America's 10 Most Endangered Historic Ships of 2012
- Published on Thursday, 27 December 2012 00:00
- Written by Joe Follansbee
- Hits: 3079
- Category: News and Commentary
We are slowly losing the patrimony of America’s maritime history. Of the 686 historic ships and boats listed in the Fyddeye directory, most are suffering from the inexorable decay that comes with age and forgetfulness. Not that preservationists aren’t trying to save these vessels. It’s just that money is tighter than ever, and public interest is fleeting at best. Fyddeye hopes to reverse this trend with an annual listing of the most threatened of these irreplaceable artifacts. For the first time this year, Fyddeye’s users nominated and voted on their choices for most endangered.
USCG Station Chicamacomico Surfboat No. 1046 (Rodanthe, N.C.) Surfboat No. 1046 played a key role in rescuing 51 sailors from the torpedoed British merchantman Mirlo in 1918. The rescue became the most decorated in U.S. history. The boat is preserved at the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station.
Ernestina/Morrissey (New Bedford, Mass.) Launched in 1894, the fishing schooner Ernestina is now undergoing restoration in New Bedford. Formerly the Effie M. Morrissey, the ship also explored the Arctic under the auspices of several museums and the National Geographic Society. This year, she received new masts, which will be installed in 2013.
PTF-26 (Sacramento) Launched in 1968, PTF 26, called Liberty, is the last of the Fast Patrol Boats constructed. The vessel, which is still operational, saw service in Vietnam, and it is currently used for history education. The poor economy of the past few years has forced many donors to cut back support, and she is due for a haulout in 2013.
USS Olympia (Philadelphia) Listed as an endangered vessel for the second year in a row, the 1892 USS Olympia is the only warship left from the Spanish-American War. The Independence Seaport Museum plans to transfer the vessel to a new owner in 2013. The new owner will face severe problems, including a steel hull that is paper-thin in many places.
SS United States (Philadelphia) The luxury liner SS United States, launched in 1952, has been listed as an endangered historic ship two years in a row. Despite efforts by an active group of supporters, major donations, and intense coverage in the media, the vessel still languishes at an industrial dock, and plans to redevelop the area around the ship are delayed.
Lettie G. Howard (New York) The 1893 schooner Lettie G. Howard is one of several vessels owned by the South Street Seaport Museum on the New York waterfront. Hurricane Sandy caused severe flooding at the museum, and though it has reopened, financial issues threaten its entire ship collection.
Falls of Clyde (Honolulu) 2012 marks the second year the four-masted Falls of Clyde has been listed as an endangered historic ship. Built in 1878, the ship is the only surviving sail-powered oil tanker in the world. Until recently, the ship was threatened with sinking as a reef for recreational divers.
Baltimore (Baltimore, Md.) The 1906 steam tug Baltimore is the last hand-fired, coal-burning tug still afloat and still operational. Preservationists say the tug is “a ticking time bomb waiting to go down.”
Pea Island Life-Saving Station Beebe Surfboat (Manteo, N.C.) The Beebe pulling surfboat currently on display at the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum in Manteo, N.C. The boat is at the little-known museum that commemorates the African-American crew that once staffed the life-saving station.
Kalakala (Tacoma, Wash.) Listed for the second year in a row, the 1935 art-deco ferry Kalakala is quickly deteriorating at its moorage. The ship was sold at auction in 2012 to a lien-holder, and given its condition and the high cost of restoration, the Kalakala is likely to be scrapped, possibly as early as 2013.
You can view the entire list of nominated ships and boats at the Endangered Ships of 2012 poll page. Thank you to everyone who participated.
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How you can remember the sinking of the Titanic 100 years later
- Published on Saturday, 07 April 2012 07:51
- Written by Joe Follansbee
- Hits: 1102
- Category: News and Commentary
On April 15, 2012, tens of thousands of mourners will gather in hundreds of places around the globe, including the open sea, to remember the most famous maritime disaster of all time, the loss of the Titanic. On April 15, 1912, more than 1,500 people died when the passenger liner sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg. The 100th anniversary of the sinking is an opportunity to show respect for all victims of maritime disasters. Titanic museums, memorials, and artifacts are scattered around the world, as well as at the bottom of the ocean. Here’s a few ways that Americans can honor the dead.
Visit a Titanic artifact exhibit
Numerous museums around the country have at least a few Titanic artifacts, but one of the least known is simply called The Titanic Museum. Located in Indian Orchard, Mass., the humble museum was started by a Titanic history buff in 1963 who responded to the need for a museum dedicated solely to the disaster’s artifacts. Perhaps the kitschiest museums are the Titanic Museum in Branson, Mo., and its sister museum, also called the Titanic Museum, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Each features a half-scale model of the forward sections of the liner hitting an imaginary iceberg. Inside the museums are hundreds of artifacts and a recreation of the famed “grand staircase” so often featured in movies about the disaster.
Many museums, such as the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum in Savannah, Ga., have large scale models of the ship. The Marine Museum at Fall River in Fall River, Mass., has a large collection of Titanic artifacts. And a traveling exhibition of Titanic artifacts is making appearances this spring in Las Vegas, Orlando, San Diego, Detroit, Kansas City, Houston, and Atlanta. A museum in Denver is dedicated to a famous survivor, Molly Brown, aka the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown.
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Lighthouses of the Great Lakes
- Published on Sunday, 25 March 2012 09:07
- Written by Tom Haugen
- Hits: 411
- Category: News and Commentary
Lighthouses of the Great Lakes (via YouTube) A photo tour of lighthouses of the Great Lakes.
Earn a passage on tall ship Eagle with a winning essay or drawing
- Published on Monday, 05 March 2012 07:33
- Written by Operation Sail
- Hits: 693
- Category: News and Commentary
Washington, D.C. - Operation Sail, the national non-profit organization that produces tall ship events commemorating patriotic American milestones, is sponsoring of an essay contest and an art contest in 2012 for high school students in association with the USS Constitution Museum, the National Maritime Historical Society, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The prize, awarded in each of six ports, will be a ride on the Coast Guard tall ship Eagle. (See schedule on Fyddeye Events Calendar.)
OpSail has partnered with the Navy, Coast Guard, and navies around the world to commemorate the bicentennial of the writing of The Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812. Some of the world’s largest sailing ships will sail into six major east coast ports from April through July, 2012. Tall ships and navy warships will form up in parades of sail to begin week-long festivities this spring and summer in six cities: New Orleans, La., New York, Norfolk, Va., Baltimore, Boston, and New London, Conn.
Essay contest entrants will write a 1,000-word essay on one of three topics:
- The role of USS Constitution and the Navy in the War of 1812
- What the "Star-Spangled Banner" means to me
- The role of the Revenue Cutter Service in the War of 1812
Essays must be submitted as a Microsoft Word attachment in 12 point, Times New Roman font, double spaced, with one-inch margins. The entrant’s name, email and port of interest must appear on the top right-hand corner of the front page. Essay entries should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Art contest entrants must submit a copy of their original watercolor, oil, or pencil drawing/painting, no greater than 18 inches x 18 inches depicting one of three topics:
- What the "Star-Spangled Banner" means to me
- A maritime scene from the War of 1812
- A revenue cutter is action during the War of 1812
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Read more: Earn a passage on tall ship Eagle with a winning essay or drawing
Baltimore 'Star-Spangled Sailabration' in June features tall ship parade of sail
- Published on Thursday, 16 February 2012 07:15
- Written by Star-Spangled 200
- Hits: 1289
- Category: News and Commentary
An international parade of ships will sail into Baltimore on June 13 for Star-Spangled Sailabration, the national launch of the three-year commemoration by the U.S. Navy and the State of Maryland of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the penning of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Star-Spangled Sailabration features seven days of free entertainment including ship tours, a Blue Angels air show, patriotic fireworks, memorial ceremonies and much more.
More than two dozen ships including U.S. Navy, British and Canadian warships and tall ships from countries including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States are expected to flank Baltimore's famed Inner Harbor during Star-Spangled Sailabration. The tall ships and naval vessels will offer free, daily tours from June 14 to June 18.
Other highlights of the festival include:
- Star-Spangled Air Show featuring the Blue Angels, the U.S.Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, on Saturday, June 16, and Sunday, June 17
- The Celebration of the American Flag event at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on Saturday, June 16, complete with fireworks and concerts
- A Star-Spangled Festival at Martin State Airport featuring U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft on display along with autograph opportunities with the Blue Angels pilots on Saturday, June 16, and Sunday, June 17
- A concert featuring the premiere of a new symphonic work on Sunday, June 17 at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Some of the war's greatest artifacts can be found in Baltimore, with more than 10 sites boasting a direct tie to the War of 1812. The Maryland Historical Society's With Broad Stripes and Bright Stars exhibit focuses on the "Rock Stars" of the War of 1812 and gives visitors a glimpse of the original version of Francis Scott Key's manuscript of "Defence of Fort M'Henry," which would later become our national anthem. The society will open a special new exhibit also dedicated to the "second war of independence" on June 10, just in time for Sailabration.
The festival winds down with the official 200th anniversary of the Declaration of War on Great Britain event and a celebration of two centuries of peace on June 18 followed by the Parade of Sail departure on June 19.
For more information on the event schedule, to reserve a hotel room or to purchase official merchandise, visit www.starspangled200.com. For more information on the national commemoration by the U.S. Navy, visit www.OurFlagWasStillThere.org. For more information about the tall ships 2012 tour, visit www.OpSail.org.
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