Transatlantic Destinies: Connections and Disconnections Across

Call for Papers
Northeast American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
October 25-28, 2007
Dartmouth College, New Hampshire

The Theme for the 2007 NEASECS Conference at Dartmouth College memorializes the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the English slave trade. Transatlantic Destinies also acknowledges all aspects of the transformation of the transatlantic social sphere including the exchange of ideas, the resistance of European colonies to the motherlands, European exploration and native resistance, and the increasingly unified
circulation of culture and capital across the largest natural trade routes known up to this point.

As in any NEASECS conference, papers and panels are sought in all areas of eighteenth-century studies.

Please submit 1-page proposals for panels or papers and a brief c.v. by January 15, 2007 to:

Peter Cosgrove, Conference Chair
English Department
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH 03755
Peter.W.Cosgrove@dartmouth.edu

Web Address: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~neasecs07/

PEM Recieves High Praises

Muzine reviewed the new Peabody Essex and gave it a great review and makes some good points for other maritime museums.

The Enduring Relevance of Maritime History

We've all been on a diet at one time or another. Many of us have also tried low carb diets.

Now Michael R. Eades,M.D. turns to maritime sources to illustrate the long established effects of an all meat diet. Dr. Eades cites the journal of Frederick G. Schwatka, aka Misc. Vol. 163 at the G. W. Blunt White Library of Mystic Seaport, which records an 1878-1880 search for Franklin during which the crew of the schooner Eothen switched to an all meat diet.

For the full story check out A critical look at nutritional science

Caught, Canned, and Eaten: The Story of San Pedro's Fishing and Canning Industries

According to the DailyBreeze.com the Los Angeles Maritime Museum will unveil a permanent exhibit on San Pedro's vibrant fishing industry and port-town culture.

The interactive exhibit will include murals, gear used by local fishermen, home movies from the Fishermen's Fiesta, classic television commercials ("Charlie the Tuna"), films of sardine and mackerel fishing and cannery equipment salvaged from Terminal Island.

According to the Museum website the exhibit opens today.

Congrats to Museum Director (and Compass editor) Marifrances Trivelli and her crew for putting together a news worthy exhibit on an overlooked aspect of local maritime history.

New Book Alert

Shipbuilders, Sea Captains, and Fishermen: The Story of the Schooner Wawona

Joe Follansbee, of MHN fame, has a new book out. While I haven't read it yet, it has been ordered and hopefully Joe will make an East Coast author's tour sometime and sign it!

Here's the blurb from the back cover: "Discover the history of the three-masted schooner Wawona and the quirky adventures of her captains and crews in the North Pacific. Shipbuilders, Sea Captains and Fishermen reveals the innovations of Wawona's builder, H.D. Bendixsen. Capt. Ralph E. "Matt" Peasley, "the big overgrown kid," became the most famous ship captain in America. Capt. Charles Foss called on the heavens for a breeze by wearing his wife's hats. And the crew caught hundreds of tons of cod in the stormy Bering Sea while secretly fermenting shipboard wine with canned fruit and sourdough starter. Complete with detailed illustrations, historical photographs, and great stories, Shipbuilders, Sea Captains and Fishermen recreates a world that ended with the last sailing ships."

It's the canned fruit and sourdough wine that really peaks my curiosity!

Position Announcement: Director of the Library

The Mariners' Museum is seeking a dynamic and innovative leader to direct the operations of the Museum's 78,000+ volume research library and archives. The director is a member of the senior leadership team and is expected to provide overall vision for the library in accordance with the Long Range Plan and mission of the Museum, act as a communicative mentor and effective leader for the library staff, identify and utilize opportunities for new technologies, be a spokesperson and advocate for the library-both internally and externally, and network with the library community. In addition, the director will be involved in planning and development of a new library as part of the whole Museum campus. Individual must have a Masters of Library Science from an ALA-accredited program and at least 5 years previous related experience in a research library with demonstrated increased responsibilities including supervisory experience, superior communication skills, and experience in community networking. Previous experience with a building program preferred. This position offers a salary commensurate with experience and an excellent benefits package.

Intrepid Update

The mud that held up the USS Intrepid move has been removed from beneath the aircraft carrier but plans to move her have not yet been announced.

The Intrepid, a legendary Pacific war campaigner that survived torpedoes and five kamikaze plane attacks, is overdue for rehabilitation after sitting idle for 24 years at the Hudson's city-owned Pier 86.

Full story.

Maritime Heritage Center Proposed for Bay City

An editorial in the Bay City Times promotes the planned development of a maritime museum.

According to the editorial Bay City officials, Dow Corning Corp., the Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and Bay Future propose to build a Maritime Heritage Center on 8.5 acres of the 48-acre Uptown at RiversEdge property, just south of downtown Bay City.

A proposal to fund an initial study comes before the City Commissioners this week.

Quick News Item:

Smuggling, Iron and Sugar: Millersville University Students in Atlantic Project with Bermuda Maritime Museum

MILLERSVILLE, Pa., Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- History and archeology students from Millersville University of Pennsylvania plan to spend next summer at the Bermuda Maritime Museum to research smuggling, iron and sugar during the 18th century....link to full article.

Position Announcement: Executive Director Michigan Maritime Museum

The Board of Directors for the Michigan Maritime Museum is seeking a skilled Executive Director who will lead the Museum forward as it builds on its strengths and charts its future direction. The successful candidate will demonstrate skills and expertise in leading an organization through thoughtful change; managing day-to-day operations; effectively communicating with the staff and public; employing creative marketing strategies; administering the budget and financial records; encouraging volunteers; conducting fruitful fundraising activities; and promoting exceptional customer service.

For more information see complete description

CFP: 28th Annual Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival Symposium

Mystic Seaport is seeking proposals for papers in History, Folklore, Literature, Ethnomusicology, or other appropriate disciplines that address any aspect of music or verse of the sea or inland waters from the Age of Sail through the present day.
Topics of interest have included: Shipboard work songs, songs of maritime or other occupational trades, seafaring cultures and cultural change, ethnicity and ethnic influences, cultural exchanges, ballad and broadside traditions, technology, regional interests, and popular culture.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE is March 10, 2007. Audiovisually illustrated presentations are welcome. Papers selected must be submitted in final form by May 7th.

Graduate students encouraged to submit a proposal.

Speakers will receive lodging and meals and free admission to the festival weekend.
PLEASE SUBMIT PROPOSALS and a brief curriculum vita or resume to:

Dr. Glenn Gordinier
attn: Symposium Williams-Mystic Program Mystic Seaport
75 Greenmanville Ave.
Mystic, CT 06355-0990
glenn.gordinier@mysticseaport.org

Online Exhibit - Ladies Who Launch

Press Release:

Independence Seaport Museum is pleased to announce their first online exhibit: Ladies Who Launch: Ship Christening Photographs from Delaware Valley Shipyards, which can be viewed at http://www.phillyseaport.org/LWL

In portraits and candid shots selected from the Library’s collections, these images show the scale of the members of the launching parties in relation to the enormity of the ships, the effervescent crash of champagne bottles, and the fabulous fashions from the first half of the 20th Century.

The online presentation is an expanded version of the exhibit now on display in the Museum. Ladies Who Launch is presented in conjunction with Women & the Sea, a comprehensive exhibit that explores the contributions of women mariners; open now through Labor Day 2007. For more information about exhibits and related programming please see: http://www.phillyseaport.org/New_Exhibits.shtml

The photo included here happens to be one of my favorite from the exhibit. It is interesting to note that in all the women and the sea studies I've heard about - this involvement of women and the sea has rarely been mentioned. Great job!

Salem Crew List Database Online

Between 1799 and 1879 over 7900 voyages to foreign ports sailed from Salem, Massachusetts. Prior to sailing the shipmaster, or captain of each vessel was required to file a crew list containing information about the vessel's destination and its crew. This website provides an index to those crewlists. Containing over 75,770 names, it also provides access to crew members based upon age, complexion, birthplace and residence place.

Search the database!

New Book: So Others May Live

Joe has recommended So Others May Live: Coast Guard's Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, Defying Death.

Reading the reviews both at Amazon and in the seattlepi.com report has me thinking this is a must read.

Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum's Newest Addition

The Little Rock City council approved spending $395,000 to tow the World War II-era fireboat USS Hoga from California to its maritime museum on the Arkansas River.

The Hoga survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor and will join the USS Razorback which was present for the Japanese surrender.

The Hoga is presently moored near San Francisco.

If Only I Were British

Position Announcement:
Head of Digital Projects

Organisation: NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM
Location: East London
Salary: £35,000 - £45,000 plus benefits
Date posted: 29 Oct 2006
Closing date: 13 Nov 2006

If you have experience of delivering large, complex new media projects on time and on budget, this varied role with the world's leading maritime museum could be your ideal next move.

It's our aim to illustrate to a wide range of audiences the importance of the sea, ships, time and the stars and their relationship with people. The Museum's collections are extremely diverse, featuring stories about everything from seafaring history to trade, empire, slavery and astronomy.

Already attracting some 8.7 million visitors, our award-winning website is now poised to enter an exciting new phase in its development with a landmark project that will bring some of these fascinating stories to life. Managing a dynamic team and networking internally as well as with external bodies, your brief will be to create the digital elements of this remarkable initiative.

It's a unique challenge that spells involvement in everything from our online collections and gallery interactives to e-commerce and online marketing. To meet it, you'll be an excellent planner and collaborator with an impressive track record of creating innovative content for large, segmented audiences - probably in the arts, education, media or broadcasting sectors. A passion for user experience is a must, along with an understanding of the potential of a wide range of interactive technologies.

Quoting reference G/HDP

We regret that we are unable to reply to every applicant. If you do not hear from us within three weeks, please assume you have not been shortlisted.

The Museum upholds equal opportunities for all staff and has a no smoking policy.

ROYAL OBSERVATORY GREENWICH

- POSITIVE ABOUT DISABLED PEOPLE

INVESTOR IN PEOPLE

Book Reviews from H-Maritime

Heather Hernandez just posted on the Book Discussion list about the following book reviews available through H-Maritime.

The Barbary Wars

Sea of Gray

X Marks the Spot: The Archaeology of Piracy

Industrializing American Shipbuilding

Position Announcement: Collections Access and Research Associate

Mystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea is currently seeking a Collections Access and Research Associate to work in the Collections and Research Department. The successful applicant will serve as part of the Access Team providing intellectual, physical and electronic access to the Collections of Mystic Seaport. This is an entry-level position.

Essential functions include, but are not limited to:
• Oversee circulation function of Collection materials to staff, students and volunteers
• Respond to reference requests, including onsite, written, commercial and personal, related to the Collections using all available Collections Access Systems.
• Master the various means of Collections access, including but not limited to Endeavors’s Voyager system, XG, websites, visual files, card files and databases.
• Advise patrons and clients on research and derivative fees when applicable and initiate production orders for Production Team.
• Staff the Collections Reference and Research Room on a regular basis. Duties include reshelving of retrieved Collections materials, circulation of books, answering phones, overseeing reading room, etc.
• Improve and increase public Web resources related to the collections, proofing web pages and databases products.
• Assist in the hosting and developing of digital resources that improve Collections Access.
• Maintain and update Collections Web site.

Requirements include:
• General knowledge of maritime history and terminology
• Desire to learn and work with ever-changing software applications.
• Ability to participate, lead and thrive in a team setting
• Bachelors Degree
• Knowledge of search strategies and information retrieval practices
• Strong foundation and belief in providing superior customer service
• Ability to work with and continuously learn common computer applications
• General computer experience with museum and collections management software preferred.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Access, or SQL
• Detail-oriented and able to handle fragile objects according to collections management standards.

This is a full time (35 hrs./wk) position . Mystic Seaport is an AA/EOE employer.

If you wish to apply for an advertised job opening, you can download an Employment Application (Adobe Acrobat Required) or call 860.572.5346 for an application or e-mail Human Resources. We can only accept applications, accompanied by a resume if you wish, for positions for which we currently have an advertised opening. Applications must be filled out completely on both sides, be signed as well as dated, before they can be accepted for review.

Position Announcement: Collection Management Technician

Mystic Seaport's Collection and Research Department is seeking a Collection Management Technician: Full time (35 hrs./wk.) position assists with care and preservation of Museum’s Collections in storage, in transit and on exhibit. Maintains collections’ records, provides basic conservation and other duties as applicable. Requirements include Bachelor’s degree, ability to lift 50 lbs., general computer skills and valid driver’s license. Background check required. Mystic Seaport is an AA/EOE employer.

If you wish to apply for an advertised job opening, you can download an Employment Application (Adobe Acrobat Required) or call 860.572.5346 for an application or e-mail Human Resources. We can only accept applications, accompanied by a resume if you wish, for positions for which we currently have an advertised opening. Applications must be filled out completely on both sides, be signed as well as dated, before they can be accepted for review.

Christmas List

It's never too early to start thinking about my favorite holiday and a recent article in the Maine Antique Digest certainly got the idea's flowing. I know more than a few people who would appreciate receiving some of the items auctioned off at Christie's July 27th maritime sale.

For those more interested in steamship memorabilia check out the June 1 auction where "A painted cast bronze house flag and name board from a lifeboat aboard the R.M.S. Titanic of the White Star Line realized $72,000." Maine Antique Digest

According to the article items for the Steamship Auction came from "came from the collections of Jan J. Loeff, Ted Marcollo, the Steamship Society of America, dealer Kenneth C. Schultz, and from various other properties."

Maine Maritime Museum lands $1M gift

Full details from the timesrecord.com .

Congratulations!

USS Intrepid to Close for Repairs

The USS Intrepid closes after this weekend for a 58 million dollar overhaul that will include repainting the Intrepid's hull and rebuilding the Hudson River pier that has been its home at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

In addition, some areas that have been closed to visitors, including crew living quarters in the lower decks, will be fixed up so that they can become part of the tour when the museum reopens in the fall of 2008.

Newsday story

Job Posting:Collections Manager in St. Michaels, Maryland

Salary: Open
Type: Full Time - Experienced

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum seeks an organized candidate to facilitate public and internal access and intellectual property rights for growing object, image and oral history collections. Duties include cataloging, generating and updating loan agreements, supervision of collections volunteers, maintaining database records and contributing to exhibition development.

Requirements:
Bachelors in an appropriate field, MA preferred; and experience with museum collections required. Must be meticulous, highly organized and conscientious, but also flexible and able to take initiative. Basic Keyboarding and computer skills are necessary. Should be competent with databases and have good oral and written communications skills. Must receive resume by October 20, 2006.

Required Education: 4 Year Degree



Apply online at http://museumcareers.aam-us.org/jobdetail.cfm?job=2423506.32

CFP: Naval and Maritime History

The History Department of the United States Naval Academy invites proposals for papers to be presented at its 2007 Naval History Symposium in Annapolis, Maryland, from 20-22 September 2007. For decades, the Naval History Symposium has been a hallmark of the Academy's History Department, though curtailed in recent years due to the 9/11 attacks. The 2007 Symposium will mark its full resumption. We anticipate its robust continuation well into the future.

Proposals dealing with any aspect of naval and maritime history are welcome. Paper proposals should include an abstract not exceeding 250 words and a one-page vita. Proposals for panels are also encouraged and should contain an abstract and vita for each panelist. Mail proposals to Dr. M. Yu, History Department (12C), The United States Naval Academy, 107 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5044, or send electronic proposals to yu@usna.edu. The deadline for submitting proposals is 19
January 2007. The program committee expects to finalize the program in March 2007 and final versions of papers are due by 1 August 2007.

A limited number of travel stipends are available to scholars residing outside the United States and to graduate students living within the United States. Please indicate your desire to apply for a travel stipend in the cover letter or email that contains your proposal.

The program committee will award prizes to the best papers presented at the Symposium. As in the past, we will publish selected papers at a later date.

All inquiries should be sent to yu@usna.edu. For more details and updates, visit our website at http://www.usna.edu/History/Symposium.htm

or

Papers Invited

Things You Should Do In California

Things You Should Do In California

Trial Run

If you glance over to the right hand sidebar you'll notice a new link entitled "Maritime Events Calendar". This is a google enabled calendar through which I'd like to keep track of various events. So far I've entered some CFPs and Conferences. If you get a moment to click through and click around, please let me know if it's useful, or if not, what would make it more workable.
Thanks

San Francisco Maritime Changes to Appointment Only

San Francisco Maritime News Release


For Immediate Release
Contact: John Cunnane, Supervisory Park Ranger, 415-561-7123

Maritime Library Updates Access to Aid Researchers J. Porter Shaw Library will change to appointment only hours on Monday, October 2, 2006.

Libraries and the way people use them are changing in the technological 21st Century. More people are accessing information from the comfort of their own homes or from office computers, while fewer make visiting the library their first stop. In order to aid the remote researcher by increasing digital access to the vast array of maritime information in the Park collections, and to improve services provided to those who visit the library, the J. Porter Shaw Library of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park will be moving to appointment only hours beginning on Monday, October 2, 2006. The regular appointment hours will be Monday through Friday from 1 to 4pm (the library closes at 5pm).

Library reference staff is available to provide assistance with research in the Park’s collections (including printed, archival & photographic resources); reproduction requests and notices of intent to publish from park collections; referrals to other professionals within the Park for further research in the Park’s collections; and referrals to other organizations and research resources. These services are available on location, through email, telephone, FAX, or mailed in requests.

For more information, or to make an appointment, please call 415-561-7080 (recorded information) or 415-561-7030 during business hours to reach a Library staff member.

Appointments can also be made, and the Reference staff may be contacted through our website at http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/researchcontact.htm, by fax at 415-556-3540, or by mail:

Reference Librarian
SF Maritime NHP Library
Bldg. E, Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA 94123
USA

New (to me) Blog of Interest

The American Sail Training Association has a very informative Blog. Tall Ships Today!

According to ASTA the blog "will try to provide you with an insider's view the world of sail training, tall ships, experiential shipboard education and other interesting stuff. Most of the posts will be by me, Peter Mello, ASTA executive director; however, from time to time we will invite others to contribute. Your comments, suggestions, ideas and contributions are welcome."

The American Sail Training Association is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization focused on youth education, leadership development and the preservation of North America’s rich maritime heritage. Founded in 1973 in Newport, RI, the ASTA member fleet has over 200 tall ships and sail training vessels from 26 states and 30 countries that deliver life changing experiences for “youth” of all ages.

The 2006 Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships is being held 11/6 - 11/7 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Notice of Temporary Closing/Moving

Sometime within the next 3 to 6 months Mystic Seaport's G. W. Blunt White Library will moving across the street to its new home in the Collections Research Center. During this time the Library, Manuscript, Maps, Charts, and Periodical Collections will be unavailable. Please plan accordingly.

Editors note: Donations of alcholic beverages to aid in the accomplishment of this move will be gladly accepted.

Maritime Museum in the News

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic was closed yesterday, Sept. 11th. It also made the news as the backdrop for a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and about 200 protesters.

Full story

Online Maritime Book Club!

Life is funny. This morning while looking through the maritime news I was thinking how I had dropped the ball on book reviews. (There hasn't been one on the "Compass" in a long time.) Then I went to check my Seaport mail and there was an email from Heather Hernandez announcing her online maritime book club.

According to Heather:

------


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marbkclub/

Reviews and discussions of maritime books--fiction and non-fiction,old and new, and about maritime aspects of more general books. "Maritime" is understood in its broadest sense--the sea, ships, boats, rivers--if the book has something to do with something that floats, here's the place to talk about it.

We're just getting it off the ground, but we're hoping it will develop into a fun place to chat! Our members include a maritime librarian(me), a historian, and we've got a few enthusasists coming on board.

-----

I've signed on - my yahoo name is zaimmaa. Looking forward to talking 'maritime' with everyone.

One Year Anniversary

It's been one year now since the Maritime Compass first hit the internet.

And how, you ask, do I know that?

Do I have a photographic memory, keep meticulous records, or ... is International Talk Like a Pirate Day coming around again?

Yup, its number 3. On September 19th the world will again celebrate this uniquely maritime holiday - the subject of one of the Compasses very first posts.

For this years events check out the offical site.

Pensacola Developments

It's been coming across the news feeds on and off for the last year - Pensacola, FL has been seeking to become the home of the offical state maritime museum. But now its official, the Maritime Park has been approved and donations are pouring in for the Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center.

For more info check out the article in the Penscacola News Journal.

Job Posting

Old Dominion University Department of History invites applications for a
tenure-track position in economic or environmental history with research
specialization in maritime activities, maritime cultures or oceanic
systems. Appointment will be at the assistant or associate rank. Ph.D.
in History required. Teaching experience and relevant publications
preferred. Position begins July 2007. Submit letter of application,
c.v.,
three letters of recommendation and sample of publication to Dr. Jane T.
Merritt, Department of History, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
23529-0091. Screening of applicants will begin November 1, 2006 and
continue until position is filled. Old Dominion University, an equal
opportunity, affirmative action institution, requires compliance with
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Job Listing

The MHN Blog: Seattle Firm May Have Found Lost WWII Sub

The MHN Blog: Seattle Firm May Have Found Lost WWII Sub

31st Annual Whaling History Symposium

The New Bedford Whaling Museum will be hosting its annual symposium from Oct 14-15, this year.

Sessions include:

"Yankee Whaling in the Caribbean and its Impact in Local culture: The Logbooks Speak" with Aldermaro Romero, "Sails, False Flags, and Paper Chases: Recovering the Cruise of hte CSS Shenandoah" with Tom Chaffin, and "All About Woggins" with Storrs L. Olson on the Smithsonian Insitution.

October 14-15, 2006
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
$100 members, $120 non-members
For more information or to register, call 508-997-0046 ext. 101

Not sure what to do with this one

...but thought it would be of enough interest that I should post it.

A recent post on boardgamegeek.com reads as follows:

For all you wargamers and geeks in general.

I work for Jane's Information in the UK and we just unearthed the original Naval wargame designed by Fred T. Jane (late 1800's), our founder. It comes in a 4x4x2 (approx) crate!!! We now have to decide what to do to get it valued or whatever. Quite exciting stuff.

A link to Fred's story is here including a photo sitting with the game set up:

http://www.janes.com/company/about/whoisjane.shtml

Cheers,

Mark

News From Mariners Museum

Timothy Sullivan, late president of the College of William and Mary, will succeed John Hightower as president and CEO of The Mariners' Museum in November of this year.

Daily Press Story

William and Mary News
HamptonRoads.com

Position Announcement

Executive Director: Maritime & Yachting Museum

The Maritime & Yachting Museum of the Treasure Coast, a twelve-year-old, small museum with plans for significant expansion, seeks its first Executive Director. Unified Board will sell current property to renovate County buildings and move to busy park setting. Serious fundraising, programming and leadership duties lie ahead for enthusiastic individual.

Call for Papers and Workshops

Teaching and Learning in the Maritime Environment:
A Conference on Pedagogy & Scholarship

March 28-30, 2007 at The California Maritime Academy

The rich experience of teaching and learning in the maritime environment suggests that maritime educators are in a unique position to guide advances in experiential and learner centered higher education. The challenges and opportunities associated with maritime education are the foci of this conference, which will

· Establish a mechanism to recognize the contributions of all types of maritime faculty to the body of knowledge that is “maritime education.”
· Introduce maritime educators, newer to the “faculty” role, to the basics of contemporary pedagogy and scholarship.
· Provide an opportunity for the juried presentation (including “Proceedings” publication) of best “learner centered” practices in maritime education.
· Strengthen the grass roots, connectivity and resource network for campuses with a maritime mission.
· Enhance maritime campuses’ ability to relate to more comprehensive universities without lessening the unique culture that binds them to the sea.
· Chart the course for maritime education to serve as an exemplar for new directions in higher ed.

This conference is ideal for faculty on the professorial and vocational (a.k.a. “practice”) tracks in collegiate maritime academies, faculty working in both practical and theoretical aspects of maritime related disciplines (e.g., oceanography, naval architecture, marine biology and
other disciplines which may utilize research vessels, etc.), faculty in a wide variety of other arts and sciences areas with interest and expertise in subjects of a maritime nature (e.g., maritime historians, ocean engineers, etc.) and graduate students seeking careers in the above or
related areas.

With this call for papers and workshops, the program committee is looking for faculty working in the maritime milieu, and/or with maritime subject matter, to propose presentation of their best teaching and experiential learning practices as well as research findings, and exemplars of integrative undertakings including those in curriculum development, enrollment management, simulation (deck, engine, crisis management, etc.), and “semester-at-sea” or other “sea term” operations. Using the Carnegie Foundation’s Reconsidered Scholarship categories of teaching,
discovery, application and integration, the conference program, as currently envisioned, will include one all-day format of “how to” and “exemplar sharing” workshops and presentations in each category during 60 to 100 minute time slots and a second day format of 45 minute traditional academic paper/lecture presentations in the same categories. Both formal and informal opportunities for collegial discussion on specific maritime issues will also be provided.

To have your workshop or paper/lecture presentation considered for inclusion in the program, please prepare a detailed proposal or abstract describing the work to be shared and identifying which category (teaching, discovery, application, integration) will be addressed as well as which format (workshop [at 60 or 100 minutes] or 45 minute paper lecture presentation) the proposal would utilize. Identify a main presenter and supply all appropriate contact information. Submit your proposal, by Sept. 25, 2006, to

Teaching and Learning Program Committee
c/o Vice President for Academic Affairs
Cal Maritime, 200 Maritime Academy Drive
Vallejo, CA 94590.

Electronic submissions should be Microsoft Word Documents and should be sent to the program committee via email address T_L_conference_papers@csum.edu. Selected entries will be notified by October 23. Presenters must register for the conference (“early bird” deadline is November 1). For the “Proceedings”, presenters will need to submit final documents in a simple but “camera-ready” template format to be supplied at the time of proposal acceptance.

Conference registration and lodging information will be available during the early fall. Save the dates: March 28-30, 2007. Bookmark www.csum.edu.

140 Years Ago Today...

...the crew of the steamship GREAT EASTERN spliced the final link in the first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable. The 2,500 mile long cable ran from Newfoundland to Ireland.

(Smithsonian Magazine Photograph)

Maritime Museum of San Diego Receives $500,000

Congrats to San Diego! According to a story published today in The San Diego Union-Tribune :

A Point Loma couple has donated $500,000 to the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The gift from Bob and Laura Kyle will support scholars' research, publication and exhibit design.

The museum hopes the Bob and Laura Kyle Endowed Chair in Maritime History will attract prominent researchers and curators, and serve as a catalyst for future donors.

Museum of Underwater Archaeology

The online Museum of Underwater Archaeology has recently been redesigned and now contains not only exhibits on underwater projects, a children's introduction to underwater archaeology, but two new sections as well. "In The Field" is a new section where researchers can post brief updates on their current field work. Our first two entries include a project that is inventorying shipwreck sites throughout Chesapeake Bay. The other entry discusses archaeological work on a Civil War site on the Pamunkey River in Virginia that may contain numerous wrecks. The other new addition to the site is a blog component that discusses archaeological and historical website creation. Various issues from accessibility for the handicapped to online resources will be discussed. You can reach them all here:

http://www.uri.edu/mua

Digital Lighthouses

AIS or Automatic Identification Systems are being used and developed for a number of maritime functions including ship identification. The Chinese have also recently reported its succesful use as a "lighthouse".

Liu Gongchen, China's Maritime Safety Administration executive director-general recently told the ongoing 16th Conference of the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) that the AIS had given advance warning to vessels in the path of Chanchu and as a result no lives were lost.

Using digital communication technology the AIS records and reports information on vessels, including speed, location and course and receives other maritime information from onshore control stations and vessels linked to the AIS network.

The US Coast Guard is also working with AIS systems and provides a good deal of explanation on how they work.


How are we ever going to archive this?

Another Position: This one requiring maritime knowledge

The Battleship Texas State Historic Site is seeking a museum director. The duties of the director will include the management and supervision of staff, volunteers, and other personnel engaged in restoration, preservation, and interpretive programs; the development and implementation of preventive and corrective maintenance programs for the ship; the development and presentation of historically accurate exhibits and programs interpreting the naval service as well as the design features of and relating to the ship; the directing of research, acquisition, restoration, preservation, and interpretation of materials relating to the ship; and providing support and liaison for friends' groups, such as the Battleship Texas Foundation.


Full Description

Position: Museum Director - Vancouver Maritime

The Vancouver Maritime Museum seeks a skilled professional executive director to help the Museum chart a new and exciting course as we tell the maritime story of Canada's premier port city. The new director will reinvigorate day-to-day operations while leading the institution forward at a critical time of change. The position will be an appropriate challenge for someone with a strong background in operations and managing change, combined with an enthusiasm for public institutions.

Full Description

Editorial comment: Interestingly enough none of the requirements for the position involve either an understanding of things historic, or maritime. Is this the future?

Do fundo do mar... Sea bottom: Replica of 3,300-year-old shipwreck arrives in Bodrum

Do fundo do mar... Sea bottom: Replica of 3,300-year-old shipwreck arrives in Bodrum
A replica of the oldest known shipwreck, Uluburun II, built by the 360 Degree Historical Research Association in Urla, İzmir, arrived in Bodrum on Monday for display as part of activities marking the 80th anniversary of Cabotage Day.

Previously the ship had anchored in Istanbul, Marmaris, Cyprus and Kaş readying for the Cabotage Day celebrations, a maritime festival that commemorates the establishment of Turkey's sea borders and celebrated annually on July 1, reported the Anatolia news agency.

Position Announcement: Assistant Director, The National Maritime Center

The Nauticus National Maritime Center is looking for an Assistant Director.

Salary Range: $57,745 - $75,000/Yr

Duties include (but are not limited to):

• Directs and coordinates the daily activities for The National Maritime Center which includes Nauticus, The Hampton Roads Naval Museum, the Cruise & Celebration Center and the Battleship Wisconsin.
• ¨ Acts as liaison with the various tenant facilities within the center and ensures the myriad of activities taking place on-site are conducted smoothly.
• ¨ Coordinates various personnel and event schedules and logistics.
• ¨ Supervises the visitor services, maintenance, security, exhibits, education operations, special events and housekeeping units.
• ¨ Plans, develops and prepares training and maintenance plans.
• ¨ Recommends hiring and disciplinary actions; conducts performance evaluations.
• ¨ Reviews and comprehends various reports, contracts and correspondence.
• ¨ Analyzes and evaluates many complex and significant variables including city-wide policies, procedures or precedents being developed or recommended.
• ¨ Negotiates contracts with vendors for various services used by the center.
• ¨ Serves as Acting Director when appropriate.

Full Job Description available from the City of Norfolk

Postition Announcement

From: guardian jobs

Location: East London
Salary: £20,000-£25,000 - Two-year fixed-term contract - Greenwich
Closing date: 24 Jul 2006

With our ambitious collections programme, the National Maritime Museum brings Britain's maritime history to life by illustrating the importance of the sea, ships, time and the stars - and their relationship with people. In this fascinating role, you'll help us engage an ever-wider range of audiences by ensuring visitors have the best possible access to our collections.

Investigating our current use of collections data, you'll liaise widely with staff to develop fresh guidelines and procedures in terminology control for the Museum's collections records. In the process, you'll research best practice across the museum, libraries and archives sector as you apply the experience of other relevant institutions to our requirements.

Along with a degree in a relevant subject, you'll need substantial relevant experience - including some spent applying documentation standards and using collections management databases in a similar environment. We want to meet someone who can communicate at all levels, write detailed reports and guidelines, and work effectively both on their own and as part of a team.

Newport Harbor Nautical Museum Transitions from Sternwheel to Ferris Wheel

Today's L.A. Times reports that the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, of Newport Beach, California, will relocate its operations from the riverboat restaurant PRIDE OF NEWPORT to an amusement park property on the Balboa Peninsula known as "the Fun Zone". According to Museum Director David Muller, the museum lacked adequate programming and exhibition space on board the aging vessel, whose upkeep represented 30% of the Museum's annual budget. The Fun Zone's bumper cars, arcades, and carousels will soon make way for a 2,800 square-foot museum exhibition center. But mindful of the many happy memories Newport Beach residents have of the Fun Zone, Muller stressed that "...the Ferris wheel stays."

Record Year: Australian National Maritime Museum

Yahoo news reports that the Australian National Maritime Museum "has had its most successful year ever in the 12 months to June 30," and that "a total 464,188 people passed through the doors, eclipsing by more than 4200 the museum's previous best in the Olympic Games year 2000-01."

In November of 2003 the Musem dropped its general admission charges, giving free access to its permanent exhibitions and special temporary exhibitions, no doubt increasing attendance figures. At the same time the Museum still charges admission to see its ships - the destroyer HMAS Vampire, submarine HMAS Onslow and the Endeavour replica.

No income figures are available (as far as this blogger was able to determine), but it sure would be interesting to see how this method effected revenue. One would think that food, and trinket sales would most certainly have increased with the increased visitation. How cool would it be if these surpassed previous admission fees!

New Owners Wanted: Lowell Boat Shop

In the face of worsening financial woes followed by heavy storm and flood damage this spring, the Newburyport Maritime Society has shut down the Custom House Museum on the Newburyport waterfront for the season.

The dire financial situation has also led the maritime society board to concede it can no longer run both the Custom House and Lowell's Boat Shop, which it bought in 1994.

After several months debating the boat shop's future, board members and volunteer society director Patricia Dorfman said the board is ready to break away from Lowell's, the 212-year-old institution regarded as the country's oldest continually operating wooden boat-building business.

Dorfman said a task force of the maritime society board is negotiating with various groups, including the Lowell's Boat Shop Trust, a private nonprofit group of local individuals that formed in 1992 to preserve the shop's storied boat-building tradition.

Full Story at NewburyportNews.com

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.

Jackie Fisher who are you Dreadnought.

Justice Peter Smith, he who recently ruled on English “Da Vinci Code” copyright case embedded a secret code in his ruling. After two days a group of intrepid lawyers-cum-cryptographers from an Olswang law firm cracked this code to reveal the perhaps even more cryptic message "Jackie Fisher who are you Dreadnought".

It appears that “Jackie Fisher was England’s greatest admiral after Nelson, and was responsible for the creation of the Dreadnought, which was launched nearly exactly 100 years to the day of the start of the trial,” the judge wrote in an e-mail message. “Nevertheless, he has been airbrushed out of history.”

If you are among the masses who are ignorate of Admiral Fisher, and perhaps will have the need to drop some scintilating facts at an upcoming cocktail party:

According to Wikipedia, Admiral of the Fleet, John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, RN (January 25, 1841 – July 10, 1920), commonly known as "Jackie" Fisher, was a British admiral known for his efforts at naval reform. He had a huge influence on the Royal Navy in a career spanning more than 60 years, starting in a navy of wooden sailing ships armed with muzzle-loading cannon and ending in one of battlecruisers, submarines and the first aircraft carriers. The argumentative, energetic, reform-minded Fisher is often considered the second most important figure of British naval history, after Lord Nelson.

many thanks to Leigh for passing this story along!

Conference Announcement

The CENTRE FOR PORTUGUESE NAUTICAL STUDIES [CPNS] will be holding its second, international conference on Maritime Archaeology & History which will take place in Mossel Bay from 6-8 August 2006. Local and international presenters will take part in discussions on Maritime archaeology, Maritime history, Trade & Trade ceramics, Ships &
shipbuilding, Shipwrecks & Survivors, South African shipwrecks, shipwreck legislation & museums. Various sponsorship/marketing opportunities are available to companies wishing some international and local exposure.

For more details please visit: www.cpnssa.org

Good News For Lighthouse Buffs

The Texas State Historical Association proudly announces Texas Lighthouses,a new online gallery featuring images and historical information about the lighthouses and lightships along Texas's Gulf Coast, from Sabine Pass to Point Isabel, as well as special features on the design and construction of lighthouses and on the men and women who tended them.

It's a well documented and illustrated site.

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/gallery/texas_lighthouses.html

Conference Announcement

The Dublin Center for New England Folklife presents "In Our Own Words: New England Diaries, 1600 to the Present", a three day conference on historical perspectives of diary writing and diary production in New England and contiguous areas of New York State.

Sunday morning, June 18 is of particular interest to the Maritime Community

Harvesting the Sea

Rebecca Leah Zeidel, Harvard University: Fore and Aft: Women, Men, and the Work of Whaling on the Nauticon, 1848–1853

Karen Alexander, University of New Hampshire: “So Ends This Day”: Personal Records of Life at Sea from Nineteenth-Century New England Codfishermen’s Logs

Ship Logs, Piloting Journals, and Travel Diaries

Anne C. Farrow, The Hartford Courant: Linking New London and Africa: Ship Logs of the Africa, the Good Hope, and the Fox, 1757–1758

Colin Arms Porter, New York, New York: Presenting the Popham Colony: Robert Davies and His Diary

Katherine A. Grandjean, Harvard University: A Travel Diary?: In the Footsteps of Thomas Minor, 1653–1684

Personal note: gosh I wish I could go! (but I'll be returning from my bike ride thru Europe that day)

Cool Website Alert

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries have put together an impressive site on The United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842.

Including full text versions of the Narrative, Scientific Texts, Atlas, and Plate the site also includes links to related primary source, as well as articles by Expedition experts.

Everlasting life at sea

A paranormal researcher on board the Charles W. Morgan reported sensing "the presence of a seaman named Gerald" and "sickness, death and despair" among about 15 men as they rode out a large storm in their cramped sleeping quarters.

Friday's visit of the Rhode Island Paranormal Research group to Mystic Seaport was undertaken at the request of several visitors. Museum staff, while interested in all things maritime, aren't convinced of the presence of ghosts on board the ship. History and time leave their own impressions. There may well have been some Geralds (I haven't checked the crew lists yet there would certainly be more than 15 men experiencing sickness, death and despair over the course of many storms.

What is perhaps even more interesting is the fact that this story is being caried by the AP and showing up in more newspapers than any related maritime-type story that I've run across in about 5 months.

Full story at Duluth.com

Job Posting: UK Research Fellow

Britain's Atlantic Empire, 1650 - 1850

SIX-MONTH FIXED TERM CONTRACT, £30,000 pro rata

The National Maritime Museum is building on its success in telling Britain’s imperial and maritime story by developing two new galleries to explore the diverse histories and shared legacies of Britain’s maritime empires. The galleries, which have the collective working title of Britain’s Maritime Worlds, will focus on Britain’s interaction with the Atlantic and Asian worlds between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. The Museum’s world-class collections are particularly strong in these areas and the two galleries, which will open in autumn 2007 and 2008 respectively, will form the centrepiece of a range of Museum activities.

We are seeking a research fellow to help us take forward the research and interpretation on the first of these galleries, which deals with Britain’s Atlantic world. The fellow will be one of a team of professional exhibition curators and conservators working on the gallery and his or her primary role will be to provide them with the subject expertise needed to select and develop its main themes. The fellow will be expected to work closely with our 2- and 3-D collections, using their knowledge of the Atlantic world to weave an accurate, accessible and compelling history around them. Although experience of working with objects would be an advantage, it will be more important for the applicant to be able to demonstrate an awareness of the potential of material culture and a willingness to use the objects to draw out often complex historical meanings. The job will entail working with other departments in the Museum, particularly Education and Online Projects, to help them develop their own programmes to accompany the new gallery.

This varied and interesting position would ideally suit a researcher with a higher degree in imperial or maritime studies and a specialisation in an aspect of Atlantic history. The fellow will be excited by the challenges of presenting high-quality research to non-academic audiences within a gallery environment. They will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, and will enjoy the prospect of working in a team.

It is anticipated that a full-time curatorial position in the field of imperial and maritime studies will be advertised during the period of the fellowship, for which the fellow will be able to apply.

To apply please send a CV and covering letter to:

Human Resources
National Maritime Museum
Greenwich
London SE10 9NF
Email: recruitment@nmm.ac.uk

Closing date for the receipt of applications: 10 May 2006

National Archives Celebrates Maritime Month in May

WASHINGTON, April 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Archives will celebrate Maritime Month in May, 2006. Using Federal records, the National Archives will highlight the rich maritime history of the United States through special events, presentations, exhibits, and films at various National Archives facilities across the nation. For details, check the National Archives Maritime Month Web page at http://www.archives.gov/calendar/maritime-month.

Bush to Deliver Commencement Speech at Merchant Marine Academy

From chron.com

WASHINGTON - Every year since 1950, the senior class president of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy has written a letter to the president of the United States, asking him to deliver the commencement speech. And, every year since 1950 the president of the United States has declined the invitation — until now.

President Bush announced Thursday that he will deliver the keynote speech to the graduating class of the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., on June 19, making him the first sitting president to visit the institution since its creation in 1943.

Bush will also speak to the graduating classes at Oklahoma State University on May 6, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on May 11 and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. on May 27.

Those four will be the most college graduations he will have spoken at during his time in office in a single year.

"This is a very exciting event," said Martin Skrocki of the Merchant Marine Academy. "We've never had a U.S. president come to the academy."

Richard Nixon attended a function when he was vice president and Dan Quayle gave a speech to the academy in 1991, when he was vice president.

Bush has good reason to end this presidential embargo. Merchant mariners carry 95 percent of military supplies to the Persian Gulf.

When Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta gave the commencement speech at the academy in 2004, he noted that for nine days following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, mariners transported personnel and supplies such as food from Brooklyn and New Jersey to lower Manhattan.

New Article: Journal for Maritime Research

‘Icebergs’ and other recent discoveries in paintings from Cook’s second voyage by William Hodges

A new article in the March edition of the JMR looks particularly interesting. Especially to those interested in how primary sources were not so primary after all. Turns out the paintings, which have been taken for documenation, were probably edited to fit contemporary tastes.

Here's the abstract from the website:
Hodges was official landscape artist on Cook’s second Pacific voyage, 1772–75 and therefore the first professional painter to see both the tropical south-central Pacific and the Antarctic ice of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic sectors of the Southern Ocean. This note reports previously unrecorded features of several of his resulting works, discovered during their preparation for a 2004 exhibition of Hodges’ work at the National Maritime Museum. Raking light examination and X-radiography revealed significant hidden information, including variant title inscriptions and an unfinished view of Antarctic icebergs. These details challenge the accepted chronology of Hodges’ work and suggest that a more systematic re-examination of his Pacific paintings is still needed to reveal the full extent of their hidden information.

Job Posting: Independence Seaport Museum

The Independence Seaport Museum seeks a part-time, temporary (grant-funded through December 2006) Library and Archives Department Assistant.

Located on Philadelphia's historic Penn's Landing, Independence Seaport Museum provides a dynamic, interactive learning experience, and is home to OLYMPIA, Admiral Dewey's flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, and BECUNA, a WWII submarine, a boatbuilding workshop, changing exhibition galleries and a special collections library. The library houses an extensive collection of materials pertaining to the history of the Delaware Valley Region in a variety of formats, including manuscripts, photographs, architectural drawings, maps and ephemera.

Please see www.phillyseaport.org for more information about ISM, and about the library's collections and services.

The ideal candidate will have practical experience in special library reference service and archives collection management, and will have the opportunity to make an important contribution to the Department's objective to increase access to its holdings.

DUTIES: Schedule research appointments, and assist and monitor users with library and archives collections in the reading room. Answer reference questions by mail. Assist library director with administrative tasks and collections care, such as inventories, data entry, photocopying and scanning, shelving, filing, and other duties as assigned. Conduct original research for exhibit support, and in order to produce finding aids. Assist with processing of archival collections, including arrangement and description, rehousing, and basic conservation.

SALARY AND HOURS: Three days a week on a consistent schedule during the library’s public service hours: Tuesday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $12 an hour.

REQUIRED: The assistant will be the public's primary contact with the library, and therefore expected to present a professional, service-oriented demeanor, with a pleasant phone manner and authoritative presence in the reading room. Other requirements include excellent writing skills; attention to detail; dependability; ability to work both independently and with the public; understanding of primary sources; care in handling unique materials.

PREFERRED: Previous employment in a library or research setting strongly preferred. Undergraduate degree in humanities; knowledge of American/maritime history/technology; training in archival practice; facility with Microsoft Office and OCLC.

TO APPLY: Send resume and cover letter to Megan Fraser, Library Director; Independence Seaport Museum; 211 S. Columbus Blvd. at Walnut Street; Philadelphia, PA 19106; fax: (215) 925-6713; or e-mail library@phillyseaport.org

Resumes without cover letters will not be considered,

Maritime Researcher Wanted

This was posted on the Archives Listserve earlier today:

The Intrepid Museum is looking for a researcher to compile a listing of materials related to the USS Intrepid that are in the pocession of NARA and the Library of Congress.

Can anybody recommend any researchers in the Washington DC area who have a background in Naval/Maritime History that would be interested in such a project.

Please reply to:

larrybird1j@NETSCAPE.NET
Larry Sheldon
Collections Manager
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum