Deck Log
A River Runs Through It: History, Ships, and Philadelphia
courtesy burchenal green
photo by robb jones
W. C. Fields had it all wrong. Two weeks would not be enough time to visit Philadelphia, and a long weekend certainly wasn’t. After a year and a half of virtual events and global presentations, NMHS members and staff ventured out to finally gather in person. Our host was the Independence Seaport Museum, whose leadership has championed the cruiser Olympia and its important restoration. We had a grand gathering of about 100 members; along with visits to Independence Seaport Museum and the Museum of the American Revolution, we chartered a ferry to take us across the river to the Battleship New Jersey. Over the weekend, we spread out to discover Philadelphia. It is a walking city, replete with historic markers everywhere, parks, and statues of historic figures, both real and make-believe. I have never had a more scrumptious butterscotch pudding than at the Oyster House, or better fish and chips outside of Great Britain than at En route to the Battleship New Jersey The Plough and The Stars (both historic restaurants). NMHS Secretary Jean Wort and Chairman Ronald Oswald were heartened by their visit to Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were debated and adopted. Trustee Tim Runyan and his wife, Laurie, visited the Barnes Foundation Museum and raved about the Impressionist collection, then visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see its renowned American collection and, of course, to take a jog up its iconic steps made famous in the “Rocky” movies. Standing on the dock beside the historic barquentine Gazela Primeiro, it was fun to observe Capt. Jeffrey McAllister and his wife Stacia watch a McAllister tug pass by doing its work in the river. We chose Philadelphia for our 58th Annual Meeting because it is both rich in maritime history and, of course, the history of our nation’s foundNMHS staff (l-r) Wendy Paggiotta, ing. It was here that naval architect and shipbuilder Heather Purvis, and Andrea Ryan Joshua Humphreys built USS United States (1797), explore USS Olympia. the first of the six frigates authorized by the Continental Congress in the Naval Act of 1794. In 1800 the federal government purchased his Philadelphia shipyard and the surrounding property to become our nation’s first naval shipyard—the one that would produce USS Pennsylvania, USS North Carolina, USS Mississippi, USS Princeton, and later the Battleship New Jersey, the most decorated battleship in American history. Philadelphia’s connection with so many important ships in American history is front and center in the museums and along the waterfront, and today many historic ships call Philadelphia home: Gazela Primeiro, the 1902 tug Jupiter, USS Olympia, the 1944 Balao-class submarine Becuna, and the famous ocean liner, SS United States, the Blue Riband record holder. The Museum of the American Revolution is right at home here, leading us on an exploration of our country’s beginnings. This city is where the Liberty Bell still inspires us, and these landmarks speak to us today of those tumultuous times. With so much to learn and explore, time and again our members said the best part, the very best part, was the opportunity to finally be together in person again, to see each other, chat over a meal while admiring views of the Delaware, and enjoy the sort of conversations we had always taken for granted. The individuals and organizations that joined us are doing so much to advance the preservation of our heritage, and we look forward to meeting again next year to celebrate the maritime history of another part of the country. With the future of the pandemic uncertain, so much is unknown about what we can expect, but what we do know is that when we are able to gather again, there is much we can discover and accomplish together. —Burchenal Green, NMHS President 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 MacFarlane, Deirdre O’Regan, Wendy Paggiotta, Nancy Schnaars; Treasurer, William H. White; Secretary, Jean Wort; Trustees: Charles B. Anderson; Walter R. Brown; CAPT Patrick Burns, USN (Ret.); 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.); Salvatore Mercogliano; Michael 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; 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) 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 176, AUTUMN 2021