Despite the fact that there are now upward of 26,000 Sea Scouts in active service under the supervision of 10,000 adult leaders and advisors, probably many people have never even heard of the Sea Scout movement, and of those who do know that such an organization exists the majority have only a very sketchy, or completely erroneous, idea of just exactly what it is. The Sea Scouts are an integral part of the Boy Scouts of America (specifically, a branch of Senior Scouting which also includes the Rover and Explorer Scouts) and conform in all respects to the ideals and objectives of the Boy Scout organization. The chief differences are that Sea Scouts wear a sailor-style uniform, and have a program based on nautical activities and the lore of the sea instead of on camping, woodcraft, etc.
Sea Scouting, like Boy Scouting, was imported into this country from Great Britain, where it was originated by the late Mr. Warington Baden-Powell, older brother of the founder of world-wide Boy Scout activity. When the First World War began, the nautical branch of the British Boy Scouts’ Association was able to furnish immediately hundreds of lads capable of taking over a large part of the work of the coast guards withdrawn for service in the fleet, and before the end of 1915 more than 2,000 British Sea Scouts were in active service on land and sea. In token of the valuable service they rendered the nation in war time, the Admiralty has since 1919 given special recognition and financial support to Sea Scout units attaining certain standards.
The Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1910, and quickly became a nationally familiar institution. The first Sea Scouts in the United States were organized only two years later, but owing largely to the lack of finances, qualified leaders, text material, and a well-established standard program the movement made little progress for many years. It was looked on within the Scout organization not as an object in itself but as a means of keeping in Scouting those older boys who were dropping out because they had tired of the “land” program. The minimum age limit was 15 years, and only active or former Scouts were to be admitted.
About 1925, due largely to the personal efforts of the late James A. Wilder and of Howard F. Gillette, now Honorary National Sea Scout Commodore, money was provided to set up a distinctive Sea Scouting department at the head of which was placed a national director, Thomas J. Keane.
Under the leadership of Mr. Keane (a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve) the number of Sea Scouts has increased from a mere 2,000 in 1927 to more than ten times that many today. Probably some 100,000 American boys and men have been at one time or another connected with the movement.
The principal reason for the sudden upturn was the fact that under Mr. Keane’s supervision there was prepared and made available to the field a Sea Scout Manual, which contained not only full information on the organization of Sea Scout units and the operation of the standard program which they were to follow but also complete, concise, and authoritative material on all the technical matters which it was thought that Sea Scouts should be taught. The technical chapters of the Manual were written by that most eminent American maritime authority, the late Captain Felix Riesenberg, and follow closely the text of, and are illustrated by cuts from, his great Standard Seamanship.
The earlier editions of the Manual (priced at 60^) were intended for the use of both Sea Scouts and their adult leaders. In January, 1939, the “Advancement Requirements” and other features of the program were drastically altered, necessitating the preparation of an entirely new edition of the Manual. This enlarged and up-to-date volume is designed solely for the use of the Scouts, all matters of interest only to the officers being incorporated in a separate Handbook for Skippers. While in the new Manual credit has not been given (apparently through an oversight) to the author of the technical portions, Captain Riesenberg’s original words and illustrations are retained intact.
The earlier Sea Scout groups were all located in coastal or harbor communities. While they produced very competent young boatmen and sailors, their programs were so all too often filled up with water activities that there was no time left for the more idealistic, inspirational features which were eventually found to be absolutely essential to successful Sea Scouting. Under the later program the various nautical activities and studies are, while by no means neglected, subordinated to the doctrine that the emphasis should be on the “Scout” rather than on the “Sea.” Seamanship, piloting, navigation, etc., are treated not as an end in themselves but as the means by which the principles of Scouting are brought home to the individual.
This plan has worked out especially well in that Sea Scouting can be carried on every bit as well in the interior of the country as along the navigable waters. During the past ten years Sea Scout ‘ ships” in Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, and other inland states have produced quite as many “National Flagships” as have those more fortunately situated as regards proximity to blue water. Indeed, the most consistently outstanding Sea Scout unit in the nation has been the Sea Scout ship Kansan of Topeka, William C. Men- ninger, M.D., commanding, from which have emanated most of the program features now standard for all groups. Knots can be tied as skillfully in St. Louis as in San Francisco, sea bags as neatly stitched in Boise as in Boston, and breeches buoy drill as smartly carried out in Paducah as in Portland.
Of course all Sea Scouts, wherever located, are encouraged to get afloat at every opportunity, and if nothing better is at hand they cruise in canoes and dinghies, camping at night on the shore. Swimming and lifesaving are important features of the training, and to date not a single Sea Scout has been drowned while on an authorized cruise conducted by a qualified and recognized leader. And not only are Sea Scouts capable of looking after themselves on the water; it is impossible to say how many lives and how many dollars worth of property they have been instrumental in saving.
In recent years there has not been a single disaster alongshore at the scene of which Sea Scout units, trained, organized and officered, have not spontaneously appeared to offer their services. When the SS. Morro Castle was burning, a hastily assembled group of members of the Sea Scout ship Black Eagle of Brookline, Pa., hurried 50 miles to the coast, where they were distributed by the Coast Guard officer in charge among several temporarily under-manned lifesaving stations. They immediately undertook the duties of regular surfmen and carried on the beach patrols and tower lookouts in a manner thoroughly satisfactory to the authorities, who put under the command of these boys (none of whom were over 17 years old) a number of older but unorganized fishermen and yachtsmen volunteer rescuers.
At the time of the New England hurricane of 1938, numerous Sea Scout units rendered conspicuous service. Outstanding was the S.S.S. Dauntless of Noank, Conn., which in the absence of all its officers organized itself for rescue, salvage, and patrol duties. For this accomplishment the Dauntless, already noted for its efficiency under the leadership of Skipper Carl D. Langenbacher (part-author of the current Sea Scout Manual), was designated as National Sea Scout Flagship for 1939.
When, in September, 1939, destructive winds swept the coasts and harbors of California the Sea Scouts were on hand. In their power and pulling boats they secured yachts which had gone adrift and carried to safety scores of persons marooned on board. A fishing boat, the Spray, capsized in the surf at Point Mugu and some 30 lives were lost. For several days following the disaster the beach in the vicinity of the wreck was patrolled by Ventura County Sea Scouts directed by Skipper Donald A. Nisbett, and a number of bodies were recovered by the boys.
The above are only a few samples of Sea Scout public service to have come to the attention of the writer. Few if any such cases find their way into the public press, although the newspapers never overlook an opportunity to shout to the skies that some vessel carrying Sea Scouts is a few hours overdue and is “feared to have sunk.”
The government was quick to recognize the potentialities of Sea Scouting, and largely through the efforts of the late Captain George Landenberger, U. S. Navy, Congress passed an act authorizing the Navy and Coast Guard to issue to Sea Scout units, free of charge, small boats and other equipment for which the services might have no further use. Many such units today possess ex-service “motor-sailers,” gigs, whaleboats, and cutters, and many a Sea Scout base is outfitted with masts, bridges, binnacles, portholes, and signal flags taken from dismantled navy vessels.
This source of equipment is no longer what it once was, and those few units which are lucky enough to get their requisitions through nowadays are likely to receive only such boats as are practically beyond possibility of repair. However, even in the most lush days comparatively few Scout groups could avail themselves of the government’s generosity, as boats are issued strictly F.O.B. at the navy yards. Effort is now being concentrated on promoting the construction by each unit of its own watercraft.
In Sea Scouting the basic unit is the “ship,” corresponding to the Boy Scout troop. A ship may consist of from 9 to more than 30 Scouts, some containing as many as 70. A smaller Sea Scout unit, functioning as an integral part of a land troop, is the Sea Scout Patrol. Each ship has a national and a local number, and almost invariably has a name as well, the name being one of its own choosing.
Every Sea Scout ship must have as its sponsor some reputable institution such as a church, lodge, veterans’ post, or service club. The sponsoring body, functioning through a ship committee, provides quarters and necessary equipment, and either direct financial support or the means by which the ship can obtain its own funds. It also appoints, as commanding officer of the ship, a suitable skipper. The ship must renew its charter from the Boy Scouts of America each year, and all committeemen and ship’s officers must hold their commissions direct from the same body.
The standing of each ship is determined annually by means of a Standard Rating Plan taking into consideration every phase of the unit’s record during the preceding year. Those ships which attain less than 1,200 points according to the Rating Plan are rated third class while those with a minimum of 1,200 are designated as second class. First-class ships are those with a minimum of 1,600 points, and this is the lowest rating likely to be attained by any unit which is at all active. The Local Flagship Squadron is composed of all units in a given Boy Scout Council credited with a minimum of 2,000 points, the Regional Flagship Flotilla contains all that attain 2,400 points in each of the 12 Regions of the nation, and the National Flagship Fleet is made up of all the units which have earned at least 3,000 points. From each of these flagship groups there is selected a Local, Regional, or National Flagship, no unit being eligible for this honor in two consecutive years. The honors are not necessarily conferred solely on the basis of points, as there are many outstanding achievements which cannot be reduced to mathematical “points.”
Ships generally meet one evening each week and conduct as many week-end and vacation cruises and boating expeditions as circumstances permit. Some councils maintain Sea Scout bases, which correspond to Boy Scout camps except that there are no permanent staffs, the boys doing their own cooking while at a base. The weekly meetings vary little, whatever the location of the unit. Opening and closing ceremonies are standard, and are quite complex.
Upon the floor is set up a “landship,” which may be quite an elaborate and realistic affair or merely the deck plan of a vessel outlined in chairs and benches. Ceremonies take place on board this simulated ship. The opening ceremony consists of muster of crews on the “shore,” laying aboard, roll call, reports of crew leaders to the officer of the deck, piping aboard of the officers, and colors. The closing ceremony is practically the same thing in reverse, except that in place of roll call the officer of the deck is formally relieved. In some units only commissioned officers serve as O.D., while in others every crew member has his turn at walking the quarter-deck with gloves and telescope.
The time between the ceremonies may be taken up by a variety of activities. There may be technical instruction, songs, games, and plans made for, or work done upon, some special project. Skippers leave the active direction of affairs in the hands of the mates and of the petty-officer crew leaders known variously as coxswains, boatswains’ mates or boatswains depending upon whether they are apprentice, ordinary, or able Sea Scouts.
The majority of skippers make no claim to be other than landsmen, although many have had actual sea experience of some kind. It has been found that few of these latter can make a success of Sea Scouting, as they are too prone to draw a rigid line between “forecastle” and “quarter-deck” and try to impose navy discipline. Chances of promotion to a higher rank are negligible, but as a Sea Scout skipper is in full command of his group and all matters connected therewith there is much satisfaction to be had in the berth.
The uniform of Sea Scout officers (“Sea Scouters”) is the same for all ranks except as regards the stripes on the sleeves. The uniform is similar to that of a naval officer except that the coat is of the two-button style and the trimming on coat and cap are of silver. The sleeve stripes follow the U. S. Navy system, except that in Sea Scouting there is no four striper.
The Sea Scouts themselves may wear either white or blue uniform. In either case the uniform is cut precisely like that of an enlisted man in the Navy and differs from it only in the badges and insignia, there being an additional difference in that the blue Sea Scout uniform has only two strips of braid on collar and cuffs. Only an expert on the subject of insignia can distinguish a Sea Scout from a Navy seaman, and then only at the shortest range. This resemblance is unfortunate in that it effectively conceals from the public the fact that Sea Scouting exists. In all other nations where there is Sea Scouting the Sea Scouts dress very similarly to the Boy Scouts except that they wear sailor caps.
The regulation dress uniform is supposed to consist not only of hat, jumper, neckerchief, and trousers but of all-black shoes and socks as well. The writer has reason to suspect that after an inspection many Sea Scouts return these last items to their real owners. The neckerchief is of light blue, and it has shorter ends than the navy style. A curious fact about the neckerchief is that it is supposed to have a Sea Scout emblem in one corner, this emblem being carefully concealed within the folds of the neckerchief and under the collar of the jumper!
Neither of the dress uniforms being in any way suitable for boating, camping, etc., a regulation working uniform consisting of dungaree bell-bottomed trousers and zipper jacket was authorized a couple of years ago and is becoming increasingly popular.
Any American boy who has passed his fifteenth birthday and who is in reasonably good physical condition may become a Sea Scout. The former ruling that only Boy Scouts were eligible was officially jettisoned in 1938—few skippers had paid much attention to it. The candidate, after giving sufficient proof of his sincere interest in the program, is enrolled as an apprentice and sews a single horizontal bar on his right sleeve. He is assigned to one of the crews, and under the direction of his crew leader begins work on the requirements for advancement to Ordinary rank. To become an Ordinary Sea Scout he has seventeen different things to learn, make, or do, some of them being quite difficult. After three months, if he has satisfactorily met the requirements, he may appear before a Bridge of Review for examination. Certified by the Ship Committee for promotion, he receives his Ordinary Badge at the next formal Bridge of Honor and adds a second bar to his first one.
In order to qualify for the next grade, that of Able Sea Scout, a boy has a minimum period of six months during which he may pass seventeen more requirements. Naturally these are harder than the requirements for Ordinary rating, and among other things he must spend two weeks actually afloat, qualify as a Junior Red Cross Lifesaver, and make an actual, detailed, original chart of a real body of water. The majority of Sea Scouts never get beyond Ordinary rank.
Those few who qualify as A.B.’s must spend a full year in that grade and must have reached the age of 17 before becoming eligible for the highest rank of all, that of Quartermaster Sea Scout. This exalted rating is so hard to attain that only about one in a hundred ever reaches it. The quartermaster wears an officer’s uniform, only without the silver braid on sleeves and cap, and rates a salute. His status is quite similar to that of a warrant officer in the Navy, and he is treated with the greatest respect by officers and “enlisted men” alike. Any lubber can (and often does) become a skipper or even a commodore over night, but it takes almost two years of faithful service and a great deal of concentrated hard work and study to make a quartermaster. Many commissioned officers themselves work up through the various lower grades in Sea Scouting in order to win the honor of wearing the quartermaster’s silver medal.
The problems of administering a Sea Scout unit are many. Quite aside from the technical aspects, there are such matters as finance, recruiting, discipline, and a constantly interesting program. Funds are always scanty, and a skipper and his advisors are kept constantly on the jump scheming up new ways to raise a few dollars. Recruits are often hard to get, as not only is there no pay to offer but the Sea Scout must buy his own uniform and equipment. There has recently arisen an organization known as the Girl Scout Mariners whose program (adapted bodily from that of the Sea Scouts) has done much to reduce the attractiveness of something that heretofore has always been looked upon as distinctively masculine, and which because of the publicity which such feminine movements always receive (especially when bare legs are a part of the costume) has in many localities succeeded in monopolizing the facilities which otherwise would have been available to the boys.
The modified form of naval discipline in vogue in Sea Scouting can be maintained only by persuasion—there is no pay which the unruly stand to lose, and no brig. The Sea Scout officer seldom has any vast store of technical and professional knowledge to give him prestige, nor is there the weight of any power other than the Boy Scouts of America behind him.
Boys who have been in the service any length of time are sure to tire of the same old activities, so that the leaders must be continually devising new and interesting things to do and places to go. Some of the old hands can be kept interested by the gift of a crew leader’s chevrons, but usually there are not enough vacancies to go around.
Quarters are usually inadequate, as few ships are so fortunate as to enjoy the exclusive use of sufficiently spacious halls in which a suitable nautical atmosphere can be created. Most units meet in Sunday school rooms, which they must share with assorted Boy Scouts and other organizations, and all equipment used must be so made as to be not only readily demountable but also concealable in odd corners.
Nevertheless, Sea Scouting is advancing in all parts of the country. To the American boy and young man it offers adventure, companionship, vocational training, ritual, the sailor’s uniform and all it stands for. It teaches him teamwork, self-control, acceptance of the sort of responsibility which modern schooling and home life fail to teach. It gives him pride of appearance, and instills in him a sense of civic duty. He learns to face danger not with foolhardiness born of ignorance but with courage derived from a clear knowledge of the facts and his own proved abilities. He acquires respect for constituted authority, and the ability to make use of the principle—which so many American business leaders never learn—of “delegation of authority.” A few Sea Scouts even get into the habit of addressing their elders, perhaps even their fathers, as “sir.”
Sea Scouting does not attempt to function as a recruiting agency for the Navy, nor has it any conscious aim of building up a potential reserve of partially trained seamen. But because it is constantly diffusing throughout our national life a stream of young men well grounded in a variety of the essentials which go to make an effective man-of-war’s man (and this without a penny spent by the government and without the services of a single officer or man of the naval establishment) the benefits to the nation may someday be revealed in no uncertain manner. That more and more officers of the regular Navy and the Reserve are coming to appreciate this is gratifyingly evident.