The Steamer Virginia V Foundation was awarded a $200,000 Maritime Heritage Grant in 2017 to reframe the stern of the steamer Virginia V, as part of the vessel’s ongoing restoration. The organization’s leadership has been active in reaching out to their state’s representatives in Congress to advocate for Maritime Heritage Grant funding. SEA HISTORY 178, SPRING 2022
David Price (NC); NMHS member Robb Jones for enlisting Rep. Wexton (VA); CAPT Chan Zucker for enlisting Rep. Luria (VA); Chris Rowsom (Historic Ships in Baltimore) for reaching out to the MD delegation; Joel Stone (Detroit Historical Society, vice president of the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History), and to those who reached out to New York representatives and to Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand, especially Mike Vogel in Buffalo, president of the US Lighthouse Society. There is a slight chance that Congress could fund the grant program in Spring 2022 when the current Continuing Resolution ends. If it does not, we will direct our efforts to the FY 2023 authorization and appropriation bills, strengthened by our supporters and the statements about the grants program in the House and Senate Appropriations Committee Reports. The progress to date would not have been possible without the continued efforts of the hundreds of maritime heritage organizations and individuals across the US. Efforts to broaden that support continue, and include my presentation on advocacy last September at the annual meeting of the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History held in person at the Erie Maritime Museum. Many were pleasantly surprised to learn that organizations in the Great Lakes region had received nearly $1 million through the grants program for maritime heritage education and preservation projects. The National Maritime Heritage Act became law in 1994 following several years of advocacy by the maritime heritage community. Congress included in the Act a grants program for education and preservation projects in support of America’s maritime heritage. Our task is to assure the promise of the act is fulfilled by securing funding for the grants program. We will do this through advocacy—reaching out to members of Congress, especially to those on the relevant committees that authorize and appropriate funds for the Department of Transportation, MARAD. We invite you to join in our efforts to secure funding for the National Maritime Heritage Grants Program. Please refer to www. seahistory.org/national-maritime-alliance/ for updates and ways you can get involved.
courtesy virginia v foundation
Stephen Lynch (MA), Pramila Jayapal, Derek Kilmer, and Adam Smith (all from WA). One example of strengthened support came from Washington State, where advocates became energized. The organizations and leaders included US Congress members (Reps. Kilmer, Jayapal, A. Smith), the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation (Chris Moore), Inspire Washington (Manny Cawaling, representing 18,000 organizations), Steamer Virginia V Foundation (Debra Alderman), Sound Experience (Catherine Collins), the Center for Wooden Boats (Josh Anderson), and others. They reached out to Sen. Patty Murray (WA), a member of the Appropriations Committee. We launched a major initiative to gain more support in the Senate, especially from members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Nearly all committee members were contacted by the National Maritime Alliance, and by our supporters who reside in their home states. Members of Congress are more responsive to requests when they are made by their own constituents. One example is Rhode Island, with letters emailed to Sens. Reed and Whitehouse and key staff from Tall Ships America (Kris Von Wald), Steamship Historical Society of America (Matthew Schulte), Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (Kathy Abbass), and Southeast Lighthouse Foundation (Lisa Nolan). A similar effort in California was directed to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Appropriations Committee) by the Los Angeles Maritime Museum (Marifrances Trivelli), the Maritime Museum of San Diego (Ray Ashley), the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (Greg Gorga), the Ocean Institute (Wendy Marshall), and the Channel Islands Maritime Museum (Adri Howe). The leadership of many more maritime heritage organizations reached out to members of Congress in support of funding for the grants program, including the National Maritime Historical Society, the US Lighthouse Society, the Council of American Maritime Museums, the Historic Naval Ships Association, Teaching with Small Boats Alliance, the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History, the National Association of Black Scuba Divers, Diving With a Purpose, the North American Society for Oceanic History, and others. While many individuals deserve recognition for their advocacy efforts, space limits me to noting only a few. My thanks to NMHS Chairman CAPT Jim Noone for his counsel; Rosehn Gipe (USS Kidd, LA) for joining with me to submit a funding request to Sen. John Kennedy, who supported our $10M request; Los Angeles Maritime Museum director and CAMM president Marifrances Trivelli who submitted a request to Sen. Feinstein, and wrote to others; Art Cohn (director emeritus, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum) for reaching out to Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy (VT); authors and educators Bland Simpson and David Cecelski who contacted House Appropriations Chair
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