tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66824079528567975402024-02-21T07:22:22.747-05:00Naval Heritage Society DockyardPromoting American Naval Heritage, one idea at a time.Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-43893021046180635502024-02-21T06:42:00.004-05:002024-02-21T07:21:48.629-05:00Let's Talk Status, and Strategy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJ44rq97K7ThXhjP9jy_3p-uRupp8ZXEhpX2S0dCbeHAVsqpYaQ9-WSO6hn6nM1XJ6kRIRV1UauGxfEVtj65Kpv3_3pvYhcB_kINmzAN1DtN2RNyCFi_19-OI_R5320p3vbkk91S28clVR9onnw_Bx_Xd4Y7q3Zs5eOlfPBDRz2J4w_Ry5ZRZ3LU2mOHu/s600/strategery-74a8be5f32.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJ44rq97K7ThXhjP9jy_3p-uRupp8ZXEhpX2S0dCbeHAVsqpYaQ9-WSO6hn6nM1XJ6kRIRV1UauGxfEVtj65Kpv3_3pvYhcB_kINmzAN1DtN2RNyCFi_19-OI_R5320p3vbkk91S28clVR9onnw_Bx_Xd4Y7q3Zs5eOlfPBDRz2J4w_Ry5ZRZ3LU2mOHu/s320/strategery-74a8be5f32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hornet ain't happening. Leave it there.<br /><p></p><p>Why are we back? Start with this - a few months ago, I found Monomoy No. 1 in a junkyard on the Eastern Shore. Definitely rode hard and put away wet, her hull is still in good shape. The scars of service still show - Elmer's scratch. The cracked kingpost from ramming the trailer. The wear marks on the thwart knees where we made the halyards fast. She was at once sad, and glorious. I knew I needed to act.</p><p>Since we've all scattered to the wind, I directed her toward an awesome youth group - the Youth Virginia Regiment. These kids are all you could ever hope for. And the organization itself is a perfect reminder of the old Lobsterback Society. Well, just like the old LS, they now have their first boat. The same boat.</p><p>While they have lots of enthusiasm, they need help. The boat needs all new oars, new gunwales, and a little hardware. Then, all new spars, sails and rigging. The crew at the old NHS is well used to this, and I know if we can get a few back together we could make short work of it all.</p><p><b>So what do you say - want to help some kids clean up their new boat?</b></p><p>BT</p><p>The goals outlined in a previous post give a sense of direction that we <i>might</i> go IF the old band gets back together.</p><p>Here's a few factoids for inspiration -</p><p>1. most of our old gear is still around. Scattered, but in decent shape.</p><p>2. we have several people who've taken their Dockyard experience and spun off their own shops. They're already building stuff. Several.</p><p>3. Elmer's clothing/costume/uniform game is better than ever.</p><p>4. NHS, while inactive, ain't broke.</p><p>BT</p><p>The small nucleus that has already re-formed is working to organize a 'first muster' meet and greet to formally reestablish the organization. It may not be called NHS. We don't know. Chime in.</p><p>NNNN</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-51735419806844845402024-02-19T07:10:00.001-05:002024-02-19T10:50:57.631-05:00Dockyard Projects, or, Anything is Possible<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwJN9eRX8SUzhOMXG32XMZFqySntwqCs2gyns8XyYB6uL0-8LJrwDuIJyQ1hXAwb0CPjj2FUIMs_64ZMeiZFqOBjx6p6c9Qc1ASAdRwv5kEwExf00d4fqdhrIQg3wE7pxTuAFEnHaCOXw4LM7FORKduwSKBQUaOsDoNmt-rMqWZD6VpkesDrKCII1FOPT/s720/167853527_1633612533499357_225723065166829642_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="551" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwJN9eRX8SUzhOMXG32XMZFqySntwqCs2gyns8XyYB6uL0-8LJrwDuIJyQ1hXAwb0CPjj2FUIMs_64ZMeiZFqOBjx6p6c9Qc1ASAdRwv5kEwExf00d4fqdhrIQg3wE7pxTuAFEnHaCOXw4LM7FORKduwSKBQUaOsDoNmt-rMqWZD6VpkesDrKCII1FOPT/w245-h320/167853527_1633612533499357_225723065166829642_n.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>It's true - the Good Idea Fairy is making the rounds.<p></p><p>Tawk amongst yawselfs. Here, I'll give you a tawpic:</p><p><b>1. Ship's Boats</b></p><p>Monomoy No. 1 is safe in the hands of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YouthVirginiaRegiment/" target="_blank">Youth Virginia Regiment</a> and we'll be helping to make her seaworthy this year. [Throws gauntlet]</p><p>That said, the new and rapidly re-forming Dockyard nucleus is also brainstorming the ways and means to produce cutters and/or launches. I use plural here because we still remember that one boat under oars ain't as cool as two, and the coolness factor increases a whole order of magnitude with each added. Besides, if we have to go to all the trouble of lofting and making frames for a boat, they might as well get used a few times.</p><p>We have a good base to dream and build from. One of the most prized books on my shelf, an original copy of Standard Designs for Boats of the United States Navy, details the design and construction of boats but detailed drawings, specifications, measurements etc. I've scanned many pertinent chapters and uploaded them <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzWXMEoeI28-U0RSS09XVE50VFk?resourcekey=0-QGgAIcwzc4084tvJk-ixFQ&usp=drive_link" target="_blank">here</a>. Much of the old Dockyard library is still intact (sadly not all) , along with several crates of rolled drawings.</p><p>I have officially entered the obsession phase with the 28-foot cutter. Behold:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZ3UpoSpEKKyXypHxww-kTUgW7Tq5RKJs6rzJ3V8VLC0KfNohNDre5qUia8tAd3vXU89box-HkvN0GoPrjC51WCd05EXQ11o9X6ejM2W-X-yGGxTZhPaXsN2BgCCU7I1aA7Gkq1fZTOOgb_9TwK1ZcbZfk8zrpFqIAPq3uhcHfIvPI_HXu_v1GOoHfImh/s1303/28%20foot%20cutter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="28-foot Cutter" border="0" data-original-height="909" data-original-width="1303" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHZ3UpoSpEKKyXypHxww-kTUgW7Tq5RKJs6rzJ3V8VLC0KfNohNDre5qUia8tAd3vXU89box-HkvN0GoPrjC51WCd05EXQ11o9X6ejM2W-X-yGGxTZhPaXsN2BgCCU7I1aA7Gkq1fZTOOgb_9TwK1ZcbZfk8zrpFqIAPq3uhcHfIvPI_HXu_v1GOoHfImh/w400-h279/28%20foot%20cutter.jpg" title="Offers slightly more room for oarsmen, but also in the sternsheets for 'passengers' as well as at the bow, you know, for the GUN" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><b>2. Ships in Scale</b></p><p>Inspired by the old <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150325988954515&type=3" target="_blank">Mini-Hornet</a>, I've been dreaming of these for at least a dozen years. In quarter scale, a large brig or sloop would be about 25-26 feet long on deck. Small frigates, about 35 to 40 feet. Crew seated inside would only be really visible from the neck up, and frankly at normal distances on the water would very much resemble their real life counterparts at a tiny fraction of the cost, complexity, and difficulty. The guns would ostensibly be breech-loading and utilize shotgun blanks, like signal cannons. For ease of movement they'd probably be fitted with auxiliary engines, like most sailboats.</p><p>Six months ago I sat down and started working numbers. They are <i>possible. </i>Safe? Not really - they'll have to be sailed by highly trained crews and restricted to very sheltered waters. But the sailing characteristics are pretty good - at least in the computer and on paper. It would be a pretty steep learning curve, but the possibility of two of these duking it out at HarborFest is undeniably thrilling.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlsRJnD48FUW42pty1Gvgi9P3P3Uq3pRhp7x8nvJjAVXJNUbsMVL5HY4RSd_Lda8o9Nqo0K2gVAhKJaNtWkEG5H6u90OG5tIHjWJQk62uYiQZIOfdBzBd87dyykDGch3sng3To0kNqL4Ap2oRWbn8vj4h3LDRZoAfgjzEQhDmHVpmsRqXly0wUS02vz22/s997/First%20sketches.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A brig, 26-feet on deck" border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="997" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtlsRJnD48FUW42pty1Gvgi9P3P3Uq3pRhp7x8nvJjAVXJNUbsMVL5HY4RSd_Lda8o9Nqo0K2gVAhKJaNtWkEG5H6u90OG5tIHjWJQk62uYiQZIOfdBzBd87dyykDGch3sng3To0kNqL4Ap2oRWbn8vj4h3LDRZoAfgjzEQhDmHVpmsRqXly0wUS02vz22/w400-h336/First%20sketches.jpg" title="Ship rig (three masts) isn't practicable in less than about 30 feet length on deck (frigates)" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><b>3. A Jeffersonian Gunboat</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuIweIDOitQsiFaPdz28dn7f9elbgmpk7OkT9zyzvXYhpgg6VewFbbf6ujVft3aOiTaJy9IPNYjIxkTwoXFPZsDvcnqyryTxXsdfjpKYPXgAGQJ-lh4egID1M-wrp3Qd9imQeK5sRpVPvmXw4or4DZLYJEZOYf842VVIT_FMuZX0b6UmNNmRqMBEaXb0f/s450/obj_10_photo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="450" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuIweIDOitQsiFaPdz28dn7f9elbgmpk7OkT9zyzvXYhpgg6VewFbbf6ujVft3aOiTaJy9IPNYjIxkTwoXFPZsDvcnqyryTxXsdfjpKYPXgAGQJ-lh4egID1M-wrp3Qd9imQeK5sRpVPvmXw4or4DZLYJEZOYf842VVIT_FMuZX0b6UmNNmRqMBEaXb0f/w400-h331/obj_10_photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Probably not at full-scale, but even at 3/4 scale a gunboat would be eminently impressive, but also practical for our output capabilities. With her bulk she'd need an auxiliary engine to get her in and out of tight spots on demand. And because we'd be approximating a real vessel (albeit a Lilliputian one) she could mount some seriously heavy artillery - 18 pdrs anyone? She'd have to live in the water full-time, but her shoal draft means we would have plenty of regular storage options, like <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/wy69EvmKmzmkHRXK7" target="_blank">Scott's Creek</a>.</p><p>Okay, enough for now. Go discuss.</p><p>NNNN</p>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-60167160965578116002024-02-08T08:13:00.001-05:002024-02-08T08:13:53.279-05:00NOW HEAR THIS.<p> ALL HANDS!</p><p>From Portsmouth, Virginia:</p><p>All personnel are requested to check in and report status.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WT7SyQBhLSd_3jKZedA1XEvjseX7wfxFYEjxMhG57ev0zbvezenk2YIFdE_7o-B0LNyyTguvUeBr3cPORpqw3QqzFgR2p6YhRozQg6LtL9Kf_byJefWdINzMl2ilO5wvCWpv6lZh901MDVnxC5HZDLauCn-BGkbjv6nzwciqeLYISmUuPyorY3Go71iY/s600/86d3f1fe-d5be-402a-8044-098b381e7d651.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WT7SyQBhLSd_3jKZedA1XEvjseX7wfxFYEjxMhG57ev0zbvezenk2YIFdE_7o-B0LNyyTguvUeBr3cPORpqw3QqzFgR2p6YhRozQg6LtL9Kf_byJefWdINzMl2ilO5wvCWpv6lZh901MDVnxC5HZDLauCn-BGkbjv6nzwciqeLYISmUuPyorY3Go71iY/w423-h237/86d3f1fe-d5be-402a-8044-098b381e7d651.webp" width="423" /></a></div><p></p>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-57323970950326874622015-03-22T12:49:00.000-04:002015-03-22T20:26:43.653-04:00Anatomy of a PENGUIN<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WJJ4upuf0U87zOaUy3pLkgKPxjDbmrD6zKR-NSeAA4hFM3ri0lpR0RXuNk42g8y9QpfKICxUjt6flhmCfumYrXcPNJxi3jxgx_LlXukLhPjVQr8Mg_yel730iGfUtAH5svHOa1Klg0ju/s1600/image-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WJJ4upuf0U87zOaUy3pLkgKPxjDbmrD6zKR-NSeAA4hFM3ri0lpR0RXuNk42g8y9QpfKICxUjt6flhmCfumYrXcPNJxi3jxgx_LlXukLhPjVQr8Mg_yel730iGfUtAH5svHOa1Klg0ju/s1600/image-2.jpg" height="246" width="320" /></a></div>
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By now I know you’re all brimming
with anticipation of tomorrow’s announcement – tomorrow being <b>PENGUIN DAY, the 200<sup>th</sup> anniversary of <i>Hornet’s </i>capture of HMS </b><i><b>Penguin</b> </i>in the last regular naval action
of the War of 1812. We plan to use the
anniversary to make several major announcements about the USS HORNET Project,
one of which is particularly fitting for the occasion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But to jump the gun a little bit,
and give you all some food for thought in advance of tomorrow’s anniversary –
here is the event, again, in the words of <i>Hornet’s
</i>own crew. Like my last entry I must
credit Mr. McKee with his excellent book “A Gentlemanly and Honorable
Profession” for the journal excerpts.<o:p></o:p><br />
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By March 21, <i>Hornet </i>had arrived in the vicinity of the squadron rendezvous - the remote South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhaCEDvAyO-DymhPdQ0Arc2YMcgxCgcendUmHUWEdG59yVZjNZPh_V_OUIvR29nW7FRbE9eX2o8KlrvjTZVmGTxzhLHW_B7d2b91zTRfv5eswOXTt81255fIYCJk8p6_KBFg82gODwdx1/s1600/map_tristan_da_cunha_e.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhaCEDvAyO-DymhPdQ0Arc2YMcgxCgcendUmHUWEdG59yVZjNZPh_V_OUIvR29nW7FRbE9eX2o8KlrvjTZVmGTxzhLHW_B7d2b91zTRfv5eswOXTt81255fIYCJk8p6_KBFg82gODwdx1/s1600/map_tristan_da_cunha_e.gif" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep - way the hell out in the middle of nowhere. At the time fewer than half a dozen people lived there, and thanks to the infrequency of Royal Navy ships in the area, American privateers and Navy ships alike began making the islands a regular stopping point.</td></tr>
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<br />
Officers and crew waited anxiously for their
first vision of land since leaving New York, but a strong misty gale had sprung
up and Captain Biddle ordered the ship hove to in order to avoid an unwanted
landfall in low visibility. Finally the
weather abated and at 5 pm on the evening of March 22<sup>nd</sup> <i>Hornet’s </i>lookouts spotted Tristan's distinctive volcanic peak.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfYweYWo-qi5Ewecles_PwpdiWdi_eVvjLjdIjtPIj-pEuaJM5PaPBkWMLo7JU_jEAb9eAgD6f-YR0uSg_eeKg_M9nk_PRMTv3CdJHJqIa2neJwz3YbfU-uSMgUrswwEmrfoIqFUAUxOh/s1600/Tristan-Da-Cunha-Island_ZD9UW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfYweYWo-qi5Ewecles_PwpdiWdi_eVvjLjdIjtPIj-pEuaJM5PaPBkWMLo7JU_jEAb9eAgD6f-YR0uSg_eeKg_M9nk_PRMTv3CdJHJqIa2neJwz3YbfU-uSMgUrswwEmrfoIqFUAUxOh/s1600/Tristan-Da-Cunha-Island_ZD9UW.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exactly what you would expect a volcano in the middle of the ocean to look like.</td></tr>
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By half past 8 the next morning, <i>Hornet </i>arrived a mile off the island’s
north side and launched her first cutter to scout the watering place. The boat returned at 10 am, greeted with a
sharp cry from the forward lookout.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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There, in the distance, was the
unmistakable profile of a warship – by all appearances a brig – approaching the
island from the southeast and preparing to pass its southern side. The wind was a stiff breeze from the
south-southwest, and to prevent losing sight of her Biddle filled away and
stood eastward and southward on the wind until the stranger was again in sight,
then hove to in order to let him approach.
As she altered course toward <i>Hornet,
</i>few onboard had any doubt of her character.
She was a Royal Navy brig, about the same size as <i>Hornet, </i>and everyone was ready for a fight. Midshipman William Skiddy recorded the experience that followed:<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"We hove to and was getting dinner (it was duff day)
while she was running down. The duff was
hardly swallowed when the drum beat to quarters. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj2hHUwPpH_9JEvEfa5ON-x5bmq4RT2nEKC3a1v1Q2JkB4z2Bz7mRViHTC9px3uOS8I7gSM7kgL5dFnrgOrUbFRHPbxUnkfdNzofsNGwjfw8n4hXZbJ_mxR0tinKk0M-olmNB0xxLB-7D/s1600/Figgy+Duff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQj2hHUwPpH_9JEvEfa5ON-x5bmq4RT2nEKC3a1v1Q2JkB4z2Bz7mRViHTC9px3uOS8I7gSM7kgL5dFnrgOrUbFRHPbxUnkfdNzofsNGwjfw8n4hXZbJ_mxR0tinKk0M-olmNB0xxLB-7D/s1600/Figgy+Duff.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Duff - once a week, and much anticipated. Ask any Navy Sailor when burger or pizza day is - they know what's important!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"This required but a few minutes, and all was
ready for action and every eye watching the stranger. He soon luffed to on our weather quarter
about pistol shot off, hoisted the British flag and gave us a gun. This we did not notice, waiting for him to
shoot ahead more. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"He now gave us the
first broadside, and as soon as their guns flashed ours were in operation, and
in five minutes I perceived the blood running from his scuppers a stream; and,
as he almost stopped firing, our little captain ordered us to cease. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9R82LNolnxoWSGnM7HS5cvWZtWLc2cbem1aNeBx0I8BgC63hR3ep0Y3Rsl9fEONfmTtXwstftEUvHxLVq8f5DfJ7UB-fbetSNIyXe8dFe79w5kYG4yHzAuc-rmY0eVssd1IocMOSvVH5/s1600/1.45+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9R82LNolnxoWSGnM7HS5cvWZtWLc2cbem1aNeBx0I8BgC63hR3ep0Y3Rsl9fEONfmTtXwstftEUvHxLVq8f5DfJ7UB-fbetSNIyXe8dFe79w5kYG4yHzAuc-rmY0eVssd1IocMOSvVH5/s1600/1.45+pm.jpg" height="290" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"The enemy, thinking we were disabled, renewed
his fire, and of course we soon convinced him of his mistake. He then, as a last alternative, ran his
bowsprit between our main and mizzen masts, with the intention to carry us by
boarding.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I was stationed with the first lieutenant in the third
division on the quarterdeck (three after guns on each side) and was now
commanding this division, the first lieutenant having been severely wounded at
the commencement and carried below. The
jib halyards being shot away, the foretack was hauled down to veer the
ship. The enemy was now past us, and all
hands called to repel boarders. We were
then hand to hand, and the enemy were soon driven back. We were now on the enemy’s bows, and it
required all the exertions of our captain and officers to prevent our men from
boarding them. Had they gone, the enemy
would have suffered very much. Their men
were now (hearing the cry from us to board) running below and left their first
lieutenant alone on the forecastle. Many
muskets were levelled at him, but were prevented by our officers from firing on
so brave a man. He then asked our
leader, the second lieutenant, Newton, the name of the ship and was answered
“U.S. Sloop Hornet” when he waved his sword and walked aft.<span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Our ship, in shooting ahead, carried away his
bowsprit, tore away all our mizzen rigging, and the enemy lay across our
stern. Our captain was standing on the
arms chest aft, speaking to them, when their foremast fell along the lee waist. The marines in the foretop clung, with their
muskets, to the rigging as the mast fell, and, as soon as down, jumped forward,
fired, and wounded our captain, the ball passing through his neck. They undertook to rake us with their bow
guns, then opposite our stern. I was
standing in one of the stern ports (being open), looking directly at them and
only about twelve feet off. We were then
all hands aft to prevent their boarding, and I certainly expected to see many
of us fall at this fire. Had those guns
been well directed, many of us must have been killed; but fortunately, at this
very moment, the sea lifted our ship’s stern, and the balls went under the
counter in the water. </span><br />
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</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Cnea88WWfbiT8oMG2PS7ISv2nZkWWWPDKwxugjS2Jsb86bmxgRphSZHwj_8DIGPmnZ9-rDKB5QuoymkgrJevoB8vCIew7JyshxRLUdLh6W0N253LnkROGHD7Mqm3q932sWwTgXhgv5A/s1600/after+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7Cnea88WWfbiT8oMG2PS7ISv2nZkWWWPDKwxugjS2Jsb86bmxgRphSZHwj_8DIGPmnZ9-rDKB5QuoymkgrJevoB8vCIew7JyshxRLUdLh6W0N253LnkROGHD7Mqm3q932sWwTgXhgv5A/s1600/after+2.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Our ship now came
round on the other tack, and I played my division of guns into them, raking
them fore and aft. They again cried
quarters, and our captain ordered us to cease.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UOwfKtUYIUH1gXKlRt9USGqRH1cCQjsYwW_-Ppb1Lsl-8jyNdEFMwM57X708M9yccW1PjZ4pKelMUGwof5twdHzAYIgMP83f1vb1qF1Z2zbet3zs7GKRQ2V3afKbboX0UW1q4ue1djV0/s1600/2.02+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UOwfKtUYIUH1gXKlRt9USGqRH1cCQjsYwW_-Ppb1Lsl-8jyNdEFMwM57X708M9yccW1PjZ4pKelMUGwof5twdHzAYIgMP83f1vb1qF1Z2zbet3zs7GKRQ2V3afKbboX0UW1q4ue1djV0/s1600/2.02+pm.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"She proved to be H.B.M. Sloop of War Penguin, Captain
Dickinson, who was killed during the action by a ball through the heart… They
reported fifteen men killed and twenty-eight wounded… We had one killed and
eleven wounded and all in the after division (my division). The poor fellow that was killed was a
six-foot marine that was firing over my head, and the first I perceived was his
brains on my shoes, and in turning I observed the top of his skull taken off by
a ball. As he was much in the way, I
shoved him through one of the ports overboard.
The first lieutenant was also wounded standing by me. I carried him out of the way of the guns and
had him sent below. The most painful was
the heartsickening sight (after the fight) of all those poor fellow who only a
few minutes ago were well and joyful and now all mangled by different kinds of
balls and splinters. Groans were heard
from all quarters. We were now employed
getting the prisoners on board, unbending and bending sails, repairing rigging,
replacing as soon as possible all damages.
This called us from the dying groans of the wounded. The surgeons were all employed amputating
limbs and dressing wounds. The prize
taken in tow, and night veiled the dismal scene. Several died during the night and were
committed to the deep without any ceremony.
Captain Dickenson [of the Penguin] was buried the day after with the
honors of war, his own officers and marines officiating…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"When our little captain was wounded a man from one of
my guns pulled off his old checked shirt, tore it in strips, took hold of
Captain Biddle, and wound this round his neck.
He then holding his bandage himself, was asked by one of our officers if
he thought himself much hurt, when he replied, “No, no, give it to the damned
rascals!” This shot was fired,
recollect, after they had once given up.
After the action was all over, the doctor came to the captain (who was
still at his post, holding onto his neck) and asked him if he would go down and
have his wound dressed? The captain
answered that, if he had got through with the rest, he believed he would go,
and then we heard that the ball had passed through his neck and out through his
coat collar behind.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"One of our men on board the Penguin picked up a hat on
the quarterdeck in which he found a man’s head that had been shot off. He very deliberately pulled the head out,
looked at it saying, “Matey, you don’t now require a hat,” put it on his own
head and dispatched the other overboard.
I have seen him with this hat on often in New York. The sailors were also looking out for the
legs amputated, that they might get some shoes and stockings, as the doctor did
not take the trouble to pull them off.
One very remarkable occurrence, and that was one of the English
midshipmen, a young man who sat on the wardroom table, smiling and talking and
joking with one of his wounded shipmates near him who had lost a leg, while the
doctor amputated one of his legs, without the least emotion. When it was off, “Never mind,” said he, “Bond
(his messmate wounded), we will soon get on sticks and have fun with the girls
yet.” This poor fellow was on crutches
when removed on board the Tom Bowline with the other prisoners, took cold, and
had his leg amputated a second time by their own surgeon. Poor fellow, he died. Bond I often met at St. Salvador, Brazil."</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<i>Hornet </i>kept <i>Penguin </i>towing
astern all night and into the next day.
Crews worked to salvage what they could from her shattered wreck. Captain Biddle ordered a carved penguin cut
from the ship’s side as a gift for his father.
Carpenters plugged more than 100 shot holes beneath the waterline in an
attempt to slow her flooding as other crewmembers stripped her hold of stores
and supplies. Damaged as she was, with
only one mast and so far from a friendly port, there was no hope of bringing
her in as a prize. By the second night
the wreck had been stripped, and at 2 am on March 25<sup>th</sup>, Biddle
ordered her scuttled and the tow cable cut.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
As the sun began to rise only a
few hours later, two sail were spotted approaching from the northeast, and by
all appearances these were men of war as well.
Biddle ordered <i>Hornet </i>cleared
for action just in time to make out the distinctive signal flags of <i>Peacock’s </i>coded number. Warrington had arrived<i>, </i>returning to the island after having been driven off by a gale
some days earlier.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Taking stock of the situation on
resuming command of his fragment of the squadron, Warrington ordered the
prisoners from <i>Penguin’s </i>crew into <i>Tom Bowline, </i>which would sail for Brazil
to parole them before proceeding home with the good news of <i>Hornet’s </i>victory. <i>Hornet </i>and
<i>Peacock </i>would remain at the
rendezvous and await the arrival of Decatur in <i>President </i>before proceeding west around the Cape of Good Hope and
into the Indian Ocean.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
Despite his wound, Biddle took
advantage of the short calm to dash off his official after action report,
addressed to Stephen Decatur – still ostensibly his commanding senior. It is modest, yet brimming with enthusiasm
that, at times, hints at sticking it to the commander he so detested. It reads:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U. S. Sloop Hornet,
off Tristan d'Acunha, March 25 1815.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sir—I have the honor to inform you, that on the
morning of the 23d inst. at half past ten, when about to anchor off the north
end of the island of Tristan d'Acunha, a sail was seen to the southward and
eastward, steering to the westward, the wind fresh from the S. S. W. In a few
minutes she had passed on to the westward, so that we could not see her for the
land. I immediately made sail for the
westward* - and shortly after, getting in sight of her again, perceived her to
bear up before the wind. I hove too, for him to come down to us. When she had
approached near, I filled the main-topsail, and continued to yaw the ship,
while she continued to come down, wearing occasionally to prevent her passing
under our stern. At 1, 40 P. M. being
within nearly musket-shot distance- she hauled her wind on the starboard tack,
hoisted English colors, and fired a gun. We immediately lulled too, hoisted our
ensign, and gave the enemy a broadside. The action being thus commenced, a
quick and well directed fire was kept up from this ship, the enemy gradually
drifting nearer to us, when at 1- 55m, he bore up, apparently to run us on board.
As soon as I perceived he would certainly fall on board, I call cd the
boarders, to as to be ready to repel any attempt-to board us At the instant,
every officer and man repaired to the quarter-deck, where the two vessels were
coming in contact, and eagerly pressed me to permit them to board the enemy ;
but this I would not permit, as it was evident, from the commencement of the
action, that our fire was greatly superior, both in quickness and in effect.
The enemy's bowsprit came in between our main and mizzen rigging, on our
starboard side, affording him an opportunity to board us, if such was his
design; but no attempt was made. There was a considerable swell on, and as the
sea lifted us ahead, the enemy's bowsprit carried away our mizzen shrouds, stern
davits- and spanker boom- and he hung upon our larboard quarter. At this moment, an officer, who was
afterwards recognized to be Mr. McDonald, the 1st Lieutenant- and the then
commanding officer, called out that they had surrendered, I directed the marines
and musketry men to cease firing; and - while on the taffrail asking if they
had surrendered- I received a wound in the neck. The enemy just then got clear
of us, and his foremast and bowsprit being both gone, and perceiving us wearing
to give him a fresh broadside, he again called out that he had surrendered. It
was with difficulty I could restrain my crew from firing into him again, as he
had certainly fired into us after having surrendered. From the firing of the
first gun, to the last time the enemy cried out he had surrendered, was exactly
22m. by the watch. She proved to be his
B. M. brig Penguin, mounting sixteen 32 lb. carronades- two long 12's, a 12 lb
carronade on the top-gallant forecastle, with swivels on the cap-stern, in the
tops. She had a spare port forward, so as to fight both her long guns of a
side. She sailed from England in
September last. She was shorter upon
deck than this ship, by two feet- but she had a greater length of keel, greater
breadth of beam, thicker sides, and higher bulwarks, than this ship, and was,
in all respects a remarkably fine vessel of her class. The enemy acknowledge a
complement of 132 ; 12 of them supernumerary marines- from the Medway, 74.—
They acknowledge, also, a loss of 14 killed and 28 wounded ; but Mr. Mayo, who
was in charge of the prize, assures me that the number of killed was certainly
greater. It is a most pleasing part of
my duty to acquaint you, that the conduct of Lieuts. Conner and Newton- Mr.
Mayo- acting Lieut. Brownlow of the marines, sailing-master Romney, and the
other officers, seamen, and marines, I have the honor to command, was, in the
highest degree, creditable to themselves, and calls for my warmest
recommendation. I cannot indeed do justice to their merits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have the honor, &c<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> J. BIDDLE.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
* Biddle’s report says he stood westward, while the ship’s
log records her standing <i>eastward </i>to
glimpse the stranger – a much more probable course given the winds. The error too, is probable and even
understandable, when the reader remembers that the author was recovering after
being shot through the neck two days before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Hornet’s </i>voyage
was not yet complete, and we’ll follow her on the remainder of her cruise in
later posts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For now, stay tuned, and at 2:02 pm eastern tomorrow – the
200<sup>th</sup> anniversary of <i>Penguin’s
</i>surrender, I’ll have the privilege to post our announcements about the new <i>Hornet</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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NNNN<o:p></o:p></div>
Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-30804902059077415172015-03-19T08:09:00.001-04:002015-03-19T08:09:54.789-04:00A major announcement... leading up to another.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Keep on waiting, dedicated fans, it's coming - PENGUIN DAY is right around the corner. That's when we run out the big guns, so stay tuned.<br />
<br />
But for now... I am happy to announce the first of several significant breakthroughs:<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.iyc.com/" target="_blank">International Yacht Collection</a> and their parent company, <a href="http://www.trinityyachts.com/" target="_blank">Trinity Yachts</a>, have joined the HORNET Team as our first corporate sponsors! IYC and Trinity will be hosting a cocktail fundraiser for the USS HORNET Project at their pavilion at this year's Palm Beach International Boat Show - Friday, March 27th 2015 at 6 pm. This will be an exclusive, invitation only event, so stay tuned for photos - which we'll hope to get online the next day. We'll be rolling out figurehead <i>Triumphant </i>for the occasion, and honoring several of HORNET's other<i> </i>new<i> </i>sponsors - for which announcement you'll have to wait until Penguin Day.<br />
<br />
Many thanks are in order to <b><a href="http://www.iyc.com/Administrative/10/Bob-Saxon/" target="_blank">Bob Saxon, President of IYC</a></b> for his vision in stepping aboard with IYC as HORNET's first major corporate sponsor - our hats are off to you, sir!<br />
<br />
More to follow... on both the present day project and the historical HORNET - keep checking back!<br />
<br />
NNNN<br />
<br />
Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-74758255167994180952015-03-18T05:21:00.001-04:002015-03-18T05:21:08.152-04:00Adventures in the Atlantic, 200 years ago<br />
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As the historical <i>Hornet </i>slipped southward 200 years ago
today, and as we today await the approach of “Penguin Day” (March 23<sup>rd</sup>)
and with it a major announcement about the USS <i>Hornet </i>Project, a little back story is in order. I’ll be posting again in the next couple of
days with some more lead-up discussion about the present-day developments, but
for now, I hope you will sit back and enjoy a good sea story, straight from the
pens of <i>Hornet’s </i>own crew. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">
While our digitalization project
continues, I’ve borrowed the following journal transcripts from one of my
favorite books, “A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession” by Christopher McKee –
for anyone who hasn’t picked up this gem I highly recommend it. It is perhaps the single most detailed and
insightful book on the early Navy’s officer corps, and an absolute essential
for anyone with an interest in the period.<o:p></o:p></div>
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BT<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Hornet’s</i> first days at sea in 1815 were tumultuous. Sailing in the midst of a fierce winter gale
from the northwest, she departed New York in company with the sloop <i>Peacock </i>and store-ship <i>Tom Bowline – </i>running straight past the
British blockaders in the midst of a strong winter gale from the northwest<i>. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The ships rolled heavily as they
fought through the weather. <i> </i>One of <i>Hornet’s
</i>midshipmen described the arduous business of dining onboard as the ship
rolled heavily –<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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“We were compelled to sit upon the deck with our
plates between our knees. It would have
amused any person could he have witnessed our grotesque appearance. One might have been seen bracing his foot
against a cleat on the deck and another against a chest, but a second and
third, not equally fortunate in their positions, aided each other by extending
their limbs and placing foot to foot in opposite directions, while the
bulkheads supported them behind. Thus
situated we attempted the arduous business of dining and, notwithstanding our
caution, it has happened more than once that a sudden and violent roll of the
ship has thrown us and our dinner into one promiscuous heap, while more
solicitude has been manifested for the preservation of our food and grog than
for our limbs.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just three days out, <i>Hornet </i>and <i>Peacock </i>sighted two strange sail in opposite directions. <i>Hornet </i>chased
one, while <i>Peacock </i>the other. Night was falling and despite the heavy sea
then running, <i>Hornet </i>managed to run
in with her quarry and ascertain that she was a neutral Portuguese merchant
brig bound for New York. Another of <i>Hornet’s </i>midshipmen described the
harrowing transit between ships in one of <i>Hornet’s
</i>boats:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I took [the brig’s master] back after the
examination. [It] then getting dark, and a black squall rising in the
northwest, on leaving the brig I took a small lantern that the ship might
perceive our situation. The squall being
now up with us, blowing violently and quite dark so that nothing could be seen,
the Hornet was to windward, which obliged us to pull head to the sea. We made but little headway, and the boat was
soon half-full of water and the light extinguished. While pulling in this critical situation,
they were consulting on board whether to bear up and look for us or remain hove
to. They were fearful we had swamped and
could never reach the ship. Had they
adopted the first plan, we should certainly have been all lost, as the ship
would have passed by or over us without seeing the boat.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The weather continued to
deteriorate, and before long lookouts couldn’t make out <i>Peacock, </i>last seen to the west, an estimated 20 miles away. Biddle ordered lights hoisted aloft and rockets
fired, still no sign. After heading that
direction and not finding any sign of her or <i>Tom Bowline, </i>he shaped his course to the southeast, heading for the
rendezvous at Tristan d’Acunha, alone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The voyage south was uninteresting
from a military point of view, but <i>Hornet’s
</i>midshipmen recount the journey through the enthusiastic lens of youth,
giving us the best picture of daily life onboard:<o:p></o:p></div>
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"In the evening the moon shone with great
splendor. Our crew, in great spirits as
they generally are, enjoyed themselves with dancing. You probably think it strange that our men
should be permitted to dance on the Sabbath, but it’s a general saying among
sailors that there is no Sunday in five fathoms water…<o:p></o:p></div>
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"This morning it rained with great violence for upwards
of four hours. We caught near five
hundred gallons of fresh water… We dined on a piece of one of the sharks that
were caught yesterday, and on which we made a very sumptuous repast…<o:p></o:p></div>
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"There was a brilliant rainbow this morning and, as we
were contending with a heavy head sea, the spray continually broke over the bow
and presented a rainbow wherever the sun shone…<o:p></o:p></div>
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"In the evening a flying fish flew onboard. It was an uncommon large one. I heard some of our oldest sailors say it was
the largest they ever saw. It was
between eighteen and nineteen inches in length.
Those fish are exceeding fine when fried – something similar to perch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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"In the afternoon John Clark fell from the flying
jibboom, whilst preparing to get it inboard.
The ship was going ten knots through the water, and every exertion was
immediately made to save him. Spars were
thrown overboard. Four or five men
jumped into the boat, and she was cut away; but by this time poor Clark was
near half a mile astern. The boat pulled
in the direction which they had last seen him and soon discovered him as they
rose on the top of the waves, which had by this time rose to a stupendous
height, and whose curling tops threatened them with immediate destruction. However, we shortly had the satisfaction to
see him hauled into the boat; but, had they been five minutes longer, he must
have perished, for he was so exhausted that he was unable to walk for two days
after…<o:p></o:p></div>
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"In the afternoon saw a large shoal of sea hogs
[dolphins] ahead of the ship, and though we were going eleven knots through the
water, they crossed and recrossed our bows with astonishing velocity…<o:p></o:p></div>
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"After supper (as usual) we drank to our <i>sweethearts </i>and <i>wives. </i>At midnight the gale…
had now increased to its greatest violence.
The lightning streaked the sky and the thunder’s roar was dreadful- yet
the scene was very sublime. The sea was
covered all over with luminous ridges, and the spray, as it dashed over the
bulwarks, fell in showers of fire on the deck, while the lightning shed a
dismal light on all around… At half-past four a.m. the wind shifted from S.E.
to N.N.E. The storm was lulled almost to
a calm; the sky became suddenly clear and appeared of an uncommonly deep azure,
while the stars shore with wonderful brilliancy. What a contrast! But an hour before all was darkness, tempest
and fury…<o:p></o:p></div>
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"In the afternoon it died away to a perfect calm. Hoisted our boat out, and all of us that
could swim jumped overboard… <o:p></o:p></div>
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"For the last four or five days a large whale has been
sporting about the ship, particularly in the evening, near the setting of the
sun, his enormous snout rising sometimes above the waves with a fountain
spouting through the aperture in the skull.
Sometimes his huge curved back appeared like a rock in the ocean, and at
other times he would spread his tail like a fan and lie on the surface of the
water for hours. He frequently comes so
near the ship that he wets our decks fore and aft, spouting higher than the
maintop."<o:p></o:p></div>
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Stay tuned as we follow <i>Hornet’s </i>journey southward, and what
happened as she approached the squadron rendezvous…<o:p></o:p></div>
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NNNN</div>
Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-87030789263567171832015-03-08T13:21:00.003-04:002015-03-08T14:11:20.569-04:00The fruits of many labors...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>What's going on with HORNET? </i>Apologies to our dedicated web followers for the silence of the last several months - yes, we've read your emails! Rest assured we've been hard at work behind the scenes, paving the way for a new push which we hope will bring <i>Hornet </i>closer to fruition.<br />
<br />
After a great deal of hard work by the team at the Naval Heritage Society and our partner organization the Palm Beach Maritime Foundation, we're ready to start<i> </i>rolling out some new developments for the USS HORNET Project. And they're big ones. But before we get to the details of our present-day breakthrough, let's take a minute for a flash back to the original ship...<br />
<br />
BT<br />
<br />
200 years ago today, <i>Hornet </i>was cruising southward on her fourth and final cruise in the War of 1812. Under the command of intrepid Master Commandant James Biddle, <i>Hornet </i>had only recently escaped from a grueling 17-month blockade that trapped the ship in New London, Connecticut. Now unleashed on the ocean, and after running the British blockade not once, but twice, Biddle raced his tiny ship southward toward a remote rendezvous and an ambitious new objective.<br />
<br />
Of course, by this point in the cruise, and unknown to anybody on board, a peace treaty had been ratified ending the war less than two weeks before. But slow communications would keep the battles going in distant waters for months to come.<i> </i><br />
<br />
Biddle's first stop was a remote island rendezvous in the South Atlantic, where he planned to join forces with other units of a squadron under command of Commodore Stephen Decatur and proceed to raid British shipping in even more distant Southeast Asia. <i>Hornet</i> had sailed from New York in late January with USS <i>Peacock - </i>a ship named for the British vessel <a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2012/02/24-february-hornet-sinks-peacock.html" target="_blank"><i>Hornet </i>sank in 1813</a> - but the two ships had been separated by bad weather only a few days out of port. Now <i>Hornet </i>was proceeding south alone, hoping to meet both <i>Peacock </i>and the frigate <i>President </i>at the first rendezvous.<br />
<br />
Naval history enthusiasts know <a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2012/03/happy-penguin-day.html" target="_blank">what happened next</a>. We're going to explore it in the days to come, and I think everyone will be able to appreciate the great historical parallel to what's to come in our efforts to build a new <i>Hornet.</i><br />
<br />
More to follow, shortly - stay tuned.Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-89702433979582849782014-02-09T19:44:00.000-05:002014-02-09T19:51:21.634-05:00First of HORNET Deck Logs have been posted!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXL3b7yt6W0fRoShRgpz5_ix_2oty7ohw2jcusoGZ5iFBiGKP6iqdHI1TtC_mMnuATRlGtolEs4Rly8jQQYFSsVmtO4zSjQyssBzF8XTqYtstCpK96c1HS1wvmY8j-bpkesFRxr0YE7Zy/s1600/log+excerpt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXL3b7yt6W0fRoShRgpz5_ix_2oty7ohw2jcusoGZ5iFBiGKP6iqdHI1TtC_mMnuATRlGtolEs4Rly8jQQYFSsVmtO4zSjQyssBzF8XTqYtstCpK96c1HS1wvmY8j-bpkesFRxr0YE7Zy/s1600/log+excerpt2.jpg" height="306" width="320" /></a></div>
Preempting tomorrow's edition of The Pennant by a few hours, I'm pleased to announce that our volunteer researchers and our website managers <b>have uploaded</b> two of fifteen volumes of <i>Hornet's </i>deck logs preserved in the collections of the National Archives. Check out the product by clicking <a href="http://www.navalheritage.org/hornetlogs.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
To date, the team has digitized nine of the fifteen huge volumes with Vol. 3 through Vol. 9 still being sorted and organized. Make no mistake - this is a huge deal. So far, those first nine volumes constitute more than 2,500 pages! So great work, guys - keep it up!<br />
<br />
So go check out the product of our volunteers' hard work, and enjoy the new material! If you're not sure where to start, the first entry in Vol. 1A is July 28th 1805 - and the launching of <i>Hornet </i>at Baltimore. The log goes on to detail the fitting out and first sail - remarkable stuff! Enjoy! <br />
<br />
<br />Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-70487132384445957022014-02-06T09:03:00.003-05:002014-02-06T11:48:08.540-05:00Coming soon to digital...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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An NHS team of volunteer researchers has been working this week at the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) main branch in downtown Washington D.C. <b> </b>Their mission -<b> completely digitize all of <i>Hornet's </i>deck logs. </b>The logs, which are bound into 15 huge volumes encompassing an estimated 5,000 pages, cover nearly all of the ship's service - one of the most complete records of any ship of the period.<br />
<br />
The intent of this new initiative is to make the <u>actual records of the original <i>Hornet</i></u> accessible to a wider audience, and enable contributors to help transcribe and organize the information for easier use. The deck logs are a great place to start - because they are so complete, they provide the perfect framework over which to compare and arrange future research. After the deck logs, there are still hundreds of muster lists, official reports, official and unofficial journals, drawings and other papers in the NARA collection.<br />
<br />
The digitizing process is painfully slow. Volumes are set up in a lighted copy stand which allows a digital camera to capture detailed images of each page. One. at. a. time. Some pages are so frail that they have to be turned with thin rulers to prevent tearing. To expedite the photographic process and ensure continuity, all of the odd pages are photographed, then the volume turned around to shoot all the even pages. The database managers then organize the images into their proper order, and convert to PDF files.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHGd3z-yIgaXNIvMwzSupGsRLxvu_9mRkStsVeg0ecY0Tww6Mw8QkESImfuNd5dMbOwFuCe-07iWdfmM34vpmdNsRFbWxCHFG4HeStKC6SzGYnmeOwt7iHB5zbHSyGlpsB7-6JdFRKvqh/s1600/156850_10150108097539515_4152535_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHGd3z-yIgaXNIvMwzSupGsRLxvu_9mRkStsVeg0ecY0Tww6Mw8QkESImfuNd5dMbOwFuCe-07iWdfmM34vpmdNsRFbWxCHFG4HeStKC6SzGYnmeOwt7iHB5zbHSyGlpsB7-6JdFRKvqh/s1600/156850_10150108097539515_4152535_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the smaller logbooks, showing deterioration.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As the team completes each volume, it'll be announced in our weekly newsletter The Pennant. The immediate disposition of the PDFs - until our website is reworked to support the database - is still up in the air. Ideally I'd like to get them online somehow as soon as possible. In the meantime, anyone interested in helping to transcribe the logs should send an email to info@navalheritage.org and let us know - we're going to need all the help we can get!<br />
<br />
BT<br />
<br />
UPDATE: Of course I'm behind the curve on this - at the time of writing the crew has already completed scanning the first of 15 volumes, and is well on their way toward completing the sorting/formatting process. Standby for more - these guys are ON IT!<br />
<br />Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-2951446596446268242014-01-30T10:23:00.001-05:002014-01-30T10:23:11.581-05:00The Pennant RETURNS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After nearly a year-long hiatus, I'm pleased to announce that our weekly newsletter - The Pennant - is returning to publication on Monday February 3. Editor in Chief Tim Everett and our new volunteer writers are gearing up for an excellent comeback edition, with top news and opinions from around the Navy and Naval History community.<div>
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Readers can also expect several articles on the status of the USS <i>Hornet </i>Project - for which we've recently been bombarded by emails.<br /><div>
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For fans of our Naval Trivia column, the edition will also boast one of the most difficult trivia questions I've seen in a while. To compensate for the extra mental lifting, the winner will receive a limited edition Naval Heritage Society <i>Hornet</i> challenge coin.</div>
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The newsletter will be distributed weekly by email in PDF copy, and remains totally free of charge. To subscribe, visit <a href="http://www.navalheritage.org/">www.navalheritage.org</a> and click on the "Hoist Your Pennant" icon in the upper left corner to enter your e-mail address.</div>
Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-68811019898991869502014-01-29T08:39:00.000-05:002014-01-29T08:47:54.865-05:00Teamwork!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4671y9991GR7eiW3Id6SlDsL3-LPuOCvRdADG4zBz5oi6bSs2VWzmEjFYwaTcXwWEoqqOXdSBKjZJz4-FXAm-S9pBIUHj-vFbBBrbc_FummFGNIN_Xpcoiv1J9R8_7g5WMmvKTYlbYVNB/s1600/demotivational-poster-11952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4671y9991GR7eiW3Id6SlDsL3-LPuOCvRdADG4zBz5oi6bSs2VWzmEjFYwaTcXwWEoqqOXdSBKjZJz4-FXAm-S9pBIUHj-vFbBBrbc_FummFGNIN_Xpcoiv1J9R8_7g5WMmvKTYlbYVNB/s320/demotivational-poster-11952.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a></div>
The Naval Heritage Society is pleased to announce a collaborative partnership with the Palm Beach Maritime Foundation for the fulfillment of the USS <i>Hornet</i> Project. When complete, the fully-functional reconstruction of the 1812-era warship will now make its winter home exclusively in Florida, calling at many of the same ports as the historic ship did in its career between 1819 and 1829.<br />
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While wintering in Florida each year, <i>Hornet </i>will bolster local educational efforts by hosting programs for the <a href="http://palmbeachmaritimeacademy.org/pbma/" target="_blank">Palm Beach Maritime Academy</a>, a high-performing public charter school based in West Palm Beach and controlled by the Palm Beach Maritime Foundation. She will also support local historical enclaves on Peanut Island and the <a href="http://www.pbmm.org/pbmm/" target="_blank">Palm Beach Maritime Museum</a>.<br />
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The Palm Beach Maritime Foundation had been pursuing an effort to produce a replica of John Paul Jones' <i>Ranger</i>, a ship very similar in size and capacity to <i>Hornet</i>. However after several years of parallel work, team leads William King and John C. Grant decided to join forces. In selecting which ship would move forward, <i>Hornet </i>proved the effectiveness of her professional team. The advanced preparation of <i>Hornet's</i> business and operational plans, as well as her unique for-profit/non-profit hybrid business model facilitated her quick selection.<br />
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There is also a significant history between Florida and the original <i>Hornet</i>.<br />
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In 1819, <i>Hornet </i>carried the <a href="http://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/florida" target="_blank">Adams-Onis Treaty</a> from the United States to Spain for ratification by the King. Two years later, the ship<i> </i>was present at Pensacola during the <a href="http://www.pensapedia.com/wiki/Transfer_of_Spanish_West_Florida_to_the_United_States" target="_blank">peaceful transfer of Florida</a> from Spain to the United States, presided over by General (later President) Andrew Jackson. From 1821 to 1829, <i>Hornet </i>was frequently engaged on the Florida coast suppressing pirates and smugglers and protecting legitimate commercial shipping. Based largely in Pensacola and at Key West, <i>Hornet </i>became a mainstay of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indies_Squadron_(United_States)" target="_blank">West Indies Squadron</a> and an important developmental buttress for the Florida Territory.<br />
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In celebration of the partnership, our 1:12 scale exhibition model of <i>Hornet, </i>along with figurehead <i>Triumphant, </i>are on display at the Palm Beach Maritime Museum now through Summer 2014.<br />
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More to follow...Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-11586518317533315782013-08-27T07:40:00.001-04:002013-08-27T07:45:33.951-04:00How Fundraising turns you into the Crazy Girlfriend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItXjx8MfPLGLKq5pqgbAOKp5MEh5ek-RW-r4hhru1gHAe3jRFVqmlWUqwa4rDWjPDeFwDQMS2x10SIAPDNeDLs6ATVwJ3ir6kYvNQ1KisRITzE_A38d2bafKLCHDrw1Ec7E1NpAcr6Z5J/s1600/crazy-girlfriend-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItXjx8MfPLGLKq5pqgbAOKp5MEh5ek-RW-r4hhru1gHAe3jRFVqmlWUqwa4rDWjPDeFwDQMS2x10SIAPDNeDLs6ATVwJ3ir6kYvNQ1KisRITzE_A38d2bafKLCHDrw1Ec7E1NpAcr6Z5J/s1600/crazy-girlfriend-meme.jpg"></a></div>
Over the last year, the <i>Hornet </i>team has taken literally dozens of meetings in the ongoing efforts to wrap up funding for the project. We leave every meeting enthused, hopeful, optimistic - we dine out for weeks on a single compliment or hint of commitment. Every coincidence is a mystical message that <i>it's meant to be.</i><br>
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And then we wait. Should we call them? Are they thinking about us? I hope they liked us. What if they didn't? I thought we really had something there...<br>
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The process turns us into the crazy, over-attached girlfriend meme, one meeting at a time.<br>
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<a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-fundraising-turns-you-into-crazy.html#more">Read more »</a>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-1663009976926979102013-08-26T11:06:00.001-04:002013-08-26T11:06:27.160-04:00On the hunt - Antiques Roadshow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiA7DvUKwq0jIWvF5yz35Hbx-sdEFXC904BhFDCNXpUymfSkGFDeRjTa9OxouhTPEfslMrUza2SkjkJR_9MCH1fz_RPOvogZyY1J6H5exJHIKc4-V1UwK54-IXFuwSheUK1XZ0tD_RpH_/s1600/funny-pictures-history-tell-me-what-shes-worth1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiA7DvUKwq0jIWvF5yz35Hbx-sdEFXC904BhFDCNXpUymfSkGFDeRjTa9OxouhTPEfslMrUza2SkjkJR_9MCH1fz_RPOvogZyY1J6H5exJHIKc4-V1UwK54-IXFuwSheUK1XZ0tD_RpH_/s320/funny-pictures-history-tell-me-what-shes-worth1.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
Years ago, probably around 2010, when research into the historical <i>Hornet </i>first got started, I remember seeing an episode of Antiques Roadshow where someone brought in a Sailing Master's Log from the ship. Of course, because I didn't write down any specifics, and now that I'd like to track it down I can't find it.<br />
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This seems to happen a lot in research - coming across something interesting, failing to take proper note, then back-pedaling to insanity when you finally realize that you can use it. I hear it from the researchers all the time.<br />
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At any rate - any help from AR enthusiasts? I'd be much obliged.<br />
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<br />Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-3773604155303708912013-08-26T08:13:00.001-04:002013-08-26T08:45:50.359-04:00Figurehead TRIUMPHANT<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gIY05PEwUKMezRcODOFrXmR9x8mt07yebuTUMPEF6I9Uajuapme8_kmAFClYu7QKixCZP3RQSADHwAUpeAtUjrlvGcGFkoQj-dzPPSa3tDeXHnQ31Y8UapUgtOVyP3aJ50gC9n_DpNKc/s1600/542573_10151522520569515_771458636_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gIY05PEwUKMezRcODOFrXmR9x8mt07yebuTUMPEF6I9Uajuapme8_kmAFClYu7QKixCZP3RQSADHwAUpeAtUjrlvGcGFkoQj-dzPPSa3tDeXHnQ31Y8UapUgtOVyP3aJ50gC9n_DpNKc/s320/542573_10151522520569515_771458636_n.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Schaefer and Robert Marshall at the unveiling of Triumphant, February 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages - your daily dose of 'Merica.<br>
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In February 2013, in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of USS <i>Hornet </i>sinking HMS <i>Peacock,</i> we unveiled the first piece of the new <i>Hornet </i>in grand style. The National Museum of the U.S. Navy hosted the evening gala event, and we introduced a carved wonder to the world. Because it is that awesome.<br>
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Most HORNET supporters, and even team members, hadn't seen the impressive sculpture, which has a wingspan of over eight feet and is covered in 24-carat gold. The piece was carved from more than 900 lbs of solid mahogany by artist Mike Schaefer. The final finish of dazzling gold was performed by master gilder Robert Marshall.<br>
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In his speech at the unveiling ceremony, Mike described the work as “designed with broad curves and just enough detail to allow the full expression of the gold leaf; constructed from massive glued up mahogany solids, and incorporating sturdy joinery which allows the wings to be removed from the eagle during heavy seas.” For artistic expression, “<i>Triumphant</i> is muscular –a warbird, capable of projecting power, anywhere; evocative – he calls you to action, join the cause, join the Navy; and dynamic – he’s already coming at you,” Mike explains.<br>
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<a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2013/08/figurehead-triumphant.html#more">Read more »</a>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-73013046155425099782013-08-26T07:27:00.000-04:002013-08-26T07:27:54.428-04:00New name - for both the position and the occupant.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTOWTmbqpAkKo6_JfcXJlIMpPxtQaXxrIfzVarXwHHiO8jFkJnhPvLnRfm9ZH1wPHJirTArWK1voAgRK0vbCITszchSHHcVxa8PSuhcamvKkHlU0MWPU-KjDn56ShbQ-bulA6X2f0C4UD/s1600/295597_10151522518124515_330725459_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTOWTmbqpAkKo6_JfcXJlIMpPxtQaXxrIfzVarXwHHiO8jFkJnhPvLnRfm9ZH1wPHJirTArWK1voAgRK0vbCITszchSHHcVxa8PSuhcamvKkHlU0MWPU-KjDn56ShbQ-bulA6X2f0C4UD/s320/295597_10151522518124515_330725459_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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In honor of the passing of our beloved Historical Director,
Dr. Victor Keranen, the NHS Board of Directors decided to name the seat he
vacated after him. The position of
Historical Director was named in his honor in a unanimous decision on July 1. On July 2<sup>nd</sup> Chris Melhuish CAPT
USN (ret) was unanimously welcomed to the NHS Board of Directors as the first
occupant of the Dr. Victor Keranen Historical Chair. Chris was USS CONSTITUTION’s 65<sup>th</sup>
Commanding Officer, and had the deck during her 1997 foray into the ocean, from
Boston to Marblehead. He is now retired
from active duty and lives in Norfolk VA.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Chris has been a key contributor to the USS HORNET Project
since 2012, and was Master of Ceremonies for the unveiling of Hornet’s
figurehead ‘Triumphant’ at the National Museum of the Navy in February. His transition from the Board of Advisors to
the Board of Directors seems totally natural.
He’s a person of great vision who is thoroughly connected throughout the
Navy historical community.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Welcome, Chris!<o:p></o:p></div>
Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-72401707137383530662013-02-15T13:19:00.003-05:002013-08-27T07:48:48.579-04:00Passing of Dr. Victor Keranen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg553DPM6FiCMq8kdKLow9X45IaBb-tC4qfYuqD1AsoE1T2iemAe0ztCZhHKllkQZAt7OElW-6kzkLkPi5wrIQTWlUZD6nDc3AZ6YbdZo39bSQOKE4EsrmpWHA38KwYa584trMZ3lqdhyphenhyphenqg/s1600/30901_423307904514_3579264_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg553DPM6FiCMq8kdKLow9X45IaBb-tC4qfYuqD1AsoE1T2iemAe0ztCZhHKllkQZAt7OElW-6kzkLkPi5wrIQTWlUZD6nDc3AZ6YbdZo39bSQOKE4EsrmpWHA38KwYa584trMZ3lqdhyphenhyphenqg/s400/30901_423307904514_3579264_n.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
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Vic was our Historical Director, a top-notch Sailor and a singularly great mentor. Even after being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing chemo, he remained one of the steadiest, ablest hands in any crew he joined - pulling to beat junior Sailors less than a third his age.<br>
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His obituary (following) merely scratches the surface of his remarkable life and indomitable spirit.<br>
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<a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2013/02/passing-of-dr-victor-keranen.html#more">Read more »</a>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-46984366435025009402013-02-13T10:52:00.001-05:002013-02-13T10:52:16.275-05:00For our staff, running ragged over event preps...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiqy2WZ3z2OTE-CIgL15fcd6V2PNImVQG-y4yI_wdmNq_1ZKPoUJCpX8O1UUhC9EiUkMmoIx-WJM6PZsZOOuVWcTpq-gA8F5l274M-t-YqRHhPOG6VL5H_V1t3dHpxCxb7FWPPjaX79l0/s1600/SNAA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiqy2WZ3z2OTE-CIgL15fcd6V2PNImVQG-y4yI_wdmNq_1ZKPoUJCpX8O1UUhC9EiUkMmoIx-WJM6PZsZOOuVWcTpq-gA8F5l274M-t-YqRHhPOG6VL5H_V1t3dHpxCxb7FWPPjaX79l0/s400/SNAA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
... let me play you the song of my people.<br />
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Hang in there everybody, you're doing a great job!Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-34005562087463369102013-01-21T19:15:00.001-05:002013-01-21T19:15:32.648-05:00Range Rover ship collectorIf only great treasures could be just 'collected' by average people. I know a billionaire with stuff like this, but I doubt he'd be caught in anything short of a Rolls...<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1SO3uWUmYYI" width="560"></iframe>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-54114488021256528652013-01-15T09:15:00.000-05:002013-01-15T09:15:04.815-05:002013 Annual Meeting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86yfBu6iXydwa2BuwrPhcfa1N1FnMngfedriqgYocOS59eAqbMz46B35eApe-rMD7Szcrx4Ea1KKudGRwMghae135jjZ-0jSh-52gFz3ZLQNW4qSkE2ft1jbPCq2zymWgO3xQBzeJsELd/s1600/NHS+Annual+Mtng+2013+Small+full+ship-3539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86yfBu6iXydwa2BuwrPhcfa1N1FnMngfedriqgYocOS59eAqbMz46B35eApe-rMD7Szcrx4Ea1KKudGRwMghae135jjZ-0jSh-52gFz3ZLQNW4qSkE2ft1jbPCq2zymWgO3xQBzeJsELd/s320/NHS+Annual+Mtng+2013+Small+full+ship-3539.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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From <i>The Pennant - </i>this week's edition:<br />
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The NHS Board of Directors converged on the US Naval Academy this weekend for their 2013 Annual Meeting. The event was graciously hosted by the US Naval Academy Museum, which provided meeting as well as exhibition space for several attractions to coincide with the event. The museum even drew historical artifacts and documents from the original <i>Hornet</i> for review.<br />
This year, the board was privileged to be joined by Mr. Stu Kerr, a veteran of USS HORNET CVS-12 and Vice-Chairman of the USS HORNET Association – a group for the veterans of the most recent Navy ships named Hornet. In discussion of the new Hornet Mr. Kerr pledged that his association would provide a bronze plaque to be mounted aboard the ship honoring the veterans of CV-8 and CVS-12, the two ships to most recently bear the name. He also pledged to provide a piece of CVS-12’s wooden flight deck, to be integrated into the new Hornet’s keel during the keel laying ceremony. Navy tradition dictates that pieces of historical ships be integrated into the construction of new ones that bear the same name, and we are proud to carry on that tradition with the USS HORNET Association’s help.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the afternoon, USNA Museum Collections Manager Don Leonard gave NHS members a tour of the museum’s attic, containing the collections not on display including paintings, artifacts and weapons from throughout the history of the Navy. Some of the most interesting and enjoyable pieces were Fulton’s original patent application for the steamboat and the museum’s collection of antique firearms, which include captured WWII German and Japanese machine guns.<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Our giant 1:12 scale model of Hornet remains on display in Mahan Hall, near the cases that display the British ensigns captured by the original ship in the War of 1812. It is expected to be on display there until February 15.<br />
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BT<br />
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Photos of the event have been posted on our Facebook page, and even if you're not a subscriber you can view them by clicking <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151422933649515.538903.323193189514&type=1" target="_blank">here</a>. Special thanks to our esteemed directors and to the US Naval Academy Museum for hosting!<br />
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Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-125808956683138522012-12-12T08:58:00.001-05:002012-12-12T08:58:14.684-05:00Happy Birthday Patrick O'Brian!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDMo50ePzU8Iussi2SSoFIg-Ey3RCzucSoPjptSMjlpOYU_e9anggI26_UvKN30dzkxhKuMTgvrx6V_oQwXkLRZIDKKOpflhJH30nsVhyphenhyphenaeSlfEPpbCAbwH4WWn6kssSakVSNpELdhCdQ/s1600/tumblr_lw3s4toK6e1qdx4lmo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDMo50ePzU8Iussi2SSoFIg-Ey3RCzucSoPjptSMjlpOYU_e9anggI26_UvKN30dzkxhKuMTgvrx6V_oQwXkLRZIDKKOpflhJH30nsVhyphenhyphenaeSlfEPpbCAbwH4WWn6kssSakVSNpELdhCdQ/s320/tumblr_lw3s4toK6e1qdx4lmo1_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Today would have been the author's 98th birthday. His acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series of historical novels has been described as "a masterpiece" (David Mamet, New York Times), "addictively readable" (Patrick T. Reardon, Chicago Tribune), and "the best historical novels ever written" (Richard Snow, New York Times Book Review), which "should have been on those lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century" (George Will).<br />
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What most people today forget is that the series for which O'Brian became so famous was first published in the US in the fall of 1990, and weren't initially popular. In fact, the books barely made it to publication:<br />
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“Starling Lawrence, an editor at W. W. Norton in New York, first heard about the Irish novelist Patrick O’Brian in 1986. Lawrence was having a friendly drink with a literary-minded cousin when he unexpectedly found himself the target of a belligerent tirade. ‘How can you call yourself a publisher?’ his cousin demanded. ‘Here is this genius Patrick O’Brian and you’re not publishing him. Nobody in the United States is.’”<br />
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Keep reading: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/18/specials/obrian-comesin.html" target="_blank">Patrick O’Brian’s Ship Comes In, New York Times, May 16, 1993.</a><br />
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Happy Birthday, sir!<br />
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Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-30835773879233028902012-12-05T09:21:00.004-05:002013-01-16T07:31:09.492-05:00OK, Army, that was a good one!In anticipation of the Army/Navy game coming up this Saturday, it appears that an Army fan hacked the Superintendent's e-mail:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">FROM: Vice Admiral Michael H. Miller <millerm usna.edu="usna.edu"></millerm></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">TO: goarmysinknavy, AllUSNA, USCC, BTD </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Greetings,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In preparation for the humiliating defeat Army will be dealing to us in the near future, I have some guidance to pass down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">First: when we stage for march-on, we need to clean up our act. The internet has us pegged as <a href="http://imgur.com/HfTu3" target="_blank">dirty slobs </a> this year, we need to bring trash bags and clean up after ourselves. From what I understand, Army is embarrassed to even be associated with us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Second: clean up the actual <a href="see:http://imgur.com/9kDpf" target="_blank">march-on</a>. Please at least pretend to be in the military. Dress right dress, don't talk at attention, etc. Seriously, this one is too easy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Third: we need to have better accountability of <a href="http://imgur.com/wMvV" target="_blank">our goats</a>. This is also very <a href="http://imgur.com/If9NU" target="_blank">embarrassing</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Fourth: when Army sings second, we will be respectful and professional.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Fifth: we need to be better at cyber.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, I award you all with PMI (sleep ins) until Christmas. Maybe even a little longer, depending on how morale is going after Army defeats us on Saturday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Cheers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Go Army, Sink Navy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">{free the bits}</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">[#dg]</span><br />
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<br />Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-39648475200571353472012-12-04T18:04:00.001-05:002012-12-04T18:05:17.984-05:00My eyes are up here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIHAuNReEm3vcCwJn7N1njiSw-UDucTnTyR8oeN4lH404XVDYZ1XaacU6j8aAgXhPbfBu3fbVRXMebRfsl5uDYJu1P-DcpYAxV_rCLuFusHpThMuX2Wd47HAvuxGcSywb2QWOlX_lAl0-/s1600/BkgLHf6WtkeaBHqaSk3ccg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIHAuNReEm3vcCwJn7N1njiSw-UDucTnTyR8oeN4lH404XVDYZ1XaacU6j8aAgXhPbfBu3fbVRXMebRfsl5uDYJu1P-DcpYAxV_rCLuFusHpThMuX2Wd47HAvuxGcSywb2QWOlX_lAl0-/s200/BkgLHf6WtkeaBHqaSk3ccg2.jpg" width="151"></a></div>
So this summer I learned a valuable lesson - if you're trying to get people to listen to something important, don't give them cool toys immediately before hand. Distractions of any kind, in fact, should be avoided.<br>
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Some time ago the Hornet Team began wheeling out some spiffy new display pieces with them when they went to meetings. I actually discussed production of the Hornet half-hull models <a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2011/07/are-you-ready-for-heat-to-be-brought-on.html" target="_blank">more than a year ago</a><span id="goog_579036454"></span><span id="goog_579036455"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>, but when they first rolled out this summer, I simply didn't have time to post photos and everyone's mind was somewhere else. But I digest. The models show the complete hull framing, and the first iterations actually feature removable frame sections - each one a slide out cross-section of the hull. So imagine, if you will, a conference room in a New York high rise, very intelligent people in expensive suits around a big table, and instead of talking business, everyone - our team included - are all playing with the removable frame sections like kids with a bucket of Legos. Facepalm. Actually it was kind of fun. But moral of the story - the importance of staying focused cannot be overstated.<br>
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<a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2012/12/so-this-summer-i-learned-valuable.html#more">Read more »</a>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-3881876760781441842012-11-26T21:43:00.003-05:002012-11-26T21:43:47.021-05:00Cold weather = return to computers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pK8zWOPYcNIHGr6XI9G2VbRXJI9PwIXo0R-QC58N4sC7qRA8200MaX2-_0p6TYsqeR1KKZ6N9CuBC3xLcYNBpWmb477g6BDoMpUUwyWHvchy9FE2AbtqAzfTtYiOM0xy8nzwccddI_01/s1600/QvgbknYX9ES_fTY3tzoCGA2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pK8zWOPYcNIHGr6XI9G2VbRXJI9PwIXo0R-QC58N4sC7qRA8200MaX2-_0p6TYsqeR1KKZ6N9CuBC3xLcYNBpWmb477g6BDoMpUUwyWHvchy9FE2AbtqAzfTtYiOM0xy8nzwccddI_01/s320/QvgbknYX9ES_fTY3tzoCGA2.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
Hello world - and apologies for the general lack of updates here in, well, months. Things have been quite busy for the NHS team this year, with something always seeming to come up and get in the way of 'ops normal'. Nevertheless, in the past few weeks - and despite the holiday! - we're starting to get back to business. As the cold weather begins to set in, more and more of our volunteers are returning and our office is beginning to hum again. And not a moment too soon - our inboxes are full of demands for information. <br />
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So here we are - November 2012 coming to a close and here's what we've been up to:<br />
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HORNET - we're still hard at work here. The Summer of 2012 proved to be our busiest season of meetings ever. But after significant interest and some impressively high-level discussions we have reached something of a relative standstill in terms of funding. As it turns out, the kind of capital we've been working to secure for the project is rather hard to come by these days. This does not mean we're giving up - far from it - just kicking our start date further down the pike. A disappointment, I know. But we haven't exactly returned to you with nothing to show for our stellar year of pitching - I'll save the biggest announcements for our also-neglected newsletter, but suffice it to say that we're going to be unveiling something on the scale of Mini-HORNET (our 1:12 scale mock-up) quite soon. We've also added several new members to the Project Team.<br />
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THE PENNANT - I know how you all so loved the weekly trivia, so we're bringing our flagship weekly publication back in the first week of December to make some of the big announcements for the Hornet Project and bring everyone up to speed on the biggest stories of the past year. So if you haven't signed up for the newsletter, visit our website and enter your email address soon. For those who have signed up but not received anything - you'll start getting them December 3rd.<br />
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THE DOCKYARD - By far our biggest hit this year was sustained by the Dockyard facilities in Norfolk VA. Our Deep Creek Annex has been humming on and off, and our giant Hornet demo model has migrated there. But the Norfolk shop has been largely closed this year - a function of many of our active-duty volunteers being reassigned to move on to bigger and better things. The Monomoy Pulling Boats are all perfectly preserved, exactly where we left off, ready to re-start operations as soon as our capabilities permit.<br />
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I'm also preempting the New Year and making a resolution to begin making more regular updates here. After all, there is plenty to talk about these days. So standby in the coming days - yes, I'm THAT ambitious - it's time to kick this pig!<br />
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NNNNWill Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-26535296199292581222012-05-01T15:28:00.002-04:002012-05-01T15:28:44.272-04:00Spoils of War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYvX7VUe92jQVeP1pA6fgOljA5UxdQ5AEyMLqVsZ97v0pEK-bU2Qtzs60Wvmvas9d0SX7nWeKfgOo0LR87UJ_XAG7Arl5R-ncOU0WK5snNDwkxcxI62qCQFJdrXMNyQRpD6VBwIZzxoY4/s1600/CIMG1549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYvX7VUe92jQVeP1pA6fgOljA5UxdQ5AEyMLqVsZ97v0pEK-bU2Qtzs60Wvmvas9d0SX7nWeKfgOo0LR87UJ_XAG7Arl5R-ncOU0WK5snNDwkxcxI62qCQFJdrXMNyQRpD6VBwIZzxoY4/s320/CIMG1549.JPG" width="320"></a></div>
So many in the naval community have been inside the auditorium in Annapolis' Mahan Hall - certainly every Midshipman who's ever attended the Naval Academy has nodded off there during a presentation or two. But few that I've spoken to even remember giving so much as a passing thought to the decorative cases that line the actual auditorium, and the corridors around it. After all, the contents are faded, shabby, and for all intents and purposes trapped for the foreseeable future beneath thick plate glass that was installed to seal the cases as the building was constructed around them.<br>
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Lurking inside those oft forgotten veritable glass dungeons are precious and irreplaceable artifacts - spoils of war once heralded at mastheads and paraded triumphantly through American streets accompanied by cheers. In this year and during the next few, they may warrant an occasional glance, and perhaps a few sparks of recognition.<br>
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<a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2012/05/spoils-of-war.html#more">Read more »</a>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682407952856797540.post-11605687580369157842012-03-23T07:13:00.001-04:002012-03-23T07:15:37.785-04:00Happy PENGUIN Day!<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-i_8zhV6WwAlMvzkl-i-YzWrptTM2tKqNbSc9Fx-uH3Y1KNj9zh7ex-QkRnudUO8ehZwf2aSYuN9gI7HCnNaG0ZZwbhqBARJ6l8Cp6rUNvGOPP9mz2rkMKlddrxzfH42Z4rWNhoQsSBO/s1600/152688_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-i_8zhV6WwAlMvzkl-i-YzWrptTM2tKqNbSc9Fx-uH3Y1KNj9zh7ex-QkRnudUO8ehZwf2aSYuN9gI7HCnNaG0ZZwbhqBARJ6l8Cp6rUNvGOPP9mz2rkMKlddrxzfH42Z4rWNhoQsSBO/s320/152688_02.jpg" width="320"></a></div>
On this date in 1815, the US Sloop of War HORNET was attacked by and subsequently captured and sank HMS PENGUIN in the South Atlantic in a fierce 22-minute battle. To relate a portion of the story of that great victory, I'd like to post the text of an article written by Mr. Joe Holt, who formed part of the Marine Detachment aboard <i>the most recent </i>USS HORNET, CV-12 from 1967 to 1969.<br>
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Take it away, Mr. Holt:<br>
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We all know the history of seagoing Marines goes back as far as the Navy itself, but how often do we come across an opportunity that tells their tale? All after-action reports promote the Navy’s exploits, but it’s rare to come across a ship’s account that brags on its Marines. I’ve been lucky enough to discover just such a report.<br>
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<a href="http://navalheritage.blogspot.com/2012/03/happy-penguin-day.html#more">Read more »</a>Will Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06123045159824743652noreply@blogger.com0