POTOMACFranklin D. Roosevelt’s “FloatingCURRENTS White House” Oakland, 2006 Volume 3 Number 3 Sailor, Mentor and The Potomac Hosts HAMS Ambassador of Goodwill Meet Potomac Captain By Les Marks

“Skip” Eltringham The USS Potomac was a navy ship and like all navy ships since the early 1900’s, used radios as its main mode of communication for passing messages between the ship and shore stations. For long distance communication, the high frequency (HF) band was used. That is the same band that is used The Potomac Association is very fortunate to by Ham Radio Operators for communicating with other Ham operators all over the world. have our historic Presidential Yacht in the very capable hands of Capt. Skip Eltringham. Skip In the radio room aboard the Potomac, there are two old gray radio receivers from the 1940’s that came to the Potomac in 2002 when he was joint- are typical of the radios that would have been on board when President Roosevelt used the Potomac. ly recruited by Ship Keeper Larry Harrison and The radio operator would have used such equipment to send and receive messages for the president. Bosun Bruce Waygood. He was a volunteer on Every radio station has a unique call sign to identify itself while it is on the air. The call sign for the the Jeremiah O’Brien at the time and was look- radios on the USS Potomac when it was a navy ship was NEJP. ing to expand his horizons. In this age of around-the-world instant communication by satellite, we are attempting to preserve the heritage of HF radio communication by operating a Ham radio station on board the Potomac. Over the past several years, Peter Hoffman has set up a temporary Ham station on board and oper- ated the station for special events using the call sign N6P. In September 2005, our ship keeper, Craig Newton, obtained a Club Amateur Radio License with the call sign KI6ASN for the Potomac, although we have not yet organized a formal club.

Radio equipment can be expensive, so we looked to our friends in the Ham radio community to see if there might be some good used equipment available that we could purchase at a reasonable cost. Jim McWhorter from the Livermore Amateur Radio Klub (LARK) asked us to put our station equipment requirements in a letter to LARK for presenta- tion at their Klub meeting. We were elated when LARK informed us that the Klub would donate a radio transceiver and power supply to the Potomac. On May 4, 2006, a Ken- wood TS-440S transceiver and a Daiwa RS-40XII power It did not take long for Skip to be hooked on supply were delivered and set up on the Potomac by Jim the powerful history of the Potomac and the man McWhorter of LARK. she served. As he says, “I enjoy the Potomac be- cause of the historic background, and I believe it The equipment was initiated into service by Ron Kane, Arnold Harding, Doug Jones and Dave is important to preserve it for future generations. Counts of LARK, along with Les Marks of the Potomac, the weekend of June 3 for the annual Mu- The ship has a story to tell about one of our great seum Ships on the Air event. During about nine hours of operation that weekend, 73 contacts were presidents. All of the crew and I really love this logged, five of which were with other Museum Ships. This year there were 66 Museum Ships from old vessel; she is special.” around the world that participated. The Bay Area was well represented with the USS Hornet, USS Pampanito, SS Red Oak Victory and, of course, the Potomac. Skip is currently the most active of our ca- pable cadre of five captains. His service- en We will continue to team with LARK to have guest radio operators on board for special events compasses all of his duties as captain, as well as well as for regular History Cruises. We will also look to their expertise for help in getting our as recruiting, scheduling, training and mentor- Potomac Radio Club organized. Any Potomac volunteer or staff member who is a licensed Ham ing crewmembers and future captains. He has a radio operator is welcome to be a part of our club. Cont. on Page 2 Page 2 Skip cont. from Page 1 talent for uncovering the potential in new crew and mentoring them through the process of up- grading their Merchant Marine Documents and Marti’s Musings ultimately acquiring a captain’s license. On the bridge, Skip is all business; competent, profes- The Association for the Preservation of the Presidential sional and well respected by all who visit him Yacht Potomac (yes, that is our “real” name) has been fortu- there. nate over the years in the dedicated and talented folks it attract to the Board of Governor. At the June meeting we were de- For the Potomac guest, a visit to the bridge lighted to welcome two new members to the Board of Gover- to meet the captain is often the highlight of their nors. They are: experience on the ship. Skip’s cordial welcome to visitors, and his willingness to share the ex- •Curtis R. Davies perience of observing how the ship operates, is a treat for young and old. Once the vessel Curtis Davies brings over 30 years of business experience is docked, Skip can usually be found on the in commercial real estate to the board. The majority of that gangway, thanking our guests for coming and experience has been in hospitality-oriented business. This sharing a congenial “Come sail with us again” expertise will serve the Association well as it moves forward as they depart. Our own goodwill ambassador. with a valued historic landmark property in the Bay Area. The goodwill Skip shares is reflected in the Potomac crew as well. I am so often compli- The Potomac was brought to Curtis’ attention when a re- mented by passengers with the comment, “The quest was made by current Board Member Tom Morehouse for captain and crew were so friendly and helpful, a corporate contribution to our educational program. Curtis’ it was a pleasure being on board.” The Potomac company, Buchanan Street Partners, followed through with a is fortunate indeed to have such a fine group of generous gift of $10,000 to help fund the 2007 student cruise program. This gift will pay more than folks running the ship. 50 percent of the cost of the program for the coming year.

I asked Skip to describe for me his most Shortly thereafter, Curtis took advantage of an opportunity to bring his family on board the Po- hair-raising experience as captain of the Po- tomac for an Opening Day on the Bay cruise. It was during the cruise, after a warm and delightful tomac. He recalled, “It was a dark and stormy afternoon on the bay, that Tom Morehouse recruited Curtis to our board. night and we were returning from a charter run to . Just as we got the after bow Curtis’ enthusiasm for the Potomac and her mission, his experience in working with local cor- spring line made fast (for the uninitiated, the af- porations and the fact that he is a UC Berkeley graduate all add up to a wonderful addition to our ter bow spring line is key to bringing the ship to Board of Governors. Welcome aboard, Curtis R. Davies. a stop and a safe docking position), a big gust of wind caught us from behind and pushed us •Kirk O. Rowlands hard against the dock. Fortunately there were fenders along the dock itself, but the aluminum Kirk Rowlands’ lifetime interest and research into the life and times of Franklin Delano Roosevelt railing on the ramp did take on a new look.” No and World War II bring a whole new dimension of understanding to our Association. In addition to damage was done to the ship, thanks to Skip’s his extensive studies, Kirk served during the “Great War” from 1943 to 1945 and brings the knowl- handling skills and the quick reaction of the edge of actual experience. We are pleased to welcome such a distinguished scholar to our board. crew. Kirk’s career with academia spans 30 years of service in the office of the president at UC Berke- LCDR Norman P. “Skip” Eltringham, (USN, ley in areas of budget and finance. He graduated from Washington State, received an MBA from Ret), joined the family of the Presidential Yacht University of Washington and conducted postgraduate studies as both Harvard and UC Berkeley. Potomac following a long, 30-year career in the U.S. Navy, 13 of which were in the submarine We will certainly be extending an invitation to Kirk Rowlands to share some of his experiences service. He started his Navy career at 17 when and knowledge with our docents and friends through our oral history program this fall. his Mom gave him the ultimatum, “You have three choices: go to school, go to work or join And finally,I would personally like to extend an invitation to all our readers, friends and guests to the service.” Joining the Navy was a logical visit our Potomac Visitor Center. Our most recent exhibit on the life of is excel- choice for young Skip as he was born and raised lent. It was researched and designed by Addie Silviera, one of our super spring 2006 interns. There in the Navy town of New London, Connecti- is also a new look to our electronic museum with a much-simplified welcome page and several new cut. He spent 16 years as an enlisted man, five files on the travels of President Roosevelt. This upgrade was designed and installed by Andrea as a chief warrant officer, where he learned to Martin, another of our interns. “drive” ships, and nine as a commissioned of- ficer. During his service Skip earned a degree Cheers till next time. in business and economics at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Marti B.

Following his retirement from the Navy, Skip time with the Marine Science Institute and sub- lege professor, and a security officer. He has decided to expand his experience and joined the sequently with the oil spill response vessel, Pa- been married to the lovely Edna (also a Potomac Merchant Marine. He did not join as a captain, cific Responder in . Skip still volunteer) Eltringham since they met and fell however. He needed to learn some different sails as relief master, mate, or AB with the Re- in love at the NAS Alameda Officers’ Club 26 skills, and so served as an able seaman and third sponder in addition to his Potomac duties. years ago. mate. He spent time learning the skills needed on deep-sea surface vessels with the Military Skip is the proud dad to ”My three sons:” From all of us at the Potomac Association, a Sealift Command and then began working part a mechanical engineer, a commercial arts col- hearty “Well done, sailor.” Page 3 NOW HEAR THIS LAGNIAPPE

Cajun- A little something extra How wonderful it is to be a part of the Potomac family. The Roosevelts in Song Volunteering on behalf of this historic national treasure is The Roosevelt Library in New York contains rewarding in itself. Add to that the interaction with other ,some fourteen thousand songs that regular volunteers and crew AND most important, visitors, and it Americans wrote to Franklin Delano and El- couldn’t get much better. eanor Roosevelt during their time in the White House. Recently I had the pleasure of hosting a get-together for family and friends aboard the Potomac. Among the guests From Weekend Edition, NPR were family members from out of state and local friends, April 21, 2001 including Potomac docents. Some guests had never vis- ited our treasure and were as awed as I was the first time I on War set foot on the vessel several years ago. One day President Roosevelt told me that he was asking publicly for suggestions about what True to their calling, the docent-guests not only answered questions, they also conducted tours. the war should be called. I said at once, “The Most of us do feel a personal connection to the Potomac, which I believe is quite apparent. Am I Unnecessary War.” proud of being a member of this special group of people? You bet! Winston Churchill, 1948 Some comments from guests: Wartime Rationing Ration-time recipes are offered to you in the Being on board FDR’s Floating White House is an EVENT… hope that they will help solve some of the prob- lems of planning wholesome well-rounded war- There seems to be a pride of ownership… time meals for your family. Getting a tour of the engine room was special… Taking into consideration the rationing of some foods, and the scarcities of many others, we We even visited the pilot house… assembled from leading dietitians these reci- pes emphasizing extra value from your ration Angie Papastefan, Editor points. [email protected]

You will find that these recipes are also- eco Special thanks to Dorothy M. Frye for her editorial assistance. nomical in cost. Margarine, used throughout, provides nutritional value but is not expensive. It is useful both as a cooking fat and as a deli- cious table spread. PICKY, PICKY PIRATES

Published by National Cotton Council of Amer- While he was president, FDR probably never thought about the possibility of pirate ships. Today, ica, early 1940’s there is a resurgence of brazen pirate attacks, usually carried out from small vessels. In the days of yore, a variety of vessels were used for different types of “jobs.” Some pirates even had a flagship in their fleet. These are a few of the vessels of choice:

Square-rigger Most often used as the flagship. It was as much as 110 feet long (the Potomac is 165 feet long) and could carry as many as 200 men and much loot. ELEANOR ROOSEVELT Schooner This I Remember, 1949 This was the vessel of choice for shoal water because of her shallow draft. Sloop I have never known a man who gave one a Great for smugglers because of her rapier-like bowsprit (a large spar projecting forward). The greater sense of security (than Franklin). That word sloop may have originated from the Dutch sloep, a ship that sails well. For sailors, a further was because I never heard him say there was description is “a one-masted fore-and-aft-rigged sailboat.” A sloop could carry 75 men and 14 can- a problem that he thought it was impossible nons. for human beings to solve. He recognized the Brigantine difficulties and often said that while he did not This word comes from the French brigand for “a lawless fellow who lives by plunder.” It is an know the answer, he was completely confident apt description for the vessel since the Brigantine was the preferred combat vessel. It could carry a that there was an answer; that somewhere a man crew of 100 and mount 10 cannons. could be found who could give the answer, and Carrack that one had to try until one either found it for Although defined as “a type of merchant ship, often armed,” it was used by the Spanish and oneself or got it through someone else. He never Portuguese in their long voyages to the East Indies. One source tells us the word comes from the talked about his doubts. When he was planning Old French caraque and could go back to the Arabic qaraqir. Another source describes this as something he consulted many people and took kerkouros, a long-sterned Cypriote vessel. the best advice he could get, but once he had made his decision he wasted no time in worry. Thanks to Don DeCoss for provding background for this article. Page 4

CONTRIBUTIONS and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • January to June 2006 Corporate Patron Captain Daniel Lamey Buchanan Street Partners Mary Bergan Jack Lapidos Olaf Elander E. Richard Martin Patron George Fraser David and Myrna McGraw Buzz Gibb Linda Huber Jim O’Connor Stanley Jacobsen and Emmy Werner Richard Knowles and Merlyn Uhlenberg David Shaw James McCloud Wanda Vivano Commander-in-Chief Angie Papastefan Brian Withiam Jim Bolen John Roveda Robert Woodruff Denny and Ruth McLeod Gordon Seligson Gary Pfeiffer John Welland Fala Beverly Voelker Don Bonney Dick Zampa (Ironworkers International) First Mate Gus Dorough Bruce and Gail Adair Joseph Echelberry Admiral Miriam and Leon Bloomberg Georgia Edlund Albert Groh Windy and Jerry Butler Leroy and Marlene Hintzman Fred Cunningham Walter Jaffee, Capt. Eleanor Lester and Elaine Dropkin Lucy John Ruth Adar Robert Eakin and Avis Hendley Frank McConville Dale Hansen Bill and Marie Ewing Terry and Carolyn Moreland Douglas Higgins Dorothy and Julie Filice Dawn Muller Norman and Nancy Forrest Herbert Ploch Mary Rudser Board of Governors and Staff Bonnie and Earl Hamlin Bill and Sue Hodges Michael Roosevelt, Chairman Ray and Robin Hunt Student/Teacher Carla Betts, President Marvin Jensen Ted Brown Al Groh, 1st Vice President Neal and Nancy Lamby Elizabeth Hannon Tom Morehouse, 2nd Vice President Art Haskel, CFO Willis Deming, Secretary Rick Anderson Note: if you have any questions or comments about the above listing, please e-mail: gseligson@usspotomac. Mary Bergan org or write to Friends of the Potomac, Attn, Gordon Seligson, P.O.Box 2064, Oakland CA 94604 Joe Brennan Curtis Davies David Connolly POTOMAC SCHEDULE 2006 Virginia Furth Buzz Gibb SPECIAL CRUISEs Judy Goff Fleet Week, Oct. 7 and 8 • Veteran’s Day, Nov.11 Doug Higgins Angel Island; Cruise, Tram Tour and Lunch. Aug. 24, James McCloud Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 15. Denny McLeod Call for reservations and pricing Kirk Rowlands DOCKSIDE TOURS Ron Paredes The Potomac is open for docent-led dockside tours from mid-January to mid-December. Tours Richard Zampa are approximately 45 minutes and include a 15 minute video shown in the Visitor Center. Wednesday and Friday 10:30am to 2:30pm Marti Burchell, Executive Director Sunday 12 Noon to 3:30pm Dockside Ticket Pricing: The Potomac Association $7/Adult • $5/Seniors • 12 and under/Free 540 Water Street P.O. Box 2064 Oakland, CA 94604 Telephone: 510-627-1215 SPRING HISTORY CRUISES e-mail: [email protected] Enjoy a two-hour narrated History Cruise with our knowledgeable docents. Complimentary coffee,

The Potomac Newsletter is published tea and water will be available. Tickets must be purchased by contacting Ticket Web at www.tick- by the Association for the Preservation etweb.com or by calling 866-468-3399. Spring cruising season resumes in May 2007. Reservations of the Presidential Yacht, Potomac, Inc. are highly recommended. Groups of 20 or more must make reservations by calling the Potomac Printed courtesy of the ’s Association at 510-627-1215. REPROGRAPHIC DEPARTMENT

Editor: Angie Papastefan All Cruises Depart at 11am Layout and Design: David McGraw History Cruise Ticket Pricing: Editorial Board: Ron Arrants, Marti Burchell, and David McGraw Adults $40.00 / Seniors (over 60) $35.00 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: Youth 6-12 / $20.00, Under 6 Free No part of this publication may be reproduced Groups of 20 or more $30.00 without written permission by the publisher For further dates and information: www.usspotomac.org