ARGONAUTA The Newsletter of The Canadian Nautical Research Society Volume VIII Number Three July 1991 ARGONAUTA Founded 1984 by Kenneth S. Mackenzie ISSN No. 0843-8544 EDITORS Lewis R. FISCHER Olaf U. JANZEN Gerald E. PANTING EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Margaret M. GULLIVER ARGONAUTA EDITORIAL OFFICE Maritime Studies Research Unit Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's, NOd. A1C 5S7 Telephones: (709) 737-8424/(709) 737-2602 FAX: (709) 737-4569 ARGONAUTA is published four times per year in January, April, July and October and is edited for the Canadian Nautical Research Society within the Maritime Studies Research Unit at Memorial University of Newfoundland. THE CANADIAN NAUTICAL RESEARCH SOCIElY Honourary President: Niels JANNASCH, Halifax Executive Officers President: WA.B. DOUGLAS, Ottawa Liaison Committee Past President: Barry M. GOUGH, Waterloo Vice-President: Eileen R. MARCIL, Charlesbourg Chair: Fraser M. MCKEE, Markdale Vice-President: Eric W. SAGER, Victoria Atlantic: David FLEMMING, Halifax Councillor: Garth S. WILSON, Ottawa Quebec: Eileen R. MARCIL, Charlesbourg Councillor: M. Stephen SALMON, Ottawa Ontario: Maurice D. SMITH, Kingston Councillor: Thomas BEASLEY, Vancouver Western: Christon I. ARCHER, Calgary Councillor: Fraser M. MCKEE, Markdale Pacific: John MACFARLANE, Victoria Secretary: Lewis R. FISCHER, St. John's Arctic: Kenneth COATES, Victoria Treasurer: G. Edward REED, Ottawa CNRS MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 7008, Station J Ottawa, Ontario K2A 3Z6 Annual Membership, which includes four issues ofARGO­ Individual $25 NAUTA and four issues of The Northern Mariner. Institution $50 JULy 1991 ARGONAUTA 1 EDITORIAlS 1984, and the winners read like a "Who's Who· of Canadian maritime scholars. Among such a distinguished cast, it is (I) difficult to single out anyone individual. Yet by dint of his achievements one person merits special commendation. We As usual, the July issue ofARGONAUTA contains a com­ refer here to Eric W. Sager, CNRS Vice-President and plete report on the Annual General Meeting, held this year Professor ofHistory at the University of Victoria. Last year, in Ottawa between 30 May and 1 June. Members discussed Eric was awarded an Honourable Mention in the book a number of notable things, but we were particularly pleased category for his volume, Seafaring Labour: The Merchant by two key decisions and several notices of motion, which Marine ofAtlantic Canada, 1820-1914, which was dedicated will be discussed and voted upon next year. appropriately enough to the memory of Keith Matthews. This year Eric was awarded the Book Prize for the volume The members present in Ottawa decided that next year's he co-authored with Gerry Panting, Maritime Capital: The AGM will be held in St. John's, Nfld., marking the first time Shipping Industry in Atlantic Canada, 1820-1914. It is also that CNRS has visited Canada's easternmost province. We noteworthy that both volumes were selected as Honourable hope that members will begin making plans now to attend. Mentions for the Macdonald Award, the prestigious annual And we atARGONAUTA especially welcome the opportun­ prize presented by the Canadian Historical Association for ity to show you our operations and to provide some hospital­ the best book in Canadian history. And both publications ity. We look forward to seeing you on "The Rock" next June. have also garnered a host of other awards and accolades. Approval was also given for a measure which is especially Such a list of honours, especially in so short a time, is rare pleasing to us--the expansion of The Northern Mariner/Le in Canadian history and unprecedented for a maritime his­ Marin du nord beginning in 1992 to an even one hundred torian. Both books are models of the type of path-breaking pages per issue. This increase will enable us to serve you maritime studies that we require so desperately. More than even better, with additional space for both articles and anyone else of his generation, Eric has set some lofty reviews. We will be telling you more about our expanded standards. We congratulate him on his success and hope that services in the October issue ofARGONAUTA. his writings will serve as examples of what is possible in maritime history. One notice of motion is to alter the Society's financial year to coincide with the calendar year. If approved, this should (ill) go far to end the confusion which now exists over the period of memberships. Our publications have always been predi­ Editors of newsletters and journals always entertain the hope cated upon the calendar year, and this amendment to the that their readers will fmd their publications so valuable that Society's by-laws will bring membership into line with our they will be unable to part with them. While we admit to publications. sharing this aspiration, at the very least we hope that no member is planning to donate either ARGONAUTA or The Finally, the Society also was presented with a notice of Northern Mariner/Le Marin du nord to a local recycling motion to provide for mail ballots in the election of officers. project! We have long believed that all members--not just those able to attend AGMs--deserved a voice in selecting the individ­ But beneath these hopes lurks a more serious issue. What do uals who run the organization. We welcome this as a members do when the sheer volume required to house the progressive step in encouraging greater participation by all materials outstrips available storage space? We have a members in the operation of the Society. suggestion, which we freely admit is based on an example set by one of our members. Commodore Bruce S. Oland of (II) Halifax puts his old copies ofARGONAUTA to a splendid use: he binds and donates them to the library at the Mari­ One ofthe highlights of each year's AGM is the presentation time Command Museum. In this way, he contributes to of the Keith Matthews Awards for excellence in maritime making the publications more accessible and helps to writing. Honouring these achievements--and recalling the preserve them for future generations. contributions of our founding President, Keith Matthews, is always a pleasure. A full list of this year's winners appears While we of course wish that every institution would sub­ later in ARGONAUTA. scribe to CNRS publications (the Maritime Command Museum in fact does), we are realistic enough to recognize The Matthews Awards have been presented annually since that in these days of cutbacks and budgetary constraints this 2 ARGONAUTA JULY 1991 is not always possible. For members who are now encoun­ cargoes. In addition, the fleet's close alliance with its navy, tering the inevitable problem of space, we commend Bruce and its control thereby, may also be changed ifthe merchant Oland's example. Why not look for a museum, archive or vessels pass into hands other than the state's. Indeed, the library that does not subscribe and donate your back issues? writer mentioned above recommended "a further softening It is a fme way of helping to spread the word about the in the naval sphere of potential adversaries." Ifthe merchant Society while at the same time doing your part to help cargo vessels become privately-controlled, then can the preserve that part ofCanada's marine heritage that we try to fishing fleets and their support vessels, many of which are chronicle in these pages. ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) gatherers as well, be far behind? With Canada's past experience in building ships for ARGONAUTA COMMENTARY Poland, it may be that our dying shipyards could obtain a toehold in this massive building project, especially if we did (Editors' Note: With this issue, we inaugurate a new featute. not require payment in Canadian dollars but rather in some "ARGONAUTA Commentary" is designed to encourage form of reciprocal trade or another form of concession. readers to speak their minds on important marine issues, either contemporary or historical. We welcome submissions These are intriguing developments, to be sure, and well of 500-1000 words from interested readers.) worth watching closely, particularly if one has an interest in Canadian shipping and shipbuilding. SOVIET MERCHANT FLEETIN TROUBLE PRESIDENT'S CORNER By Fraser M. McKee MarlcdaJe, Ontario By WA.B. Douglas Ottawa, Ontario An interesting note appeared in the Globe and Mail on 10 July, which reported that the head of the Soviet Shipowners An Innocent Abroad Association warned in an article in a major Soviet daily that "the country's merchant shipping fleet is on the verge of Canada has much in common with the Nordic countries, and bankruptcy and complete collapse: He stated flatly that this geographical parallels between Canada and the Soviet Union had been caused by a lack of policy and support by the state, occur to anyone who looks at a polar projection of the which is ow obviously more involved in other urgent financial northern hemisphere. A series of exchanges between official matters. Pointing out that the state was taking forty percent historians resulted in a visit to Finland and the USSR in of all hard currency earned, he cautioned that if changes mid-June of this year, and for what they are worth here are were not forthcoming the recent miners' strike would be the thoughts of a former naval person on some of the "peanuts by comparison: Indeed, some Russian ships are similarities and differences. Other members of this society already being seized overseas for non-payment of loading will have far more knowledge of the region than I, but few and berthing bills. The report further stated that a third of will have had such recent exposure to the rapidly changing the fleet, or some 750 vessels, are due to be replaced in the situation in that part of the world.