No Iron Sides
The Historic Naval Ships Association currently has several critical items on its agenda. Wooden ship experts inspecting for the Naval Historical Center deemed it necessary to unrig and dismast the Constellation, which is on exhibit in the inner harbor of Baltimore, Maryland. A sloop of war dating from the 1850s and named for the first of the six original frigates launched in 1797, the Constellation is among the oldest warships afloat.
It is now time for another drydocking and major renovation of the old “Yankee Racehorse,” and the government and citizens of Baltimore are coming together to get the job done. Luckily, with the recent drydocking of the Constitution in preparation for her bicentennial, the Naval Historical Center has put together an expert team that can help advise the Constellation's crew, and the city has agreed to help raise funds for the project. To assist in this effort, write: Constellation Foundation, Constellation Dock, Pier 1, Baltimore, Maryland 21202-3134- [Editor’s Note: According to David Brink at the National Maritime Alliance, the Constellation “is in disastrous condition and costs could run as high as $15 to $20 million dollars or more to fix her. She’s going to need (more) public money if she’s going to survive.’’ The Alliance recommended to the National Trust for Historic Preservation that the ship be placed on the list of the 11 most endangered historic places in the United States. Gail Shawe, asked by Baltimore’s Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke to head the city’s rescue effort, says that for now there are no answers, only “a whole lot of questions. But we have a commitment to do whatever it takes to see that she is preserved and remains in Baltimore.” Naval and civilian experts agree that the size, complexity, and extent of deterioration will make this the most daunting wooden ship renovation in history.
Efforts continue in Duluth, Minnesota, to raise funds for acquiring the cruiser Des Moines (CA-134) from the inactive ship facility, Philadelphia, for use as a floating museum. Launched in 1948 and decommissioned in 1961, she was the last all-gun cruiser in active service. Those interested in helping the cause can write: USS Des Moines Project, 325 Lake Avenue South #703, Duluth, Minnesota 55802. Or call 800- 569-8111.
The Coast Guard cutter Tamaroa (WMEC-166) recently retired and relocated to the Intrepid Air-Sea-Space Museum in New York City. She was a veteran of Kwajalein, Tinian, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima in World War II.
The 1994 annual meeting of the Historic Naval Ships Association will be held from 20 to 24 September 1994 at the Bremerton Historic Naval Ships Association, managers and exhibitors of the destroyer Turner Joy (DD-951), in Bremerton, Washington. For details, write to Executive Director, Historic Naval Ships Association, 4640 Hoylake Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462.
—J. Cheevers
Festival of the Sea Turns Back the Clock
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park brings the turn-of-the- century waterfront back to life from 26 to 28 August for a lively celebration of seafaring history at Hyde Street Pier.
“Festival of the Sea 1994,” a free gala of traditional music, children’s activities, and maritime craft demonstrations, kicks off Friday, 26 August, with a parade of tall ships and classic yachts along the waterfront. The visiting 1812-era Baltimore Clipper topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore will join the festivities as part of its 1993-1994 Tour of the Americas. The celebration continues Saturday and Sunday, 27-28 August, with live performances and ship tours.
The park’s regular attractions include the 1886 square-rigger Balclutha, the endangered 1895 schooner C. A. Thayer, and the ferryboat Eureka. For more information, call 415-929-0202.
Weir Wins Roosevelt Prize
Dr. Gary E. Weir of the Contemporary History Branch was awarded the 1993 Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt Naval History Prize for his comprehensive history Forged in War: The Naval-Industrial Complex and American Submarine Construction, 1940-1961. The prize, sponsored by the New York Council of the Navy League of the United States in cooperation with the Theodore Roosevelt Association, the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, recognizes outstanding contributions to American maritime history.
In other news from the Naval Historical Center, Dr. Susan H. Godson of Williamsburg, Virginia—under the terms of a contract awarded on 28 September 1993—is preparing a comprehensive history of the role of women in the Navy. Dr. Godson will examine how the roles of naval women have developed and evolved over time, from their capacity as sailors and nurses throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to their expansion into other support and combat functions in the contemporary period. She will set this development within the broader context of the changing role of women in American society. Her manuscript is due to be completed in September 1997.
—W. Karppi
The Joker and the Coast Guard
Film star Cesar Romero, who, among other roles, played “The Joker” on the TV series “Batman,” served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. He recently passed away, and his memorabilia were donated to the service. These artifacts include uniform items, photographs, and items connected with the war bond drives in which he participated during the war.
In other Coast Guard historical news, the Isabel Anderson Comer Museum in Sylacauga, Alabama, is showing approximately 75 Coast Guard historical paintings. This show has several themes and will be displayed at the museum during the months of July and August. Coast Guard historical artwork will also be displayed at the Veterans’ Administration Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin, from mid-July until mid-September. A World War II art exhibit will be at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Serviceman’s Park from 1 July until 31 August.
The Coast Guard Historian’s Office has available a free 24-inch by 36-inch color poster depicting Coast Guard cutters and naval vessels manned by the Coast Guard during World War II. Seventeen vessels are represented and are shown in their war-time camouflage schemes.
Write Community Relations (G-CP-3) for more information on historical art shows, or the Coast Guard Historian’s Office (G-CP-4) for posters: 2100 2nd Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20593.
—R. Browning
‘You Know, Torpedoes’
“Our primary interpretation,” says Jeff Johnston of the James River Squadron, “is the Confederate Submarine Battery Service—you know, torpedoes.” But their “living history organization” offers the public a variety of “campaigns” to entertain and “educate the public on the roles of the sailors during the American Civil War. That is, we strive to teach them that the Civil War navies went a lot further than the Monitor and the Merrimack." Their well-researched programs provide exacting detail in uniforms and equipment, often manufactured using period tools.
Plans for July and August include events in Carteret County and Henricus Park, Virginia. For more information, write to the James River Squadron, P.O. Box 6631, Chesapeake, Virginia 23323, or call 804-399-5521.
Will the SS Savannah Sail Again?
The Ships of the Sea Museum in Savannah, Georgia, hopes to secure commercial sponsorship to build a replica of the Steam Ship Savannah. It is hoped that the vessel could be constructed in time for the 1996 Olympic Yachting events, scheduled in Savannah, as part of the Atlanta Olympic Program.
The original SS Savannah was the first sail and steam vessel to cross the Atlantic, safely reaching Liverpool and St. Petersburg in 1819. Only seven years earlier, in 1812, Robert Fulton had proved the utility of steam propulsion in protected waters on board his Clermont in 1812. Regular steamship service across the often hostile Atlantic would not begin for another 25 years. The Savannah’s voyage was as significant a historical and technological breakthrough in its time as Charles Lindbergh’s trans-Atlantic flight more than 100 years later.
The museum recently acquired a series of historic ship models, including one based on the Chapelle design of the Steam Ship Savannah.
For more information, contact David Guernsey, Director of the Ships of the Sea Museum, at 912-232-1511.
New Marine Corps Museum Gets on the Ground
The Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum at Quantico, Virginia, reopened recently for its 16th season. Housed in three hangars at historic Brown Field, exhibits include a collection of restored Marine Corps aircraft, vehicles, armor, artillery, and small arms relating to the development and operations of the Marine Corps air-ground team. This year the museum features a new exhibit on the development and use of recoilless rifles in the Korean War. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 1000 to 1700, Sunday 1200 to 1700, and closed on Monday. It will remain open until the third Sunday in November.
The Marine Corps Museum at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., occupies the first floor of the Marine Corps Historical Center. The core of the museum is a “time tunnel” through which the Corps’ history is told from the American Revolution to the latest developments. Additionally, the famous flags raised by Marines on Iwo Jima are displayed, as well as exhibits commemorating various World War II campaigns. The museum is open daily Monday through Saturday, 1000 to 1600, and Sunday, 1200 to 1700. During the summer parade season it is open Friday nights from 1800 to 2000.
The History and Museums Division has published two more monograph series commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War 11. Breaking the Outer Ring: Marine Landings in the Marshall Islands and Breaching the Marianas: The Battle for Saipan were both written by retired Captain John C. Chapin, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, a veteran of both campaigns. The first tells of the decision to advance against Japanese bases in the Pacific and the assault of American forces at Kwajalein Atoll in the heart of the Marshalls’ cluster of 32 atolls, more than 1,000 islands, and 867 reefs. The second history concerns the difficult landing of the 2d and 4th Marine Divisions on Saipan and the fight to secure the island. Both of these publications are available for purchase from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402-9328.
—A. Ferrante
Schiff Gets Distinguished Service Award
At its spring meeting the Board of Trustees of The Naval Institute Foundation voted to recognize outstanding support of the organization with a distinguished service award and unanimously selected the first recipient—Mr. John J. Schiff of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jack Schiff s enthusiasm for and dedication to the Navy are well known. He’s been a member of the Naval Institute since 1976, and was inducted into The Commodore Club—the organization’s premier donor society—in 1991.
He has worked in the insurance industry for more than 50 years and serves currently as chairman of the Executive Committee of The Cincinnati Insurance Company and Cincinnati Financial Corporation. During World War II he advanced to the rank of lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve.
Retired Vice Admiral Howard Thorsen, U.S. Coast Guard, former chairman of the Naval Institute’s Editorial Board and current vice chairman of The Naval Institute Foundation, presented Schiff (right) with a signed and framed print of the “Little Beavers,” by R. G. Smith, from the Naval Institute’s Historical Art Print Collection.
Sailing Season for the Living Classrooms
The Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland, is a nonprofit corporation that features a Maritime Institute, historic ships (Buyboat Mildred Belle and S.V. Lady Maryland), a farm, and lighthouse. All are dedicated to providing hands-on outdoor educational experiences for at-risk youth, students, and adults. All of the programs emphasize the history, economics, and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay.
The Foundation is especially proud of the Living Classrooms Maritime Institute located in the Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore. There, Maryland’s historic skipjack fleet is being restored by students and instructors. Presently, the rebuilding of the skipjack Sigsbee, built in 1901, is nearing completion. It will be the first skipjack to join the Foundation’s fleet of historic vessels that serve as living classrooms.
The educational vessels operate from March through November, primarily for students. During the summer months, the 100-foot pungy schooner Lady Maryland sails to ports along the Atlantic coast. This summer she journeys to ports in Maine, Canada, and the Great Lakes. In each port and during various legs of this voyage the ship will be open for daily bookings, as well as week-long sailing adventures.
For more information about the Foundation or how you might join, please contact: Terry LaBonne, Living Classrooms Foundation, 717 Eastern Avenue, Pier 5, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, or call 410-685-0295.