All Aboard ...

Join the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument Expedition!


The NOAA ship Hi’ialakai (“embracing the sea”) will depart for a 28-day voyage to the farthest reaches of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands on June 23, 2006.
This will be the first expedition to this area since President Bush's proclamation designating it the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument.This multidisciplinary research expedition will include a benthic habitat mapping team, maritime archaeologists and interpretation of this research through education and outreach specialists.
The Hi’ialakai recently returned from an expedition to French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and Johnston Atoll to complete work related to ecosystem connectivity, apex predator tagging and movement studies, and coral reef health assessment.
On June 23, the research vessel will set sail with 20 scientists and educators in order to conduct further studies at Kure Atoll, the northernmost atoll in the Hawaiian Islands Archipelago, and at Pearl and Hermes Atoll.
Check back during the mission for daily logs and photos from the expedition team.

Position: Library Director

The Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) seeks an inspiring, imaginative, and accomplished Library Director. Reporting to the COO of the Museum, the Library
Director will lead one of New England's top research libraries, improving scholarly access, building visibility and reputation, strengthening collections and operations,
and most importantly, integrating the library fully into one of North America's largest and most distinctive art museums. The Director will have a unique opportunity to transform a highly respected research library into an innovative and active intellectual hub supporting the overall mission and global scope of PEM.

The Phillips Library has a national reputation as a major resource for the art and culture of New England and early America, Native America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. Its holdings include more than 400,000 printed volumes with numerous rare books, over 5,000 linear feet of manuscripts, over one million photographs, and tens of thousands of broadsides, ephemera, pamphlets, periodicals, logbooks, account books, and diaries.

PS. This was posted on the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners site, there is no listing on the PEM website.

The MHN Blog: Dialog Needed on Wawona Question: What Should We Do?

The MHN Blog: Dialog Needed on Wawona Question: What Should We Do?

Joe Follansbee of the MHN (Maritime Heritage Network )Blog has been making regular updates on the controvery surrounding the fate of the Schooner Wawona. The threat to "demolish and dispose" of unique maritime vessels is something that the we in the maritime community all need to be involved in.

Aside from the post refered to the there are several others at http://mhnblog.blogspot.com/ to provide background.

Important Closings To Note

Steamship Historical Society of America Collections

Thomas L. Hollowak, Head, Special Collections, University of Baltimore Libraries has announced that effective July 1, 2006 the Steamship Historical Society of America Collections at the University of Baltimore will go into “mothballs” (storage) and will not be accessible.

For further updates on the status of the Collections and other activities of the SSHSA, please contact the society’s office at 401-274-0805 or go to the Society’s website www.sshsa.net.

San Francisco Maritime Museum

The San Francisco Maritime Museum will close for three years beginning July 10 while major repairs are made on the landmark building, an outstanding example of the streamlined moderne style.

The museum's collection of hundreds of artifacts from San Francisco's maritime past will be put into storage.

San Francisco Chronicle article

Spinning Clio : Where History and Politics Meet: Bush is First President to Speak at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Graduation

Spinning Clio : Where History and Politics Meet: Bush is First President to Speak at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Graduation

Water water everywhere!

Hello all,

I've returned from cycling across the polders of Holland and Belgium. Saw lots and lots of water and things maritime. In the meantime, Marifrances has done a great job with the Compass.

Many thanks!!!!

Kelly

Salty Site of the Week... ColtonCompany.com

The Colton Company is a Delray Beach, Florida firm consisting of maritime economists and industrial engineers. Not quite the place you'd necessarily bookmark for historic vessel research, but wait! Click on the "US Shipbuilding History" icon on their home page and voila!

Colton offers this modest description: "This site details the performance of the U.S. shipbuilding industry since the introduction of iron hulls and steam propulsion, tabulating each shipbuilder's construction record, ship by ship, and including not only oceangoing naval and commercial ships but also thousands of coastal and inshore ships, boats and other craft. There's nothing remotely like it anywhere on the web and no other shipbuilding nation has anything comparable." Give it a try!

Lost World War II Submarine May be Found

According to the Associated Press, the US Navy announced today that a wreck located in the Gulf of Thailand appears to be the World War II Balao-class submarine, USS LAGARTO. The LAGARTO, commissioned in Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1944, sank the following year during an attack on a Japanese convoy. All eighty-five officers and crew were lost.

The Navy plans no salvage operations on the wreck site, as it considers the sea to be the final resting place for the boat and her crew.

Job Opening - National Maritime Museum, Greenwich


The National Maritime Museum is seeking a Curator of 18th Century Imperial and Maritime History.

The successful candidate will:

Research and document the Museum’s eighteenth-century collections to explain their significance within their historical contexts.

Maintain a strong research profile, publishing scholarly articles and monographs and contributing to the Museum’s publication program.

Play a key role in planning and implementing the Museum’s eighteenth-century imperial and maritime collecting policy·Work with project teams concerned with special exhibitions, gallery development and updating current displays, and help provide specialist knowledge for the new imperial and maritime galleries.

Help research and deliver on-line resources based on the Museum’s eighteenth-century collections and displays, and directed at a range of audiences.

This position was posted on Museumjobs.com on Friday, June 16, 2006, with a closing date of July 11, 2006.

Weekend Quiz...

OK, you mariners, what is this? A mural of waves crashing on the shore?

No, it's the hull of a cargo ship! This beautiful photograph is the work of Los Angeles harbor-area artist Gil Mares. As Gil explains, "While searching for images in the harbor, I was drawn to the worn hulls of the ships that dock there. These ships seem as great whales with battle scars which record their life-long struggle to survive. The ships at dock can be seen every day. However, the visual secrets of the ships are generally not known because of the distance between the ships and the observer. I have concentrated on eliminating this distance to reveal their beauty. The brightly painted hulls exhibit interesting patterns and textures which are reflected in the water.

The hulls may appear delicate, tenuous, even transparent. However, the scrapes, gouges, rubber marks and rusting wounds, sometimes from the ships’ own anchors, sometimes from the ubiquitous tires found on the sides of docks and tugboats, belie this frailty. At times a series of numbers or cryptic diagrams may appear on the massive hulls. These messages communicate only to those who assist in ferrying the ships in and out of the world’s ports."

Salty Site of the Week - Maritime Matters (but you knew that!)

This week's featured website is Maritime Matters. Here you will find exhaustive histories of cruise ships and ocean liners, past and present. What makes this site distinctive is that publisher Martin Cox, a professional photographer and author, accompanies his text with his own original photographs as well as historic images from his personal collection. The home page may look pretty basic, but don't be fooled! Keep clicking, and you will find this site is packed with useful information and helpful links. Whether you have a lifelong interest in passenger steamships, or your knowledge begins and ends with "The Love Boat", this site deserves to be bookmarked.

Introductions Are in Order…

Ahoy! This is Marifrances Trivelli. I’ll be piloting the blog until Kelly returns on June 19th. Offline, I’m the Director of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro, California. (Yes, Los Angeles is a port city). I’ve known Kelly since our days working together at Mystic Seaport Museum. Let’s keep these pages active while Kelly is away – there’s always something new to report and comment on!

NEWS FLASH FROM MARYLAND's EASTERN SHORE!!!

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, has recently announced the selection of Stuart Parnes as its new President. Mr. Parnes, a 30-year veteran of the maritime museum field, has most recently served as the Director of the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, Connecticut.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, founded in 1965, is "dedicated to furthering an understanding of the culture and history of Chesapeake Bay". Visit http:www.cbmm.org to read their latest press releases and learn more about this great museum.

Position Announcement: NYYC - Project Archivist (temporary, part-time)

The New York Yacht Club is seeking a temporary, part-time archivist to develop a processing plan and create a research finding aid for the Club’s archives, which date from 1844 to the present. Must have demonstrated ability to apply standard archival procedures in the appraisal, arrangement and description of archival records.

DUTIES:

• Creates inventory and drafts processing plan, in conjunction with NYYC staff
• Processes the collection according to standard professional guidelines
• Prepares a detailed finding aid in accordance with national standards
• Orders archival supplies and advises on proper storage
• Rehouses collection and performs other basic preservation measures

QAULIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent with an emphasis in history (Master's degree preferred)
• Demonstrated experience (3-5 years) in processing archival collections
• Excellent organizational and project management skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Proficiency with accepted preservation methods applied to special collections
• Ability and willingness to lift heavy boxes

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

By email: Please submit resume and cover letter via email to library@nyyc.org. Include position title in subject line. We are an equal opportunity employer. For information about The New York Yacht Club, please visit http://www.nyyc.org.

By mail:
New York Yacht Club
Attn: Library - Project Archivist Position
37 West 44th Street

Fishy Pirates

It's been awhile since we covered any pirates or reviewed any books so I thought we'd do both at the same time.

Hooked : Pirates, Poaching, and the Perfect Fish

is a newly released book on the Patagonian toothfish, its 'transformation' into "Chilean sea bass" and subsequent near extintion. The book illuminates the practically lawless world of commercial fishing, where factory boats with vast dragnets can devastate a population in just a couple of years.

Register your classic!

The National Maritime Museum Cornwall is hosting the National Small Boat Register, a register of "significant craft under 40ft." Significant craft is defined as dinghies, yachts, motorboats, working boats, coracles, and canoes, or any other traditional craft that is still on the water after 50 years.

See Classic Boat for the story.

CFP: "Research in World History: Connections and Globalizations"

The World History Network and the World History Association seek proposals for participation in a Research Agenda Symposium (John Hancock Conference Center, Boston, November 10-12, 2006). Up to 40 participants worldwide will be selected for a meeting intended to develop a consensus statement on priorities in world-historical research, with a focus on the theme of "Research in World History: Connections and Globalizations." Conference fee of $250 includes conference materials, meals, and receptions. Travel costs may be covered, depending on availability of funding, especially for participants from outside the U.S. Applicants should submit, by 1 June 2006, a statement of up to 1000 words proposing priorities in world-historical research, and a curriculum vitae of up to two pages. The conference committee will select up to 40 participants, based on the strength and interest of initial proposals, but also with attention to balance by national origin, gender, age, and disciplinary focus. Details are available from the World History Network, www.worldhistorynetwork.org.
Invitations will be issued to selected participants by 30 June 2006.

Happy 46th!

May 4th was Raphaela le Gouvello's birthday and while a 46th birthday is not uncommon, celebrating it in the middle of the Indian Ocean - on a windsurfers is.

According to a story at news.com.au Raphaela le Gouvello, is travelling faster than expected on her 6,300km voyage from Western Australia to Reunion Island, off Mauritius, but the weather would become more complex in the second half of her journey "with zones of instability that she will have to adapt to".

The sailboard attempt is le Gouvello's fourth big ocean voyage, following successful crossings of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific Ocean. Ms le Gouvello is aboard a specially designed "wind boat" called Mahi Mahi, meaning dolphin fish in Tahitian. The 7.8m long by 1.3m wide vessel operates like a big windsurfer with two cabins underneath.

Call of Another Kind

From May 29th to June 19th I will be biking in Europe (Yeah!) and unable to fulfill my duties as Compass Editor (Boo!). Rather than let the Maritime Compass languish during this time I'm looking for one or two people to serve as guest editors. The time commitment is roughly 15 minutes/day (sometimes much less, sometimes more just because the news is interesting)

If you would like to volunteer or would like more info please send me an email at ksdrake@gmail.com. I can set you up with the news feeds, and tracked websites that keep the latest maritime info flowing in.

Thanks,

Kelly

Coast Guard Museum To Be Built

After years of debate and discussion, federal, state and local officials are ready to begin construction of the National Coast Guard Museum in New London, Connecticut.

On April 28th the Governor Rell of Connecticut and the Coast Guard signed agreements to build the $60-million museum on the Fort Trumbull penisula.

Where to build the museum has been a seven year political struggle. But after much debate, the Coast Guard decided to build a state of the art facility at Fort Trumbull in New London. Governor Jodi Rell and Coast Guard officers made it official and inked the deal with Connecticut kicking in $15-million.

The project includes exhibition space and interactive displays, an amphitheatre for outdoor events, a waterfront walk and pier with a cafe and restaurant.

The designated developer for Fort Trumbull will build a 133 room hotel and conference facility next door to the museum on land that once belonged to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.