Ships Notes, Seaport & Museum News

... On 25 October, Gary Jobson was elected president of the US Sailing Association. Gary Jobson is a former All-American collegiate sailor; later he went on to win the America's Cup in 1977 as tactician for Ted Turner aboard Courageous. As a broadcaster/producer (he is ESPN's sailing analyst), lecturer, and writer (he is an editor-at-large of Sailing World and Cruising World), Jobson is this country's pre-eminent ambassador for the sport of sailing. He has authored 16 books and has won numerous prestigious awards, in both sailing and broadcasting; in 2006, he was the recipient of the NMHS Distinguished Service Award. US Sailing, a nonprofit organization, is the national governing body for sailing and provides leadership for Acfor the sport in the United States. For more on Mr. Jobson, visit www.jobsonsailing.com; information on US Sailing can be found at www.ussailing.org ...

...Great news for the Nantucket Lightship LV-112! On 20 October the National Lighthouse Museum announced the official transfer of stewardship of the Nantucket Lightship, LV-112, the nations' largest floating lightship and a national landmark, to the newly formed United States Lightship Museum. The vessel,
which has been berthed in Oyster Bay, Long Island for 4 years, will be moved to Boston for restoration and then be opened as a museum honoring the lightship service. It is appropriate that the vessel return to Boston, since that was the ship's original home port. LV-112 held the most remote manned light station on earth, over 100 miles off the US mainland marking the treacherous Nantucket Shoals. The vessel was retired in 1975. The Nantucket Lightship LV-112 was the subject of the cover article in Sea History 126, Spring 2009. www.nantucketlightshiplv-112.org ...

...Donjon Marine, a provider of marine services including marine salvage, heavy lift, dredging, and related emergency response services, has been awarded two separate contracts for salvage work on archaeological sites in Texas and New York. The US Navy awarded an archaeological site removal contract to Donjon Marine to perform diving, clam-shell dredging, and wreck removal services for the Civil War gunboat, USS Westfield, that was sunk by Confederate fire during the Battle of Galveston in 1863. The sunken vessel lies  in 40 feet of water in Galveston Bay in Texas. USS Westfield, an 822-ton sidewheel inshore gunboat, was built in 1861 in New York City as a civilian ferryboat. She was purchased by the Navy in 1861 and sent to the Gulf of Mexico in February 1862. Westfield took an active part in the campaign to open the lower Mississippi River and capture New Orleans. In the fall of 1862, Westfield participated in the capture of Galveston. On 1 January 1863, she ran aground during a Confederate attack. To prevent capture, USS Westfield was blown up by her crew. The site work involves removal of Civil War artifacts and munitions such as shells, bullets, cannons and other materiel, as well as dredging of the Bay near the wreckage. An explosives team from the US Department of Defense is also involved in the handling of the munitions from the wreck. The site has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Donjon was also awarded a second contract to remove the sunken ferry Ellis Island. In its 50 years of service, the steam ferry transported approximately 12 million immigrants to and from Ellis Island's processing facility in New York.

In 1968, after sitting at the dock for 14 years, the ferry sank in its present position at the head of the Ellis Island ferry slip. The ferry's engine, boiler, and drive train will be removed with the help of underwater burning equipment. Certain pieces of the wreckage may be included in the Ellis Island Museum. For information on Donjon Marine Co., Inc., visit www.donjon.com ...

... The Maritime Museum of San Diego is building a full-sized, fully operational, and historically accurate replica of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo's flagship, San Salvador. Sixty-five years before the first English settlement took hold on the North American continent, Europeans sighted, charted, and made first contact with the native inhabitants of what would one day be the west coast of the United States. When the small San Salvador entered the harbor now called San Diego, the galleon was perhaps the most powerful vessel in the Pacific Ocean. This replica ship will symbolize California's multi-cultural origins, highlight the first encounters between Europeans and Native American populations, document the dawn of the scientific revolution, translate its significance and crucial lessons concretely for all visitors-particularly for K-12 students, demonstrate advances in maritime history, and celebrate Cabrillo's contributions as the leader of the earliest  European exploration of California. The museum will build the ship in full view of the public and, after launching, the San Salvador will remain on exhibit as part of the museum's fleet of historic and replica ships and will travel along the California coast as an ambassador for San Diego. A $6 million campaign goal is underway for the purpose of building the ship ($5 million) and to build an endowment ($1 million) that will provide funding to care for the museum's fleet for future generations. (MMSD, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego, California 92101; Ph.  619 234-9153; www.sdmaritime.org) ...

The American Sail Training Association is partnering with Great Lakes United (an environmental organization dedicated to preserving the water resources of the Great Lakes) to produce the Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge® 2010 next summer. More than 20 vessels from Europe and North America will participate in races and cruises in all five Great Lakes with port events currently scheduled for: Toronto, Cleveland, Bay City, Duluth, Green Bay, and Chicago. For more information, see www.sailtraining.org/tallships/2010greatlakes/index.php ...

...On Labor Day weekend, the Hudson River was filled with tugs of all shapes and sizes competing in the 16th Annual New York Tugboat Challenge. The day included the Great North River Rae, the nose-to-nose pushing contest, the line throwing competition, and awards for best-looking tug, best-dressed crew, best tattoo, and best mascot. Presented by the Working Harbor Committee and organized by Capt. John Doswell and founder Jerry Roberts, the event is hosted by The Hudson River Park Trust at Pier 84 in Manhattan. NMHS Chairman Ron Oswald will be a judge next year at the 2010 Tugboat Challenge, which will take place on Sunday, 5 September 2010. More information on the event can be found at www.workingharbor.com ...

... "Ships, Explorers, and the World Trade Center," a new exhibition being developed at India House in New York City, will open to the public on 2 February and run through the end of the month.   the exhibition will document the facts and fictions of some of New York's oldest maritime relics and also charts the locations of 'trade centers' in Lower Manhattan, from Dutch times to the building of the World Trade Center in the 1960s. A special viewing and fundraiser on 3 February will honor NMHS President emeritus Peter Stanford and his work to preserve the 'World Trade Center Anchor.' India House, One Hanover Square, New York, NY; Ph. 212 877-9689; www.indiahousefoundation.org