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Winter 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 1/26/2009 2:35 PM Page 1 JANUARY ANCHOR FEBRUARY MARCH WATCH 2009 The Quarterly Journal of the Historic Naval Ships Association www.hnsa.org 1948-2008 Ship Donation Program 60th Anniversary Winter 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 1/26/2009 2:35 PM Page 2 2 ANCHOR WATCH HNSA STAFF HNSA OFFICERS President William N. Tunnell, Jr., U.S.S. Alabama/U.S.S. Drum Executive Director Vice President CDR Jeffrey S. Nilsson, U.S.N. (Ret.) RADM John P. (Mac) McLaughlin, U.S.S. Midway Executive Director Emeritus Secretary CAPT Channing M. Zucker, U.S.N. (Ret.) LCDR Sherry Richardson, H.M.C.S. Sackville Executive Secretary Treasurer James W. Cheevers COL Patrick J. Cunningham Individual Member Program Manager Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park CDR Jeffrey S. Nilsson, U.S.N. (Ret.) Immediate Past President Anchor Watch Editor Captain F. W. "Rocco" Montesano, U.S.S. Lexington Jason W. Hall Battleship New Jersey Museum HONORARY DIRECTORS Webmaster Admiral Thad W. Allen, U.S. Coast Guard Richard S. Pekelney Sean Connaughton, MARAD International Coordinator Admiral Michael G. Mullen, U.S. Navy Brad King Larry Ostola, Parks Canada H.M.S. Belfast Vice Admiral Drew Robertson, Royal Canadian Navy Admiral Sir Alan West, GCB DCD, Royal Navy DIRECTORS AT LARGE Captain Jack Casey, U.S.N. (Ret) H.N.S.A. COMMITTEE U.S.S. Massachusetts Memorial CHAIRPERSONS Maury Drummond U.S.S. KIDD Alyce N. Guthrie Annual Conference PT Boats, Inc. William N. Tunnell, Jr. Brad King U.S.S. Alabama/ U.S.S. Drum H.M.S. Belfast Awards Terry Miller James W. Cheevers Tin Can Sailors, Inc. United States Naval Academy Museum Associate Member Representative Communications CAPT F. W. "Rocco" Montesano, USN (Ret) Dr. John C. Fakan, U.S.S. Cod U.S.S. Lexington Curatorial Ms. Patricia J.Rogers Richard S. Pekelney Individual Member Representative Carnegie Science Center Education Timothy C. Rizzuto Karin Hill, The Navy Museum U.S.S. Slater Insurance Patricia Rogers COL Patrick J. Cunningham Carnegie Science Center Buffalo Naval Park CAPT Michael J. Schneider, USN (Ret) Marketing S.S. John W. Brown Paul C. Farace, U.S.S. Cod Membership William Sheridan CDR Jeffrey S. Nilsson, U.S.N. (Ret.) U.S.S. Saratoga Museum Foundation Preservation Joseph W. Lombardi Bruce Smith Ocean Technical Services Port Columbus Civil War Naval Center Submarines Matt Woods William N. Tunnell, Jr. Intepid Sea, Air and Space Museum U.S.S. Alabama/U.S.S. Drum Winter 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 1/26/2009 2:35 PM Page 3 ANCHOR WATCH 3 THE ANCHOR WATCH TEAM CONTENTS FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, Jeffrey S. Nilsson...4 WINTER 2009 U.S.S. TEXAS, Anglea McCleaf...5 Executive Editor LST-325, Bob Jornlin...6 JEFFREY S. NILSSON NAVAL HISTORICAL FOUNDATION, Dr. David F. Winkler...7 Publisher U.S.S. HORNET, Pete Sutherland ...8 ROBERT D. BOARD LIGHTSHIP OVERFALLS, David Bernheisel...8 Editor JASON W. HALL NAVAL ORDER OF THE UNITED STATES, Capt. Ken Johnson...9 Battleship NEW JERSEY Museum 62 Battleship Place NEW & RENEWING HNSA MEMBERS...10 Camden, New Jersey 08103 U.S.A. Tel: 856-966-1652 ext. 201 U.S.S. NEW JERSEY, Stephanie Walsh...11 [email protected] HNSA NEWS & VIEWS, Jeffrey S. Nilsson...12 Anchor Watch Editors Emeritus H.M.C.S. HAIDA, Alice R. Willems...13 ROBERT A.WILLSON ANNE E. McCARTHY NEW HNSA INSURANCE AVAILABLE, Mike Blecher...13 D. DOUGLAS BUCHANAN, JR. EDITOR GONE A ROVING, Jason W. Hall...14 Proofreaders D. DOUGLAS BUCHANAN, JR. RV TRIESTE II, Ron Roehmholdt...16 JEFFREY S. CARY U.S.S. MONITOR, Erin Secord...17 JOE MORAN JEFFREY S. NILSSON QUEENSLAND MARITIME MUSEUM, David Jones...18 SUSAN M. NILSSON TRIVIA CHALLENGE, Jeff Cary with Paul Stillwell...19 Contributing Writers DAVID BERNHEISEL MIKE BLECHER JEFF CARY JASON W. HALL CAPT. KEN JOHNSON DAVID JONES THE COVER BOB JORNLIN Below left: Opening day of Battleship Texas ANGELA MCCLEAF JEFFREY S. NILSSON Museum, 1948. Below Right, Battleship Texas Museum, 2008. RON ROEHMHOLDT ERIN SECORD PAUL STILLWELL PETE SUTHERLAND STEPHANIE WALSH ALICE R. WILLEMS DR. DAVID F. WINKLER DISCLAIMER Articles represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Historic Naval Ships Association (HNSA) Winter 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 1/26/2009 2:35 PM Page 4 4 ANCHOR WATCH awarded to Mr. Robert Walters for all his work with the Battleship New Jersey Museum. Bob had served onboard FLOTSAM AND JETSAM the U.S.S. New Jersey as a Quartermaster from 1955 to BY JEFFREY S. NILSSON 1957 and in 1998 began the work that would lead to the ship becoming one of the premier historic naval ship museums in the world. Bob’s hard work paid off when in 1999 the Navy awarded the ship to Camden, N.J. Following aquisition of the ship, Bob’ efforts shifted to coordinating fundraising, collecting artifacts from veterans of the ship, and public relations events and press coverage. When the ship arrived in 2000, Bob became one of the first official volunteers of the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, and in May of 2001, became one of the first paid employees as the Artifact Collections Manager, a title he would hold for seven years. The people of Camden, New Jersey, the volunteers and staff of the Battleship New Jersey, and every visitor who walks on those proud decks e had a well attended 43rd HNSA Annual owes a debt of gratitude to the man who helped make it all Conference that was held in Mount Pleasant, happen, Mr. Robert Walters. South Carolina and hosted by the folks at WPatriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum. Southern The other Casper J. Knight Award was presented to hospitality is alive and well as was evidenced by all who NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (MNMS). attended the conference. A number of very interesting and Between 1975 and 1995, the MNMS staff oversaw or informative papers were given dealing with a wide range of directly participated in a series of 34 public and private subject matter which included curatorial concerns, multi- expeditions to the Monitor wreck site. This was no small media, collections, gift shop operations and audio tours. task; the wreck is situated in a dynamic environment. The conference was highlighted with a number of These volatile conditions often give rise to violent storms, extracurricular activities such as a tour of the submarine the kind in which the Monitor sank, that create strong C.S.S. H. L. Hunley Lab and Museum, a dinner cruise of bottom currents that can scour out sections of the ship over Charleston Harbor, and the gala banquet. The keynote guest time. speaker was South Carolina State Senator Glenn McConnell. By the mid-1990s the condition of the wreck had deteriorated to the point that MNMS staff became In addition to the education and networking aspects of the determined to implement a more accelerated and ambitious conference, the 2008 Annual HNSA Awards were recovery program. MNMS has recovered numerous presented. The Historic Ships Preservation/Exhibition artifacts and materials from the Monitor. Over a period of Award was presented to Mr. Nick Vaginos of the Patuxent five years, MNMS has recovered the Monitor’s distinctive River Naval Air Museum; the Bos’n Marvin Curry Award 4-blade propeller, 11 feet of the shaft; and the 40-ton steam was presented to Dave “Diesel” Smith of the U.S.S. Cod engine with its condenser. Submarine Memorial; there were two HNSA Educator Awards, one for Ms. Claire Jordan, the Learning and On August 6, 2002 at 5:55 pm, MNMS archaeologists and Development Officer of H.M.S. Victory and one for Ms. U.S. Navy divers accomplished what some thought was Laura Hockensmith of the Naval Historical Center; the impossible – the recovery of the U.S.S. Monitor’s rotating Henry Vadnais Award was given to Ms. Stephanie Walsh gun turret from 240 feet below the ocean’s surface off the Director, Curatorial Affairs, Battleship New Jersey coast of Cape Hatteras. Thanks to the steadfast Museum; the Russell Booth Awards were awarded to the commitment and unwavering resolve of NOAA’s Monitor Technology Department, South Colonie High School, National Marine Sanctuary, the turret is now on view for Colonie, NY and to Mr. Jeff Cary for his work on the the public to enjoy in the Batten Conservation Complex at Anchor Watch and the HNSA Visitors Guide; William J. the U.S.S. Monitor Center at the Mariner’s Museum in Diffley Awards went to LCDR John Scivier, Royal Navy as Newport News, Virginia. departing Commanding Officer of H.M.S. Victory, Jon Stanley as departing Executive Director of U.S.S. Hornet Though months away, planning has already commenced for Museum, and Michael Whicker as departing Executive HNSA 2009 and a call for papers has already gone out and Director of U.S.S. LST Ship Memorial (LST-325). a number of speakers have been lined up for this important event There were two Casper J. Knight Awards – one was Jeffrey S. Nilsson Winter 2009 AW:Winter 2006 HNSA Anchor Watch.qxd 1/26/2009 2:35 PM Page 5 ANCHOR WATCH 5 NEWS FROM THE FLEET HNSA FLEET MEMBER IN THE SPOTLIGHT U.S.S. TEXAS (BB-35) BATTLESHIP TEXAS STATE HISTORIC SITE La Porte, Texas, U.S.A. by Angela McCleaf Curator ixty years ago, on April 21st, 1948, two weeks left no alternative to save the store. Texas was decommissioned and The building was considered a total loss and is presented to the state of Texas.