Deck Log We watched in horror along with the rest of the world as the magnificent spire of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, consumed in flame and smoke, collapsed into the inferno below. The 850-year-old cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an iconic symbol of Paris and France. As some breathed a cautious sigh of relief when it was reported that much had been saved, within hours it was also reported that a number of uber-wealthy in France had pledged in excess of one billion dollars to restore their beloved Notre Dame. As much as the response is one of gratitude, we also began to wonder where these generous patrons were before the fire. Notre Dame has, for some time, been reportedly in dire need of repair and restoration, and funding to achieve this work was considerably shy of what was required. It is easy to draw an analogy to the historic structures the maritime heritage community feels so strongly about. We have a number of historic ships in dire straits, iconic vessels that represent our national and world history. As much as the dedicated individuals who are working to save them can do with labors of love, heart and soul, in the end these ships and the organizations tasked with their preservation need money. It is out there, but why do we wait for tragedy to pledge these funds? Millionaires and billionaires, could you come forward now, before our great historic ships degrade to the point where the only option is to tow them out and sink them as artificial reefs or in deep water where no one will ever see them again? Falls of Clyde, the only remaining ship of her kind, is desperate for funds to transport this iconic ship from Hawaii to Scotland, where a group is standing by to restore her. The record-breaking ocean liner SS Falls of United States, the pride of the nation, has been barely Clyde holding on for years at a dock in Philadelphia; ex-USS Olympia is still afloat, but her future is less than certain. And there are so many United States others. Those who have the resources at this level are but a small segment of our population, but just think what a lasting and far-reaching contribution that saving an important historic ship can do for current and future generations. Imagine our horror to wake up one day and Olympia hear that any of these historic ships caught fire or sank or was quietly towed to the scrapyard. It has happened before; let’s not wait until it is too late. We need to save our historic vessels, great and small, and we need our citizens of means to help us do it now before they are gone forever. —Burchenal Green, NMHS President
chas tilford
ssus conservancy
ffoc
antoninnnn via wikipedia commons (cc by-sa 4.0)
Saving Our History While We Still Can
4
NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY PUBLISHER’S CIRCLE: Peter Aron, Guy E. C. Maitland, Ronald L. Oswald OFFICERS & TRUSTEES: Chairman, Ronald L. Oswald; Vice Chairman, Richardo R. Lopes; President, Burchenal Green; Vice Presidents: Jessica MacFarland, Deirdre O’Regan, Wendy Paggiotta, Nancy Schnaars; Treasurer, Howard Slotnick; Secretary, Jean Wort; Trustees: Charles B. Anderson; Walter R. Brown; Christopher J. Culver; William S. Dudley; David S. Fowler; William Jackson Green; Karen Helmerson; Denise Krepp; Richard M. Larrabee; Guy E. C. Maitland; Capt. Brian McAllister; CAPT Sally Chin McElwreath, USN (Ret.); Michael W. Morrow; CAPT James A. Noone, USN (Ret.); Richard Patrick O’Leary; ADM Robert J. Papp Jr., USCG (Ret.); Timothy J. Runyan; Richard Scarano; Philip J. Shapiro; Capt. Cesare Sorio; William H. White; Chairmen Emeriti: Walter R. Brown, Alan G. Choate, Guy E. C. Maitland, Howard Slotnick FOUNDER: Karl Kortum (1917–1996) PRESIDENT EMERITUS: Peter Stanford (1927–2016) OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown, USMS (Ret.); RADM Joseph F. Callo, USN (Ret.); George W. Carmany III; Clive Cussler; Richard du Moulin; Alan D. Hutchison; Gary Jobson; Sir Robin Knox-Johnston; John Lehman; Capt. James J. McNamara; H. C. Bowen Smith; John Stobart; Philip J. Webster; Roberta Weisbrod NMHS ADVISORS: George Bass, Francis Duffy, John Ewald, Timothy Foote, Steven A. Hyman, J. Russell Jinishian, Gunnar Lundeberg, Conrad Milster, William G. Muller, Stuart Parnes, Nancy Hughes Richardson, Joyce Huber SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Chairman, Timothy Runyan; Norman Brouwer, Robert Browning, William Dudley, Daniel Finamore, Kevin Foster, John Jensen, Joseph Meany, Carla Rahn Phillips, Walter Rybka, Quentin Snediker, William H. White NMHS STAFF: Executive Director, Burchenal Green; Director of Development, Jessica MacFarlane; Membership Director, Jean Marie Trick; Membership Coordinator, Nancy Schnaars; Comptroller, Anjoeline Osuyah; Staff Writers: Shelley Reid, Julia Church; Executive Assistant, Heather Purvis; Marketing Director, Steve Lovass-Nagy; Membership Assistant, Irene Eisenfeld SEA HISTORY: Editor, Deirdre E. O’Regan; Advertising Director, Wendy Paggiotta Sea History is printed by The Lane Press, South Burlington, Vermont, USA.
SEA HISTORY 167, SUMMER 2019