SH 174 Spring-2021

No.
174 NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING 2021
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THE ART, LITERATURE, ADVENTURE, LORE & LEARNING OF THE SEA
Kalmar Nyckel
A New Identity at Sea
Shipbuilder John Mashow
The Hurricane of 1635
The Pastry War
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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF

MARINE ARTISTS
Our18th National Exhibition
will be on display at the
Burroughs Chapin Museum
in Myrtle Beach, SC
until April 17th, 2021
Visit the museum or our

website to learn more.
www.AmericanSocietyofMarineArtists.com
Painting by William G. Muller
No. 174 SEA HISTORY CONTENTS
SPRING 2021
11 American Society of Marine Artists Invitational Gallery

Check out some of our favorite selections for the upcoming online exhibition and sale of new
works by members of the American Society of Marine Artists in celebration and support of this
year’s virtual National Maritime Awards.
16 A Furious Sky—The Great Hurricane of 1635 by Eric Jay Dolin

A fast-moving hurricane making its way up the coast has caught many a mariner off guard. In
this excerpt from his recent book, Eric Jay Dolin surveys the devastating hurricane of 1635 by
p.d.
focusing on two vessels facing the deadly storm at sea. 16
20 John Mashow (1805–1893), From Slavery to Master Shipbuilder and Designer
by Skip Finley
Born to an enslaved mother in 1805, John Mashow was freed as a child and sent north where
william bradford gallery

he learned the shipbuilding trade. He would build a legacy of more than 100 ships credited to
his name, with the last of his vessels continuing to sail well into the 20th century.
26 The Pastry War by John S. Sledge

A brawl in a Mexican pastry shop was the seemingly unlikely cause of hostilities between France
and the young Mexican Republic. The naval battle against the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa
would show that the “Gibraltar of America” was no match for a well-equipped warship and a 20
new generation of military technology.
30 Final Voyage of the Kalmar Nyckel: Epitaph for an Exceptional Ship

by Sam Heed and Jordi Noort, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation
réunion des musées nationaux

The 1997 Kalmar Nyckel that sails out of Wilmington, Delaware, represents the history of a
storied 17th-century Dutch warship. Until recently, the original ship’s ultimate fate was
unknown. New research has revealed the ship’s final chapter.
36 True Colors, False Flags: At Sea, a Man Could Become Whatever He Claimed to Be
by William Benemann
A mystery encounter on the high seas alluded to in a whaler’s journal proves hard to flesh out
26
in the historical record, especially when the characters’ names are changed to hide their identities.
40 The Life of the Schooner B. N. Hawkins—A Trove of Letters Reveals the History of
a 19th-Century Packet by Douglas B. Tolles
A family’s collection of hundreds of letters from the mid-19th century traces the business and
trials of operating a packet schooner in the Age of Sail.
Cover: Kalmar Nyckel Underway in Delaware Bay, 2019, photo by Jon Caspar
(See pages 30-35 for more about the ship and the history she represents.)
courtesy douglas tolles
DEPARTMENTS
4 Deck Log & Letters 48 Ship Notes, Seaport & Museum News
8 NMHS: A Cause in Motion 56 Reviews
44 Sea History for Kids 64 Patrons 40
Sea History and the National Maritime Historical Society SEA HISTORY (issn 0146-9312) is published
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NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Deck Log
A New Headquarters and a Renewed Spirit
I n the fall of 1991, CBS News anchor and American icon Walter Cronkite
came to Peekskill, New York, to inaugurate the new headquarters of the Na-
tional Maritime Historical Society in the old Fleischmann Gin building on the
NATIONAL MARITIME
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
banks of the Hudson River. Egged on by our then-president, Peter Stanford, he PUBLISHER’S CIRCLE: Peter Aron, Guy E. C.
Maitland, Ronald L. Oswald
agreed to chair our educational initiative to promote the seafaring legacy of our
county to more people, and particularly to students. OFFICERS & TRUSTEES: Chairman, Ronald
photo by burchenal green
We occupied that building for L. Oswald; Vice Chairman, Richardo R. Lopes;
President, Burchenal Green; Vice Presidents: Jes-
more than a quarter century. While we sica MacFarlane, Deirdre O’Regan, Wendy Pag-
kept to our mission indoors, outside giotta, Nancy Schnaars; Treasurer, William H.
our windows we could catch sights of White; Secretary, Jean Wort; Trustees: Charles B.
Anderson; Walter R. Brown; Christopher J. Culver;
ship traffic on the river, eagles soaring William S. Dudley; David Fowler; William J.
over the water, storms and sunsets, and Green; Karen Helmerson; K. Denise Rucker Krepp;
the hubbub of a busy waterfront. With Guy E. C. Maitland; Capt. Jeffrey McAllister;
CAPT Sally Chin McElwreath, USN (Ret.); CAPT
our office space crammed with ship James A. Noone, USN (Ret.); Richard Patrick
models, nautical prints, and maritime O’Leary; ADM Robert J. Papp Jr., USCG (Ret.);
The view out the window of the former Timothy J. Runyan; Richard Scarano; Philip J.
memorabilia, we were always reminded
offices of the National Maritime Historical Shapiro; Capt. Cesare Sorio; Trustees Elect: CAPT
of the mission and inspired to pursue Patrick Burns, USN (Ret.); Salvatore Mercogliano;
Society, on the Hudson River.
it through good times and bad. Michael Morrow; Chairmen Emeriti: Walter R.
Last year, our landlord announced his intention to repurpose the building, Brown, Alan G. Choate, Guy E. C. Maitland,
Howard Slotnick (1930–2020)
and we began our search for a new home—a task that is challenging on its own,
but conducted in the middle of a pandemic, it was even more taxing. We were FOUNDER: Karl Kortum (1917–1996)
delighted to find available office space just a few miles away in a converted his- PRESIDENT EMERITUS: Peter Stanford (1927–2016)
toric brick building. The Hat Factory was originally the 365-acre Sherwood Farm, OVERSEERS: Chairman, RADM David C. Brown,
which later became home to a relocated Yonkers hat factory that had been de- USMS (Ret.); RADM Joseph F. Callo, USN (Ret.);
stroyed by fire. With the help of a government contract in World War I for George W. Carmany III; Richard du Moulin; Alan
D. Hutchison; Gary Jobson; Sir Robin Knox-John-
military hats, the factory became one of the largest employers in the area. The ston; John Lehman; Capt. Brian McAllister; Capt.
business relocated in 1923 follow- James J. McNamara; H. C. Bowen Smith; John
ing a labor strike, and the prop- Stobart; Philip J. Webster; Roberta Weisbrod
erty was abandoned. Over the NMHS ADVISORS: George Bass, Francis Duffy,
years, the building fell into disre- John Ewald, Timothy Foote, Steven A. Hyman,
pair until a series of new owners J. Russell Jinishian, Gunnar Lundeberg, Conrad
photo by wendy paggiotta, nmhs
Milster, William G. Muller, Nancy H. Richardson

rebuilt the structure and refur-
bished its interior for use as office SEA HISTORY EDITORIAL ADVISORY
space. BOARD: Chairman, Timothy Runyan; Norman
Brouwer, Robert Browning, William Dudley, Lisa
After 27 years in one location, Egeli, Daniel Finamore, Kevin Foster, Cathy
it was a herculean task to manage Green, John Jensen, Frederick Leiner, Joseph
the move during COVID-19 re- Meany, Salvatore Mercogliano, Carla Rahn Phil-
Our new headquarters is located at 1000 N. lips, Walter Rybka, Quentin Snediker, William
strictions, and we thank our H. White
Division Street, Peekskill, New York 10566.
NMHS vice president, Wendy Pag-
giotta, who orchestrated the move and organized the layout of the new office NMHS STAFF: Executive Director, Burchenal
Green; Director of Development, Jessica MacFar-
space. I will miss my old office, where so many plans were hatched and meetings lane; Accounting/Membership Associate, Andrea
were conducted with our trustees, members, and guests, but I have discovered Ryan; Senior Staff Writer, Shelley Reid; Executive
that being in a fresh new space has rejuvenated our spirits; I see it as a harbinger Assistant, Heather Purvis; Membership Coordina-
tor, Nancy Schnaars
of better things to come. I look forward to a time when historic ships can set sail
for ports across the horizon, when museums can fully re-open, and, most of all, SEA HISTORY: Editor, Deirdre E. O’Regan;
when we can meet in person. I look forward to inviting our members to a glori- Advertising Director, Wendy Paggiotta
ous party to inaugurate our new headquarters once it is safe to do so, in the Sea History is printed by The Lane Press, South
spirit of Walter Cronkite, Peter Stanford, Howard Slotnick, and all those who Burlington, Vermont, USA.
brought us from there to here. —Burchenal Green, NMHS President
4 SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021
We Welcome Your Feedback!
Letters Please email correspondence to seahistory@gmail.com
Massive Lightship Anchors

Regarding the “Ship Notes” feature on the
Nantucket Lightship LV-112 (Sea History
173, Winter 2020–21, pages 40–41): There
is an enormous bulbous mushroom-shaped
thing sticking out of the leading edge of
its bow above the waterline. What is that?
Patrick M. Squire
Louisville, Tennesee
us lighthouse service (uslhs)
courtesy us lightship museum

A lightship mushroom anchor at a US Light-
house Service Depot, c. 1915.
From Robert M. Mannino, Jr., President of
the US Lightship Museum: That enormous The main and auxiliary anchors on Nantucket Lightship LV-112, stowed through
bulbous thing is a US lightship mushroom separate hawsepipes at the ship’s bow. (inset) The Nantucket in rough seas.
anchor. What makes this anchor special? Why did lightships have two massive to adverse sea conditions, the auxiliary an-
Lightships were “floating lighthouses,” an- mushroom anchors? Lightships were chor was deployed. The main anchor
chored in waters where it was not practical equipped with two enormous anchors that weighed up to 7,800 lb, and the auxiliary
to build a permanent lighthouse. Just like look a lot like giant mushrooms. Only one anchor also was generally a mushroom an-
lighthouses, they were equipped with flash- anchor was deployed at a time to maintain chor, except lighter, up to 6,500 lb. The
ing light beacons, loud foghorns, and radio the lightship’s position on station. If the weight of the anchors was determined by
beacons to help guide ships past dangerous anchor chain parted from the anchor and the size of the lightship. Most US lightships
waters. Between 1820 and 1983, 179 light- became separated from the lightship due displaced approximately 600 tons. The
ships were built in the United States and
administered by the US Lighthouse Service,
which merged with the US Coast Guard Join Us for a Voyage into History
in 1939. The last US lightship was built by Our seafaring heritage comes alive bays—if you appreciate the legacy of
the US Coast Guard in 1952. in the pages of Sea History, from those who sail in deep water and
Where were US lightships stationed? the ancient mariners of Greece to their workaday craft, then you
Lightships were stationed along the East Portuguese navigators opening belong with us.
and West coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and up the ocean world to the heroic Join Today!
the Great Lakes. Anchored several miles efforts of sailors in modern-day Mail in the form below, phone
off the coast, they often could not be seen conflicts. Each issue brings new 1 800 221-NMHS (6647), or visit
insights and discoveries. If you us at: www.seahistory.org
from the mainland. In 1909, during the
love the sea, rivers, lakes, and (e-mail: nmhs@seahistory.org)
height of the United States Lightship Ser-
vice, there were 56 lightships on station.
Each lightship had an average crew size of Yes, I want to join the Society and receive Sea History quarterly. My contribution is enclosed.
10 to 12 sailors, who lived on board for ($22.50 is for Sea History; any amount above that is tax deductible.) Sign me up as:
weeks at a time. Regardless of weather con- $45 Regular Member $100 Friend
ditions, the duty of the crew was to keep $250 Patron $500 Donor 174
Mr./Ms. ____________________________________________________________________
the lightship operational and anchored on ___________________________________________________________________________
station, even during violent hurricanes and _________________________________________________________ZIP_______________
ferocious winter storms, helping to safely Return to: National Maritime Historical Society, 1000 North Division St., #4, Peekskill, NY 10566
guide vessels to their ports of call.
SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021 5
largest US lightship ever built (1936), have decided to pick it (what else is there
Mystic Knotwork Nantucket Lightship LV-112 (1,050 dis- to do?). In several places the article men-
A New England Tradition For 60 Years
placement tons), was anchored 100 miles tions the term “stern galleys” to describe a
off the US mainland in international waters feature of the vessel, but this is a misnomer.
and marked the entrance of the main ship- The correct term for that feature is stern
ping lanes into the US East Coast—the gallery, or quarter gallery depending on the
most treacherous and remote lightship sta- exact location one is referring to.
tion in the world—and was equipped with No mere glass-house-dwelling stone
the heaviest anchors. thrower—I have facts on my side. I checked
Each mushroom anchor was attached the terms out in my copy of The Sailor’s
to separate DiLok forged nickel-steel an- Word Book, published in 1867 and written
chor chain, 1⅝ inches thick with swivels. “By the late Admiral W. H. Smyth KFS,
Its proof load was 216,000 lb; breaking DCL &c.” and “Revised for the press by
load was 325,000 lb. Each anchor chain Vice-Admiral Sir E. Belcher KCB., &c.
weighed approximately 155 lb per fathom, &c.” The admirals are unequivocal: “GAL-
so a chain 150 fathoms long would weigh LEY. A low, flat-built vessel with one deck,
a total of 23,250 lb. Even with this strength, and propelled by sails and oars...The galley
during the extreme stress put on the chain or gally is also the name of the ship’s hearth
Traditional Knotwork made in
Downtown Mystic by high seas during violent storms, it was or kitchen.” “GALLERY. A balcony project-
MysticKnotwork.com • 860.889.3793 not uncommon for the anchor chain to ing from the admiral’s or captain’s cabin;
break and for lightships to become sepa- it is usually decorated with a balustrade,
rated from their anchors and go adrift from and extends from one side of the ship to
their assigned station. the other.” I am sure that there were no
The structure of a mushroom anchor glass windows lighting the kitchen of On-
is designed and intended to sink into the tario; only the captain would rate such a
seabed to the point that it has displaced perk. I rest my case.
its own weight, thus greatly increasing its As a final note, which makes a
holding power. These anchors are only suit- stretched-to-the-breaking-point link to the
able for a silt, fine sand or mud bottom, subject of the article, the publisher of the
as they rely upon suction and cohesion reprint of The Sailor’s Word Book is located
of the bottom material, which rocky or in the province of Ontario. Ain’t that
coarse sand bottoms lack. Mushroom an- sumpin’?
chors are available in a range of sizes, from Jerry Bryant
about ten pounds up to several tons, and Amherst, Massachusetts
today are also widely used for pleasure-boat
moorings. From the editor: Oh, how I hate to be wrong.
Thank you Mr. Bryant for the correction.
To learn more about lightships, visit one in I’ll take the blame on this one. I do ap-
person for a tour. There are nine lightship preciate the nautical literacy of our reader-
museums throughout the United States (list- ship to correct the record. —DO’R
ed on the US Lighthouse Society’s website,
www.uslhs.org, under “History.”) While you USRC Dallas
are on the website, you can also check out a I read with great interest the piece in the
really good podcast featuring Mr. Mannino Winter edition of Sea History about priva-
(click on “Education,” then “Light Hearted teers becoming essentially pirates. When I
Podcast,” and scroll down for Episode 92: was conducting my own research while
Podcasts produced and hosted by Jeremy writing books on the War of 1812, I learned
D’Entremont.) that many people of the time thought there
was little to distinguish properly “marqued”
Galley or Gallery? privateers from pirates, but that’s a story
I am enjoying the winter issue of the mag- for another time. It kind of depended on
azine—thank you for putting together such whose “ox was being gored.”
a consistently interesting and attractive What caught my eye was the reference
publication. I found a nit in the article to the US Revenue Cutter Service vessel
about the HMS Ontario shipwreck and Dallas. Some years ago I came across the
plans from which that ship was built and in 1821 for unknown reasons. Attached is The enthusiasm carried over into gifts
decided to build a proper scratch-built a photo showing a bow-on view of my to help fund the cost of the voyage, and
model of her. model, clearly showing her unique jibboom then into signing up for training to be part
The model is built plank-on-frame and and bowsprit. of the “crew” for the daysail scheduled dur-
the deck is constructed of individual planks, William H. White ing the visit to Corpus Christi. There was
laid with caulking between each. Most of Rumson, New Jersey tremendous excitement when Elissa sailed
the running rigging is authentic and actu- into the bay and moored at the Art Mu-
ally works. About the ship itself: The Dal- Thank You Walter Rybka seum—long lines of visitors stood along
las was the only USRCS vessel with a I would like to add my congratulations to the dock waiting for a turn to board. The
unique bowsprit/jibboom construction, Walter Rybka on his retirement from the local “trainees,” drawn from that yacht club
where the joint of the pair is sideways (see Brig Niagara and Erie Maritime Museum evening, assisted the ship’s crew, learned
photo below). It may have been what at- and in recognition of his long and inspira- the proper way to go aloft, and immersed
tracted my attention in the first place. She tional career in the maritime world. Here themselves in learning the pin rail and
was a unique ship, apparently very fast and is a personal memory: practicing setting and striking sails at the
nimble. I was unable to determine how she dock. For a week, they had the privilege of
met her end, though my research did un- being a part of Elissa’s volunteer crew and
cover her origins. the excitement built until the day of the
She was built in 1815 in New York by sail. For one glorious day, they could un-
William Doughty, who also designed her derstand the thrill of sailing a part of his-
based on the famed Baltimore clippers, tory, understand why so many had de-
photo courtesy kurt voss

which were all rigged as tops’l schooners. voted so much time and money to the
She was named (most likely) for Captain preservation not just of the ship but of the
Alexander Dallas, who is credited with arcane skills necessary to maintain her and
firing the first shot in the War of 1812. The sail her.
ship was sold out of the government service Capt. Walter Rybka Thirty five years later, it is mostly new
people who keep Elissa alive, but the same
In the fall of 1985, the barque Elissa devotion and enthusiasm exists today as
was making plans to sail from Galveston it did when I first watched Walter crawling
to Corpus Christi, Texas, where I was liv- around on that floor with his models, call-
ing at the time. As part of the preparations, ing out the commands and hauling on
Captain Rybka was invited to give a talk his tiny braces and halyards, clews and
to members of the local yacht club about bunts.
the history of the ship. As the audience was I never forgot that evening and went
mostly sailors, there was great interest not on to become part of the crew for the voy-
just in the history but in HOW to sail the age from Galveston to New York for the
ship. At the end of his slide show and talk, Statue of Liberty celebration in 1986, stay-
Walter got out his two models—one of the ing on for the return trip to Bermuda and
ship with masts, yards, and running rig- back to Galveston. Walter was an inspira-
ging, and the other of one mast with yards tion throughout the voyage and we have
and sails with their “gear.” been friends ever since. I continued to
For over an hour, Walter crawled along visit Galveston as guest crew for Elissa day-
the floor with the two models demonstrat- sails for many years, and the pride of sail-
ing how to tack and wear ship, followed ing on her has never faded. His knowledge
with the details of how to set and strike the and advice helped me frequently after I
square sails. Around him were the members started Ocean Classroom Foundation, and
of the yacht club, crawling along as they I can think of many skilled leaders in the
learned the intricacies of sailing a 19th- sail training and maritime preservation
century barque. Grown men and women worlds who learned from him over the
photo courtesy william h. white
were fascinated with this hands-on dem- years. I am confident that even in retire-
onstration and with Walter’s enthusiasm ment, Walter’s influence will continue to
and knowledge of an earlier sailing era. It be felt and his legacy as a leader in both
was well after midnight when security fields will continue to grow. Thank you
kicked us out of the auditorium—new con- Walter !
verts to the admirers and supporters of Alix Thorne
Elissa. Islesboro, Maine
NMHS:
A CAUSE IN MOTION
National Maritime Awards Dinner Advocates for the Maritime Heritage Community
F or more than half a century, the National Maritime Historical Society has held a major gala awards event at the New York Yacht
Club to honor those whose accomplishments in the maritime field were notable and would inspire others. Some were internationally
famous, such as Walter Cronkite, Nathaniel Philbrick, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, Ted Turner, Clive Cussler, and Dr. Bob
Ballard, but others may have been recognized only within the maritime community, where they are giants in the field—Olin Stephens,
Captain Arthur Kimberly, US Rep.
Helen Delich Bentley, Nat Wilson, and
Alan Villiers, to name a few.
It was about a decade ago that the
Society realized that it was important
to do some serious advocacy for the
photo by joe rudinec

maritime heritage community in the
nation’s capital, to not only push for
federal funding but also to recognize
the thousands of maritime heritage
projects developed across the country to
preserve and promote our seafaring past. The National Maritime Awards Dinner Committee is an impressive assembly of leaders throughout
And so, the National Maritime Awards the maritime field—and they know how to have a good time! Here, the 2018 dinner committee
Dinner was born. poses for a group photo at the Mayflower Hotel prior to the gala.
Here we would honor those doing exemplary work in the maritime field—not just in the heritage community but in the maritime
industry at large—and fête them before the leaders in Washington who are in a position to support national funding. We established
a large committee of directors and presidents of maritime museums, historians and authors, shipping executives, military personnel,
and other leaders in the field.
The awards events are fun, friendly, and welcoming, and have become increasingly
popular after word has gotten out from attendees. Guests still recall how Honorable John
Warner brought down the house when he accepted the award for Senator Mikulski, who
could not attend. While you can imagine the thrill of hearing compelling speakers like
the Honorable Helen Bentley, Governor Tom Ridge, and Pulitzer Prize winner Tom
Friedman, you might not expect such a convivial atmosphere and informal interactions
photo by vernon young jr.
between guests, hosts, and honorees. Those who were at the 2019 event recall with delight
the fun banter between Navy CNOs Admiral Jay Johnson, Admiral Jonathan Greenert
and former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman as they were on stage together.
This year, we are gathering our NMHS family, friends, and award recipients by Zoom
and making it easy for you to join us. It’s free, (unless you will join as a sponsor, for which
we will be most grateful) and you can wear your slippers and not worry about parking the
Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New car. Next year we hope you will join us in Washington, take in the impressive view of the
York Times columnist Thomas Friedman White House from the windows of the iconic National Press Club, visit museums and the
speaks at the 2017 Washington dinner, National Mall, and enjoy the treasures of our capital city. For now, we are excited to be
presenting the NMHS Distinguished Service able to present the awards show virtually in real time, when the spontaneity of the evening
Award to Conservation International and is something we eagerly anticipate. I hope you join us; I’d like to introduce a few of those
its chairman and founder Peter Seligmann. you will get to meet.
Dinner chairs Denise Krepp and VADM Al Konetzni, USN (Ret.), will
open the event and greet us all, and our founding dinner chair, Philip Webster,
will be on hand as well. America’s Cup sailing great, Gary Jobson, will serve as
our master of ceremonies. Denise Krepp is a local in Washington and has been
a great resource for us and our guests. She’s active on Capitol Hill and her
impressive resume includes service as a Coast Guard JAG officer, on the House
of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, and as chief counsel for
andrew snow photography
MARAD. Denise invites you to “Please join us for the 10th Annual National
Maritime Awards on May 6th. We may be at home, but collectively we’ll raise
Former award recipient US Senator John W. Warner (at left) accepts the award for
Senator Barbara Mikulski and has fun congratulating CNO ADM Jonathan W.
Greenert, USN (Ret.) on his recognition at the 2015 gala at the National Press Club.
our glasses in honor of the US Naval Academy, the US Merchant
Marine, and the Coast Guard Aviation Association. We’ll recognize
their valuable service to our country for over two centuries.”
Admiral Konetzni is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, the
Naval Nuclear Power School, and Naval Nuclear Power Prototype
Training. In 2019 he was honored with the formal dedication of the
VADM Albert Konetzni Submarine Squadron Fifteen Headquarters
Building at Polaris Point, Guam. He was known during his career as

“Big Al, the Sailor’s Pal.” He is a member of the leadership of the Navy
Museum Development Foundation, which was recently selected to lead
the fundraising effort for the new museum. It is an honor to have his
support to promote the preservation of naval and maritime history.
Philip J. Webster comes from a family of mariners: his great-
grandfather was a clipper ship captain in the China trade in the 1850s, (l–r) Admiral Al Konetzni, NMHS Chair Ronald Oswald,
his grandfather was a maritime author and photographer, and his father National Coast Guard Museum Association Chair Susan Curtin,
the Honorable Tom Ridge, 21st Commandant of the Coast
Guard Admiral James M. Loy, NMHS Trustee Denise Krepp,
NMHS Trustee and 24th Commandant of the Coast Guard
Admiral Robert Papp Jr., and NMHS Overseer Gary Jobson
gather to honor Governor Ridge at the 2019 gala.
told him stories of keeping a lookout for U-boats while crossing

the North Atlantic in World War I. Webster is a long-time
overseer of the National Maritime Historical Society, and
trustee of the Sultana Education Foundation, where he is
also a past vice chairman. He has served on more than twenty-
five not-for-profit boards; past efforts include his service on
the USS Massachusetts Memorial Committee, which helped

bring the Massachusetts to Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA;
as president of the USS Sequoia Preservation Trust; and as
governor of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. In
addition to his dedication to preserving our nation’s maritime
Gary Jobson at the podium and carrying the room during the 2019 National
heritage, he is a passionate trustee of Scholarship America,
Maritime Awards Dinner. While we will not be together in one room this
which raises funds for student scholarships.
spring, we can gather virtually in real time. If there was ever an MC who
Gary Jobson is a world-class champion sailor, television
knows how to work with digital media, it’s Gary, and we can all look
commentator, and author of nineteen sailing books. He has
forward to an entertaining and informative evening as he leads the way.
made more than 2,500 presentations to promote the sport
of yacht racing. He serves as the vice-president of the International Sailing Federation, is past president of US Sailing, serves on
the Olympic Sailing Committee, is past chair of the National Sailing Center and Hall of Fame, and served as the former National
Regatta chair of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s sailing program. Jobson is way too busy to serve as MC at our awards events,
but he joins us every year in this role, with smiles and jokes and the ability to keep the evening on schedule.
As we advocate for our maritime heritage and for more federal funds to support it,
I think on that proverbial quote of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that
ever has.”
We hope you will join us. Please refer to page 10 for information on this year’s awardees
and details on how you can participate. Updates will be posted on the NMHS website
at www.seahistory.org as they become available. —Burchenal Green, president
NMHS Overseer and founding Dinner Chair, Philip Webster (right), presents a clock to
NMHS Trustee Timothy J. Runyan in appreciation of his service as a past chair of the event
and for his leadership role advocating for federal funding for the maritime heritage community.
The clock symbolizes his unstinting time working on behalf of the cause.
Please join us!
10th Annual National Maritime Awards
A Live Online Celebration · Thursday, 6 May 2021 at 6:30 pm et
The National Maritime Historical Society and the National Coast Guard Museum
Association, with the Naval Historical Foundation, will hold the 10th National Maritime
Awards virtually on 6 May 2021.
Dinner chairs Denise R. Krepp and Vice Admiral Al Konetzni, USN (Ret.), and founding
dinner chairman Philip J. Webster, invite you to join us as we honor three iconic American
maritime institutions that epitomize the maritime history of the United States of America
and for generations have been in the forefront of supporting the nation’s maritime
commerce, defense and security.
The Society will honor the United States Merchant Marine with its NMHS Distinguished Service Award on the
246th anniversary of its founding during the American Revolution, for its indispensable and often unheralded
contributions to our nation’s security and prosperity since 1775.
The United States Naval Academy will be honored with the NMHS Distinguished Service Award on the 176th
anniversary of its founding in 1845, for educating tens of thousands of Navy and Marine Corps officers whose
leadership has helped defend the nation and the world for generations. Superintendent of the Academy
VADM Sean Buck, USN and the Commander of the Brigade of Midshipmen will accept the award.
Susan Curtin, chair of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, is pleased to announce its Alexander
Hamilton Award will be presented to the Coast Guard Aviation Association on its 101st anniversary of the
first Coast Guard Air Station. CAPT Michael D. Emerson, USCG (Ret.), president of the Coast Guard Aviation
Association, will accept the award. ADM James M. Loy, USCG (Ret.), 21st Commandant of the Coast Guard,
will make the presentation.
Gary Jobson, America’s Cup winner and America’s “Ambassador of Sailing,” will serve as Master of Ceremonies.
Recipients will be featured in videos produced by award-winning documentarian Richardo Lopes and Voyage
Digital Media. The American Society of Marine Artists Invitational Gallery, hosted by world-acclaimed
marine artist Patrick O’Brien, will showcase a variety of works on display and for sale. Entertainment will be
provided by The Riveters from the US Naval Academy.
This event is free to attend, although we hope you will support the work
we do by sponsoring this very special occasion. For more information,
sponsorship opportunities, and to register: contact Wendy Paggiotta at
Ph. 914 737-7878 ext. 557, by email at vicepresident@seahistory.org, or
online at www.seahistory.org/washington2021.
We look forward to seeing you!

Potomac River Reverie Washington, DC in 1890, by Patrick O’Brien.
American Society of Marine Artists Invitational Gallery
B ack by popular demand, NMHS is honored
to present the 2021 American Society of
Marine Artists Invitational Gallery, hosted by
acclaimed marine artist Patrick O’Brien. Thanks
to his leadership, we are pleased to offer this
exclusive opportunity to view original paintings
from a featured group of ASMA artists,
including selections from Patrick O’Brien along
with Lana Ballot, Laura Cooper, Don Demers,
Neal Hughes, Richard Loud, Leonard Mizerek,
Charles Raskob Robinson, Sergio Roffo, and
the new ASMA president, Nick Fox. These
works are on sale online, right now through
the National Maritime Awards, held virtually
on 6 May 2021. We hope you will join us for
the show and a chance to meet the artists, who
will be joining us live!
The late Peter Stanford, NMHS president
emeritus, helped found the American Society
of Marine Artists back in 1978 to “recognize,
encourage, and promote marine art and
maritime history.” These artists are an
incredibly talented and knowledgeable February 5th, 1812 by Nicolas Fox, 18 x 24 inches, oil on panel — $8,500
resource, not just to those who appreciate and “This painting depicts the 1799 USS Chesapeake, America’s 38-gun heavy frigate under the command
collect marine art but to those who value the of Captain Samuel Evans, running down the British merchantman Earl Percy. The Percy was headed
study of maritime history. These artists bring south to Brazil from Newfoundland carrying a valuable cargo of salt in her hold. Evans, depicted
to life seafaring scenes from every age and standing just below the spanker boom on the ship’s quarterdeck, could look forward to a short
successfully capture the spirit and character action and some prize money. The brig wasn’t fast enough to escape the Chesapeake; it was captured
of sailing and ships, large and small, power and taken to a US port to be sold at auction. The Chesapeake sailed for Boston to put in for some
and sail, merchant, military, or leisure. major repairs.
Captain Evans, who’d suffered an eye injury during
one of the frigate’s naval actions, requested and was granted
leave upon his arrival back in Boston. He and his experienced
crew dispersed, and James Lawrence, the recent victor of
the Hornet-Peacock incident, took command with a new,
untested crew. Once the Chesapeake’s refit was completed,
its new captain and green crew sailed out of Boston Harbor,
where she met the 38-gun HMS Shannon. It was a terrible
day for USS Chesapeake and her captain, but Lawrence’s
famous last words, “Don’t give up the ship” would live on
for generations as a battle cry throughout the Navy.
As one of the magnificent “Six Frigates,” the Chesapeake
has been a perennial favorite of mine. This selection began
as a study for a series of Boston paintings that I am currently
working on.” —NF
If you see a painting here or on the NMHS website

(www.seahistory.org/washington2021) that you would like
to purchase, contact the National Maritime Historical Society
via email at vicepresident@seahistory.org or by calling NMHS
headquarters at 914 737-7878, ext. 0. Twenty-five percent
The Edgartown Light in October by Charles Raskob Robinson of the proceeds will benefit the National Maritime Historical
18 x 23 inches, oil on canvas — $3,500 Society and the National Coast Guard Museum Association,
“The contrast of soft autumn light and crisp colors of the water and is tax deductible. Enjoy this sneak preview and consider
and ironwork of the lighthouse prompted this painting.” —CRR making one of them yours!
Henry Ford Passing
Thacher Island, 1925
by Laura Cooper
15 x 25 inches, oil on linen
$6,500
“The 1922 Gloucester fishing
schooner Henry Ford is shown
passing Thacher Island on a
starboard tack, bound for the
Grand Banks, one of the world’s
richest fishing grounds. The
Henry Ford was the fastest ves-
sel in the Gloucester fleet and
was selected to defend the In-
ternational Fishermen’s Trophy
during her first year.” —LC
Misty Rendezvous by Leonard Mizerek

24 x 30 inches, oil on canvas — $7,300
“During the mid-1800s, cod was the dominant catch as commercial fishing took
hold in New England. The vessel that harvested these fish in deeper waters was
the sleek and fast Gloucester fishing schooner. At its height, nearly 400 vessels
fished out of Gloucester harbor, the first fishing capital of America. Along the New
England coast, one could see schooners gathering offshore.” —LM
New York Sunset, 1895

by Patrick O’Brien
16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas
$4,800
“The painting depicts busy river traffic
on the Hudson River off lower Manhattan.
Trinity Church can be seen on the left. In
those pre-elevator days, New York was
still a low-rise city and Trinity’s spire stood
tall as a landmark for ships arriving from
sea. In the center distance is the Statue
of Liberty, completed about seven years
earlier. At far right is the new Beaux Arts
building on Ellis Island, ready to receive
immigrants.” —PO’B

World’s End—Hingham, Massachusetts by Sergio Roffo, 10 x 20 inches, oil on mounted canvas — $5,500
Essex Idle by Neal Hughes

16 x 20 inches, oil on linen — $2,800
“This painting was completed during the Cape
Ann Plein Air competition at the H. A. Burnham
Boat Building & Design Co. in Essex, Massachu-
setts. I have done many paintings at this historic
site, located next to the Essex Shipbuilding
Museum. The Burnham family has been in Essex
since the 1600s and the current boatbuilding
shop has been in the Burnham family since the
early 19th century. Harold Burnham, the current
owner, is a master shipwright, designer, mariner,
and a National Endowment for the Arts Na-
tional Heritage Fellow. It is a privilege to paint
at this location, which has so much historical
significance to our sailing heritage.” —NH
Friendship Sloop by Neal Hughes

“A Friendship sloop is a gaff-rigged working boat
design that originated in Friendship, Maine, around
the turn of the 18th century and has survived as a
recreational sailboat with a devoted following. I
came across this subject near Spruce Head Island
in Maine while painting with some friends, and
was taken by its classic lines.” —NH

US Revenue Cutter Eagle by Patrick O’Brien, 24 x 36 inches, oil on canvas — $14,000
“The US Revenue Cutter Service was established in 1790 to enforce tariff and trade laws and to prevent
smuggling. In 1915 the USRCS merged with the Life-Saving Service to become the US Coast Guard.
The cutter Eagle was a topsail schooner built in Connecticut in 1809, the third of seven Coast Guard
cutters to bear that name. During the War of 1812 her primary mission was to apprehend British
merchant ships as well as American vessels carrying illegal British cargoes, and to protect American
shipping against marauding enemy privateers and British warships.” —PO’B
View from the Ferry 1927, Study

by Richard Loud
“I wanted to capture the variety of activities
taking place in Nantucket Harbor during
the 1920s. Sailing into the anchorage,
from left to right, are the coastal schooners
Mary Langdon and Alice Wentworth. The
Gloucester fishing fleet is at anchor. In the
foreground is an S class sloop, the famous
Rainbow Fleet, and the working catboat
Forest Prince.” —RL

Crossing the Gulf Stream by Donald Demers
Dory in Sunlit Fog by Sergio Roffo

18 x 30 inches, oil on canvas — $12,500
Atlantic Symphony by Lana Ballot, 24 x 36 inches, pastel on board — $5,600

“My favorite place to watch the waves is the Smith Point Beach on Long Island. I love the days when I can hear the roaring sound of the ocean before
I can see it, while walking across the parking lot and through the dunes. Each wave and gust of wind contributes to this beautiful symphony.” —LB

A Furious Sky—The Great Hurricane of 1635
by Eric Jay Dolin
A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes (2020) is the history of the American hurricane or,
more specifically, the hurricanes that have hit what is today the United States. Given that there have been hundreds, if
not more than a thousand, such hurricanes in the past five centuries, A Furious Sky must understandably be selective,
focusing mainly on storms that have, arguably, had the most impact on the nation’s long history. One such hurricane,
and the first recorded by the colonists who settled in the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies, is the Great Colonial
Hurricane of 1635, which is the subject of the following excerpt.1
T
he Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 mal. According to William Bradford, gov-
struck the Plymouth and Massachu- ernor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it
setts Bay Colonies with a mighty “was such a mighty storm of wind and rain,
hurricane florence, courtesy the modis rapid response team at nasa gsfc
wallop on August 15, leveling hun- as none living in these parts, either English
dreds of thousands of trees, turning numer- or Indians, ever saw.” The hurricane’s story
ous houses into kindling, driving ships is best told through the tales of two vessels
from their anchors, and killing many with very different fates.
people, including eight Indians on the edge Four days earlier, on the morning of
of Narragansett Bay, who were drowned August 11, Anthony Thacher and his cous-
“flying from their wigwams” when the wa- in, the minister Joseph Avery, were stand-
ters surged ashore 14 feet higher than nor- ing on the wharf in Ipswich, Massachusetts,
Thacher Island
MARBLEHEAD
where the pinnace Watch and Wait was

BOSTON preparing to depart. Ministers were not
easy to find in the Massachusetts Bay
Colony, and the people of Marblehead, a
small fishing village north of Boston, had
persuaded Avery to be their pastor. They
sent the Watch and Wait to pick him up,
along with his cousin, who had also de-
cided to move to Marblehead. While the
master and his three crewmen readied the
vessel for the trip, the passengers boarded.
In addition to Avery and Thacher were both
of their large families, two servants, and
adaptation of a 1776 map, courtesy david rumsey map collection
another gentleman. All told, there were

twenty-three people.
For the first three days, with various
lengthy stops along the way, the trip went
well, but on August 14 “the Lord sud-
denly turned” the group’s “cheerfulness
into mourning and lamentations.” At about
10:00 in the evening, the wind rose to a
gale force, splitting the sails. The sailors
refused to replace them on account of the
NEWPORT dark, and instead anchored for the night.
The hurricane’s path in August 1635 as it

crossed over eastern Massachusetts.
By dawn the gale had turned into a hur-
ricane. The Watch and Wait began dragging
its anchor; then the cable snapped, casting
the vessel adrift in the turbulent seas.
Thacher, Avery, and their families prayed
and comforted one another as best they
could, while expecting to be consigned to
the deep at any moment.
The Watch and Wait was then thrown
onto a large rock, where it was wedged in
place and pummeled by the waves. As the
cabin flooded and the vessel started break-
ing apart, the ocean began to claim its
victims, almost one by one. The master and
the crewmen were the first to be swept
overboard. Rather than despair, Thacher
p.d.
held on to his faith. While peering out of Tempest 1886 by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900) depicts the horror of a shipwreck in a storm.
the cabin into the roiling seas, he saw tree-
tops in the distance. This discovery raised tenaciously to cling to the rock face. Then, which he was preserved from shipwreck,
his hopes, and he told his cousin, “It hath just as he was reaching out to grab a plank as his proper inheritance.” Thacher named
pleased God to cast us here . . . the shore from the vessel, another wave dislodged the island “Thacher’s Woe,” but it is known
not far from us” (one has to wonder, though, him, and he, too, was pitched into the sea. today as Thacher Island, which is part of
whether Thacher questioned why God had In the end, only Thacher and his wife the town of Rockport.
not simply set the vessel on the shore). But survived what would become one of the At the same time that Thacher and
Avery pleaded with him to stay so that they most dramatic and fabled shipwrecks in company were succumbing to the hurri-
and their families could “die together” and Massachusetts Bay Colony history. Bruised, cane’s wrath, the ship James was fighting
be delivered to heaven. battered, and nearly naked, they washed its own battle against the elements while
No sooner had Thacher agreed to ac- up on a small, uninhabited island about a anchored off the Isle of Shoals, located
cept this fate than a thunderous wave mile from the mainland of Cape Ann. They about 6 miles from the point along the
surged into the cabin, washing him, his covered themselves with clothing from the coast where Maine and New Hampshire
daughter, Avery, and Avery’s eldest son out wreck and survived on food that had also meet. The ship was carrying a group of 100
onto the rock. Clambering higher up, the floated ashore. Five days passed before a Puritan settlers who were leaving England
four called to those still in the cabin to join boat came within hailing distance and res- to escape religious persecution and thus
them. The others apparently had frozen cued them. were part of the great Puritan migration of
with fear, and only Thacher’s wife respond- The disaster quickly became the talk the 1620s and 1630s that sent roughly
ed. As she began crawling through a hatch of New England, where many shared the 20,000 dissenters from the Church of Eng-
to the quarterdeck, another wave smashed deep sorrow felt by the Thachers. In Sep- land to New England’s shores. The James’s
into the vessel, obliterating what was left tember 1635 the Massachusetts legislature most prominent passenger was Puritan
of it and sending her and all the other oc- awarded Thacher “forty marks,” or about minister Richard Mather, who was travel-
cupants into the churning water. The force twenty-six British pounds, to help coming with his wife and four sons to the town
of the same wave also swept everyone pensate him for “his great losses”; and a of Dorchester, just south of Boston, where
from the rock, save Thacher, who managed year later it gave him the island “upon he planned to preach at First Church.
The hurricane struck in the early-
photo by tim piece via wikipedia commons, cc by sa 3.0
morning hours on August 15. “The Lord

sent forth a most terrible storm of rain and
easterly wind,” Mather later recounted,
“whereby we were in as much danger as I
think ever people were.” The James’s three
Thacher Island as it looks on a calm day. The

small rocky island was the site of many ship-
wrecks during the heyday of sail. The twin
lighthouses were built in 1771. Nearly half
of the 52-acre island was designated as a
National Wildlife Refuge in 1972.
large anchors were useless in the face of the telling, the Lord “was pleased to have com- day the Lord granted us as wonderful a
mounting winds and waves. Two of the passion and pity upon us, for by his over- deliverance as I think ever people had, out
anchor chains parted, and the third was ruling providence and his own immediate of as apparent [a] danger as I think people
cut by “the seamen in extremity and dis- good hand, he guided the ship past the ever felt.” Mather and his family ultimate-
tress, to save the ship and their own lives.” rock[s], assuaged the violence of the sea, ly made it safely to Dorchester, where he
When that last cable was severed, the James and the wind and rain, and gave us a little quickly rose to become one of New Eng-
was set adrift, perilously close to the nine respite.” (They had undoubtedly entered land’s most prominent preachers.
rocky islands that make up the Isle of the eye of the hurricane.) During the calm, There is a strange asymmetry between
Shoals. The sails were also no match for the the crew hung new sails. When winds rap- these two accounts. Both involve men of
storm, being “rent asunder and split in idly picked up again, they pushed the James the cloth who fervently believed that God
pieces, as if they had been but rotten rags.” toward the increasingly calmer waters off had a plan for them and was at the controls.
Mather and his fellow puritans “cried Cape Ann. “It was a day much to be re- Yet, for one of them a hurricane brought
unto the Lord” to be saved, and, by their membered,” Mather said, “because on that death and misery, while the other walked
away unscathed. This disparity certainly
supports what people often say, that God
works in mysterious ways. As it happens,
by surviving, Mather had a profound im-
pact on American history. Not only was he
an esteemed and influential preacher, but
his son, Increase Mather, and his grandson,
Cotton Mather, played pivotal roles in the
religious and political life of New England
for the better part of a century.
Eric Jay Dolin is the author of fourteen books,

including Leviathan, Brilliant Beacons, and
Black Flags, Blue Waters. He lives with his
family in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
About the book: A Furious Sky is much more

than a litany of death and destruction. It also
weaves together a great range of captivating
themes. There is the intriguing history of me-
teorology. The influence of hurricanes on the
course of empire and the outcomes of war adds
to the story. Critical innovations in commu-
nication, aviation, computer, and satellite
technology play an important part, as does
the women’s movement and its role in the
naming of hurricanes. In the end, the history
of America’s hurricanes forces us to confront
thorny questions of how we can learn to sur-
vive and adapt to the continued barrage that
is sure to come from the greatest storms on
Earth. A Furious Sky, a finalist for the
Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction and a New York
Times Editor’s Choice, is available at book-
stores everywhere.
1
Excerpted from A Furious Sky: The Five-
Hundred-Year History of America’s Hur-
ricanes. © 2020 by Eric Jay Dolin. Printed
Richard Mather, as depicted in the frontispiece of John Foster’s The Life and Death of That with permission of the publisher, Liveright
Reverend Man of God, Mr. Richard, Mather, Teacher of the Church of Dorchester in Publishing Corporation, a division of W. W.
New England, circa 1670. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
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John Mashow (1805–1893)
From Slavery to Master Shipbuilder and Designer
I
by Skip Finley
rather vividly recall seeing the line- ocean. On 17 July 1830, he married Hope
drawn sketch of John Mashow in an Amos of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe,
old New Bedford newspaper article and they soon started a family. She bore
while researching my book, Whaling him eight children.5
Captains of Color—Americas’ First Meritoc- Literate and fairly well-educated,
racy. The newspaper clipping is located in Mashow founded his own shipbuilding
the whaling scrapbook collection of the company in 1831 after earning his Master
New Bedford Whaling Museum Library, Carpenter’s Certificate, required by the
and I was going through it to locate back- Collector of Customs to certify ships.6 From
courtesy of the new bedford whaling museum

ground information on some of the whal- the prism of his life’s work and accomplish-
ing captains I was including in the book. ments, while the apprenticeship gave his
It is exceedingly rare to find portraits of career its start, he was clearly gifted in
persons of color from the era when Mashow myriad ways. With more than 100 ships
was alive, before the Civil War. He was credited to his designs, construction, or
obviously a man of the moment to have both, twenty built between 1833 and
had his portrait included with the newspa- 1858 were whaling vessels.7 These averaged
per article titled “Old Time Shipbuilding,” 275 tons and collectively embarked on
followed by the subtitle, “A Mashow Ship more than 139 whaling voyages. They
Considered One of the Very Best.”1 He amassed revenues from the capture of about
wears a slight smile in the picture, a rare
John Mashow as depicted in the New Bedford The Mashow-built whaling barque Tropic
depiction for a portrait of a black man dur-
Evening Standard on 29 October 1904. Bird at Tabor’s Wharf.
ing this time period. There is substantive
information in the article about Mr.
Mashow’s prolific work as a shipbuilder
and architect, but little on how he came by
those skills.
Born in 1805 to a slave mother and
slaveowner father—a rice planter in
Georgetown, South Carolina—John
Mashow arrived in Massachusetts in 1815.2
He had been freed by his father of the same
name, and thanks to the assistance of a
member of South Carolina’s Thatcher fam-
ily, young John was sent to Massachusetts
in the care of a northern Thatcher family
member.3 In about 1818, Mashow became
apprenticed to shipbuilder Laban Thatch-
er in the bayside village of Padanaram, just
a couple of miles south of New Bedford.
The influential Thatchers had moved there
from Cape Cod in the 1790s, built a wharf,
shipyard, windmill, and a magnesia fac-
courtesy of the new bedford whaling museum
tory, and changed the area’s name from its

native Wampanoag name “Ponogansett”
to a biblical-based name (from Padan-
Aram in ancient Mesopotamia).4
Over the years, Mashow pursued his
craft in Padanaram along its wharves and
shipyards on Apponagansett Bay, an inlet
protected from the open Atlantic by the
larger Buzzards Bay, easily accessed by its
navigable deep-water approach from the
2,795 whales that produced sperm oil,
whale oil, and whalebone worth about
$7,326,000—the equivalent of $181 mil-
lion in 2019.8 In 1845 John Mashow joined
forces with Alonzo Mathews, James Mad-
ison Babbitt, and Frederick Smally to found
the Mathews, Mashow & Company ship-
New Bedford
yard at Padanaram.
In 1851 John Mashow built Tropic
Bird, which in the course of its 34-year
whaling career would complete thirteen
whaling voyages, bringing home more than
nine million dollars’ worth of whale prod-
ucts as cargo. At 163 tons, it was the fourth
smallest of Mashow’s whalers. He and his Padanaram
partners launched two more ships that year:
Sea Queen (240 tons) and the A. R. Tucker
(123 tons), the smallest of the Mashow
whaling ships. The Sea Queen’s production
totaled almost $12.5 million in revenue
across a 37-year working life. A. R. Tucker,
with eighteen whaling voyages in her work-
ing life and earning approximately $17
million from harvested whale products,
was second only to Morning Star and Cape
Horn Pigeon, which each embarked on
nineteen whaling voyages. These Mashow-
built ships had long working lives: A. R.
david rumsey map collection

Tucker’s 57 years of service was exceeded
only by Morning Star with 62. Morning
Star was the most productive of the Mashow
ships, earning $28.5 million, with Cape
Horn Pigeon ranking second with about
$23.3 million.
(above) 1850 map of New Bedford and Buz-
zards Bay and approaches from sea. John
Mashow’s shipyard was in Padanaram, a
short sail from New Bedford.
(left) Letter dated 27 March 1876 from the

“Office of William Lewis, Commission Mer-
chant” spelling out the terms of Captain Owen
Tilton’s contract to take command of the
whaling ship Tropic Bird.
“This is to certify that I Owen H. Tilton of

Tisbury have this day agreed to go as Master
of Bark Tropic Bird for a two year whaling
voyage in the Atlantic Ocean for the one four-
barktropicbird.blogspot.com
teenth Lay. Should I get one thousand barrels

of Sperm Oil in thirty months then I am to
have the one twelfth lay of the whole cargo
and I agree to take one sixteenth or one eight
[inserted] of said [at rates] as paid(r) I. H.
Bartlett & Sons. [signed] William Lewis”
new bedford whaling museum
Original builder’s half-hull model of the Matilda Sears. This vessel was built by John Mashow in about 1856 and sailed for twenty-six years.
Her five whaling voyages brought in whale products valued at $10.9 million today.
Among the Mathews, Mashow & Mashow held shares in seven ships. For
Company designed merchant ships and thirty years, his ships had a reputation for
whalers was the 319-ton Aurora, built in putting them among the best on the water.10
1856 for $16,267.77.9 If we use the costs of Maritime life was a family tradition
building Aurora for a baseline, it could be in the region, and several of the Mashow
imputed that these ships were built for sons went to sea as crew aboard whalers out
approximately $51 per ton. The combined of New Bedford. At least one of his sons,
tonnage of the twenty Mathews, Mashow Isaac H. Mashow, went to sea in a vessel
& Company whalers comes in at 5,507 his father designed and built. Isaac Mashow
tons. This figure multiplied by $51 per ton was signed on as a boat-steerer aboard the

comes to $280,857. Adjusted for inflation whaler Benjamin Cummings on its voyage
over the period of time in which they were to the Pacific from 1854–1859. The ship
constructed and operated, the vessels built was owned by Tucker & Cummings when
by this shipyard produced a total value of it left Dartmouth, Massachusetts, on 14
$7,257,345 (in 2019 dollars), or about November 1854; it returned to Massachu-
$362,867 per ship. setts nearly five years later with 1,624 bar-
To offset some of the capital needed rels of sperm whale oil valued at over $2.7 The whaling ship Benjamin Cummings was
upfront to build and outfit a ship for a million today.11 Isaac Mashow cleared $152 the namesake of its owner, who owned an
voyage, shipbuilders often retained a share from the voyage, while Matthews, Mashow imposing Italianate-style home in 1854 at
of the vessels they built as partial payment. & Company, which owned 4/64 of the 411 County Street in New Bedford. The New
Bedford Preservation Society includes it on
its walking tour of historic homes.
barque, made $2,199, according to final

settlement accounts. The partnership also
owned shares in the A. R. Tucker, Cape
Horn Pigeon, Matilda Sears, and individu-
ally in other whalers.12
photo by john tirrell, courtesy new bedford free public library
Like many of his contemporaries, Ben-

jamin Cummings re-invested his profits in
whaling and grew wealthy. The barque
bearing his name was launched in 1846
with a full-length sculpture of its proud
namesake as its figurehead. Across its
twenty-one years of whaling, the Benjamin
Cummings provided over $8.3 million of
revenue for its owners.13
Whaling ships at the wharf in New Bedford,

1868. John Mashow’s career straddled the
peak years of American whaling, when near-
ly two hundred whaling ships hailed from the
port of New Bedford.
Alas, the Mathews-Mashow partner- barrels of sperm oil, 2,719 barrels of whale mander James Waddell, Confederate States
ship would not last as an entity after 1858, oil, and 14,900 pounds of whalebone—to- Navy, having been away from the continent
but their ships lasted well into the 20th gether worth more than $3.5 million for for many months and lacking fresh news
century. Morning Star’s final whaling voy- the single trip. On 22 June 1865, Jireh Swift of the war, later claimed he was not aware
age returned to port in 1914. One vessel was destroyed after leading Shenandoah on of its conclusion weeks earlier.15
(not a whaler), the schooner Thomas Borden, a chase through the ice fields of the Bering It is easy to see from the listing of
was not completed until 1861. Sea. It is likely that the last shots of the Mashow Whale Ship Records how valuable
A notable example of a Mashow-de- Civil War were fired that day, as Com- the Jireh Swift was to its owners. After
signed whaleship was the 341-ton whaler
Nimrod. Built in 1841, it was constructed
with “white oak, live oak, yellow pine, and MASHOW WHALE SHIP RECORDS
locust with copper fastened through.”14
During the Civil War, three Mashow whal-
Year Ship Cargo
Category Ship Returned Value*
ers—Nimrod, Benjamin Tucker, and Jireh
Swift—along with more than sixty others
Largest Revenue Voyage Jireh Swift** 1857 $3,548,551
were burned to the waterline by the Con-
federate raiders CSS Alabama and CSS Largest Sperm Oil Voyage Sea Queen 1866 $ 108,426
Shenandoah. Largest Whale Oil Voyage Jireh Swift 1865 $ 112,520
John Mashow built the 454-ton Jireh Largest Whalebone Voyage Jireh Swift 1857 $ 37,616
Swift in 1853. Its first whaling voyage took *in 2019 dollars
it to the northern Pacific and lasted nearly **at 454 tons, Jireh Swift was Mashow’s largest whaling ship
four years. The 122-foot ship collected 45
The Mashow-built barque Morning

Star had an incredible 62-year lifespan.
Between 1853 and 1914, she completed
19 whaling voyages.

building the schooner J. W. Flanders, color, who from humble origin like
Mathews, Mashow & Company declared many other men of true genius has
bankruptcy in 1858 as a result of the finan- risen to the highest rank as a naval
cial downturn of 1857. Two other ships, architect as well as shipbuilder. He
courtesy william bradford gallery
the William Gifford and the Thomas Borden, was born in 1805 ... in George-
must have still been under construction, town, South Carolina, the child of
as they were completed in 1858 and 1861 a white man, but born of a colored
respectively. When the Mathews-Mashow mother, the slave of the father. By
yard closed, John Mashow received a pub- a provision in the will of the father,
lic testimonial as “a thorough, practical John ... was sent North to learn the
master shipbuilder and a most worthy and trade of a ship carpenter, which he
respected citizen.”16 states was in accordance with the
The 122-foot Jireh Swift was the largest of
wish he had frequently expressed
Mashow’s whalers and the most profitable.
The name of John Mashow de- to the father, always objecting to
She was captured in June 1865 in the Arctic
serves to be ranked, undoubtedly, any other occupation proposed to
by the Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah
with those of our best naval archi- him.
and subsequently torched and burned to the
tects….John Mashow, a man of —The Mercury, New Bedford
waterline.
The barque William Gifford was not launched until a year after the Mathews-Mashow shipyard closed. In her 19-year working life, she
brought home $5.3 million worth of whale products. In this painting by Charles Sidney Raleigh (1830–1925), the ship is shown with a
white hull under full sail. She is flying four flags: the Union Jack, the American flag, and two with the initials “W. G.” She was named for
William Gifford, who acted as agent for a number of local whaling ships, including the Charles Drew, Minerva, and William Gifford.

A group of prominent whaling ship kind of mechanical work we have ever Mashow’s long successful career would
owners and merchants presented him with inspected.”19 A year later he built a small be an achievement for any man during this
a document that paid tribute to his work. schooner, the 44-foot Juanita, for a Captain era, but it is all the more remarkable for a
It read: Richard Flanders from Martha’s Vine- black man to have achieved most of this
yard.20 before the end of the Civil War. Sadly,
Mr. John Mashow of Dartmouth There are a host of other newspaper after such proven and acknowledged suc-
is highly esteemed in this District articles referencing additional ships built cess, little remains as a memorial to this
as a thorough, practical master and repaired by John Mashow until he was man. To date, the sole vessel honoring him
shipbuilder and as a most worthy listed as a “ship carpenter” in New Bedford was the fishing schooner John Mashow, built
and respected citizen …As a city directories upon his death in 1893.21 in 1846 that was probably built, designed,
Draughtsman, skillful Naval Ar- His obituary read: and named by Mashow himself.
chitect and excellent builder, he
has no superior in this section of John Mashow, a well-known ship- Skip Finley, a former radio broadcasting
the state.17 builder in the palmy days of New executive, who has attempted retirement since
Bedford’s whaling interests, died age fifty, keeps returning to communications
John Mashow pursued his career in- at his home in Dartmouth today and is currently in marketing at the Vineyard
dependently after the shipyard closed, in- in his 88th year. He has built some Gazette Media Group on Martha’s Vineyard.
cluding the 140-ton clipper/schooner that of the finest and staunchest of the For five years Finley wrote the Vineyard Ga-
was built in 1861 in South Dartmouth for vessels which comprised the whal- zette’s weekly Oak Bluffs Town column and
Benjamin Rodman, Esq. A Boston news- ing fleet ... He was honorable and has contributed to several publications in the
paper described it as a “large water boat.”18 upright in his dealings, and com- areas of whaling and history. His second book,
In 1868 he built the New Bedford, a barque manded the respect of all who Whaling Captains of Color: America’s First
touted as “one of the best specimens of that knew him.22 Meritocracy, was published in 2020.
NOTES
1
New Bedford Whaling Museum Library, Scrapbooks (7/15/16), un- American Ports, (1876–1928). For a host of reasons some of this data
named, undated newspaper article, “Old Time Shipbuilding” by may be inaccurate and are best used for perspective.
William G. Kirschbaum 9
Spencer Jourdain, The Dream Dancers, pgs. 24–26.
2
Sidney Kaplan, American Studies in Black and White: Selected Essays 10 New Bedford Whaling Museum Library, (7/15/16), unsourced,
1949–1989, University of Amherst Press, MA 1991, 234–236; Owen undated newspaper article, “Old Time Shipbuilding” by William G.
H. Tilton life at sea, http://barktropicbird.blogspot.com/2009/04/ Kirschbaum
3
Spencer Jourdain, The Dream Dancers—An American Reflection Upon 11
Alexander Starbuck, History of the American Whale Fishery, Waltham,
Past Present and Future: Volume One, New England Preservers of the Dream MA, 1878,
of the Dream 1620–1924, Shorefront, Evanston, IL, 2016, pgs. 24–26. 12
Mr. Tashtego—Native American Whalemen in Antebellum New Eng-
4
South Coast Today, “Padanaram’s Rich History Flavored by Ship land, Nancy Shoemaker; Project Muse, University of Connecticut, see
Building, Salt” by Auditi Guha, 20 July 2014. www.southcoasttoday. National Archives Project, Ship Registers of New Bedford, Massachu-
com/article/20140720/news/407200321 setts, (3 volumes, Boston, 1940).
5
Isaac H. Mashow was a boatsteerer onboard the whaler Benjamin 13
Author’s estimate
Cummings, during a voyage from 1854 to 1859. 14
Spencer Jourdain, The Dream Dancers, pgs. 24–26
6
Patricia Carter Sluby, The Innovative Spirit of African Americans— 15
The ex-slave, the doomed barque and the American President, www.
Patented Ingenuity, Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT, 2004, pg. 11 sea.museum/2012/04/10/object-of-the-week-the-ex-slave-the-doomed-
[source: Portia James]. The Real McCoy: African American Invention barque-and-the-american-president
and Innovation, 1619–1930. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institu- 16
New Bedford Whaling Museum Library, Scrapbooks (7/15/16),
tion, 1989, pgs. 33–35.] unsourced, undated newspaper article, “Old Time Shipbuilding” by
7
Sidney Kaplan, American Studies in Black and White: Selected Essays William G. Kirschbaum; Commercial Fishers: Whaling. www.amer-
1949–1989, University of Amherst Press, MA 1991, page 235 icanhistory.si.edu/onthewater/exhibition/3_7.html
8
Author’s Estimates: These estimates are based on a formula factoring 17
Footsteps: African American History, Vol 1 Issue 3, May 1999 c1999-
for the generic size of whales (in barrels), gallons per barrel, prices by Page 47. John Mashow, Master Shipbuilder. Wiscat #-STWI-492841;
year and the inflation-based value of dollars in 2019. Sources include: http://barktropicbird.blogspot.com/2009/04/
Inflation Calculator, www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1914?end 18
Boston Commercial Bulletin, 7/13/1861; New York Herald, 11/6/1861
Year=2019&amount=1; Ship Data, Judith N. Lund (et al) American 19
New Bedford Evening Standard, 7/28/1868
Offshore Whaling Vessels 1667–1927; Barrels per whale: Elmo Paul 20
New Bedford Mercury, 4/9/1869
Hohman, The American Whaleman; Gallons per Barrel: F. D. Om- 21
Long Island Historical Journal Vol. 2, No. 1, pages 41–52; “African
manney Lost Leviathan, Price per gallon/pound: Alexander Starbuck American Whalers: Images and Reality” by Floris Barnett Cash, pg. 48
History of the American Whale Fishery, (to 1876); Price per gallon/ 22
Sidney Kaplan, American Studies in Black and White: Selected Essays
pound: Reginald B. Hegarty, Returns of Whaling Vessels Sailing from 1949–1989, University of Amherst Press, MA 1991, page 236
The Pastry War
T
by John S. Sledge
hey called it the Pastry War. But instead
of a charming pâtisserie as the setting,
delighted children and bemused adults
as the participants, and flying chouquettes,
croissants, éclairs, and macrons as the pro-
jectiles, it featured a gray harbor fort, seri-
ous military men, steam warships, and
exploding artillery shells. It took place at
réunion des musées nationaux

Veracruz, Mexico, in 1838 and, though
little known today, is significant for augur-
ing a new era of naval warfare.
Ten years in the making, the conflict
stemmed from a Mexico City street riot
between rival political factions. Mexico
had achieved independence in 1821 but
suffered continual political intrigue and Prise de Saint-Jean d’Ulloa en 1838 lors de l’expedition Baudin by Théodore Gudin
frequent leadership changes in the years (1802–1880). The Pastry War was a deadly serious affair despite its seemingly comic moni-
afterwards. During one such power scuffle, ker. The sulfurous fury of the French bombardment is readily apparent in this canvas
unruly soldiers thronged a French-owned painted shortly afterwards. Mount Orizaba’s snowy summit looms in the right background.
pâtisserie, gobbled up 800 pesos’ worth of portunity to call in Mexican debts, as well tance, with flourishing trade contacts
treats without paying, and generally as to recoup the losses of other French throughout the Atlantic basin. Founded
wrecked the premises before leaving. The citizens in the unrest, all to the tune of 600 by Hernán Cortés in 1519, by the early
shop’s owner, one Monsieur Remontel, did thousand pesos. Unsurprisingly, the sitting nineteenth century it boasted a population
not take kindly to this outrage and claimed Mexican president, Anastasio Bustamante, of roughly 10,000 souls. It was a vibrant
60 thousand pesos in damages. This was refused, leading Louis-Phillipe to send his city but had a fearsome reputation for
an astronomical sum at the time, and the navy to Veracruz to coerce payment. northers (strong wintertime fronts that
Mexican government haughtily rejected Veracruz is located roughly halfway regularly scattered shipping) and disease,
his claim. Not easily deterred, Remontel down Mexico’s long, gracefully curving particularly yellow fever, graphically re-
pressed his case for years, and by 1838 he Gulf Coast with the snowy summit of ferred to locally as el vomito. Nonetheless,
had taken it to the French government. Mount Orizaba providing a dramatic back- visitors were generally impressed. Seven
Rather than dismiss it as a trivial distrac- ground. During the early nineteenth cen- years before the Pastry War, a British bar-
tion, King Louis-Phillipe saw it as an op- tury, it was a city of considerable impor- rister named Henry Tudor described the
city’s appearance from the water as “remark-
ably pretty; exhibiting a showy aspect of
churches, with their various spires and tow-
ers—of white-washed houses with their
terraced roofs—and surrounded entirely
with fortified walls.” History had demon-
strated the efficacy of those walls more than
once, including against sixteenth-century
pirate attacks and an 1825 Spanish siege.
Even more important than the wall
was the brooding harbor fortress of San
Juan de Ulúa, situated on an emergent
Veracruz coral reef half a mile offshore and facing
northeast, or seaward. It was originally
constructed in 1535 and improved through-
out the eighteenth century. By the mid-
1830s, it consisted of a rectangular parade
ground surrounded by fifteen-foot-thick
coral curtain walls and sharply angled
Veracruz was, and is, a major Mexican port

on the Gulf of Mexico.
corner bastions with a brick lighthouse, a
cavalier (an interior fortress raised to fire
over the main parapet), and a demilune on
the seaward side with flanking redoubts
and moats. The armament included 187
guns and the garrison, 1,200 men. Con-
temporaries considered it well-nigh impreg-
nable, the “Gibraltar of America.” While
that had been true theretofore, troubling
disadvantages were evident to knowledge-
able observers. The coral block walls were
not likely to stand up to a sustained pound-
ing by modern shell guns, there were almost
no interior casemates to provide lateral
protection to the gun crews, the artillery
was small caliber and badly mounted, the
gunpowder was inferior, and the men were
poorly trained conscripts.
The French fleet arrived in March, and
the King’s Minister to Mexico, Baron
Antoine-Louis Deffaudis, formally pre-
sented a list of demands to Bustamante that
included payment of the debt by 15 April,
the release of any French citizens held in
Mexican jails, and the removal of “certain
offending officials.” Bustamante labeled
the demands “un verdadero libelo” (a true Positions of French naval ships during the bombardment of the fort on 27 November 1838.
libel) and put his trust in el vomito and This map was printed in an 1888 book on Admiral Baudin by Edmond Jurien de La Gravière,
strong northers to drive away the enemy. director of charts for the French navy and a prolific author on French naval history.
In response, the French suspended diplo-
matic relations and blockaded Veracruz. dozen French vessels were holding station Baudin, a balding, 53-year-old, one-armed
Just as Bustamante had hoped, disease and offshore, including transports loaded with fighter who had seen service in the Napo-
storm afflicted the fleet, but it did not with- 4,000 troops; three frigates armed with leonic Wars. Baudin, a master seaman and
draw, and the standoff remained unresolved fearsome Paixhans shell guns; two bomb strategist, openly shared his plans. After
into the fall. Eager to force a conclusion, ketches; a sloop-of-war; two steamers, the an hour in his company, Farragut opined
Louis-Phillipe sent more ships under Rear Phaeton and the Météor, each boasting 160 that he would have been a “rara avis in any
Admiral Charles Baudin. By October, two horsepower engines; and a handsome twen- navy.” He admired the admiral’s battle-
ty-four-gun corvette named La Créole un- ready decks, everything shipshape and
der the command of the King’s son, twen- squared away. He took particular interest
ty-year-old François d’Orléans, Prince in the 32-pounder guns equipped with new
of Joinville. Since the Mexicans were percussion locks, “no spring, no machinery,
determined not to fire first, Baudin took in fact, nothing that can become deranged”
the opportunity to dispatch crews in long- and expected the coming contest to be
boats to take soundings right up to the one-sided and short.
walls of San Juan de Ulúa. The French had set 27 November as
On hand to protect American interests their new deadline, after which “war or
was USS Erie, a trim sloop-of-war com- peace would immediately follow.” Guessing
manded by Captain David Glasgow Far- that diplomacy had run its course, Farragut
ragut. Before the hostilities started, the had his blue jackets embark all US citizens
young American officer took the opportu- and their valuables. As expected, Busta-
nity to visit the French admiral’s 52-gun mante was in no mood to concede anything
flagship Néréide. He was impressed by to Baudin. On the appointed day Farragut
anchored safely off to one side and watched
Rear Admiral Charles Baudin (1784–1854) as the Phaeton and Météor towed the frigates
led the French assault on Veracruz. into the most advantageous positions.
Inside the fort, gun carriages were upend-
ed, men were hit by humming fragments,
the powder magazine exploded, and the
square tower and its defenders were blasted
to smithereens. According to an account
later published in the New Orleans Bee, the
magazine blew “with so much violence,
that the decks of several of the French ves-
p.d., courtesy palace of versailles research center
sels at the distance of more than a mile,

were strewed with their fragments.”
It was more than soft coral, human
flesh, or weak will could withstand. By
sunset, the fort was a smoking ruin, and
the Mexican garrison capitulated. Joinville
toured the scene the next day and wrote,
“A horrible smell rose from the numerous
corpses buried everywhere under the rub-
bish.” Over 200 Mexicans were dead. The
surviving members of the garrison tied
weights to their deceased comrades and
Prise du fort Saint-Jean-d’Ulloa, 27 Novembre 1838 by Horace Vernet (1789–1863)
sank them in the harbor. Unfortunately,
depicts twenty-year-old François d’Orléans, Prince of Joinville, on the aft deck of the French
they did a sloppy job, and in a ghastly coda
corvette Créole during the action on 27 November 1838.
to the whole affair, Farragut wrote that the
Steam technology was yet young, but, ap- in the thick of the action. Farragut wrote deceased “were seen floating about in all
plied to naval warfare, it provided even that the “Prince had the hottest berth, but directions.” French losses were trivial by
better evidence than the new percussion stood his ground like a man, occasionally contrast. Baudin cursed “the folly” of his
locks that the old ways were doomed. “Ev- wearing ship to bring a fresh broadside to brave opponents’ leaders for putting them
erything was done by them,” Farragut wrote bear.” The fort’s shots were ragged, but in such an impossible position.
of the steamers. “The day was calm, or Joinville could see the frigate Iphigénie tak- The French occupied the shattered fort
nearly so, and the ships had no sails to ing hits. “Every minute or two I saw splin- and allowed the defenders to withdraw,
manage. As soon as the anchor was let go, ters of wood flying into the air, cut out by their honor intact. The overall Mexican
they were ready for action.” Slim, bearded, the shot striking her,” he wrote. Fortu- commander at Veracruz then decided to
and eager to “share in the fun,” the Prince nately, Iphigénie’s damage was slight be- parlay with Baudin, hoping to avoid a
of Joinville begged Baudin permission for cause of the Mexicans’ bad powder and bloody siege. He readily accepted condi-
La Créole to join the frigates. This was a small guns. By contrast, the fort suffered tions that included letting the French pro-
brash request, as the corvette’s guns were, terribly. Farragut was astonished to see the vision from the city and sending all but
in Joinville’s own words, “mere children’s French shells punch holes a foot deep into 1,000 of his soldiers at least ten miles out
toys.” Permission was denied, and he was the coral walls and then explode, “tearing of town. Predictably, this news riled the
ordered to simply observe. Still refusing to out great masses of stone, and in some in- capital. The central government under
open hostilities, the Mexicans waited be- stances rending the wall from base to top.” Bustamante made a formal declaration of
hind their coral walls. “At precisely 2:30pm,”
Farragut wrote, “the Admiral’s ship fired
the first gun, and immediately the firing
became general.”
photo by nazary diaz, cc by sa 3.0 via wikipedia.com
Bright tongues of flame leapt from gun

muzzles, and heavy smoke enveloped the
ships. To his great joy, Joinville was grant-
ed permission to join the bombardment;
he immediately got underway, gliding
alongside the thundering frigates and tak-
ing position in a line at their head. Despite
his small battery, Joinville relished being
San Juan de Ulúa as it looks today. The fort

was designated a National Historic Monu-
ment by the Mexican government in 1962.
war and funneled more troops toward the Joinville captured a general, but Santa Anna
coast. It was at this turbulent moment that escaped “in his shirt and trousers.”
General Antonio Lopéz de Santa Anna The French forces continued to push
reinserted himself into national affairs, inland, and their losses increased. Alarmed
promising to defend the city. by his casualties and not interested in cap-
If ever there was a genius at exploiting turing the city, Baudin ordered a with-
the main chance, it was Santa Anna. He drawal. True to form, Santa Anna seized
was 44 years old, tall, darkly handsome, the moment when French retreat was cer-
and brave—though a flawed military strat- tain to sally forth with several hundred
egist. Ever since his crushing defeat two men, parading in front of them on a pranc-
years earlier by Sam Houston at San Ja- ing white charger. To all appearances he
cinto, he had been keeping a low profile at intended to harry the enemy to the water’s
his nearby villa. The Pastry War provided edge and apprehend Baudin himself. The
him the ideal opportunity to rescue his French responded by hauling up a small
beloved nation from humiliation and de- field piece, “loaded to the muzzle with grape
feat. He thus obtained the government’s Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794–1876) and canister” according to Farragut, that
blessing and appeared in Veracruz’s plaza lost a leg in the Pastry War, but used the raked the Mexican line. Santa Anna was
announcing the declaration of war and his sacrifice of his limb as a public relations tool among the wounded, hit in the left leg,
intention of throwing the French into the to resurrect his political standing in Mexico. which had to be amputated shortly there-
sea. Farragut and several of his officers paid after. Santa Anna was nothing if not re-
the General a visit on 29 November and all one family, and must be united against sourceful, however, and in inimitable style
were cordially received. Santa Anna assured Europeans obtaining a foothold on this he parlayed his misfortune into advantage.
them that American citizens would be re- continent.” This unusual play on hemi- He was now viewed as the savior of Vera-
spected. He also appealed to their shared spheric solidarity was vintage Santa Anna, cruz, one who had given a leg in its defense,
geographic interests, asking them to tell as were his parting comments that the re- and he once again ascended to the presi-
President Martin Van Buren “that we are cent surrender was an outrage and he would dency. The war ended when the British,
“die rather than yield one point for which impatient with the blockade’s disruptions,
they had contended.” sent a small fleet to help broker a treaty.
Exasperated by this development, Bau- Santa Anna’s loud pronunciamentos to the
din declared that he would not wage war contrary, the Mexicans paid the French
on innocent civilians because of their gov- every peso owed. The Pastry War was over,
ernment’s stupidity. To avoid a messy siege, with Veracruz once again open to com-
he concocted a plan to gut Santa Anna’s merce. Santa Anna was a hero of Mexico,
preparations before they went any further. and young Capt. Farragut sailed away mull-
On the foggy morning of 5 December, ing the lessons he had learned watching
three French infantry divisions landed on steamships and shell guns pummel an old
the city’s wide waterfront—one to the harbor fort—lessons that in the fullness of
south, one at the center, and one to the time he would apply at New Orleans and
north. Among the troops in the center col- Mobile Bay.
umn was Joinville, in direct command of
sixty men. French sappers laid black pow- This article was adapted from John S. Sledge’s
der charges under the gates and blew them latest book, The Gulf of Mexico: A Maritime
open. “Forward! God save the King!” History, published by the University of South
shouted Joinville as the French surged into Carolina Press. Sledge is senior architectural
the city and made for Santa Anna’s head- historian for the Mobile Historic Development
quarters. “There wasn’t a cat in the streets,” Commission and a member of the National
Joinville later testified. But the Mexicans Book Critics Circle. He holds a bachelor’s
were waiting for them, hidden in houses degree in history and Spanish from Auburn
and perched among the rooftops. French University and a master’s in historic preserva-
soldiers began falling as resistance mount- tion from Middle Tennessee State University.
ed. Ignoring the “musketry fire crackling Sledge is the author of six previous books,
from every window like a great set piece of including Southern Bound: A Gulf Coast
fireworks,” Joinville directed his men Journalist on Books, Writers, and Literary
through the alleyways towards the gover- Pilgrimages of the Heart, The Mobile
Adm. David G. Farragut (1801–1870) nor’s house. Once there, they “hurled into River, and These Rugged Days: Alabama
a room full of smoke and Mexican soldiers.” in the Civil War.
Final Voyage of the Kalmar Nyckel
Epitaph for an Exceptional Ship
S
courtesy sjöfartsmuseet akvariet
by Sam Heed and Jordi Noort, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation
omewhere in the North Sea

off the east coast of Scot-
land, near Buchan Ness, lie
the unmarked remains of
the original Kalmar Nyckel,
one of the great ships of the 17th century.
In the service of the Dutch after a long and
legendary career under the Swedish flag,
she was sunk by an English fleet on 22 July
1652 in the opening engagement of what
would be called the First Anglo-Dutch War.
Flying Dutch colors as the Kalmar Sleutel,
she had come full circle. A workhorse of a
ship since being launched in Amsterdam
in 1627, she would end her career with the
people who had built her twenty-five years
earlier.
After decades of guesswork and spec-
ulation, new research in the archives in the
Netherlands and Sweden has revealed more
details and allows us to complete the miss-
photo by andrew hanna, courtesy kalmar nyckel foundation
ing last chapter in the career of this remark-

able ship, the final year when the Kalmar
Nyckel left Swedish service until her ulti-
mate demise fighting for the Dutch off
Scotland in 1652.
Today’s replica Kalmar Nyckel, the official

Tall Ship of Delaware, was launched in
Wilmington, Delaware, in 1997. Built,
owned, and operated by the Kalmar Nyckel
Foundation, the ship serves as a floating class-
room and inspirational platform for a broad
array of sea- and land-based educational
programs that reach 30,000 people a year.
Unlocking “The Key” of the Swedish governing elite. This much proved an irresistible target for English
After twenty-two years of distinguished we have always known, and Roelofsen is predators. The dispute over control of the
service to the Swedish Realm, Kalmar named in the decommissioning document. sea lanes around the British Isles increas-
Nyckel (“Key of Kalmar”) was decommis- We don’t know exactly what Roelofsen ingly led to warlike preparations among
sioned on 19 June 1651 by order of Queen did with the ship immediately after he took the English and Dutch forces. As English
Christina and sold to a private merchant. possession of her, but we can be confident Admiral George Monck put it at the time,
A Swedish Admiralty inspection deter- that he took note of the larger drama un- “The Dutch have too much trade, and we
mined that she would not be sound enough folding along the Dutch coast, some 900 intend to take it from them.”
to cross the Atlantic for a fifth time as a miles southwest of Stockholm. Dutch We do know that Roelofsen had Kal-
colonial ship for New Sweden. The buyer maritime might had been irritating English mar Nyckel outfitted for war; he upped her
was Cornelis Roelofsen, a Dutch merchant pride across the Channel, and the wealth armament to twenty “pieces” and had her
living in Stockholm and known to members produced by Dutch trade and fishing in Amsterdam available for hire by 11 April
Turbulent Sea with Ships by Ludolf Bakhuysen, 1697, oil on canvas, 12.5 x 15 inches.
The original Kalmar Nyckel was built in Amsterdam in 1627 as an ordinary Dutch “Pinas” (pinnace) of about 300 tons and 100 feet on
deck, just one of a couple thousand similar vessels built by the Dutch in this period. She was purchased in 1629 by the Swedish Skeppskom-
paniet (Ship Company) with tax revenue from the strategic harbor town of Kalmar, on Sweden’s southeast coast, and renamed Kalmar
Nyckel. She made a record eight crossings (four round trips) of the Atlantic for the New Sweden Company between 1637 and 1644. The
first of these voyages launched the colony of New Sweden in 1638 under the command of Peter Minuit, who established Fort Christina at
“The Rocks,” in present-day Wilmington, Delaware—the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. When not sailing
on colonial voyages for the New Sweden Company, she served the Swedish Navy as an auxiliary warship until 1651. She was part of Gustav
II Adolf ’s famous invasion fleet at Peenemünde on the German coast of Pomerania in 1630, which marked Sweden’s entry into the Thirty
Years’ War (1618–48). Swedish Admiralty records from 1634 list her as carrying a crew of 55 men and 12 six-pounder cannon, probably
typical of her wartime strength. Toward the end of her career, she saw bloody action in Torstenson’s War against the Danes in 1645 and
transported Swedish diplomats across the Baltic during the negotiations that led to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
courtesy rijksmuseum

The Dutch Herring Fleet, 1697, by Pieter Vogelaer (1670-1700), pen and ink on panel, 33 x 45 inches.
The value of the 17th-century Dutch herring fleet cannot be overstated, to both the economy and the culture in the Netherlands. In addition
to providing nutrient-rich sustenance for its population, the fishery produced a valuable commodity for international trade. Its value can
also be deduced from the number of works of art that were made during this period by the Dutch masters.
Fishing Boats in Choppy Waters, ca. 1630, by Jan Porcellis (1580/84–1632), oil on panel, 10 x 14 inches.

1652—just when deputies of the Dutch
States General came looking for ships to
reinforce their navies. The States General Shetland
had ordered the five Dutch Admiralties “to Islands
find, hire, renovate, and equip 150 ships”
Fair Isle Stockholm
for patrol and escort duty. On that 11th of
April, two deputies from the Admiralty
Baltic Sea
Board of Rotterdam began to examine the
ships moored in Amsterdam harbor. They Inverness
reported back on 22 April that they had Boddam
(Buchan Ness)
hired five ships, one of which was Kalmar
Sleutel (“sleutel” is Dutch for “nyckel;” both North Sea
mean “key” in English), with Cornelis Ro- Newcastle-upon-Tyne
elofsen listed as the owner.
As part of the lease arrangement with Amsterdam
the Rotterdam Admiralty, businessman
Roelofsen drew up an extensive inventory Rotterdam
of the ship: “Kalmar Sleutel, [about 20 years Den Briel
old], long over the bow 103 feet, wide 25
esri base map

feet, its hold 11 feet, there above 6 feet,
with a new pine hull.” Dated 22 April 1652,
Roelofsen’s inventory provides the most
Kalmar Nyckel’s geographical theater during her last year of operation.
complete list of the ship’s equipment we
have from her long career. On 23 May, Dirck Vijgh assumed flat bottoms that could be beached for quick
command. He would serve as the ship’s last and convenient offloading. About seventy
Last Captain and Crew captain. On 31 May, the crew came aboard feet in length and manned by fifteen crew,
of the Kalmar Nyckel and were brought under oath. There were busses were often worked by whole families,
On 26 April, the Admiralty Board of Rot- ninety of them, and they were each given women and children included, making
terdam appointed Dirck Vijgh as captain one month’s wages in advance. them a kind of floating cottage industry.
of the Kalmar Sleutel. The son of a noble- For the next two weeks Captain Vijgh
man, Captain Vijgh had been decorated “Buss Patrol” — Last Voyage of the and crew undertook a flurry of final prep-
for bravery in action against Dunkirk pi- Kalmar Nyckel (14 June–22 July 1652) arations, taking on 1,000 pounds of gun-
rates and served well as Admiral Maarten The following day, Kalmar Sleutel was or- powder and four more guns, for a total of
Tromp’s flag captain on Brederode, named dered to join the escort squadron protect- 26. On 7 June, Kalmar Sleutel moved to
for a castle in the Netherlands. ing the Dutch herring fleet, which was out Den Briel, a staging harbor located at the
At the time of Captain Vijgh’s appoint- sailing off the Shetland Islands, north of mouth of the Maas River, where Captain
ment, Kalmar Sleutel was still in Amster- Scotland. The herring fleet—“the Great Vijgh took on more gunpowder and await-
dam taking on provisions and undergoing Fishery”—was the first to develop indus- ed the command to sail.
additional modifications. The States Gen- trialized fishing. Its influence on the Dutch A week later, with the winds of war
eral had specified that all ships recently economy in the 17th century was compa- upon them, Captain Vijgh and his crew set
acquired for patrol and escort were to be rable to the more famous Dutch trading sail for the Shetlands on what would be the
refit so that they could carry at least 22 fleets, the East India Company (VOC) and Kalmar Sleutel’s last voyage. They were
guns and fighting crews of 90. The refit was the West India Company (WIC). The scale joined by the Sphera Mundi, which would
soon completed, and by 11 May a skeleton of the Great Fishery was enormous, with serve with them as part of the “buss patrol.”
crew had brought the ship by way of Texel 2,000 fishing boats at work in the North It was likely the early part of July by
to her new homeport of Rotterdam. Sea and 150,000 tons of fish exported from the time they met up with the fishing
That these upgrades would be needed the Netherlands for profit in 1614 alone. fleet. They joined the escorts under Admi-
became clear soon enough. Escalating ten- One-fifth of the Dutch population was ral Dirck Claesz van Dongen in the Sint
sions between the Dutch and English fleets employed in the fishing business, and Paulus Bekeering and began to shepherd
erupted into open warfare with running Dutch capitalism contributed many in- the 600 herring busses. All was well as the
gun battles in the Channel on the 22nd and novations to the industry, including the fishermen went about their business,
29th of May. The conflict would be made development of drift nets to catch shoals setting drift nets and hauling back vast
official with declarations of war on the 10th of herring, which are still used today. The shoals of herring, the “silver of the seas.”
of July and later given the title First Anglo- fishing vessels, called busses, were an in- The fishers knew to be wary of the English,
Dutch War of 1652–54. novation all their own, sturdy ships with but probably did not know that war had
been declared on 10 July 1652. They sailed of adventure in the salty air. But from some of the other Dutch warships that
undisturbed as they headed south of Fair the decks of the Dutch escort squadron, fought back. The Battle of Buchan Ness
Isle, reaching toward the Scottish coast. the view that morning must have been turned into a bloody three-hour affair, a
They were somewhere near Buchan Ness terrifying. seagoing slaughterhouse with both sides
on Thursday morning, 22 July 1652, when As the English fleet of 66 capital ships taking heavy casualties and many English
66 English ships were spotted hull-down bore down on the sixteen Dutch escorts ships put out of action. Kalmar Sleutel was
on the southern horizon. protecting the 600 boats of the herring at the center of the action. Captain Vijgh
fleet, Dutch Vice-Admiral Reinout Veen- and his crew were among the most heavily
Battle of Buchan Ness — 22 July 1652 huysen of the Sphera Mundi opened fire engaged, fighting desperately against over-
The scene off Buchan Ness that third week prematurely, and then abruptly fled the whelming English firepower. The smaller
in July, with stiff breezes and bright Scot- scene. Leading eight frigates of the English Dutch escorts, mostly armed merchant
tish skies, could have come straight from vanguard, Captain John Taylor of the Lau- vessels, were no match for the English frig-
the pen of Robert Louis Stevenson: the rel was the first to answer with a broadside ates, new purpose-built warships that each
romance of ships under sail, the anticipation of 24 guns, and the battle was begun. Veen- carried 36 guns or more and doubled the
of a “battle of encounter,” and the smell huysen’s cowardice was made up for by weight of the Dutch broadsides. Skilled
Dutch seamanship could not for long over-
come such a discrepancy in firepower.
In three hours of fighting the English
seized twelve of the Dutch escorts and scat-
tered the fishing fleet, taking thirty of the
busses. Six of the captured Dutch warships
were taken into the English fleet; three
others were sent to the city of Inverness
carrying the English wounded; and three
were so badly shot to pieces that they could
not be salvaged and were sunk by the Eng-
lish after being seized. Kalmar Sleutel was
one of the three “so much shattered” that
she couldn’t stay above the waterline. Many
contemporaneous sources, both Dutch and
English—including the testimony of Cap-
tain Vijgh, who survived and was taken
prisoner—as well as detailed reports from
victorious Admiral Blake bear this out.1
Aftermath
Having scattered the herring fleet and dis-
posed of the twelve captured Dutch war-
ships, Admiral Blake headed southward

looking for Admiral Tromp’s main Dutch
fleet. Twelve hundred Dutch survivors were
taken prisoner by the English. Over 300
Dutch wounded were sent home directly
aboard thirty captured herring busses. Cap-
tain Dirck Vijgh and 900 Dutch seamen
were taken to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, then
The replica ship Kalmar Nyckel underway.

She flies the flags of the four countries her
history represents: the Netherlands, Sweden,
Finland, and the United States. The Dela-
ware state flag flies from the sprit topmast.
1
Admiral Blake reported that he had seized twelve ships: six were taken into the fleet, three were sent to Inverness, and three were sunk. Kalmar Sleutel was repeat-
edly noted in Dutch documents to have been “shot to the bottom,” making her one of the three to have been sunk by the English. (The National Archives of the
Netherlands, in The Hague, 1.01.46 inv. 147 dd 1 October, 30 October 1652, and 20 January 1653; and NA 1.01.46 inv. 5551 dd 20 December 1652).

paroled and sent to walk home by way of have the claim examined. At the same time, and design, Kalmar Nyckel set extraordinary
English ports along the Channel. When the surviving crew of the Kalmar Sleutel records for versatility and transAtlantic
they arrived back in the Dutch Republic claimed reimbursement for their lost pos- endurance. Her exceptional 17th-century
in late September, Admiral Dirck Claesz sessions on the sunken ship and four career serving so many so well in such dif-
van Dongen, commander of the escorts, months of lost wages. These claims were ferent roles—colonial ship, gun-armed
was arrested for the failure of his objective. denied by the Admiralty Board. merchantman, and warship—still inspire
Captain Vijgh had his own court of in- On 13 December, after additional the people who sail her replica today.
quiry with the Admiralty Board. Things hearings, the Admiralty of Rotterdam fi-
got messy when Vice-Admiral Veenhuysen, nally authorized settlement to Roelofsen. Sam Heed is the Senior Historian & Director
in trying to clear his own cowardly reputa- He was paid for two months’ lost rent and of Education at the Kalmar Nyckel Founda-
tion, sued Captain Vijgh for being drunk an additional 15,700 guilders for the loss tion in Wilmington, Delaware. His recent
while leading his men into battle, causing of his ship, based on the value of the inven- work for the Foundation includes writing
the Kalmar Sleutel to sink. Vijgh obtained tory prepared and signed by Roelofsen and producing a feature-length documen-
declarations from his officers and crew that dated 11 April 1652. tary film, KALMAR NYCKEL: The For-
he was in fact sober, and the case was dis- We think Roelofsen was eventually gotten Journey, which was nominated for a
missed. Vijgh was reinstated as a captain paid the full amount; after a final demand Mid-Atlantic Emmy and was a huge hit on
and given another ship, the Overijssel. to the Admiralty Board through an agent Swedish television. Jordi Noort is a recent
In October, Cornelis Roelofsen sub- on 20 January 1653, neither he nor his case graduate of the Maastricht School for Trans-
mitted demands to the Admiralty Board is ever again mentioned in the documents. lation and Interpretation in the Netherlands.
of Rotterdam for the loss of his ship. List- After that, the name Kalmar Sleutel slips He completed a nineteen-week International
ed in the records as a “merchant living in back into the mist of history. Internship with the Kalmar Nyckel Founda-
Stockholm in Sweden” and as “owner and tion as part of his degree program.
renter of the Kalmar Sleutel, formerly com- Epilogue
manded by Captain Dirck Vijgh, sunk by The last voyage of the Kalmar Nyckel came Kalmar Nyckel’s home berth is at the Tatia-
the English on 22 July 1652,” Roelofsen to an end on 22 July 1652 after she was na & Gerret Copeland Maritime Center on
requested payment for the sum of 20,100 sunk in a sea battle in the North Sea just the Christina River, in Wilmington, Delaware.
guilders. The Board noted that it would off the Scottish coast. Ordinary in stature (www.kalmarnyckel.org)

True Colors, False Flags:
At Sea, a Man Could Become Whatever He Claimed To Be
E
by William Benemann
lias Willard Trotter was lonely and In a profession that required its men ship, its captain might agree to carry prog-
bored. He had been at sea on the whal- to be underway for several years at a time, ress reports to ship owners and personal
er Illinois for nearly four months (on a voy- with long periods entirely at sea, a widely mail to loved ones.
age that would eventually last over two practiced social ritual evolved known as Elias Trotter was shaking the reef out
years), and the routine of extreme idleness the “gam.” Whenever two (or more) whal- of the main topsail when he spotted a ship
punctuated with manic periods of activity ing vessels encountered each other during hull-down on the horizon. Two hours later,
was beginning to wear on him. “I am getting a voyage, it was customary to heave to so the whaler Neptune out of Sag Harbor, New
tired of the sea,” he wrote in his journal, that the captains and crew could exchange York, under the command of Captain Wil-
with a blunt pencil but with excellent pen- information and hospitality. Advice on liam Pierson, was alongside Illinois.
manship, “& who would not—Confined where whales were or were not to be found,
to this narrow compass with nothing new ports to be avoided because of infection or The captain gammed with her &
or interesting is enough to make the heart civil unrest, sightings of pirates or enemy now I have to record the most sin-
grow sick within itself. At times we have ships—all were common topics of conver- gular incident in the whole voy-
hard work & even that is a relief from the sation at a gam. If one of the vessels was age—Captain Pierson with his boat
ennui of a sea voyage.” But life was about homeward bound, particularly if it was crew boarded us & as is usual we
to get very interesting for Elias Trotter. returning to the home port of the other immediately took the for’ard hands
down our forecastle & commenced
gamming. There was one fellow
amongst them who drew my atten-
tion, on account of his manly beau-
ty, activity & intelligence—Con-
versing with him he said he was
from Albany, knew me and knew
all the first families there & all the
principal men—His name he gave
me as Charles Wheeler—Getting
more interested with him, he took
me aside & told me who he really
was—He was Sylvanus Spencer the
youngest son of old Ambrose Spen-
cer whom everybody knows to have
been the much honored Chief Jus-
tice of the State of New York—He
told me his history which is one I
will never forget but cannot write
here on account of the little room I
have to give it. But imagine if you
can, if you will, the emotions with
which I met here on the Eastern
Coast of New Holland [Australia],
one born in my native city & one
who had roamed amid the same
courtesy the new bedford whaling museum
scenes and walked with the same

friends that I had. Why to speak
from the heart, I was overpowered
with joy & so was he & the four
hours we were together, were hours
of enjoyment, singularity & pleasure
the sailor rarely meets with—We
had to part & he is now sailing in
sight, astern of us—But in all prob-
ability we will never meet again.
The Gam, 1926 oil on canvas by Clifford W. Ashley. Sic transit voluptas mundi—
For Elias Trotter it did seem like all its publication has now been so
the pleasures of the world were merely tran- extensive, that longer silence would
sitory. Languorous with boredom before be useless. We are, however, en-
Neptune was sighted, he found his world abled to state that the conduct of
suddenly upended by a strange sailor whose the young man has been such, for
“manly beauty” and intelligent discourse some time past, as to induce his
held him spellbound for the entire four friends to suppose that his way-
hours of the gam. Now he was sitting wardness has been superinduced
glumly in the stern of his vessel, pencil stub by partial insanity.
in hand, watching as his new friend’s ship
grew faint in the distance.
It is a poignant scene, but who was the
man who introduced himself first as Charles
library of congress
Wheeler, but then confessed to being Syl-
vanus Spencer, of Albany, New York? Were
either of those his correct identity?
Ambrose Spencer was extremely well
known at the time, and if Elias Trotter grew The Spencers were an extremely prominent
up in Albany, he certainly was familiar with family in New York State at this time. In
the name. Ambrose Spencer served as the 1845, Ambrose Spencer Sr. (left) was a retired
mayor of Albany, Chief Justice of the New
p.d. image via wikipedia.com

member of the US House of Representatives,
York Supreme Court, and the US House a former mayor of Albany, and a former New
of Representatives. He raised six children York State attorney general. His son, John
there, two daughters and four sons—none Canfield Spencer (above), would have just
was named Sylvanus. One of his sons was recently stepped down as the US Secretary of
John Canfield Spencer, who had a son the Treasury. Previous posts included serving
named Ambrose, who would have been the as the US Secretary of War (both under
right age to encounter Elias Trotter off the In Philadelphia the Pennsylvania In- President John Tyler) and a previous stint as
coast of Australia in 1845. If this was the quirer and National Gazette echoed the New York Secretary of State.
Spencer that Trotter met at sea, his life was concern about Spencer’s erratic behavior:
certainly colorful enough to fill up those “From this strange, inconsistent, and fool- unaccountable, indeed, that his afflicted
four hours of gamming with a tale that ish conduct, his afflicted family are confi- relatives have imputed partial insanity to
Trotter felt he could not include in his dent that he must be laboring under an him.”
journal. alienation of mind. It is a sad, distressing In Columbus, Ohio, young Ambrose
John Canfield Spencer served as sec- affair.” Spencer had gone into partnership with
retary of war under President John Tyler, The newspapers give no greater details another forger named William B. Lloyd.
and son Ambrose studied law and practiced of the younger Ambrose’s activities or of The details of their personal relationship
in the state of Ohio. But the younger Am- his mental state, no specifics about other are obscure, but it is possible that the news-
brose was evidently not a success as an objectionable behavior, no explanation of papers of the period hinted at a sexual li-
attorney. He returned home to Albany, why forgery should be an indicator of insan- aison they were reluctant to openly discuss.
New York, where he attempted to improve ity, but the label stuck. When a few weeks Nineteenth-century American newspapers
his finances by forging his father’s signature. later Spencer appeared in New Orleans, abound with announcements of sodomy
In February 1842 under the headline “An claiming to carry diplomatic dispatches arrests and prosecutions, but they rarely
Unhappy Case,” the New-York Spector ran intended for Sam Houston, President of discuss such affairs beyond their criminal
the following brief notice: the Republic of Texas, the Cleveland Dai- register column. The Ohio Statesman refers
ly Herald titled its article, “The ‘Insane’ to William B. Lloyd as Ambrose Spencer’s
It has been announced in several Special Minister!” The Ohio Statesman in “peculiar friend”—placing that term in
of the papers that Mr. Ambrose turn told its readers, “We happen to know quotation marks to give it heightened sig-
Spencer, Jr., of Ohio, son of the that the unfortunate young man referred nificance for their readers. The newspaper
Secretary of War, has been ar- to has not been sent to Texas upon any such adds, “For a long time we heard nothing
rested at Albany on a charge of errand, and that he has not been furnished of this Ambrose Spencer Jr., nor of his
forgery. Respect for the feelings of with any such instructions or documents friend and partner William B. Lloyd, but
the distinguished relatives of the as those described in the [New Orleans] supposed they were reposing in each other’s
unhappy young man has hitherto Bee. The conduct of this young man has fond embrace, singing ‘Tippecanoe and
prevented our noting the fact; but been very strange, for some time past,—so Tyler too’ guzzling hard cider, and pursu-
ing the old trade of the firm, for which they
seemed so peculiarly fitted, both by their
principles and practice!” This is the type of
arch circumlocution used by newspapers of
the period to make socially acceptable ref-
erences to homosexual matters they did not
wish to address openly in print. The way-
ward Ambrose Spencer never reached Tex-
as, but was last seen in New Orleans board-
ing a steamship for New York in April 1842.
Was this Ambrose the sailor of “manly
beauty” who, signing on under a false name, Sylvanus Spencer in the headlines in the
joined the crew of the whaler Neptune in
es
New York Daily Times, 21 December
r k t im
1843 when it sailed from Sag Harbor, New 1855 and again on 28 January 1857.
n e w yo
York? Did he encounter Elias Willard Trot-
ter in November 1845, introducing himself blows, and the skull was absolutely driven
first as Charles Wheeler, and then as Sylva- in on the brain. The captain died the next When the ship reached Rio de Janeiro,
nus Spencer, son of the Chief Justice of New [day], and his body was placed in a hogs- the doctor informed the authorities that he
York, with an amazing tale that lasted head of spirits to be preserved.” believed Sylvanus Spencer to be the mur-
through a four-hour gam? The doctor argued that they should derer, and after an interview with the
Or was the stranger’s name not Am- return to Rio as soon as possible, consider- American Consul, Spencer was told he was
brose, but actually Sylvanus Spencer? ing that the murderer was obviously still under arrest. He asked to return to his
A Sylvanus Spencer crewing aboard a on board the ship somewhere, but Spencer cabin “to dress himself,” but while alone
clipper ship emerges in the headlines late insisted that they continue their course he tried to commit suicide by stabbing
in 1855. On 21 December 1855, the New towards the Cape of Good Hope. An argu- himself in the chest. The attempt failed,
York Times ran a story titled “Murder On ment ensued, and Dr. Brolasky finally and he was brought to New York in irons
the High Seas,” and the suspect was a sail- pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot to face trial on a murder charge.
or named Sylvanus M. Spencer. Spencer if the ship was not turned around imme- Several of the sailors from Sea Witch
was the first mate on the clipper Sea Witch, diately, which it then did. testified at the trial, and a somewhat dif-
sailing from New York to Hong Kong via Brolasky suspected that Spencer was ferent picture emerged. According to the
the Cape of Good Hope. Shortly after leav- the culprit. Frazier and Spencer had had a crew, the captain had been at odds with
ing Rio de Janeiro, Spencer awakened the bitter argument the night before, with the several of the men of the crew during the
ship’s doctor after midnight, informing him captain disparaging his first mate’s seaman- voyage: he had beaten one sailor with a
that someone had murdered the captain. ship skills, sneering that he was “neither an belaying pin and had savagely whipped two
Dr. Brolasky hurried to Captain George officer nor a sailor.” A search of Spencer’s of the boys with a riding crop. There was
Frazier’s cabin. “On the examination of the cabin uncovered a heavy marlinspike, clearly more than one person aboard who
captain’s wounds, it was discovered that his which exactly matched a new gash in the bore the captain a grudge and who was not
skull had been fractured by three distinct woodwork just above the captain’s pillow. unhappy to see him dead. A marlinspike
was a common tool aboard a sailing ship,
Clipper ship Sea Witch and anyone might have yielded one. There
was not enough evidence to prove blame,
p.d. image, chinese artist mid-nineteenth century, via wikipedia
and a jury found Sylvanus Spencer not

guilty.
Spencer faded from public view brief-
ly, but then reemerged in a spectacular way
thanks to his association with Commodore
Cornelius Vanderbilt. In 1856, the shipping
magnate was locked in a dispute with Wil-
liam Walker, the eccentric American ad-
venturer, who was attempting to conquer
a part of either Mexico or Central Ameri-
ca to create an English-speaking colony—
with himself as president. The Nicaraguan
government had granted Vanderbilt exclu-
sive control of the lucrative inter-oceanic
route that linked the Atlantic and the Pa- an established fact that he had par-
cific by means of the San Juan River, Lake ents, but who they were we don’t
Nicaragua, and overland stagecoach. This know. A family named Jenkins
was, of course, just after the California brought him up, and in the family,
Gold Rush and before the Panama Canal, as well as out of it, he was known
and transportation across Central America by the pet name of “Banty Jenkins.”
was busy and profitable. When Walker and Like the author of Leaves of Grass,
his mercenaries seized Vanderbilt’s steam- but in a different sense, he was “one
boats to use in their fight to gain control of the roughs” and a “Kosmos” in
museo histórico cultural juan santamaría

of the country, an enraged Commodore the Ward. His boyhood is pre-
sought someone to attack the filibusters sumed to have been a hard one—at
and recapture his lost vessels. Sylvanus least he came out if it a very hard
Spencer proved to be his man. boy. The public school system had
After his trial for the murder of Cap- him in hand for a long time but
tain Frazier, Spencer found that few cap- was not able to make much impres-
tains were willing to hire him, despite his sion upon him. Indeed, to the great
acquittal. He drifted to Greytown, Nica- gratification of the old ladies of his
ragua, where he first worked as a stevedore vicinity, and quiet people gener-
on the docks, but then he was made a mate ally, he utterly vanished from pub-
Sylvanus Spencer (1819–1862)
aboard one of the river steamboats. After lic gaze for the space of ten years,
four months he returned to New York and when he suddenly turned up at Rio Spencer had stolen the man’s wife and son).
presented himself to Cornelius Vanderbilt [de] Janeiro, on the charge of mur- It is unlikely that Elias Willard Trotter ever
as someone thoroughly familiar with the dering Capt. Frazier, of the clipper again saw the handsome stranger who—
Nicaraguan steamboat business, someone ship Sea Witch, of which vessel whatever his true identity—so entranced
unafraid to head a military-style assault. Spencer himself had been the mate. him during an offshore gam.
“He was physically tough,” notes historian The Wheeler/Spencer/Jenkins story
T. J. Styles, “accustomed to command, and, We know Banty was not Ambrose illustrates an important point about mari-
most important, intimately familiar with Spencer, grandson of the nationally known time life in the nineteenth century—the
the terrain, the fortifications, and the politician, but was he “Charles Wheeler,” fluid nature of identity among the men who
steamboat operations. Vanderbilt placed who gammed with Elias Trotter on the went to sea. Aboard ship and away from
all his hopes—the fate of millions of dollars, whaler Illinois in 1845? During the ten-year land, a man could become anyone he chose
of a critical channel of commerce to Cali- period when Banty/Sylvanus “utterly van- to be, limited only by whatever maritime
fornia, of a war involving six nations—in ished from public gaze,” did he enchant skills he was able to muster, his imagina-
the hands of an acquitted murderer.” Trotter by spinning a sailor’s yarn, perhaps tion, and his ability to stick to a story. With
New York was agog with the exploits elaborating on a childhood fantasy that he, captains always suffering under a labor
of the daring filibuster, William Walker, Sylvanus Spencer, growing up poor and shortage, they were willing to sign on
and with his unprecedented affront to the abandoned on New York’s Lower East Side, plenty of landsmen with limited or no sea-
powerful Vanderbilt; and they were amazed was actually related to the wealthy and going experience. Few questions were asked.
at the sudden reemergence of the sailor who prominent Spencers of Albany, perhaps the Sailors usually signed on for a single voyage,
had been accused of bludgeoning Captain love child of a Spencer scion and a fallen with a crew dispersing at the end of that
George Frazier with a marlinspike. At the Jenkins daughter? And might that not have period, so a man might easily rotate among
height of the public buzz, the New York been the truth? Or was “Charles Wheeler” several identities. Ships flew false flags to
Times ran a story with the apt headline: in fact Ambrose Spencer, the Chief Justice’s ward off enemies, to attract prey, and to
“Who is Sylvanus M. Spencer?” “insane” grandson, giving a second false avoid tariffs, and what was relatively easy
name and telling Elias Trotter an embel- for a ship was even more effortless for a
Sylvanus has a history already. In lished version of his picturesque life, but- man. For someone who wanted to escape,
the Thirteenth Ward of this City tressed by enough intimate knowledge of to experiment, or simply to disappear, the
he has a good many acquaintances. Albany’s prominent families to make his sea offered an unparalleled opportunity for
What town or State has the honor story believable? reinvention.
of his birthplace we are unable to We know that Sylvanus M. Spencer
say. The Muse of History skipped successfully recovered Cornelius Vander- William Benemann is Archivist Emeritus for
that page of his life. The impression bilt’s stolen steamboats, and that Ambrose the School of Law, University of California,
is, however, that he was born in Spencer Jr. was killed in Linn, Missouri, Berkeley. He is the author of Unruly Desires:
New-York—first drew breath in the in 1876 by a jealous husband (who shot American Sailors and Homosexualities in
late Alderman Brigg’s Ward. It is him in the street with the explanation that the Age of Sail.
The Life of the Schooner B. N. Hawkins
A trove of letters reveals the history of a 19th-century packet
O
by Douglas B. Tolles
n 16 September 1853, the David family members, including two nephews, as her first captain and original part-own-
T. Bayles Shipyard in Stony David Bayles (the ship’s builder) and Scud- er from 1853–1860. He previously com-
Brook, Long Island, launched der Smith Wells, both of Setauket, Long manded the schooner Matilda E. Wells,
its latest construction project, Island. another ship owned by B. N. Hawkins and
the schooner B. N. Hawkins. She was towed The history of the Hawkins is revealed partners. In 1860, Griffin sold his one-
to New York City, outfitted with rigging in a trove of 425 letters that were mailed eighth share for $17,000 and left the mar-
and sails, and entered into service in Oc- to Benjamin Hawkins as the primary itime trade. Griffin’s share was purchased
tober 1853 as a packet ship transporting owner during the years 1847–1873. Primar- by John Parker Wyatt, who had been mas-
cargo along the east coast of the United ily written by the ship’s captains and co- ter of the schooner N. W. Smith. Wyatt
States and beyond. It was the third sailing owners, these letters detail the voyages, served as master of the Hawkins during the
vessel belonging to Benjamin Newton proceeds, costs, construction, and chal- years 1860–1877.
Hawkins, my great-great-grandfather, and lenges that faced the captain and crew These two ship masters are the authors
his partners. Benjamin Hawkins lived in operating the ship. Passed down within our of the majority of the letters, and this
Southport, Connecticut, where he owned family for four generations, these letters story of the Hawkins is primarily construct-
a large onion farm. Southport Globe On- portray the life and history of the schooner, ed from their accounts.
ions were then renowned, and are still a and more broadly the economic times in The B. N. Hawkins must have been a
variety grown today. which she operated and glimpses of life beautiful sight. Originally launched at 369
Benjamin Hawkins owned three- underway in the mid-nineteenth century. tons and measuring 109 feet, (described by
eighths of the schooner named for him and Lloyd’s Register as measured “from forward
his nephew George M. Hawkins owned The Captains side of stem to after side of stern post, on
one-eighth. The captains owned one-eighth For a majority of her nearly twenty-five-year deck”), 27 feet on the beam, and a depth
shares during their time onboard, with the lifespan, the Hawkins had two primary of hold at 12 feet 3 inches. Her first captain,
remaining three-eighths owned by various captains. Benjamin Tuthill Griffin served Benjamin Griffin, writes from New York
on 5 October 1853: “Our vessel is very
much admired here.”
The schooner plied her trade carrying
cargo mainly on the East Coast during the
years 1853–1878. Frequent ports of call
included Boston, New York, Baltimore,
Charleston, Savannah, and Wilmington
(North Carolina). It also made voyages to
Cuba, France, and Belize when shipping
on the Eastern Seaboard was in decline. In
1858, the Hawkins sailed to La Rochelle,
France, to bring back a load of brandies.
Captain Wyatt wrote: “That is a big voyage
for the little schooner.”
Many different types of cargo were
transported including ice, coal, lumber,
rice, cotton, guano, coconuts, skins, wheat,
flour, rice flour, raisins, hams, phosphates,
turpentine, brandies, bread, and occasion-
ally passengers.
A letter from Charleston contains an
all images courtesy of the author
original newspaper clipping that reads: “The
The author and his family are stewards of a

collection of hundreds of letters pertaining to
the work and life of the schooner named for
his great-great-grandfather Benjamin
Hawkins.
Line schooner B. N. Hawkins, Capt. B
Griffing [sic], was cleared yesterday by Mr.
Henry Missroon for New York, with the
following cargo, which we believe is the
largest ever shipped in a fore-and-aft schoo-
ner from this port: 198 ½ casks of rice,
1099 bales of upland cotton, 230 hides and
skins; 77 barrels of ground nuts; and 99
packages sundries.”
In 1861 the owners decided to add

capacity by cutting the hull in half and
lengthening it from the mid-section to a
new length of 128 feet and breadth of 29
feet. Its new capacity was 396 tons. The
cost of work with 45 days labor was
$786.86. Schooner Benjamin N. Hawkins, painted by Joseph B. Smith of New York City, for $19 in
1854. (below) Same vessel, same artist, and a clever representation of the schooner’s port and
Ship Portraits
starboard sides passing each other on two whistles.
Along with the letters and invoices in our
family’s possession are two ship portraits The second painting I acquired after that the sails are reefed—not common in
in oil, each with a story of its own. One a twenty-year hunt. It has since been ship portraits. The rainbow over the ship
painting was handed down through our cleaned and the overpainting was removed. is likely not as distinguishable as it origi-
family. It is attributed to Joseph B. Smith, It, too, is attributed to Joseph B. Smith. nally was. Curiously, the ship at the left
an artist whose shop in 1855–56 was at 10 The history of that painting has been in that painting is also the B. N. Hawkins,
Front Street in New York City. In a 23 traced back several generations through showing both port and starboard sides,
January 1855 letter, Captain Griffin wrote: one family in Suffern, New York. An in- creating an effect that the ship is passing
teresting note on the second painting is itself.
Today I have sent the painting of
the Sch B. N. Hawkins on board
of Sloop Fairfield The Capt said
that he knew you very well and
would take good care of it and de-
liver to you I also send the bill I
hope that the painting will meet
your wishes. I think that it is a
perfect picture. …If there is any
chance I should like to hear from
you in Charleston to see how you
like the picture and whether you
got the money I sent.
While we do not have the letter that Ben-

jamin Hawkins sent in response, Griffin
wrote on 11 February 1855, “I recd yours
of the 29th and was glad to hear that you
were pleased with the picture.” Another
correspondence details that the painting
cost $19.
The Civil War Another frequent run for the Hawkins dur- Wyatt wrote that he would go any-
In the years leading up to the Civil War, ing the war was to supply Fort Munro, a where there was business. The Hawkins
the schooner B. N. Hawkins carried goods Union-held fort located in Hampton, Vir- sailed to Cuba, Belize, and France.
to southern ports, most frequently Wilm- ginia. In a letter written 26 July 1862 from 1869 was particularly bad for business.
ington, North Carolina; Charleston, South James Town, Georgia, Captain Wyatt un- Mid-year, Wyatt had the ship re-coppered
Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia. On her happily describes his experience with how and purchased a new mainsail. With in-
return, southern products, mainly cotton the Union resupply works: creasing expenses and after months of run-
and rice, would be carried to northern ning freight at a loss, the owners discussed
ports, usually New York City or Boston. I shall endeavor to get down the selling the vessel. It is unclear what each
The business at times was quite lucrative. river as soon as possible. I do not owner did, but the letters reveal that Ben-
Dividend checks representing the owners’ like this way to tow the vessel up jamin Hawkins kept his share for several
share of the profits regularly arrived bearing a long river and leave us to get more years. The amount under discussion
reports of cargo carried and the price per down the best way we can. If they was $12,000 for the entire ship, which
commodity. paid us until we was back to where compares unfavorably to the $17,000 Grif-
One interesting cargo was reported by we agreed to go, it would allow her fin got nine years earlier for just his one-
the Delaware Gazette on 7 December 1860: care. Besides, all this time is great eighth share of the schooner. Such was the
“four pieces of ordinance, from the schoo- risk as the Enemy occupy two sides sad state of affairs for the East Coast ship-
ner B. N. Hawkins, and 84 packages of of the river. ping industry. The letters for 1870–73
ammunition, from the schooner N. W. continue the theme of little business and
The Hawkins’s charter to the US govern-
Smith have been landed at Fort Moultrie.” high expenses for the aging schooner.
ment lasted through 1865. In addition to
Fort Moultrie was one of the batteries that
the risks of navigating southern waters dur-
protected the entrance to Charleston Har- Misfortunes
ing wartime, Wyatt complains that the
bor. The Union garrison there relocated to The Hawkins must have been solidly con-
government is slow to pay, explaining the
Fort Sumter on 26 December 1860, after structed. Letters detail how the vessel sailed
set-up as once unloaded, the Hawkins had
spiking its larger guns and taking the through major gales where other ships in
to leave Stono Inlet and sail back to Port
smaller cannons with them. the same storms sank. The Hawkins was
Royal. There, the captain needed to get his
The outbreak of the Civil War ended not accident-free, however.
bill of lading signed by the chief quarter-
the trade with the southern ports, leaving In January 1859, she ran aground near
master. After that, there was a delay in
the Hawkins with little to carry and no- Governor’s Island, New York. The Charles-
months waiting to be paid. This process
where to go. Letters from the captain report ton Daily Courier on 11 January 1859 re-
proved a burden on the Hawkins, as crew
that they began trips to Cuba and the Ca- ported “the schooner B. N. Hawkins, Grif-
and maintenance expenses continued while
ribbean to keep the Hawkins operating. fin, at New York on the 7th inst. From Sa-
the payments were delayed. At times, Wy-
Starting in 1862, with few other options, vannah, reports having had stormy passage,
att paid the expenses out of his pocket.
the Hawkins chartered out to the US gov- lost jib booms, head gear, etc. Same after-
Other times, he wrote Benjamin Hawkins
ernment. One route was loading supplies noon she towed ashore on Governor’s Is-
for funds.
for the Union forces at Port Royal and land, in a dense fog. She does not leak and
transporting to Stono Inlet, southwest of Post-Civil War it was thought she would come off at high
Charleston. Union forces established bases For an East Coast packet, the postwar pe- water.” Captain Griffin offered more details
there as part of their effort to capture the riod was worse. Wyatt wrote that, with no in his letter:
port. In a letter dated 13 September 1863, business to be had anywhere, he chartered
Captain T. Davis, writing from Stono In- the Hawkins back into the service of the I drop you a few lines to inform
let, describes what he saw: US government at the rate of $52.80 per you that the SCH B N Hawkins
day, ending 17 July 1865. That wasn’t a has been ashore on Governor’s Is-
We pass in plain sight of Fort Sum- reliable situation either. Wyatt wrote that land (N York harbor) Wee were
ter The south east face is a map of the federal government was still slow to towed on there Friday Noon in a
ruins and the iron clads was con- pay, often taking more than four months. fog trying to get up to the dock out
tinuously firing as we passed The On 2 June 1865, Wyatt noted that the of the ice It has been necessary to
rebels sent 8 torpedoes down the federal government owed him $4,700 and lighten a portion of her cargo about
river the other One exploded by that he needed to borrow money to con- 150 tons of cotton & rice I suc-
striking the Pawnee’s launch tearing tinue operating the ship. ceeded in getting her off yesterday
it all to pieces And two others ex- The years 1866 to 1868 saw some small at high waters I expect that the
ploded on the beach after drifting freights. Volumes of goods to be shipped expense will amount to about $500
ashore We can hear a constant roar were small, and the rates paid per ton were of which the cargo has got to pay
of cannon sound fort Sumter being low. Dividends, the net profit paid to the its proportion Cargo valued at from
only 8 miles from Charleston. owners, were small and infrequent. 20 to 25 thousand dolls and the
vessel at 18 thousand Cargo would
have to pay about 3/5 of the ex-
pence The schooner I presume is
not injured in the least for the bot-
tom was very muddy and she did
not heel at low water….She does
not leak any now but leaked very
bad the whole passage home ….
we have one of the worst passages
that I most ever had We had 3
gales of wind from NE to NW and
have to for 2 days We lost the jib
boom and some of the rigging on
the passage.
Collision at Sea
On 7 July 1870, the B. N. Hawkins col-
lided with the schooner Charles P. Stickney
outside of Holmes Hole, Martha’s Vine-
yard, Massachusetts (now Vineyard Haven
Harbor). The Stickney was bound for Bos-
ton from Philadelphia; the B. N. Hawkins
was bound for Woods Hole, Massachusetts,
from Charleston carrying phosphates, the
only cargo Captain Wyatt could find to
carry. According to the 12 July report in
the Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, the
Stickney “had jibboom, cat-heads and head
gear carried away, split jib, and received
other damage. The B N H had port main of what other yards were charging. One The schooner B. N. Hawkins: On 6
rail [c]arried away and mainsail badly torn.” note estimated the cost at $1,000. January 1878, sailing from Charleston to
The Charleston Daily News on 14 July 1870, New York City with a cargo of lumber, the
reported similarly, yet differed by writing Epilogue ship ran aground on Brigantine Shoals off
“The Hawkins had port mainsail carried Captain Griffin left the maritime trade the South Jersey coast during a violent gale
away and mainsail badly torn.” The news- after the death of his son Edward from that wrecked numerous ships along the
papers underreported the damage. Captain measles in 1860 (age 10 months 12 days). Eastern Seaboard. After four days of being
Wyatt, writing from Woods Hole to Ben- The disease sickened his entire family. In hard aground and battered by waves, she
jamin Hawkins wrote: response, Griffin sent his brother and the was condemned. On 12 January, six days
Dear Sir We arrived here in the mate out to run the schooner, while he after running aground, she finally broke
night of the 7th and in coming to stayed home with his family. Griffin died off the shoals and came onto the beach,
an anchor cam in column with a in 1899 at age 75, after becoming a suc- where she broke into pieces. Her crew of
schooner doing grate deal of dam- cessful farmer in eastern Long Island. ten survived the wreck. The ship’s value
age to or hul and sails. It makes Alongside his name on his tombstone reads was recorded at $20,000 and her cargo of
me feel very bad after going so long the words “THE FARMERS FRIEND.” lumber was valued at $3,000. A total loss,
without any we will have to pay all John Parker Wyatt died in 1908 at age the schooner B. N. Hawkins came to her
of the damages our self under the 81. He left the service of the B. N. Hawkins end in the waters in which she had sailed
circumstances Please drop me a in 1877. His obituary stated he was at sea for nearly twenty-five years.
line to N York I have not heard for 59 years, “sailing round the globe many
from you and we will much oblige times.” It noted his service: “During the Douglas Tolles is the transcriber, researcher,
yours Truly, John P Wyatt Hope Civil War he took stores to the South for and organizer of the letters of Benjamin New-
you and your family are well. the Union army.” ton Hawkins. He and Fran Sculley, chief
Benjamin Newton Hawkins died on researcher, investigated the people, places, and
A letter from Captain Wyatt dated 1 August 4 December 1886. He is buried in the Oak events detailed in the letters. Ben, Gerry, and
1870 reports that David Bayles’s shipyard Lawn Cemetery, Fairfield, Connecticut, in Grace Tolles assisted with additional external
crew repaired the damage for half the cost a large family plot he purchased. research.
SEA HISTORY for kids
Animals in Sea History
by Richard King
ilbert C. Klingel grew up around the Chesapeake Bay, dreaming of becoming a
naturalist adventurer. His first scientific expedition took him to Haiti in 1928 to find
and study rare lizards, the results of which he shared with the American Museum of Basilisk
klingel collection, courtesy marcy benouameur

Natural History in New York City. The museum, along with the Natural History Society
of Maryland, then funded the building of a wooden replica of the Spray, the boat in
which Joshua Slocum had been the first to sail alone around the world. Klingel and a
friend were to sail to the Caribbean to explore the natural world of its tropical waters
and islands.
The pair set off in the new boat, named Basilisk (after the lizard that can skitter
over the surface of the water), but they didn’t get far. They shipwrecked in rough
weather on the reef off Great Inagua at the southern end of the Bahamas. Undaunted,
they set up camp and recorded all they could, both on the island and underwater Basilisk was built in Oxford, Mary-
around its reefs. Klingel went back to Great Inagua several years later to further study land, by Alonzo Conley, a well-
the natural history of the island, and in 1940 he published his first book, Inagua. known shipwright in the region. A
37-foot yawl, it was a copy of Joshua
Inagua, or The Ocean Island, is a treasure for its history of marine biology, espe- Slocum’s Spray. Klingel oversaw
cially with the chapter titled “In Defense of the Octopuses.” Diving and underwater its construction and assisted with
photography were still in their infancy at the time, yet Klingel was eager some of the work. Under his guid-
to explore underwater. Using a diving helmet, he was ance, the interior was expressly fit-
walking one day on the seafloor just off Great ted for a scientific expedition.
Inagua, and he walked up an underwater ravine. Klingel was about
to put his hand on what he thought was a yellow rock, but then,
by chance, he noticed eye slits in the “rock.” He watched it ooze
slowly away, like hot wax. Though the octopus’s head, Klingel ex-
plained, was about as big as a football, it slithered down into a
crack in the reef that was no more than four inches wide. As
the octopus slithered away, it changed color from pebbly
yellow to red, then to white.
depositphotos.com
44
Octopus briareus a.k.a. the Caribbean Reef Octopus.
SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021
Klingel went on to spend many days underwater
observing the octopuses of the reef, including the large
one that he first mistook for a rock. There are some 300
species of octopus that live in a range of marine habitats
all over the world, including the few that live in the
reefs around the Bahamas. Klingel’s octopus that day
might have been a large individual of the Caribbean Reef
Octopus (Octopus briareus), local to this part of the
world. He estimated its total arm span as five feet
from tip to tip. In his “Defense of the Octopuses,”
Klingel wrote of their extraordinary ability to cam-
ouflage, in which they not only can change color, but
even their shape and skin texture. Klingel watched the
octopuses’ clever strategies to capture crabs, and he
observed how they stored uneaten shellfish just outside
their dens within the reef.
At one point, when Klingel was observing the large
octopus, he decided to see what would happen if he gave it a little poke with a stick, to see how the skin color might
change in response. All at once, the octopus grabbed the stick with its arms and let it go, sending the stick floating to
the surface, while at the same time squirting ink into the water before it jet-propelled itself away. Klingel smelled a
“fishy musk” that seeped into his dive helmet. He was surprised to see the color of the ink was not black, but more a
dark purple that faded into a “somber shade of azure.”
Despite the inking, Klingel wrote that these animals, thanks to stories of monstrous giant octopuses and squids
attacking fishermen written by the likes of Victor Hugo and Jules Verne, have “been the unknowing victims of a large
and very unfair amount of propaganda, and have long suffered under the stigma of being considered horrible and
exceedingly repulsive.” He thought instead that they were “among the
most wonderful of all earth’s creatures.”
In this way, Gilbert Klingel was far ahead of his time regarding his
deep respect for these animals; “In Defense of the Octopuses” was
written several decades before the bestselling book Soul of an Octopus
(2015) by Sy Montgomery, the recent documentary My Octopus
Teacher (2019, produced by Craig Foster), and the poem “Octopus
Kingdom” (2019) by Marilyn Nelson. Klingel, too, marveled at the intel-
ligence of octopuses, which are “only” invertebrates, yet these advanced
cephalopods use tools, appear to play, exhibit intense curiosity, and
have the ability to learn in ways equivalent to mammals, maybe even
at the level of some of the primates. Klingel wrote: “There is a reason
to believe that they are the most keen-witted creatures in the ocean.”
Gilbert Klingel’s own curiosities were too far-ranging, however, to
devote his career entirely to octopus public relations. He went on to
teach himself marine engineering and welding, and he invented an
early submersible—called the “Aquascope”—that lowered to the bot-
tom of the Chesapeake Bay, in which his thirteen-year-old daughter

Marcy got a chance to dive. Klingel later became a craftsman of custom
steel sailboats, built to, well…survive a crash into a reef.
For more “Animals in Sea History,” go to www.seahistory.org or educators.mystic-
seaport.org. To learn more about Gilbert Klingel and his work in the Chesapeake
Bay region, visit the Mathews Maritime Foundation at www.mathewsmaritime.com.
Gilbert Klingel on Inagua Island, with probably his
45
fish-knife, in front of their field station in 1931.
Diving
A Look Below
the Surface
maritime archaeologist dr. kelly gleason, french frigate shoals, papahānaumokuākea marine national monument, noaa photo by greg mcfall/onms
“For weeks I had stood on shore and looked at the place where the color of the ocean changed abruptly from light
green to dark blue marking the sheer drop of 1200 fathoms...Finally I could resist the temptation no longer; I had
to see what the edge of that submarine cliff was like.” —Gilbert Klingel 1
W hen Gilbert Klingel observed the octopus swimming along the reef in the Bahamas, as you read about on the previous pages,
scuba diving as we know it today had not been invented yet. He was able to stay underwater for a period of time by using a
diving helmet and loading himself up with nearly 80 pounds of lead weight to keep him from floating to the surface. Diving helmets
took on various forms as technology evolved; the kind that Gilbert Klingel was using was made of bronze and glass and was hooked
up to a long hose that was attached to an air pump in the boat floating at the surface above him.
People have been diving beneath the waves for more than two mil-
lennia. Early divers simply held their breath and swam down to collect
shellfish, pearls, and sponges or to salvage what they could from shipwrecks.
Freediving has its limitations, of course—namely, the amount of time you
can spend underwater.
The kind of diving people typically do today is called SCUBA; the
name is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
Its invention is credited to Émile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau, who
patented the first modern demand regulator, called the Aqua-Lung, in
1943. Between the early freedivers and the modern scuba diver, all kinds
of variations and inventions were developed to allow humans to stay
underwater for longer periods of time. It was only after the Aqua-Lung
was invented and then improved upon that diving became a popular sport
for the general public. It is estimated that more than two million people
in the United States are certified in scuba today. Most are recreational
divers who do it just for fun, while scientific divers and commercial divers
do it as part of their jobs.
courtesy bodleian libraries, university of oxford
Anyone in good health can get
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote of Alexander certified in scuba. For full Open Wa-
III of Macedon (356–323 BC)—a.k.a. Alexander the ter Diver certification, you have to be
Great—descending from a boat in a diving bell made of glass. at least 15 years old and pass a class
This story was retold and re-imagined many times, but the offered by one of the official scuba
concept of the diving bell evolved from there. Some of the great certification agencies. Kids as young
thinkers in history put a lot of thought into how spending time as 10 can get their Junior Open Water
underwater could be achieved. The image above was printed Diver certification, which allows them
in a 14th-century manuscript, the Romance of Alexander, to dive in shallow water with a certi-
and depicts Alexander the Great being lowered from a boat fied professional or certified parent.
inside a barrel made of glass. Around the year 1500, Leon- You can find out about where you can
ardo da Vinci (of Mona Lisa fame) made sketches of a diving get scuba training by going online to
suit and breathing apparatus designed for underwater warfare. one of the certification agencies’ web-
The first successful diving bell (at right) was developed by the sites: PADI, SSI, and NAUI are just
great astronomer Edmond Halley in 1691; it enabled a a few of the more popular ones (www.
couple of men to submerge in an inverted open-ended barrel and stay on the bottom for up to padi.com, www.divessi.com, www.
four hours. Their oxygen was replenished by air trapped and submerged in weighted barrels. naui.org)
46
1Glibert C. Klingel, “The Edge of the Edge of the World,” Natural History, The Magazine of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. 45, no. 2, (1940): 69.

Who’s At the Helm? Spray, a Well-Balanced Boat, and the Advent of Self-Steering
W hen planning his sailing expedition to study the natural phenom-

ena of the Caribbean, naturalist Gilbert Klingel chose to build a
replica of the Spray, the 37-foot boat made famous by Joshua
Slocum, the first person to sail solo around the world. The original Spray
was an old derelict oyster sloop that had been given to Slocum for free when

he was between jobs as a captain of oceangoing square-rigged cargo ships.
One of the things that attracted Klingel to this particular boat was that it
was famous for being capable of steering itself. People marveled at Slocum’s
feat of sailing 2,700 miles across the Pacific Ocean and his claim that, in all
that time, he barely touched the helm.
Klingel wasn’t alone in his admiration of Slocum’s boat. WoodenBoat
magazine estimates that more than 5,000 boats have been built on Spray’s
lines, with numerous modifications on the details. While Slocum managed
to find the perfect balance between the trim of his sails and the angle of the
rudder that allowed him to lash the helm and leave it unattended, today’s Gilbert Klingel’s Basilisk was a replica of Spray, the first
sailors instead rely on an electronic autopilot when they want to take a break vessel to complete a solo circumnavigation.
or do other tasks onboard. Of course, the Spray was sailing along at a lei-
surely pace—it took Slocum more than three years to complete his circum-
navigation—and he could catch some
frontispiece, sailing alone around the world by joshua slocum (1900), via project gutenberg
sleep without worrying too much about

a collision on the open ocean or a
change in conditions so sudden that
he would be in imminent danger.
Compare that to the experience of to-
day’s Vendée Globe competitors, whose
boats race along at an average of 30
knots throughout the entire route
across the world’s oceans, with the top
finishers completing the race in just
over 80 days.
(left) When Joshua Slocum first saw the Spray, it was propped up in a field in Fairhaven, Massa-
chusetts. Locals scoffed at the idea of the Spray ever sailing again and were quick to tell him that,
even rebuilt, it would only “crawl.” Undeterred, he took on the project, and after 13 months relaunched
a completely rebuilt vessel. (above) Slocum’s diagram of Spray’s steering gear. The dotted lines mark
the placement of ropes used to lash the wheel when conditions were favorable for self-steering.
The Vendée Globe is a solo around-the-world yacht race

made in high-tech boats designed just for this competition. One
of the key pieces of equipment its skippers rely on is the auto-
pilot, which, among other things, allows the sailor to get some
sleep while the boat continues sailing at high speeds. This
critical instrument doesn’t just keep the boat on a specific com-
pass course, it calculates and adjusts for the complex motions
of the vessel as it moves through the waves. According to B &
G, the company that designed this year’s Vendée Globe auto-
pilots, the typical Vendée Globe boat is steered by an autopilot
photo by jean-louis carli/alea, vendeeglobe.org
more than 95% of the time.

Joshua Slocum was very proud of Spray’s sailing qualities
and wrote extensively about them. Imagine what he would say
if you showed him a modern autopilot and told him that people
can now sail around the world—alone—in eighty days?
Didac Costa of Spain preparing for the 2020/21

Vendée Globe race, while the autopilot steers.
“Sea History for Kids” is sponsored by the Henry L. & Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation 47
Interlake Holding Company announced Bolder & Welding Works for the US Navy
at the end of December its purchase of auxiliary fleet, and her designation was
the Pere Marquette Shipping Company changed to ATA-199 Undaunted after her
and Lake Michigan Car Ferry Company decommissioning in 1948. But she was not
along with their assets SS Badger, SS put back into service until 1963, the begin-
Spartan, and the tug-barge Undaunted/ ning of a 30-year career as a training vessel
Pere Marquette 41. “This is an exciting at US Merchant Marine Academy under
day for us and we are thrilled to be welcom- the name Kings Pointer. She was renamed
ing new employees into our Interlake fam- Krystal K. upon her sale in 1993 to Basic
ily, new vessel lines into our Great Lakes Marine, but in 1998 the name Undaunted
operations, and new customers and cargoes was restored, under the ownership of Pere
into our portfolio of business,” said Inter- Marquette Shipping. The car ferry City of
lake Holding president Mark W. Barker. Midland, built in Manitowoc in 1940, car-
A new business entity, Interlake Maritime ried rail cars and automobiles across Lake
SS Badger
custom house maritime museum

interlake holding company
An entry from February 1846 and (below)

the primer provided by the museum to help
volunteers decipher the handwriting.
Services, will manage the new businesses Michigan for the Pere Marquette and later
along with The Interlake Steamship Com- the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad companies
pany and its fleet of nine freighters. Ac- until 1985, when lake-crossing services were
cording to Barker, they plan for the vessels discontinued. The Midland was retired,
to continue serving as they have done: and in 1998 she was converted to an open-
“Interlake is fully committed to [Badger] deck barge in Muskegon, Michigan, with
continuing its operation as the largest cross- a notch and rack system for a tow vessel
lake passenger service on the Great Lakes, constructed on her stern, and the new name
a key part of Highway US-10 and a vital Pere Marquette 41. Undaunted was fitted
link across Lake Michigan.” SS Badger, with a tower for improved visibility and
built in 1952 by the Christy Corporation gear to better maneuver the barge. To- pages apiece. The New London whaling
of Sturgeon Bay, was commissioned by the gether, the articulated tug and barge typi- ship departed on 17 July 1844 and returned
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad to transport cally haul stone, pig iron, and scrap. (The three years later in May 1847 carrying 25
railroad freight cars and passengers between Interlake Steamship Company, 7300 Engle barrels of sperm oil, 2,975 barrels of whale
Ludington, Michigan, and the Wisconsin Road, Middleburg Heights, OH 44130; oil, and 5,000 pounds of whalebone. The
ports of Manitowoc, Kewaunee, and Mil- Ph: 440 260-6900; www.interlake-steam- transcribed journal can be found at the
waukee. At 410 feet, Badger and her sister ship.com) … Ask, and ye shall receive… website of the Frank L. McGuire Maritime
ship, Spartan, launched in 1953, were both In January, the New London Maritime Library of the New London Maritime So-
the largest and last coal-fired steam engine Society’s Custom House Maritime Mu- ciety, at https://mcguirelibrary1998.omeka.
car ferries built in the United States. They seum put out a call via the Society’s net. (150 Bank Street, New London, CT;
changed ownership in 1980 as demand for regular email blast, asking for volunteers http://www.nlmaritimesociety.org/) …
rail ferries dwindled, and in 1990 Badger to transcribe a 154-page whaler’s journal The ship’s bell of the naval destroyer USS
was converted to a car ferry, while Spartan that had been donated to the museum Dunlap (DD-384) has made its way to
remained in her slip in Ludington. Badger last fall. In a matter of days, 35 citizen the US Naval History and Heritage Com-
continues to run on coal, but—since a 2014 scriveners stepped up and began transcrib- mand (NHHC) after a remarkable jour-
agreement with the EPA—the ash is no ing pages written by an anonymous crew- ney. After a relative passed away, Dana
longer dumped into Lake Michigan, but member from the Merrimac. Word spread Mace of California came into possession
stored on board, to be disposed of in land- in the local press and online, and the task of the bell, which his late uncle-in-law had
fills or used in cement production. The tug was eventually completed by a total of 78 purchased at a yard sale years before in
ATA-199 was built in 1943 by Gulfport individuals, taking on between one and six Soledad, California. Mr. Mace tried to
USS Dunlap (DD-384) Historic Maritime Rings
of the Finest Quality
by Mike Carroll
nhhc
locate the living descendants of the ship’s undergraduate cadets, K-12 STEM pro-
namesake, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Rob- gramming, and community outreach
ert H. Dunlap, but after several months of within the Commonwealth of Massachu-
searching provided no leads, he donated setts and beyond. These three pillars will
the 80-pound bell to the NHHC, inspired ensure the ship’s legacy as a vital educa-
by the story of another ship’s bell he’d seen tional asset. “The Ernestina-Morrissey will
on the History Channel series American deliver valuable lessons for MMA cadets,
Pickers. Mace presented the bell to the Pub- students of all ages, and people in our com-
lic Affairs Office for Naval Air Facility El munities who want to understand more
Centro, which crated and shipped the ar- about our seafaring culture,” said Rear
tifact to the NHHC. Built by United Dry Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS,
Docks in Staten Island and commissioned Massachusetts Maritime Academy presi-
in 1937, USS Dunlap served in the Pacific dent. The vessel has been based out of Free Brochure, Solid Sterling Silver, 10k, 14k or 18k Gold
during WWII, participating in carrier raids

www.EagleRings.com
on Japanese positions, the Battle of Vela The Carroll Collection of US Eagle Rings
Gulf, and the Leyte Islands. Her deck was 888-512-1333
the site of the formal surrender of Japanese
forces in the Bonin Islands. She was decom-
missioned at the end of 1945 and sold for 

scrapping in December 1947. Her bell was 

sent on loan to Brown University; it is un- 
 
clear how the bell found its way to a yard EXPERIENCE HISTORY ABOARD OUR
sale in California. General Dunlap, who NATIONAL LANDMARK SCHOONERS
served in the Spanish-American War and WWW.MAINEWINDJAMMERCRUISES.COM
the Boxer Rebellion, as well as other con-
CRUISES OFFERED
flicts, died attempting to rescue a woman MAY – OCTOBER
caught under a collapsed wall in a landslide
courtesy bristol marine and sema
3, 4, 5, 6 DAY &
in France. (www.history.navy.mil) … WEEKENDS
Massachusetts Maritime Academy is $475 - $845
preparing for two new additions to its ALL INCLUSIVE
1-800-736-7981
fleet, including the historic 1894 schoo-
ner Ernestina-Morrissey. The vessel is
currently in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey’s foc’s’ le bunks
and settees beginning to take shape. Tired of nautical reproductions?
where she has been undergoing a full res-
Martifacts has only authentic
toration since 2015 by the shipwrights at nearby New Bedford since she was repatri- marine collectibles rescued
Bristol Marine Shipyard. The restoration ated in 1982, a gift from the people of the from scrapped ships: naviga-
tion lamps, sextants, clocks,
is on track for an autumn 2021 completion, Republic of Cape Verde. By the terms of bells, barometers, charts,
when she will make her way to the Mas- legislation signed by Massachusetts Gov- flags, binnacles, telegraphs,
portholes, US Navy dinner-
sachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) in ernor Charlie Baker in July 2020, control ware and flatware, and more.
Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, to start the of the ship transferred from the state’s De-
MARTIFACTS, INC.
next chapter in her long and storied life. partment of Conservation and Recreation P. O. Box 350190
As the new official steward of the Ernestina- to MMA, with provisions to maintain a Jacksonville, FL 32235-0190
Morrissey, MMA will focus its use of the presence in New Bedford at no cost for Phone/Fax: (904) 645-0150
historic schooner in three areas, including www.martifacts.com
email: martifacts@aol.com
sail training and leadership training for (continued on page 51)
Fiddler’s Green
James Marinus Schoonmaker II (1933–2021)
One of America’s sailing heroes, Ding Schoonmaker, died on 19
January 2021 at home in Naples, Florida. Ding was a Star Class
World Champion and served for sixteen years as a vice president
of World Sailing, the international governing body of the sport.
He was honored by the National Maritime Historical Society in
2018 for his lifetime achievements in the sport of sailing.
James Marinus Schoonmaker II was born on 9 July 1933 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His first race was in 1944 at the age of
eleven off Watch Hill, Rhode Island. From an early age he spent
his summers in Watch Hill, and later in life he spent winters in
Florida. He placed second in the Olympic Trials in the Star class
when he was nineteen and was named the team’s alternate in
Helsinki. He earned that honor again in 1964 at the Games in
courtesy alessandro lopes

Tokyo. Over the years, Schoonmaker won World, North Amer-
ican, South American, Western Hemisphere, and European
Championships.
Ding learned the value of service and how it translated into
improving his sport. He served on the board of the Interna-
tional Yacht Racing Union for fourteen years. For his distinguished
service and extraordinary dedication, he was awarded the NMHS Overseer Gary Jobson (right) presented Ding Schoon-
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff Award—US Sailing’s highest maker with the NMHS Distinguished Service Award in 2018.
honor—in 1988 and the Beppe Croce Award—World Sailing’s highest honor—in 2011. Among his philanthropic work was
creating the US Sailing Center in Miami in 1987, establishing the World Youth Sailing Trust to help aspiring sailors in emerg-
ing countries, and the US Sailing Foundation in 1990. Ding Schoonmaker has been an important counselor to the leaders of
the sport both in the United States and throughout the world for decades. He will be missed, while his lifelong work will serve
as an enduring legacy for sailors in the USA and around the world. —Gary Jobson
J. Phillip “Jack” London (1937–2021)

J. Phillip London, renowned business executive, dedicated supporter of American naval history, and a recipient of the Naval
Historical Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award at the NMHS 2017 National Maritime Awards Dinner in Washington,
died on 18 January. He was also recognized with the NMHS Rodney N. Houghton
Award in 2013 for the best feature article in Sea History for his article, “Before ‘Old
Ironsides’—the Origins of USS Constitution and Her First Captain, Samuel Nicholson.”
He was executive chairman and chairman of the board of CACI, which he helped
grow into an IT giant. He joined the Arlington, Virginia, company in 1972 and served
as its president and CEO from 1984 to 2007. Since then he served as executive and board
chairman. CACI paid a tribute to Dr. London on its website, exclaiming that he was an
exceptional business leader of great and enduring vision, and an extraordinary indi-
vidual in every way. He served as a role model, mentor, and friend.
A graduate of the US Naval Academy, he served twelve years on active duty during
the Cold War, initially as a naval aviator and helicopter pilot on numerous aircraft car-
photo by vernon young jr.
rier deployments. He graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School with a Master of
Science degree and later obtained a doctorate in business at George Washington Uni-
versity. He subsequently transferred to the Navy Reserve and retired as a captain in 1983.
Dr. London was a generous supporter of the Naval Academy and numerous Navy
and other defense organizations. He was one of the founders of the Navy Memorial in
Washington and recipient of its 2019 Lone Sailor award. Deeply interested in naval
J. Phillip London
history, Dr. London was a longtime board member of Naval Historical Foundation
(NHF). He dedicated himself to many causes in support of the Naval Academy, Wounded Warriors, POWs and organizations
centered around naval history. The Naval Historical Foundation has established a Dr. J. Phillip “Jack” London Leadership Fund;
information to participate can be found on the NHF’s website www.navyhistory.org. —CAPT Jim Noone, USN (Ret.)

(continued from page 49)
Call for Papers Announcement: World History Connected

courtesy philly shipyard, inc.
World History Connected, an e-journal affiliated with the World History Association,
is seeking papers for its upcoming forum “‘Something Rich and Strange’—Maritime
Law in World History,” which will be guest edited by historian and author Lincoln
Paine (The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World). Forums comprise
topically related articles devoted to innovative research and the scholarship of teach-
ing in the interdisciplinary field of world history. Submissions for this forum should
be received by 15 July 2021, for possible publication in February 2022. The subject
residents and schoolchildren when the ves- of maritime law in world history is one with enormous potential for comparative
sel is not being used for training or official analysis across both time and space. We find matters of admiralty—concerning
programs. The Ernestina-Morrissey’s rich navigation and relations between crews, passengers, masters, and owners—in the
history includes fishing for cod in the North earliest extant bodies of law, including the Code of Hammurabi and the Arthasas-
Atlantic, traveling within 600 miles of the tra, as well as in medieval Jewish, Christian, and Muslim law. Debates over questions
Arctic Circle as a scientific expedition ship, of maritime law—from the use of rivers and the intertidal zone to the free sea
operating as a Cape Verde packet ship, and doctrine and exclusive economic zones—also have ancient roots. Of particular inter-
working as an educational platform and est today is the renewed assertion of indigenous rights over specific bodies of water,
goodwill ambassador out of New Bedford, which has enormous implications for culture, the environment, and governance.
Massachusetts. MMA is planning for an- Equally compelling are laws regarding naval warfare, privateering, and piracy.
other new addition to its fleet to arrive in Submissions should be sent to Lincoln Paine at Lincoln.Paine@gmail.com. Submis-
2023; construction is underway for a new sions must follow the style guide as outlined on the journal’s web page and include
National Security Multi-Mission Vessel a short biography (250 words) similar to those found at the end of published WHC
(NSMV) at Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, articles, as well as a mailing address and phone number. Articles should be greater
Pennsylvania. The shipyard held a steel- than 3,000 words, with the upper limit as appropriate (usually not more than 10,000
cutting ceremony on 15 December for the words). World History Connected is published online by the University of Illinois
first of four planned state-of-the-art train- Press. (https://worldhistoryconnected.press.uillinois.edu/; www.thewha.org)
ing vessels for American maritime acade-
mies, including MMA. The new NSMV
will have a full training bridge and can
accommodate up to 600 cadets for mari-
time training at sea. The US Maritime
Administration (MARAD) awarded TOTE
Services the contract to be the Vessel Con-
struction Manager for the NSMV program
in May 2019. A year later, TOTE Services
awarded Philly Shipyard, Inc., the contract
to construct up to five NSMVs. (Schooner
Ernestina-Morrissey Association, www.
ernestina.org; MMA, www.maritime.edu;
Philly Shipyard, www.phillyshipyard.com)
… The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation 1/8 page AD
has awarded a $4.9 million grant to
Brown University’s Center for the Study
of Slavery and Justice (CSSJ) funding a
partnership with Mystic Seaport Mu-
Nautical Earrings
on sale now at
seum and Williams College that will use
maritime history as a basis for studying
historical injustices and generating new
insights on the relationship between
European colonization in North Amer-
ica, the dispossession of Native American
land, and racial slavery in New England.
The grant was part of the Foundation’s
Just Futures Initiative, a competition invit- www.LeannesLifeDesigns.etsy.com
ing 38 colleges and universities to submit
project proposals to address the “long-ex- the American maritime experience as it juxtapose traditional narratives about
isting fault lines” of racism, inequality, and relates to African, African-American, and early New England with engaging artifacts
injustice that challenge ideas of democracy Indigenous peoples. As America’s leading that interpret a different story about the
and civil society. The project, “Reimagining maritime museum, we are uniquely posi- past. The new research cluster, housed at
New England Histories: Historical Injus- tioned to be the venue for a monumental the CSSJ, will focus on how societies found-
tice, Sovereignty and Freedom,” will have exhibition in 2023, which marks an im- ed on historical forms of injustice can be-
four major components: a new research perative, transformative, and inclusive re- come more inclusive and just. To create an
cluster at the CSSJ, an online “decolonial flection on how America’s activities on the online “decolonial archive,” the three part-
archive,” a major exhibition at Mystic Sea- world’s oceans have and continue to play ners will work with leaders in New Eng-
port Museum, and expanded courses on a part in our country’s society from the land’s Black and Indigenous communities,
historical injustice in early America for position of race and slavery,” said Chris- Brown University’s Native American and
students at Williams, Brown, and Mystic tina Connett Brophy, senior director of Indigenous Studies Initiative, the John
Seaport. “Mystic Seaport Museum is proud museum galleries and senior vice president Carter Brown Library, and staff at the John
to collaborate with our esteemed partners of curatorial affairs. The planned exhibition Hay Library to gather oral histories of New
in implementing an institution-wide re- at Mystic Seaport Museum will run from Englanders who have experienced the ef-
framing of the traditional narratives around autumn 2023 to summer 2024 and will fects of centuries of institutional racism
and dispossession. Part of the archive will
CLASSIFIED ADS consist of recorded community conversa-
tions organized by Brown and Williams,
INGALLS COLD WAR NUCLEAR THE AUTHORITY TO SAIL by which will help ensure stories are gathered
SUBMARINES by Chris Wiggins. The Commodore Robert Stanley Bates. The and shared in ways that reflect commu-
exciting story of how America’s Gulf fully illustrated authoritative history of nity desires, rather than in an exploitative,
Coast Shipyard built nuclear attack sub- US Merchant Marine licenses and docu- extractive manner. Over the next three
marines—and what those boats did once ments issued since 1852. Coffee-table size, years, the three partners will also offer a
at sea. Paperback • 220 pages • 130 im- 12” x 14.” Order direct: The Parcel Cen- wide variety of learning opportunities for
ages • $20. Go to amazon.com. tre, Ph. 860 739-2492; www.theauthor students of all ages. Brown and Williams
itytosail.com. will develop several cross-disciplinary
NATIONAL PARKS PLAYING CARDS. courses focused on colonialism and his-
Many of America’s National Parks are rep- PRESIDENTS PLAYING CARDS. All torical injustices. Mystic Seaport will de-
resented on these cards with interesting 46 US presidents are represented on these velop a new curriculum for its Munson
facts and images. www.ArcturusLLC.net. playing cards with interesting facts and Institute and conduct a summer Museum
quotes. www.presidentsplayingcards.com. Studies internship for upper-level under-
THE LOST HERO OF CAPE COD graduates and graduate students with an
by Vincent Miles. The story of an elite OUT-OF-PRINT NAUTICAL BOOKS. emphasis on issues of race and inequality
mariner, Captain Asa Eldridge, and the SEA FEVER BOOKS. Thousands of in the museum profession. “This is just the
19th century battle for commercial su- titles. E-mail: seafeverbooks@aol.com; beginning of what we hope will become a
premacy on the Atlantic. Reviews, avail- Ph. 860-663-1888 (EST); www.seafever sustained conversation about the inequities
ability at www.lostherocapedcod.com bookstore.com. of the nation’s founding,” said Brophy. “It
and Amazon.com. is only by facing the past with an honest
PIRATE PLAYING CARDS AND and truthful understanding of the forces
CUSTOM SHIP MODELS, HALF PRINTS by Signature ASMA Artist, that shaped the development of our nation
HULLS. Free Catalog. Spencer, Box Don Maitz, National Geographic con- that we can hope to become a truly just
1034, Quakertown, PA 18951. tributor and originator of the Captain society.” (Brown University, 75 Waterman
Morgan Spiced Rum character. Full-color St., Providence, RI; https://cssj.brown.edu.
KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE playing cards have different watercolor Mystic Seaport Museum, 75 Greenmanville
by Capt. Ray Williamson. The remarkable images on each face. Prints present sea- Avenue, Mystic, CT; www.mysticseaport.
story of Maine Windjammer Cruises,TM rover adventurers. Order from: www. org. Williams College, www.williams.edu)
founder of the windjammer industry. paravia.com/studioshop. … On 14 January the Erie Canalway
172 page, 11 x 14 hardcover book with National Heritage Corridor (ECNHC)
over 100 full-page images from the days SHIP MODEL BROKER: I will help announced the recipients of its 2021
of cargo to the present. Price–$48. Call you BUY, SELL, REPAIR, APPRAISE grants, in the amount of $108,787. Rang-
800 736-7981; email sail@mainewind or COMMISSION a model ship or boat. ing from $1,500 to $12,000 and leveraging
jammercruises.com. www.FiddlersGreenModelShips.com. an additional $146,630 in private and pub-
Advertise in Sea History ! e-mail: advertising@seahistory.org. lic project support, the grants have been
awarded to 13 non-profit organizations and
municipalities and will advance work to www.traditionalrigging.com; Maryland form TikTok by storm, driven in popular-
“preserve and showcase canal heritage, Dove, www.marylanddove.org; Chesapeake ity by users layering in their own harmonies
educate youth, and welcome people to ex- Bay Maritime Museum, www.cbmm.org) and accompaniments via TikTok’s collab-
plore the canal in their local communities.” … The COVID-necessitated social iso- orative “duet” feature and re-posting the
Bob Radliff, ECNHC executive director, lation that has persisted since last year result. Traditional folk bands like The
remarked, “As the pandemic continues to will be remembered for sourdough bak- Longest Johns and the Fisherman’s Friends
present abnormal challenges it is especial- ing, sweatpants, Zoom meetings, and… are enjoying increased popularity as well,
ly gratifying to support diverse canal-in- sea shanties? Perhaps the most unantici- as listeners hooked by “Wellerman” seek
spired innovations. We are so pleased to pated hot pop-culture trend ever was the out related music. As a side benefit, more
make these timely investments and con- emergence of traditional maritime music Americans are not only becoming aware
tribute to the resilience of our canal com- on social media this winter. Scottish musi- of maritime traditional music, but also
munities.” The ECNHC has awarded 96 cian Nathan Evans’s rendition of the 19th- of the maritime culture that the music re-
such grants since 2008. They are made century New Zealand whaling song “Soon flects. While there is no doubt that many
possible through funding support pro- May the Wellerman Come,” released in of the current enthusiasts will “take [their]
vided by the National Park Service and the late December, took the social media plat- leave and go,” moving on to the next big
New York State Canal Corporation. Grant
projects range from the installation of an
ADA-accessible kayak launch in the Village
of Medina, New York, to improved signage
and trail interpretation, to invasive-species
management. (www.eriecanalway.org) …
The sail loft at Traditional Rigging
Company in Appleton, Maine, recently
completed a suit of sails for the new it-
eration of the Maryland Dove, current-
ly under construction at the Chesapeake
Bay Maritime Museum for Historic St.
Mary’s City. The new vessel will be the
second replica of the English ship Dove,
the vessel that carried the first European
settlers to Maryland in 1634. When the
new Dove sets sail in 2021, it will have a
traditional Dutch “boyer” rig: a lateen miz-
zen, main sprits’l, main square tops’l,
course, stays’l, and jib. This sail plan is a
courtesy traditional rigging company; inset courtesy historic st. mary’s city
shift from Maryland Dove’s ocean rig to
that of a coastwise trading vessel of the
early Colonial period and makes use of
both a bonnet and reefs—yet there are no
grommets anywhere in the sails. The new
suit is made from Oceanus, a synthetic sail
cloth that has the look and feel of natural
fiber cloth and was designed specifically to
be worked in the same manner. Much of
the handwork details are taken directly
from the sails preserved from the Vasa
wreck at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm,
the only surviving example of early 17th-
century sails we have. The first replica of
the Dove was built in 1978 and has been
one of Historic St. Mary’s City’s most
popular dockside exhibits. It is owned by
the state of Maryland and operated and Maryland Dove’s new main sprits’ l showing its unique reef and tack. Built by sailmaker
maintained by the Historic St. Mary’s City Dayle Tognoni Ward, Traditional Rigging Company, Appleton, Maine. (inset) Schematic
Commission. (Traditional Rigging Co., of the new ship by naval architect Iver C. Franzen.
thing, many will also continue to seek out to carry supplies and equipment across the
maritime music and a deeper understand- tundra; the flag appears in many of the
ing of the culture from which it developed. photographs of the expedition. Shackleton
… Two important artifacts from Ernest and his crew came within about 100 miles
Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition to the of the South Pole in 1909 but were forced
South Pole will remain in the UK, thanks to turn back due to depleted rations; Nor-
to a £204,700 grant (approximately US wegian explorer Roald Amundsen would
$277,592) from the National Heritage lead the first successful team to reach the
Memorial Fund. An 11-foot sled and a flag pole two years later. (www.nhmf.org.uk;
were donated by Lt. Col. Eric Marshall, www.rmg.co.uk; www.spri.cam.ac.uk) …
the expedition’s surgeon/surveyor/cartog- Sea Education Association is offering
rapher/photographer, to his childhood two new programs for fall 2021, expand-
school, Monkton Combe. The school, in ing on its traditional SEA Semester pro-
sea education association

turn, put the items up for auction in 2018. gram for undergraduates. The new pro-
When the winning bid came from an over- grams are designed for young people taking
seas buyer, the British government issued a gap year before college, or for those start-
a temporary export ban on them because ing college in the spring semester. The
of their historic significance. When the Pacific-based Ocean Exploration program SSV Corwith Cramer
National Heritage Memorial Fund came is for college credit and will sail from San
up with the lion’s share of the £227,500 Diego to Hawai’i; Atlantic Odyssey is an begins on 23 August in Woods Hole, where
needed to meet their purchase price, the experiential educational program (non- students take classes for four weeks to pre-
items could remain in the UK. The sled credit bearing) and will sail from Woods pare for their research voyage. Students will
was donated to the National Maritime Hole, Massachusetts, to St. Croix in the then fly from New England to San Diego,
Museum (UK) and the flag will go to the US Virgin Islands. Both programs begin where they will join the crew of SSV Rob-
Scott Polar Research Institute. The sledge with a shore component at the S.E.A. cam- ert C. Seamans and spend the next seven
was one of four used by Shackleton’s crew pus in Woods Hole. Ocean Exploration weeks at sea managing shipboard opera-
tions, navigating by the stars, and analyz-
ing oceanographic samples. Atlantic Odys-
sey is designed specifically for gap-year
students interested in developing lifelong
leadership and teamwork skills, while com-
pleting a major ocean passage. The voyage
will take them from the temperate shore of
bonhams
New England to the tropical islands of the

Shackleton’s sled Caribbean aboard SSV Corwith Cramer.
Underway, participants serve as active crew-
members of a tall ship while studying and
The Mariners’ Museum Civil War Lecture Series conducting research on marine environ-
The long-running Civil War Lecture Series produced by The Mariners’ Museum in mental topics: the ecosystems of the Sar-
Newport News, Virginia, has moved online via Zoom for spring 2021. With the gasso Sea and coral reefs, marine debris,
museum galleries still closed due to the ongoing global pandemic, the popular and oceanic conservation efforts in the
lecture series presented by John V. Quarstein, director emeritus of the USS Monitor Caribbean. The program begins on 13 Sep-
Center, will be held virtually on select Fridays at noon (EST). A favorite among tember on the SEA campus in Woods Hole.
American history enthusiasts, the Civil War lectures explore the ships, personalities, Participants will transfer to the ship on 9
technologies, and battles that would shape our nation for the next 150 years. October and fly home on 10 November
2021. The Sea Education Association was
• 4 April: “Burnside’s Roanoke Island • 21 May: “Ben Butler and the founded 50 years ago by a small group led
Expedition” Contrabands” by Corwith “Cory” Cramer Jr. and Edward
• 23 April: “Civil War in Coastal • 28 May: “Founding of Decoration MacArthur. It was Cramer’s idea to create
North Carolina” Day” a program that would give undergraduates
the opportunity to study the ocean from a
• 7 May: “Battle of Memphis” • 11 June: “CSS Stonewall” multitude of academic perspectives, and to
do it from the platform of a traditional
All virtual lectures are free; advance registration is required.
sailing vessel. Since that time, more than
(www.marinersmuseum.org/virtual/)
10,000 students have participated in S.E.A.
programs on one of their three sailing re-
search vessels: Westward, Corwith Cramer, A Threatened Gift from the Sea
and Robert C. Seamans. (www.sea.edu) …
In October the USS Constitution Mu-
seum announced the acquisition of a
collection of significant correspondence
related to the early career of “Old Iron-
sides.” Comprising over 150 individual
documents, the collection, which had been
in private hands for over 225 years, covers
topics such as the construction of the first
six frigates of the US Navy, strategic plans
in the Caribbean, and secret signals used
between the US Navy and friendly British
ships. “I have been looking for collections
for this museum for over 30 years and have
never seen anything like it,” said museum Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
president Anne Grimes Rand. “The USS North of historic Charleston Harbor in South Carolina lies Sullivan’s Island, a
Constitution Museum is actively pursuing barrier island and a town with a problem that most barrier island communities
its mission in tough times by acquiring would love to have. Thanks to harbor jetties that impede the southern flow of sand
these documents that shed light on previ- along the coastline, Sullivan’s Island is accreting land instead of eroding. The
ously unknown aspects of the construction, problem—to the 8% of residents who own beachfront property on the island—is
outfitting, and first movements of USS that their ocean view is threatened. The current 190 acres of accreted land supports
Constitution.” The collection, which was a thriving maritime ecosystem of dune grasses, flowers, shrubs, wetlands, and a
unveiled at the virtual celebration of the maritime forest. This incredible gift from the sea is much loved by many island
ship’s 223rd birthday on 21 October, had residents and visitors for its beauty and its wealth of birds and wildlife that includes
belonged to Capt. James Sever, first com- nesting sea turtles and coastal martens. The great diversity of maritime habitats
mander of USS Congress, another frigate and vegetation makes this an ideal stopover for Monarch butterflies and for many
constructed in the 1790s for the fledgling thousands of migrating birds to rest and renourish as they make their round-trip
US Navy. Included are correspondence and journey between their seasonal northern homes and the tropics. The Sullivan’s Island
documents from notable figures such as: Bird Banding and Research Station logs and reports the numerous species passing
Henry Knox, George Washington’s secre- through. Boardwalks and established pathways through this vibrant and scenic
tary of war, who oversaw appropriations landscape provide ready access to the beach.
for Constitution and the other frigates; In 1991, not long after Hurricane Hugo, the Town of Sullivan’s Island put the
Timothy Pickering, Knox’s successor; Ben- accreting land into a public trust, to be preserved in its natural state for the benefit
jamin Stoddert, secretary of the navy dur- and enjoyment of current and future generations of islanders and South Carolin-
ing the Quasi War; Toussaint Louverture, ians. This accreted land and its successional maritime forest also provide critical
the formerly enslaved leader of the early protection from the primary threat to Sullivan’s Island and its residents—hurricane
Haitian revolution; Dr. Edward Stevens, storm surge and rising sea levels. It is a source of incomparable resilience in the face
US consul-general in St. Domingue; Cap- of climate change.
tains Edward Preble, Silas Talbot, and Now this land is under threat. In September 2020, the Sullivan’s Island Town
Thomas Truxtun. The USS Constitution Council voted, by the narrowest of margins, to settle a lawsuit brought by beachfront
Museum plans to share documents from property owners to mandate cutting down thousands of trees and shrubs to preserve
the collection via its email newsletter and their ocean views. This settlement heavily favors the beachfront few against the
social media, as well as including them in wishes of the many. It will destroy the vibrant maritime ecosystem and will sig-
its digital collection and on its website. The nificantly degrade the island’s hurricane storm surge protection.
museum temporarily closed in December Sullivan’s Island residents have organized to contest this planned deforestation.
until further notice because of the pan- Your signature on the “STOP THE CHOP” petition at change.org/StoptheChop-
demic, but its staff is actively creating con- SaveOurSIForest will help. This petition is directed to the Chief of the South
tent via its social media channels and Carolina State agencies that must provide permits for this action. To learn more
through its website. Online content in- about this issue visit the Sullivan’s Island For All Facebook page: Facebook.com/
cludes programs, activities, videos, and blog SI4All. We are committed to preserving Sullivan’s Island for the benefit of all to
posts. (USS Constitution Museum, Boston, enjoy, for our wildlife partners, and our public safety. Please join us by helping to
MA; Ph. 617 426-1812; https://ussconsti “STOP THE CHOP”! —Susan Middaugh
tutionmuseum.org)
Reviews
Preserving Maritime America: A Cul- tional archives and weaves in personal in- lenges (crises) dominate the timelines of
tural History of the Nation’s Great Mar- terviews and media interpretations to pro- these museums. One can’t help but think
itime Museums by James M. Lindgren vide an eye-opening explanation for why what distress or opportunity the latest
(University of Massachusetts Press, Am- each of these organizations is where it is global crisis will unleash on these, and all
herst, 2019, 342pp, illus, notes, index, isbn today—for better or for worse. It is well maritime museums. Careful readers will
978-1-62534-463-2; $28.95pb) absorb the lessons presented here when
From the outset, Preserving Maritime developing our courses forward.
America: A Cultural History of the Nation’s Catherine M. Green
Great Maritime Museums makes clear that Manitowoc, Wisconsin
it is not a comprehensive analysis of Amer-
ica’s maritime landscape. It is, in fact, a A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year
case study of how several prominent mar- History of America’s Hurricanes by Eric
itime organizations have sought to preserve Jay Dolin (Liveright Publishing Corp., a
this sometimes awkward and often under- Division of W. W. Norton & Co., New
appreciated aspect of our nation’s shared York, 2020, 392pp, illus, notes, biblio, in-
historical framework. dex, isbn 978-1-63149-527-4; $29.95hc)
These institutions, the Marine Society There is nothing so likely to appeal to
of Salem (Peabody Essex Museum), the a mariner than a well-told tale. In Eric Jay
New Bedford Whaling Museum, Mystic Dolin’s engaging A Furious Sky, we have a
Seaport Museum, The Mariners’ Museum, compelling series of stories with the added
San Francisco Maritime Museum (San appeal that each of them is about something
Francisco Maritime National Historical that seafarers obsess about—a powerful
Park), and South Street Seaport Museum tempest. His cast of characters: Sandy, Ca-
have demonstrated an incredible commit- mille, Andrew, Katrina, and many others,
ment to preserving an often invisible, but from centuries past to the 21st century.
arguably integral thread of our nation’s
character. Apparently, this obligation has written, thoughtfully presented, and abso-
not been without considerable maneuver- lutely worth consideration if your career or
ing, intrigue, and drastically different ap- passion intersects with maritime museums
proaches on how to remain not only solvent in any way.
but relevant decades after their founding. While perseverance and reinvention
Mr. Lindgren’s profoundly researched underlie all six of these stories, so do pre-
account of these museums’ machinations cariousness and uncertainty. Big person-
incorporates accounts from the institu- alities, big funders, and even bigger chal-
Books from the coast of Maine that celebrate the sea.

The exquisite boat models crafted by
John P. Gardner of Castine, Maine, have
been known to bring people to tears.
More By Eye Than By Measure

The Maritime Life and Art of John Prior Gardner
By Sandra Dinsmore, $22.95
Floating Palaces More than just an ABC, this book is all

America’s Queens of the Sea about Maine lighthouses for all ages.
Maine Island Mariners and the Big Steam Yachts
by William A. Haviland & Barbara L. Britton, $33.95 Maine Lighthouse ABC Dolin’s approach, however, is more
By Connie and Peter Roop ambitious than to recount a litany of spec-
Maine mariners had Illustrated by
merely to state they Jeremiah Savage
tacular storms. A Furious Sky tells both the
were from Deer Isle $21.95 stories of how those storms and many oth-
and they had a job. ers have affected the history of the United
States and the Caribbean, and how the
Stonington, Maine • Online at penbaypress.me
Penobscot Books 207-374-2341 • books@pbp.me
science of predicting them developed from
the locals’ grasp of signs they gleaned from
the skies and waters to today’s satellite and aspects of Toll’s narrative is the amount of
supercomputers’ ability to predict a storm’s detail and research he put into this critical
likely track days in advance. period. Right from the start, he introduces
Dolin’s history begins with the obser- new material on the conference between
vations and the impacts hurricanes had on President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his
European mariners and settlers who arrived two chief commanders in the Pacific,
in the New World to explore, settle and, Admiral Chester Nimitz and General
of course, plunder. Every one of those en- Douglas MacArthur. Thanks to Toll’s
deavors was shaped by the stunning ar- access to the diary of General Robert C.
rival of storms far more powerful than Richardson, who hosted the conference in
Europeans had ever experienced—or could Hawaii, he can describe the weight of the
even imagine. Dolin recounts—often in decision made by FDR to decide on the
the words of those who lived through na- invasion of the Philippines over Formosa
ture’s fury—how the map of the world we (Taiwan).
know today was shaped by the winds and
waters that, seemingly at random, sent
treasure ships to the bottom, destroyed one
armada while sparing another, and wiped
settlements from the map. The Glencannon Press
As his story progresses into modern 4 col. inches (2.25 x 4.5 inches)
times, Dolin chronicles the work and in- Preferduring
US Navy in the Pacific rightthe
hand page, bottom right.
Second
sights of meteorologists who attempt to World War. What was one book became a
predict where such storms will strike and trilogy—Pacific Crucible (2011), The Con-
how to mitigate the damage they cause. He quering Tide (2015), and now Twilight of
weaves into the narrative how science, like the Gods (2020). Focused on the US Pa-
any other human endeavor, can both drive cific Fleet, from the attack on Pearl Harbor
genius and be derailed by ambition and in 1941 to the surrender of the Japanese
arrogance. Empire on board the deck of the battleship
Dolin’s ambition is to weave half a
millennium of turbulent seas and powerful
Missouri in 1945, Toll provides a sweeping
narrative of the oceanic struggle faced by
THE GLENCANNON
winds into a clear story that is, at turns, America. PRESS
cautionary and inspiring. He has, in this In a vein similar to Rick Atkinson’s
G
Maritime Books
clear and well-written tome, succeeded.
Richard P. O’Regan
Liberation Trilogy—An Army at Dawn
(2002), The Day of Battle (2007), and Guns P
Toronto, Ontario at Last Light (2013), following the US Army
in the European Theater of Operations in NEW!
Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western the Second World War—Toll aims to per- The Ferryboat Berkeley
Pacific, 1944–1945 by Ian W. Toll form a similar goal for the Navy in the
(W. W. Norton & Co., New York, 2020, Pacific. Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the
by
944pp, illus, maps, notes, biblio, index, Pacific, 1941–1942 covers the first six Patricia Shannon Anderson
isbn 978-0-393-08065-0; $40hc) months of the war, from Pearl Harbor to
Ian Toll exploded onto the [maritime the American victory at Midway. The Con- The complete history of this
history] scene in 2006 with the publication quering Tide: War in the Pacific Islands, historic craft now located at
of Six Frigates. This work examined the 1942–1944 takes the reader from the cam-
creation of the United States Navy through paign for Guadalcanal and the Solomon
the Maritime Museum of San
the construction of the warships authorized Islands to the Central Pacific drive from Diego. More than 200 pages,
under the Naval Act of 1794—Constella- the Gilberts to the Marianas. This latest 29 in full color.
tion, Congress, Chesapeake, President, Unit- work, Twilight of the Gods: War in the West- Available May 1, 2020.
ed States, and the indomitable Constitution. ern Pacific, 1944–1945, starts off with the
The impact of this work was recently not- war at a critical decision point.
FREE Catalog 1-510-455-9027
ed by outgoing Secretary of the Navy Ken- Twilight of the Gods covers the last year
neth Braithwaite when he decided to name
Online at
of the war. This period has not been
the newest frigates in the US Navy fleet afforded as much discussion in general www.glencannon.com
the Constellation-class. Toll planned to fol- histories as the earlier parts of the war. One
low up on this work with a volume on the of the most surprising and refreshing
From then on, the book follows the crews, they were useless. He includes dis- like Atkinson’s Liberation Trilogy. In Toll’s
spearhead of the American forces as they cussions and exposition on other key re- work you will not get much about the New
move through the Philippines and ever search points, such as military-press rela- Guinea campaign, Southeast Asia, China,
closer to the Japanese home islands. Toll’s tions, Allied radio and leaflet propaganda, or India. If that is what you desire, you
writing style and use of first-hand experi- and the lives of evacuated Japanese school might turn to Richard Frank’s new trilogy
ences cover both the historical and human children. This turns Twilight of the Gods on the History of the Asia-Pacific War, the
aspects of this last year of the Pacific War. into much more than simply another World first volume of which, Tower of Skulls, was
Interwoven throughout the book are vi- War Two military history book. released in 2020. I cannot but recommend
gnettes that give context to the events trans- The Pacific War Trilogy is a magnifi- Ian Toll’s newest series too strongly and I
piring on the front lines. These are not brief cent contribution to the literature on the look forward to his next achievement.
standalone descriptions, but substantial subject. For myself, after recovering from Salvatore R. Mercogliano, PhD
contributions and are essential to under- eye surgery due to cataract over the summer, Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
standing the nature of the conflict, such as which prevented me from reading anything,
the discussion about training naval aviators. my first choice was not to just read Twilight Glasgow Museums, The Ship Models: A
While many histories discuss the number of the Gods, but to reread the previous two History and Complete Illustrated Cata-
of aircraft produced by the US during the volumes and then Toll’s new book. Under- logue by Emily Malcolm and Michael Har-
war, without the requisite pilots and support stand, this is not a definitive history, much rison (Naval Institute Press, Annapolis,
MD, 2019, 220pp, illus, notes, index, isbn
THE NAUTICAL RESEARCH GUILD 978-1-52675-752-4; $64.95hc)
One of the greatest ship model collec-
"ADVANCING SHIP MODELING THROUGH RESEARCH"
Annual membership includes our world-renowned quarterly magazine, Nautical Research Journal, which tions in the world is in Glasgow, Scotland,
features photographs and articles on ship model building, naval architecture, merchant and naval ship construc- once called “the shipbuilder for the world.”
tion, maritime trade, nautical and maritime history, nautical archaeology and maritime art.
A big part of that heritage survives due to
Other benefits include discounts on annual conferences, ship modeling seminars, NRG products and juried
model competitions which are offered exclusively to Guild members. We hope you will consider joining our pride in the ships that were built along the
ongoing celebration of model ships and maritime history.
Clyde River that flows through its heart.
This new book by the Glasgow Museum is
a lavish presentation about ship models in
general, and specifically about the muse-
um’s magnificent collection. Due to the
size of the model collection, it has not been
displayed in its entirety for nearly a cen-
Pleasant Stre
tury. In this book, every single model or
For more information contact us at: www.thenrg.org or call 585 968 8111
20
group is represented.
This is an ideal ship model catalog and
SHIP MODELS deserves a wide audience and a place in
many public and private libraries. It is
Since 1975
thoughtful, comprehensive, colorful, well
presented, useful, and beautiful. I enjoyed
Offering an reading it and then going back to particu-
extensive lar models to examine their photos more
selection of A MERICAN M ARINE carefully. Its cost is reasonable—such a
M ODEL G ALLERY
documented, bargain!
P.O. Box 6102
one-of-a-kind Gloucester, MA 01930 The Ship Models is a large book, print-
ship models by 978-281-1166 ed in color on 374 pages, with hundreds of
internationally wall@shipmodel.com lush color photographs of the 676 models
acclaimed www.shipmodel.com
marine model
and model groups in the Glasgow Muse-
artists. ums. The heavy-coated paper pages should
survive long use and provide protection
from model makers’ accidental drool spills
CUSTOM MODELS
as they peruse the pictures. The illustrations
(YACHT & HISTORIC)
APPRAISALS
have complete, concise descriptions. The
RESTORATIONS
dust jacket cover is a gripping detail photo
DISPLAY UNITS of a half hull model of the 1883 steamer
Caridad. The book has a red placeholder
ribbon bound into the text block so the
reader need not leave old envelopes, re- As uses of models expanded beyond
ceipts, or scraps to mark progress. the shipyard, model construction became NOW IN PAPERBACK
Its opening chapter describes how more decorative and detailed. Ship owners
models were and are used in shipbuilding. often included a provision of finished mod- Nathaniel Bowditch
Starting with half-hull design models, ship- els in their contracts along with the ships and the Power of Numbers
builders worked out the shapes of the hull themselves. In the later 1800s, shipbuilding How a Nineteenth-Century
Man of Business,
to offer contracts to ship owners. If the design moved from half hull models to Science, and the Sea
model was approved, it was used by the architectural plans on linen and paper. Changed American Life
shipbuilders to guide construction. Ship- Shipyard models took on a role in indus-

wrights used the hull shapes from the trial exhibitions, being built more elabo-
model to shape the full-size structural rately and more finely finished. The models
pieces. Later, with iron and steel construc- illustrating this second chapter are lovely,
tion, each metal plate was drawn on a with finished interiors, elaborate veneered
model to measure every hull skin plate to and upholstered finishes.
be cut and formed exactly for the full-size By the 1930s most traditional shipyard Tamara Plakins Thornton
ship. Starting in the 1790s, naval architects modeling was being outsourced to com-
developed ideas about how ships moved mercial firms. The authors reprint a large
illustration from commercial model mak-
416 pages $27.95 paper
ing firm Kelso’s Ltd. 1891 catalog. It shows
all sorts of fittings for use on models; cap- 2016 John Lyman Book Award, North
American Society for Oceanic History
stans, binnacles, pumps, and engine-room
telegraphs fill the page. Photographs of 2017 Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize,
Massachusetts Historical Society
Kelso’s workshop show workers at benches
Finalist, New England Society Book Awards,
sitting on tall stools, in shirtsleeves with New England Society in the City of New York
vests, ties, and white aprons under a large
skylight and at windows. A manager in a at bookstores or 800-848-6224
suit stands in the center of the room. uncpress.org • uncpressblog.com
The collection includes many examples
built by amateur model makers. Many were Anne T. Converse Photography
built by sailors, both at sea and ashore. They
were just one example of sailors’ crafts,
alongside scrimshaw, embroidery, and mod-
els in bottles. Elaborate bone and ivory
through the water by using full hull mod- models created by prisoners of war grew
els in towing tanks and observing their out of the idle time while imprisoned
movement; the Scottish engineers were abroad. Large working sailboat models for
among the first. Later models used in hy- sailing on local waterways came to be
drodynamic testing are also found in the known as pond models and could be seen Neith, 1996, Cover photograph
Glasgow collection. Many ship design all over the world. Best-selling books and
Wood, Wind and Water
models were later used for display pur- magazines on model shipbuilding popular- A Story of the Opera House Cup
poses by both shipbuilders and ship owners. ized the hobby as a thing to do, not just as Race of Nantucket
Model making as a specialty trade a route to having a finished artifact. Mod- Photographs by Anne T. Converse
within shipyards is examined next. As model maker and author Harold Underhill is Text by Carolyn M. Ford
els became more elaborate and specialized, particularly featured for his widespread Live vicariously through the pictures
master carpenters, joiners, pattern makers, influence on the craft. It is unusual to see and tales of classic wooden yacht
owners who lovingly restore and race
and cabinetmakers took on many of the color photos of his models, as his own books these gems of the sea.
modelmaking duties from shipbuilders. and articles were always illustrated in black
“An outstanding presentation deserves
Larger, busier yards set up model making and white. ongoing recommendation for both art and
departments. Other yards contracted out Industrial exhibitions grew in popular- nautical collections.”
to commercial model makers. By 1898 that ity among shipbuilders. Victorians loved 10”x12” Hardbound book; 132 pages,
transition was complete, when three bronze vast exhibitions of new technology. Ship- 85 full page color photographs; Price $45.00
medals were awarded at a foreign exhibition builders depended on fine models to For more information contact: Anne T. Converse
not just to shipyards but also specifically exhibit their products, resulting in elabo- Phone: 508-728-6210
anne@annetconverse.com
to three foremen model makers in different rate ship models, taking many thousands www.annetconverse.com
Clyde shipyards. of hours to build. These models were
exhibited in great exhibitions throughout
Europe. Glasgow, as a shipbuilding center,
excelled at producing these masterpieces
of model building art. Fascinating exhibi-
tion models depicted here include elaborate
sectional models of ocean liners.
The Glasgow model ship collection
was assembled to represent the range of
ships built and associated with the River
Clyde. A range of maritime businesses,
institutions, and interests donated and lent
models and helped the collection grow and
thrive. In 1846 a successful exhibition at-
tracted more than 100,000 visitors and
left a funding surplus. Community support
and involvement increased over time. The
collection moved about, allies added their
support, a distinguished professional staff
was hired, and the collection continued to
grow and be meticulously maintained.
121,503 Vessels Online @

By 1965 the collection had grown to
502 models, which increasingly came to
be viewed more as artifacts themselves
internationalmaritimelibrary.org rather than substitutes for the ships they
represented. In 1978 the ship models were
This list is mostly compiled from the “List of Merchant Vessels of the moved to the new Museum of Transport,
United States” for the years 1867 to 1885+ and several other annuals. where a new gallery—the Clyde Room—
Other sources have been used to expand the number of vessels listed and allowed 150 models to be exhibited and
data. This list not only includes American vessels, but also many foreign interpreted better than before in large,
ones, whether sail, steam, unrigged or not documented. well-lit cases.
Comments appreciated! The Museum of Transport moved in
1988–89, and the new space allowed big-
More databases to be added soon ger exhibit areas, helping make the mu-
seum one of the most influential local
authority museums in Scotland. In turn,
a new museum was built to house the trans-
port, technology, and travel collections on
NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE the Clyde riverbank. The ship model col-
museum 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point
Staten Island, NY 10301
lection is one of the main attractions of
the new Riverside Museum despite the
Est. 2015 majority of ship models in the collection
Preserve and educate on the maritime heritage of
being in storage. In recognition of that,
lighthouses, lightships and the stories of their keepers for generations to come...
this magnificent catalog provides basic
Events Include: MUSEUM HOURS:
Summer: 11:00am-5:00pm information on every single model col-
lighthouse Boat Tours Winter 11:00am-4:00pm lected from the region from more than two
Maritime Lectures Wednesday- Sunday
children’s maritime *CLOSEDHOLIDAYS* centuries.
adventure programs Winter (November – March) The second half of Ship Models is the
Summer (April – October)
Lightkeeper’s Gala catalogue of the collection and includes
lighthousemuseum.org
Golf Outing info@lighthousemuseum.org specifications and provenance for each
Lighthouse Point Fest (718)-390-0040 model in addition to its place in historical
*Contact or visit Museum to learn how you
and much more... can support our expansion context. Descriptions include the particu-
Campaign for Illuminating Future Generations
*HRH/PRINCESS ANNE IS OUR HONORARY CHAIR lar vessel or type, its use and propulsion
*Don’t miss her future visit! type, tonnage, year of build, shipbuilder
and location of shipyard, the working life
of the vessel, and its fate. These are the
things that every ship biography should World War was absolute command of the
include—as the authors have done here. seas. In his newest work, Warship Builders:
This formula condenses a tremendous An Industrial History of US Naval Ship-
amount of information into a short sum- building, 1922–1945, Thomas Heinrich
mary paragraph. explores the growth and development of
Glasgow Museums, The Ship Models is this key sector. He does not merely exam-
the culmination of the good works of many ine American warship construction, but
people over many years. The text is written also compares it to programs in the Unit-
by Emily Malcolm, curator of the Glasgow ed Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. The
Museums ship model collection, and Mi- book delves into the composition of ship-
chael R. Harrison, historian, curator, and yards within the major combatants and
the Obed Macy Research Chair for the the varied use of technology to explain
Nantucket Historical Association. Of note how the United States was able to deliver
is Jim Dunn’s outstanding photography. a massive fleet that played a pivotal role in
This beautiful and important book is a Allied success.
testimonial to the “depth of care and feel- Heinrich’s narrative is focused on five
ing that ships and boats have inspired over key elements. In the first section, he ex-
generations,” as the foreword by John R. amines the decline and recovery of interwar
Hume notes. If you share that feeling for shipbuilding. In the United States, over-
ship models, this book is for you. production in World War One and the
Kevin J. Foster Great Depression both served to diminish
Hyattsville, Maryland Press, Annapolis, MD, 2020, 360pp, illus, the tonnage produced in American ship-
charts, notes, biblio, index, isbn 978-1- yards. The net result was the disappearance
Warship Builders: An Industrial His- 68247-537-9; $39.95hc) of many small and medium-size shipyards,
tory of US Naval Shipbuilding, 1922– One of the most significant factors but the Big 3—New York Ship, Bethlehem
1945 by Thomas Heinrich (Naval Institute that led to Allied success in the Second Steel Fore River, and Newport News—

were able to remain afloat due to diversi-
fication and cartelization, and some well-
timed Navy contracts.
Next, Heinrich delves into warship
by Kurt D. Voss design and ship construction techniques
All proceeds from this pictorial history developed in between the world wars. Ton-
benefit the ELISSA preservation fund. nage limits imposed due to the Washing-
ton Naval Treaty of 1922 forced contractors
to seek out weight-saving techniques, such
as electric welding. This encouraged the
shift from building ships solely in slipways,
2.25x4.5_HNSA_FleetCOL#1085.pdf
but into
6/5/12
more of a prefabrication and as-
10:47:40 AM
sembly mode, a technique used by the US

Shipping Board during World War One
THE HISTORIC NAVAL at its Hog Island facility.
SHIPS ASSOCIATION The third section introduces the figure
of Admiral Samuel Robinson, the first chief
of the US Navy’s Bureau of Ships. An over-
looked flag officer in most histories of the
Published by Arcadia Publishing and Second World War, he oversaw the tripling
Galveston Historical Foundation in size of the American fleet. Unfortu-
$21.99. 128 pages, 200 photographs nately, we do not get enough about him,
Autographed copies available at C
but we appreciate that the key metrics for

(409) 763-1877, or online at: M
success were his excellence in management
w w w. t s m - e l i s s a . o r g Y
and advancement in building techniques.
CM The last two parts delve into Navy-
THE FLEET IS IN.

and public-operated shipyards. Govern-
REAL WAR PHOTOS
MY
CY
ment-owned yards delivered one-seventh
Sit in the wardroom of a mighty of the total tonnage, but were instrumen-
CMY
battleship, touch a powerful torpedo on a tal in the repair and overhaul of warships.
submarine, or walk the deck of an aircraft
K
carrier and stand where naval aviators

The use of public shipyards differed from
have flown off into history. It’s all waiting the experience in Britain and Germany.
for you when you visit one of In America, Navy yards still relied on pub-
the 175 ships of the lic firms to support their efforts, largely
Historic Naval Ships
Association fleet. through subcontractors. The public yards,
50,000+ ships, battles & military photos
Request a FREE catalog.
as showcased through the construction of
For information on all
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the interwar years required massive govern-
ment investment and assistance in technol-
Real War Photos Ad.indd 1 4/10/2018 08:08:10 ogy and equipment to meet their needs.
Thomas Heinrich’s Warship Builders
is a comprehensive and technical study of
warship construction, largely focused on
the United States Navy. The discussion on
how the different combatants built their
fleets is essential in understanding their
performance during the war. Heinrich fills
the gap between the authorization of
America’s Two-Ocean Navy and its ac-
tual arrival on the world’s ocean in time
to defeat the Axis.
Salvatore R. Mercogliano, PhD
Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
New & Noted
Bridging the Seas: The Rise of Naval Ar- The Last Turtlemen of the Caribbean:
chitecture in the Industrial Age, 1800– Waterscapes of Labor, Conservation,
2000 by Larrie D. Ferreiro (MIT Press, and Boundary Making by Sharika D.
Cambridge, MA, 2020, 386pp, illus, notes, Crawford (University of North Carolina
biblio, index, isbn 978-0-262538-077-40- Press, Chapel Hill, 2020, 216pp, illus,
8; $50pb) maps, notes, biblio, index, isbn 978-1-
46966-020-2; $95hc)
Defending the Arteries of Rebellion: Con-
federate Naval Operations in the Mis- The Lost Boys of Montauk: The True
sissippi River Valley, 1861–1865 by Neil Story of the Wind Blown, Four Men Who
P. Chatelain (Savas Beatie, El Dorado Hills, Vanished at Sea, and the Survivors They
CA, illus, gloss, biblio, index, notes, isbn Left Behind by Amanda M. Fairbanks
978-1-61121-510-6; $32.95hc) (Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon &
Schuster, New York, May 2021, isbn 978-
Engineering America: The Life and Times 1-98210-323-1; $28hc)
of John A. Roebling by Richard Haw (Ox-
ford University Press, New York, 2020, Sailor Talk: Labor, Utterance, and
648pp, illus, notes, index, isbn 978-0- Meaning in the Works of Melville, Con-
19066-390-2; $34.95hc) rad, and London by Mary K. Bercaw
Edwards (Liverpool University Press, UK,
Geographical Change and the Law of the April 2021, 272pp, isbn 978-1-80085-965-
Sea by Kate Purcell (Oxford Monographs 4; $130hc)
in International Law, New York, 2020,
336pp, biblio, notes, isbn 978- Shipwrecked: Coastal Disas-
0-19874-364-4; $99hc) ters and the Making of the
American Beach by Jamin
The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen: Wells (University of North
Warfare, Constitutions, and Carolina Press, Chapel Hill,
the Making of the Modern 2020, 264pp, illus, maps,
World by Linda Colley (Liver- notes, biblio, index, isbn 978-
ight, imprint of W. W. Norton, 1-46966-090-5; $29.95pb)
New York, 2021, 512pp, isbn
978-0-87140-316-2; $35hc) Tales of the Sea Cloud: Lux-
ury Yacht, Integrated Naval
Ireland, Literature, and the Coast: Vessel, Legendary Ship by Ken W. Sayers
Seatangled by Nicholas Allen (Oxford (Texas A & M Press, College Station, 2021,
University Press, New York, 2020, 320pp, 256pp, illus, biblio, index, isbn 978-1-
isbn 978-0-19885-787-7; $90hc) 62349-934-1; $35hc)
Japan’s Spy at Pearl Harbor: Memoir of Two Centuries of Maine Shipbuilding:

an Imperial Navy Secret Agent by Takeo A Visual History by Nathan Lipfert (Down
Yoshikawa, translated by Andrew Mitchell East Books, Lanham, Maryland; co-pub-
(McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2020, 308pp, lished with Maine Maritime Museum,
illus, isbn 978-1-4766-7699-9; $35pb) Bath, Maine, July 2021, 368pp, isbn 978-
1-60893-681-6; $60hc)
Journal of a Voyage around the World:
A Year on the Ship Helena (1841–1842) U-Boat Commander Oskar Kusch: Anat-
by Thomas Worthington King, edited by omy of a Nazi-Era Betrayal and Judicial
Steven E. Kagle (Ohio State University Murder by Eric Rust (Naval Institute Press,
Press, Columbus, 2021, 288pp, isbn 978- Annapolis, MD, 2020, 384pp, isbn 978-
0-8142-0911-0; $62.95hc) 1-68247-514-0; $45hc)
All past reviews published in Sea History can be found online

via www.seahistory.org/bookreviews.

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C. Hoopes Independence Seaport Museum Neil E. Jones RADM Eric C. Jones, USCG Benjamin Katzenstein Charles R. Kilbourne
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Robert E. Morris Jr. William G. Muller Mystic Seaport Museum Janis Nagy Navy League of the US New York Yacht Club Capt. Eric Nielsen
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174 NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY SPRING 2021

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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF

Visit the museum or our

11 American Society of Marine Artists Invitational Gallery

16 A Furious Sky—The Great Hurricane of 1635 by Eric Jay Dolin

william bradford gallery

26 The Pastry War by John S. Sledge

30 Final Voyage of the Kalmar Nyckel: Epitaph for an Exceptional Ship

réunion des musées nationaux

NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Milster, William G. Muller, Nancy H. Richardson

Massive Lightship Anchors

courtesy us lightship museum

photo courtesy kurt voss

photo by joe rudinec

photo by joe rudinec

told him stories of keeping a lookout for U-boats while crossing

the USS Massachusetts Memorial Committee, which helped

10 SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021

If you see a painting here or on the NMHS website

Misty Rendezvous by Leonard Mizerek

New York Sunset, 1895

12 SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021

Essex Idle by Neal Hughes

Friendship Sloop by Neal Hughes

SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021 13

View from the Ferry 1927, Study

14 SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021

Dory in Sunlit Fog by Sergio Roffo

Atlantic Symphony by Lana Ballot, 24 x 36 inches, pastel on board — $5,600

SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021 15

where the pinnace Watch and Wait was

another gentleman. All told, there were

The hurricane’s path in August 1635 as it

morning hours on August 15. “The Lord

Thacher Island as it looks on a calm day. The

Eric Jay Dolin is the author of fourteen books,

About the book: A Furious Sky is much more

2.25”x 2” South Shore Boatworks #SH149 Revised

America’s longest painting in the palm of your hand

Model Ships by Ray Guinta

SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021 19

courtesy of the new bedford whaling museum

tory, and changed the area’s name from its

david rumsey map collection

(left) Letter dated 27 March 1876 from the

“This is to certify that I Owen H. Tilton of

teenth Lay. Should I get one thousand barrels

new bedford whaling museum

barque, made $2,199, according to final

Like many of his contemporaries, Ben-

Whaling ships at the wharf in New Bedford,

The Mashow-built barque Morning

new bedford whaling museum

SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021 23

24 SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021

réunion des musées nationaux

Veracruz was, and is, a major Mexican port