Mystic Seaport News

Preservation efforts are underway to renovate an 85-year old vessel known as “America’s Fireboat”.Designed by noted naval architect William Francis Gibbs and built in 1938 at United Shipyards on Staten Island, the vessel Fire Fighter would go on to serve a long and storied career before being decommissioned and eventually transferred to The Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum in 2013.The iconic fireboat is undergoing extensive renovations to return the vessel to her original glory, the museum announced this week. Escorted by the U.S.

There is an old adage that states that a repair yard can economically build new ships, but a new construction yard should never touch ship repair jobs. In my experience there is a lot of truth to that statement, and it does not mean that new construction yards are run by less capable people; it simply means that ship construction and ship repair and conversion are fundamentally different business models. Ship construction uses a script, while ship repair and conversion is improvisation. I will not drive the theater comparison completely home, but it has some validity.

For as long as there has been a need to transport cargo there has been a maritime industry. Throughout that history both owners and mariners have worked to devise ways of saving costs, making faster transits, and carrying more cargo. In 1819 the Steam Ship Savannah made maritime history by being the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, sounding eight bells for the traditional cargo carrying tall ship. Although that eight bell sounded for quite some time, the future of shipping arrived with Savannah. In 1911 M.S.

Four Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program students have been awarded scholarships by Crowley Maritime Corporation. Claire Fahrner, Vitya Romanov, Rachel Earnhardt and Jessica Menges were each chosen as a result of their academic excellence, morale and community involvement. The students also exhibited strong leadership qualities and were articulate spokespeople for maritime education, according to Sarah A. Jordan, Williams-Mystic's director of alumni and development. Farner is a senior at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts focusing on environmental studies. Romanov is a senior at University of Massachusetts Amherst majoring in geography and studying environment and public policy.

When the 172-year old tall ship Charles W. Morgan sets out on its historic 38th voyage on June 14, it will benefit from safety enhancements that were unheard of at the time of its construction – including a pair of Xantrex Freedom SW 24V - 3000W/75A inverter/chargers that deliver a full 6,000 watts of continuous electrical power. Built in 1841, the Charles W. Morgan is the last of an American whaling fleet that once numbered more than 2,700 vessels. Over an 80-year whaling career, it embarked on 37 voyages, most lasting three years or more. Retired in 1921, the ship was used as a set for two Hollywood films (Down to the Sea in Ships, starring a young Clara Bow, and Java Head, with Ralph Richardson and Anna Mae Wong).

Six Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program students have been awarded scholarships by Crowley Maritime Corporation. Alex Youngs, Garrett Weston, Alex Dion, Christian Blakesley, Rebecca Newman and Amanda Ketting-Oliver were each chosen as a result of their academic excellence, morale and community involvement. The students also exhibited strong leadership qualities and were articulate spokespeople for maritime education, according to Sarah A. Jordan, Williams-Mystic's director of alumni and development. Each student is in the midst of his or her respective academic career.

Crowley Awards Scholarships to Two Pennsylvania Students in the Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program. Crowley recently awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to Ariel Zhou and Caiti Campbell, who are taking part in the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport this spring. They were chosen for their strong academic records, interest in maritime studies and financial need. Zhou, a native of Nanjing, China, is studying biology at Pennsylvania’s Bryn Mawr College.

Former Secretary of the Navy, historian, and author John F. Lehman has been named the recipient of the America and the Sea Award for 2011 by Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc. The America and the Sea Award recognizes an individual or organization whose contributions to the history, arts, business, or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American character. Lehman served as Secretary of the Navy from 1981-1987 and developed the “Lehman Doctrine,” a two-front response to a Soviet invasion of Europe. He will be honored for his service at a gala in New York City on October 18, 2011.

Mystic Seaport Museum and Herreshoff Marine Museum announced that they have entered into an agreement in which the Herreshoff Marine Museum and Mystic Seaport will become affiliated. Mystic Seaport and the Herreshoff Marine Museum are entering into a broad collaborative relationship because each museum’s mission, assets, programs and aspirations are complementary with the other. The agreement provides both Museums with new opportunities to tell the broad story of the American maritime landscape. Both Museums will continue to operate independently with their existing assets, but will serve as resources to the other as needed and as agreed.

At 8:00 am, on Groundhog Day, Wednesday, February 2, 2011, Maritime College will kick-off the 6th annual Groundhog Day Event, Conference on Cutting Edge Issues in Shipping. Admission is free and open to all interested in the business of shipping. The event will take place in the lecture hall of the Science and Engineering Building, Maritime College campus, Throgs Neck, The Bronx, NY 10465. The day begins with a complimentary continental breakfast, registration and welcome. The event will be hosted and directed by co-chairs SUNY Maritime College professor and maritime attorney, Jeffrey A. Weiss, as well as Professor Larry Howard, Chair of the College’s Global Business and Transportation department. Maritime Security will be the next maritime topic at 10:45 am.

Four students from very diverse backgrounds each got a chance to attend the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, thanks in part to Thomas B. Crowley Sr. scholarships. Crowley Maritime Corporation awarded scholarships to Virginia Steiner, Morgan Wilson, Hannah Holland and Caroline Crowell during the 2009-2010 academic year. Steiner, a history major from Mount Saint Mary College, currently works at the Mystic Seaport Museum as a historical interpreter, is a member of their demonstration squad and the Anchor Watch educational program. She also participates in Officer Candidate School for the United States Marine Corps. A native of Olalla, Wash., Crowell is a junior at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

Mystic Seaport has named Sarah Cahill its new director of museum education and outreach. She will begin June 7. Cahill will lead the Museum’s education department in the expansion of its public history educational programs. She will guide Mystic Seaport in its efforts to increase educational programs both on grounds and in schools, while placing significant focus on the strengthening of partnerships between the Museum and schools. Cahill most recently served as executive director of the Rhode Island Afterschool Plus Alliance in Providence…

Tugs!, an interactive exhibition that will trace the past, present and future of the American tug, tow and barge industry, will open at Mystic Seaport Saturday, May 22. Designed for visitors of all ages, Tugs! will detail how tugboats play a crucial role in our 21st-century economy that is vital to American commerce and economic success. With more than 5,000 registered tugboats and towboats operating in the U.S., the industry moves more than 800 million tons of raw material and finished goods, including 60 percent of our nation’s grain exports and most of New England’s home heating oil and gasoline. Tugs! will present this powerful story through custom-created videos…

The Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies at Mystic Seaport has been awarded a “We the People” grant of $166,094 from the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH). The grant will support “The American Maritime People,” a six-week college and university teacher institute for 25 participants on American maritime history from the colonial era to the present. As the third NEH Institute offered at Munson, the 2010 course will build on the latest research in studies of the sea, providing teachers with the opportunity to enhance course offerings by studying the influence of maritime activities on U.S. history and culture.

Mystic Seaport will unlock its vaults to examine artifacts not usually exhibited for the general public in “Maritime Surprises from the Museum’s Collections,” a new series held at the Museum’s Collections Research Center beginning Friday, January 8, from 5:30 - 7 p.m. The series continues Friday evenings February 12, March 12 and April 9. Attendees will be able to view significant items in the Museum’s collections that relate to the nation’s maritime heritage. A cash bar and light snacks will be available. •    February 12 – “Fishing in the Footsteps of Dr. Charles K. Tickets are $12 per program (members: $10) and can be purchased online (www.mysticseaport.org/tickets) or by calling 860.572.5322.

Building America’s Canals, an interactive exhibition revealing the construction and operation of the nation’s human-built waterways, opens January 30, 2010, at Mystic Seaport. Organized by the National Canal Museum of Easton, PA, Building America’s Canals blends history and science through hands-on activities and encourages visitors of all ages to step into the roles of lock tender, canal engineer, crane operator and canalboat captain. Divided into four sections relating to key canal structures – locks, masonry arches, cranes and aqueducts – each area will feature accompanying interpretive panels with photographs, diagrams and text detailing the historical context for America’s canals.

William I. Koch, founder of the Oxbow Group, philanthropist, collector and sailor, has been named the recipient of the America and the Sea award which is presented annually by Mystic Seaport. Koch will receive the award Thursday, October 29, at a gala held in his honor in New York City. The annual award recognizes an individual or organization whose contributions to the history, arts or sciences of the sea best exemplify the American spirit and character. Previous winners have included pre-eminent yacht designer Olin J. Stephens II, respected author and historian David McCullough and the President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation Thomas B. Crowley, Jr.

Crowley continues to foster education in maritime studies through its recent scholarship grant to a deserving student at the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport. Laura Boyle was selected as the spring 2009 Thomas Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship recipient at Williams-Mystic. She received a $5,000 scholarship to attend the 17-week maritime studies program in Mystic, Conn. An English major at Bryn Mawr College, Boyle has displayed her strengths through team work and community efforts in roles such as camp counselor, service trip leader, and peer mentor.

Appropriate, isn’t it, that a man name Flood made his mark on the world painting nautical scenes. Born on the fourth of July in Philadelphia, James Flood has been sketching and painting from the time he was four. His early years embody the stereotypical mold of the artist type — restless and distracted at school, doggedly pursuing his craft and developing his talent, often to the dismay of family. His dedication to the subject was instilled in him at a young age, and was a passion that had outlets beyond the paintbrush and canvas. Flood recalls with joy memories of a young boy who would meticulously create and "sail" his very own fleet of motorized ship models. "I've had a lifelong fascination and attraction to water," he said.

You'd think it would be easy to start a tugboat museum. First, get an old tugboat. Clean-up some rust with a pad of coarse steel wool, slap-on a coat of paint, and presto, you're ready to sit in the booth and sell tickets. Everyone would applaud your efforts because, first, everyone loves tugboats and all they represent - solid construction and earnest purpose, hard work and benevolent contributions to civilization. And second, because old tugboats, all spiffied-up, are handsome sights, an alluring environmental decoration wherever they're found. And third, because the design of tugboats, like most of society's tools, has undergone great change, and the old ones are dying-off fast. You'd think everyone would support your labors at preserving a noble cultural heritage.

Seaport, has been named as a recipient of a Thomas B. Crowley, Sr. Maritime Corporation. interest in maritime trades and studies. Environmental Studies and Evolutionary Biology major. Williams-Mystic is the only interdisciplinary program of its kind. on the past, present and future of the earth's oceans. learning environment of Mystic Seaport - The Museum of America and the Sea. deep-water offshore voyage. academies and other select institutions in the name of his father Thomas B. away in 1994.

Mariah Pepper, from Bryn Mawr, Penn., a student in the maritime studies program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport, has been named as a recipient of a Thomas B. Crowley, Sr. Memorial Scholarship, which is presented annually at the institution by Crowley Maritime Corporation. Pepper was selected based on academic success, financial need, and her interest in maritime trades and studies. In addition to participating in the Williams-Mystic program, Pepper is a junior majoring in Anthropology at Bryn Mawr College.

Crowley Maritime Corporation will enhance its scholarship grants with the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport beginning in fall 2009. The company has pledged to increase its donation from $10,000 to $20,000 a year for deserving and need-based students in the program. The increase in funding will allow two students each semester, or four students each year to benefit from the Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship Program. "The Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship has been a fundamental part of our scholarship program at Williams-Mystic since 2003.