‘100 Objects’ Initiative: Podcasting Naval History
A project conceived by a 2012 U.S. Naval Academy graduate brings naval history to life through a series of storytelling podcasts. “A History of the Navy in 100 Objects” was launched on the Naval Academy’s website in late February after years of research and collaboration.
The idea was born after then-Midshipman Chris O’Keefe listened to the BBC series “A History of the World in 100 Objects” and realized that the Navy lacked a similar summary of its history. O’Keefe set a course to create one. “I think it’s important for sailors to know where they fit into the story,” he said. “There is so much knowledge out there, and it needs to be brought to a wider audience.”
After spending about six months identifying historical items on the Academy’s campus that he would use to develop the series, O’Keefe then interviewed subject-matter experts at the Naval Academy, the U.S. Naval Institute, and elsewhere who shared insights on the significance of the selected objects for U.S. naval history. While at the Academy, O’Keefe worked on the project from 2010 to 2012 and continues his efforts now that he has joined the Fleet.
The endeavor has been an exercise in collaboration and support, with volunteers, fellow Midshipmen, the Naval Institute, and the staffs of the Naval Academy Museum and the Nimitz Special Collections and Archives contributing to the effort. O’Keefe cites former Naval Academy Museum director Scott Harmon and Navy Reserve Lieutenant Commander Claude Berube as valuable mentors throughout the project.
Berube, currently serving as interim director of the Naval Academy Museum, emphasized the significance of the “100 Objects” initiative: “This is an extraordinary project for two reasons: First, it is an excellent way to inform the broader public about the Naval Academy Museum’s collection. The museum has more than 60,000 artifacts in its collection and welcomes nearly 125,000 visitors per year, but this project allows people domestically and internationally to learn about a few of the items in our collection.
“Second, this project shows the creativity, vision, initiative, and energy of our Midshipmen. Ensign O’Keefe put a team of volunteers together and coordinated the project with experts. When given the opportunity, our Midshipmen never fail to impress with what they can achieve.”
Twice a week for 50 weeks, a podcast on a new item will be released. Just over a month in, eight objects have been featured, including the crypt of John Paul Jones, a political cartoon satirizing the acquisition process more than 150 years ago, iron remnants from the Monitor and CSS Virginia, and a wooden model of the Constitution.
Yet to be released are two of O’Keefe’s favorite selections: a set of samurai swords from a naval official who helped draft the World War II Japanese surrender documents, and the sword given to John Paul Jones by King Louis XVI of France. Jones’ sword was specifically commissioned for him by the king and is on display in the Naval Academy Museum.
O’Keefe’s enthusiasm for the project is practically tangible. “My vision for this is that it is just the beginning, and that it would spark copycat projects. It was never intended to be a stand-alone project. Imagine the potential if other organizations were to throw their weight behind it.”
Now an ensign, O’Keefe is stationed in Mayport, Florida with the 4th Fleet.
To learn more about “A History of the Navy in 100 Objects” and to access the podcasts, visit www.usna.edu/100Objects.
—Maura McCarthy
Sculptor Re-creating Admiral Nimitz in Bronze
The Naval Order of the United States has commissioned Oregon-based bronze sculptor Rip Caswell to create a national monument to U.S. Navy five-star Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in World War II.
The eight-foot sculpture will be unveiled at Pearl Harbor, Hawii, on 2 September 2013, commemorating the anniversary of the Allied victory in the Pacific (V-J Day) in 1945.
“I’m extremely humbled and honored” to have been awarded the commission, said Caswell. “With it comes great responsibility in capturing the nature of this great leader and to fulfill the vision of this historic monument.” The statue’s eventual location currently receives half a million visitors per year.
Rear Admiral Douglas Moore, commander general of the Naval Order of the United States (the mission of which is to preserve and honor U.S. naval history), commented, “Caswell’s ability, particularly in the eyes and in the facial features of his subjects, to capture the lifelike, true spirit of an individual, is one of the unique qualities that stood out and caught our attention in our national search and selection of a sculptor.”
The national monument will depict Nimitz in everyday military khaki attire. Moore said, “We envision the statue as a reflection of the man as he appeared during those difficult years.”
Caswell is popular with private and corporate collectors worldwide. He has created more than 200 sculptures of various subjects in contemporary and realistic styles. A full-time sculptor for the past 20 years, he is responsible for many other historic and commemorative monuments, including a statue of former Oregon Governor Tom McCall, an Oregon Iraq War memorial, and a 9/11 memorial titled “Strength of America,” which sits at the U.S. Pentagon. Caswell was selected for the Nimitz project after a long, thorough application process and a personal visit from the commander general and director of the Naval Order of the United States.
Filmmaker, Deep-Sea Diver Cameron Donates Submersible to Woods Hole
Marking the one-year anniversary of his historic dive to the deepest part of the ocean, explorer and award-winning filmmaker James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar, etc.) announced in March that he was donating his deep-sea submersible to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
Cameron and WHOI have formed a partnership to stimulate advances in ocean science and technology and build on the historic breakthroughs of Cameron’s 2012 expedition exploring deep-ocean trenches. Cameron made an unprecedented solo dive to 35,787 feet, to the deepest place on Earth—the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench—in the vertically deployed vehicle he and his team engineered, the Deepsea Challenger submersible system and science platform.
WHOI scientists and engineers will work with Cameron and his team to incorporate the sub’s numerous engineering advancements into future research platforms and deep-sea expeditions.
“The seven years we spent designing and building the Deepsea Challenger were dedicated to expanding the options available to deep-ocean researchers,” said Cameron. “Our sub is a scientific proof-of-concept, and our partnership with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a way to provide the technology we developed to the oceanographic community.”
The Deepsea Challenger demonstrated the effectiveness of a human-piloted vehicle as a science platform for investigating the deepest part of the ocean. Due to the extreme pressures of deep-sea environments and the technical challenges involved in reaching them, ocean trenches are among the least explored environments on the planet. Among several of the Deepsea Challenger system’s significant innovations are approaches to flotation, energy storage, and the camera and lighting systems that enabled Cameron to gather data, samples, and imagery in order to maximize science value from the expedition.
WHOI scientists plan to use those cameras and lighting systems on the hybrid remotely operated vehicle Nereus, which dove to the Mariana Trench in 2009 and will return to trenches in the Atlantic and the Pacific during the next two years. The systems made it possible for Cameron to capture high-resolution 3-D images of geological processes and species in the Challenger Deep. The full spectrum of applications for these new technologies has yet to be determined; it will take scientists and engineers some months to fully document the system’s component technologies after the sub’s scheduled arrival in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, early this summer.