dispute between Rhode Island and Massachusens in the 17 40s, and makes clear the struggle faced by those involved in defining "N arragansett Bay." A fascinating read, Between Land and Sea is in some places more academic in tone than necessary. Pastore's eager emphasis regarding the duali ty of intellectual and physical srrucruring of the bay at times strains his usual fluid writing style. Additionally, while he offers a short discussion based on Giovanni da Verrazzano's 1524 report, a more substantial examination of use of the estuary before European contact would be welcome . Between Land and Sea offers a glimpse at man's ability and desire to exploit and change natural space. Ir offers a rich environmental history, clearly and concisely peering into Rhode Island's pas t through the lens of its most defin ing physical feature. Ir is an essential contribution to the environmental and maritime histories of Rhode Island and Southern New England. MORGAN BREENE
Kingston, Rhode Island Ann e T. Con ver se Photography
'\
~ ~--·- -·
Ice Ship: The Epic Voyages of the Polar A dventurer Fram by Charles W Johnson (University of New England Press, Lebanon, N H , 2014, 3 18pp, maps, photos, index, notes, ISB N 978-1-61168-396-7; $35hc) The story of a ship is actually three stories: its design, construction, and voyages; the record of the work she did; and the story of her owners, officers, and crew. A successful ship's biography weaves these together seamlessly, as does C harles Johnson's Ice Ship: 1he Epic Voyages of the Polar Adventurer Fram. Fram's story begins with Fridtjof Nansen's quest to reach the No rth Pole in a ship designed, not to resist the ice pack, but to embrace it and follow its drift. This threemasred schooner was no beauty-a bathtub 128 feet long, 36-foot beam- requiring a small crew. Sailing fro m Norway in June 1893 to be frozen into the pack ice, on purpose, to drift for the next three years, she established her enduring fame . Nansen left her for an overland strike at the Pole. In that task he failed, but he and his ship survived and returned home to much fanfare. Fram's second voyage was her longest-four years in the unexplored Arctic J
of
Sea, mapping more than 100,000 square miles, more than all other expeditions combined. Captain Orto Sverdrup maintained a relative contentment among his men trapped by the ice so far from home. The most "heroic" aspect of this voyage remains its enormous record of science and discovery. Fram's third and best-known voyage carried Amundsen south to the Antarctic in 1910. Nansen had lent him the ship for an expedition to the Arctic, bur Amundsen instead embarked on a race to beat Scott to the South Pole. When she retired fro m polar exploring, Fram, not suited to any other sort of wo rk, fell into disrepair. She survives today as an exhibit, beneath a Norwegian museum's roof. As Johnso n says, "ship and crew have an inseparable identi ty .... This feeling does nor come from a ship's design, or with structure and function, bur fro m this intricate, interwoven relarionship between vessel and crew, built of rime .. .imprisoned by the ice, for so long a rime, totally alone, and fa r away from anything familiar." It is a feeling well illustrated in his admirable book. D AVID HrRZEL
Pacifica, California
.\1 .\(;I.-:..:
A m ,. r i
c a
GALVESTON'S THE ELISSA T1 IE TML Si Ill' l!F TEXAS by Kurt D. Voss All proceeds from this pictorial history benefit the ELISSA preservation fund
Neitli, 1996, Cover ph otogr aph
'Wootf, Wind andWater A STORY OF THE OPERA HousE Cur RACE OF NANTU CKET
THE FLEET IS IN.
Photographs by Anne T. Converse Text by Carolyn M. Ford Live vicariously through the pictures and tales of classic wooden yacht owners who lovingly restore and race these gems of the sea. "An outstanding presentation deserves ongoing recommendation for both art and nautical collections. " Hardbound book; 132 pages, 85 full page color p hotographs; Price $45.00 10"x 12"
For more information contact: Anne T. Converse Phone: 508-728-6210 anne@a nnetconverse .com www.a nnetconverse.com
SEA HISTORY 150, SPRING 2015
Published by Arcad ia P ublishi ng and Ga lveston Hi storical Foundation $2 1.99. 128 pages, 200 photographs Autographed copies availab le at (409) 763 -1 877, or on line at:
www . tsm-elissa.org
Sit in the wardroom of a mighty battleship, touch a powerful torpedo on a submarine, or walk the deck of an aircraft carrier and stand where naval aviators have flown off into history. It's all waiting for you when you visit one of ~~Qi~ the 175 ships of the Historic Naval Ships Association fleet.
Riwll•11i.
For information on all our ships and museums, see the HNSA website or visit us on Facebook. 63