Deck Log Sea Change in an Invisible World ore than 90% of all goods worldwide are transported by sea, but rare is the American citizen who has been aware of this fact. When the pandemic cancelled travel plans and closed retail stores, and online orders went through the roof, many people were surprised to discover that delivery times for certain items were delayed— sometimes by months, sometimes indefinitely—because shipping was interrupted. Stories of stranded mariners stuck on ships for months beyond the end of their contract dates were reported in the international news, reaching an audience that previously barely knew they existed. And then there was the recent incident in the Suez Canal that held the world’s attention for six days in March as MV Ever Given, one of the world’s largest container ships, got stuck sideways in the Suez Canal, halting global marine traffic on either side of this vital link between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. For all the terrible things for which COVID-19 is responsible, it did succeed in bringing the invisible world of shipping and seafaring to the fore. With the lack of awareness of the role that shipping plays in the lives of everyday Americans, there has been growing concern that there are not enough young people learning necessary skills that will lead them to maritime occupations. Perhaps these issues in the seagoing trades being discussed by more and more people will inspire real change and planning to alleviate shortages in manpower that have long been predicted in maritime circles. And while these concerns are valid, there are successes to celebrate and existing programs to support. As an example, the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) in Newport, Rhode Island, runs a high-quality program that is turning out trained shipwrights and marine tradespeople. Quentin Snediker, director of the shipyard at Mystic Seaport, has noted that most of the shipwrights they hire are graduates of this program. Young people should know that this is a viable career and that museum shipyards and priBoatbuilding at IYRS vate boatyards across the country are seeking qualified workers in these trades and can offer steady, good-paying jobs. There are many programs, large and small, that educate and train future maritime professionals, and it is imperative that we support them to keep maritime skills alive. In this issue’s “NMHS Cause in Motion” (see page 9), we take a look at the Teaching With Small Boats Alliance (TWSBA), a grassroots organization that supports programs around the country that teach boatbuilding to young people as a way to get them to embrace math, science, and history in a real-life hands-on project. There are others, of course, and we’d like to know about them, so please email us at nmhs@ seahistory.org with information about programs in your area. In Philadelphia, where we will meet this summer for the NMHS Annual Meeting, the folks at the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild are planning a new direction for programming and interpretation for the historic barquentine Gazela. The ship will be the catalyst to engage younger people, refocusing its educational programs to get tools into the hands of kids and teach them skills they can use no matter what their future careers may be. We salute this move and encourage all the programs across the country that pursue these goals and hope you will as well. —Burchenal Green, NMHS President
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NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY
c /o pierre markuse via flickr, cc by 2.0
PUBLISHER’S CIRCLE: Peter Aron, Guy E. C. Maitland, Ronald L. Oswald
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OFFICERS & TRUSTEES: Chairman, Ronald L. Oswald; Vice Chairman, Richardo R. Lopes; President, Burchenal Green; Vice Presidents: Jessica MacFarlane, Deirdre O’Regan, Wendy Paggiotta, Nancy Schnaars; Treasurer, William H. White; Secretary, Jean Wort; Trustees: Charles B. Anderson; Walter R. Brown; Christopher J. Culver; William S. Dudley; David Fowler; William J. Green; Karen Helmerson; K. Denise Rucker Krepp; Guy E. C. Maitland; Capt. Jeffrey McAllister; CAPT Sally Chin McElwreath, USN (Ret.); 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; Trustees Elect: CAPT Patrick Burns, USN (Ret.); Salvatore Mercogliano; Michael Morrow; Chairmen Emeriti: Walter R. Brown, Alan G. Choate, Guy E. C. Maitland, Howard Slotnick (1930–2020) FOUNDER: Karl Kortum (1917–1996) PRESIDENT EMERITUS: Peter Stanford (1927–2016)
courtesy iyrs
OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown, USMS (Ret.); RADM Joseph F. Callo, USN (Ret.); George W. Carmany III; Richard du Moulin; Alan D. Hutchison; Gary Jobson; Sir Robin Knox-Johnston; John Lehman; Capt. Brian McAllister; Capt. James J. McNamara; H. C. Bowen Smith; John Stobart; Philip J. Webster; Roberta Weisbrod NMHS ADVISORS: Francis Duffy, John Ewald, Timothy Foote, Steven A. Hyman, J. Russell Jinishian, Gunnar Lundeberg, Conrad Milster, William G. Muller, Nancy H. Richardson SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Chairman, Timothy Runyan; Norman Brouwer, Robert Browning, William Dudley, Lisa Egeli, Daniel Finamore, Kevin Foster, Cathy Green, John Jensen, Frederick Leiner, Joseph Meany, Salvatore Mercogliano, Carla Rahn Phillips, Walter Rybka, Quentin Snediker, William H. White NMHS STAFF: Executive Director, Burchenal Green; Director of Development, Jessica MacFarlane; Accounting/Membership Associate, Andrea Ryan; Senior Staff Writer, Shelley Reid; Executive Assistant, Heather Purvis; Membership Coordinator, Nancy Schnaars 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 175, SUMMER 2021