Happy PENGUIN Day!

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 the most recent USS HORNET, CV-12 from 1967 to 1969.

Take it away, Mr. Holt:

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.

Welcome Gary Jobson!

This week's edition of the NHS newsletter, The Pennant, announced sailing legend Gary Jobson joining the USS HORNET Project Board of Advisers.  Welcome, sir, and thanks for your support!

NHS Staff | News | 7 February 2012

GARY JOBSON WELCOMED TO HORNET TEAM

In a meeting with NHS Chairman Will King, sailing legend Gary Jobson volunteered to join the USS Hornet Project Board of Advisers. 

        “Sail training provides a lifetime experience in leadership, teamwork and understanding the world.  Hornet will provide thousands of young people the opportunity to learn life’s lessons.” he said.

A productive start to the week

The Hornet team is making a round of presentations this week to key influencers.  Our new promotional material is rolling out and we wanted to have a chance to put it out to a select group before it made it available to the public.  The first of these just wrapped up, having gone quite well.  To be honest, I'm a little excited that things went so smoothly, despite a few not-so-well-placed comments and reassurances that I didn't need to make.

No, I won't say who it was with.  But I will say that it was rather close to home, which made things all the more shaky for me.  For some reason I always feel more comfortable presenting to total strangers - and the meetings seem to run better.  I know I'm definately more astute in conversation when I know the person I'm talking to isn't looking right through me.  A good rule of thumb to follow - that I need to start paying more attention to - is when you get what you want shut up.  Oh well, live and learn.

But here I am going on about my own uneasiness and what you're really looking for is what's going on now.  The long and short of it is, things are moving in a positive direction, and we continue to make progress.  More will follow as things solidify, so stay posted.

A quick excerpt...

...from a great book and one of those references that is hard to put down once picked up:


"Many muskets were levelled at him, but were prevented by our officers from firing on so bave a man." Midshipman Skiddy's story of the US officers' response to the sight of Penguin's lieutenant left alone on his forecastle points to the existence among those officers of shared values, in this particular case respect for bravery.  Equally, the adroitness of Hornet's victory over Penguin - defeating the brig despite Hornet's first lieutenant, David Conner, being grievously wounded at the beginning of the action; her captain, James Biddle, being partly disabled during its course; and ending the battle with her twenty-one-year-old seconid lieutenant, John T. Newtown, as the senior uninjured officer - all suggests a high state of training and discipline among the officers.  How had these shared values, the well-honed skills, been acquired?
            Not by accident or inadvertence.  Rather, they were the result of a conscious and sustained educational program.  One could hardly overestimate the importance that the corps attached to its educational effort during the pre-1815 years.  Operations aside, there may be no aspect of the US Navy's early history that is more extensively documented in its surviving records.  "Without officers what can be expected from a navy? The ships cannot maneuver themselves, nor will the best of soldiers answer as substitutes for seamen" Thomas Truxton exhorted Secreetary of War James McHenry as early as 1797.  "If we are to have a navy, we must make officers to manage that navy."

p. 153 A Gentlemanly and Honorable Profession; The Creation of the US Naval Officer Corps, 1794-1815 by Christopher McKee.

Check it out on my book scroll to the right!

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Feedback on HORNET - the NHS command model

The first critical item of discussion aboard NIAGARA last week was the operation of HORNET under a military system, and the planned command model.  Among all of the preparations this is perhaps the most controversial facet of all.  For active duty sea service folks, this comes as no particular surprise, but for the civilian sail training community - as much as they want to say it isn't - this is a game changer.  After all, the last military-run sail training ships left service more than a century ago - the era of naval discipline under the square rig is all but forgotten in actual practice. 

Today aboard most ships, the officers are called and referred to by their first names (except in most cases the master, who is called captain or skipper) and nary a 'sir' or 'ma'am' is heard, and it isn't unusual for the officers to mix and mingle with the crew both on the ship and during off time.  And while most get along just fine without it, including NIAGARA (which is often cited as being more organized than many), there is an intangible benefit to be derived from naval discipline - which is often displayed on the Navy's better ships - that not only brings a crew together but drives them onward, motivating them and instilling a sense of tremendous pride that can best be described as a fighting spirit.  Hornet's crew has to set that bar highest of all - all eyes, even in the Navy's Atlantic Fleet - will be on her wherever she goes.  Anything less will ring false to the active Sailors we know we're going to meet, and in many cases cater to.  And none of this mentions the simple fact that onboard a Navy ship - even a mock-Navy ship like Hornet - it is what spectators and participants will expect to see.  But in an era when many of Hornet's crew will never have served in the military - how do we do this?  That's what we're working out, and NIAGARA's crew had some interesting feedback.

First, the obvious - the crew must adhere to a very rigid chain of command.  So today's entry will cover the generalities of the model with respect to ranks and responsibilities, and some of the comments and criticism from NIAGARA's officers and crew.

Meanwhile, at the idea pool

This weekend we're setting to work quietly, in our favorite armchairs with our trusty laptops and memo pads and calculators by our side.  Recently, we had a discussion about the USS HORNET Project and how it meshes with the existing 1812 bicentennial programming plans.  Now that those plans are being finalized, a clearer picture of what to expect and how to augment it is available.  But as we really focus on the question of what it all means, and should mean, we're in a great pool of thought processes - each with different origins and objectives but crossing somehow beneath the banner of "1812".  The great challenge is weaving every path into a giant knit onion - where the various layers and sinews compliment and embrace the bigger vegetable.  Served raw in that concentration is bound to make some restaurant-goers cry.  But in the right combination, with some preparation, the flavor comes out with great taste.

Pennants on paper

Yesterday we published our first edition of a - what we hope to maintain as - weekly newsletter, The Pennant.  I hope it helps keep everyone on the same page - we're starting to become so widespread in our activities and support that many elements aren't always up to speed on the big picture.  It you didn't receive your copy of The Pennant, sign up for it by visiting our website and entering your email address - here.

To many, I'm sure it seems we are treading water - particularly if you don't live near or participate in our regular working sessions.  The fact of the matter is that we are waiting on a major breakthrough that will demonstrate our credibility and feasibility and put our projects into the realm of the possible in the perceptions of the prospective donors from whom we've gathered interest thus far.  But rather than sit patiently and wait for the breakthrough to come down the pike (and it seems to move slower and slower by the day) we're keeping busy, doing what we can, with what we have, where we are - so that when the capability for serious movement arrives, we can hit the gas hard and know we're accelerating in the right direction.

Writer's block, meetings and a head scratch

Sorry for the long absence, but I've been absolutely mired in a number of items - most prominently the Association of Defense Communities Annual Conference here in Norfolk.  Our volunteers set up Mini-HORNET here on Sunday night and yesterday was the first full day of activities and networking - today I'm back for the second day.  And writing this from the business center at the conference, alas, I have no funny picture - surfing the net looking for them gets some really odd looks, so I gave it up.  But I digress...

199 years ago today....

Today marks an interesting anniversary - 199 years ago something significant happened.  This is in marked contrast to the tin sign hanging in the Dockyard that proclaims "On this site 200 years ago NOTHING HAPPENED".  Actually, we're not sure about that one but it seemed funny.  But today in history, a relatively small but significant 'first' ocurred having to do with USS Hornet.

Who needs a press release?

Our first round of actual press releases are nearing completion, and while they will be making some big announcements, I'll drop a partial spoiler on you now.  After all, things are just too exciting to keep to myself, and I'll save the big announcements for the actual releases so there's still some surprise there.

A great kick-off

On Wednesday, the Board of Directors and several key supporters ventured to Washington DC for the kick-off reception of the War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemorations. The event, hosted by the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History in front of the original Star Spangled Banner (Kenneth E. Behring Center) featured guest speakers Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Dr. Jose Fuentes, Chairman of OpSail. The event lasted from 7 to 9 pm and was capped off by libations at the Old Ebbet Grill with the Navy Commemorations Office and OpSail staff a few blocks away.

Photos of the event have been posted on Facebook - both the official photos, here, but also the blooper reel on my personal page as well. Some faces have been blurred to protect the innocent.

The NHS team was received very graciously by Secretary Mabus, who took a few minutes to share with me a few recollections of his own sea duty as a surface warfare officer.

A not-so-quick rough look at James Biddle

I've been putting off my much anticipated (or not) brilliant narrative (or not) about the 'six degrees of separation' among Hornet's people and the early American navy. If you're a history nerd like I am, you'll enjoy these. If not, give it some time and I'll go back to talking about steam bending frames for Monomoy No. 3 - set to start within the next few weeks.

At any rate - I think we'll start with Hornet's second most famous commander - James Biddle. Why? Because the letter signed by Biddle that I bought off eBay just arrived and I'm all excited about the fact that I own something that (I think) he touched. Again - if you're not a history nerd, go ahead and tune out.

The story of HORNET and TWO Peacocks, or, Why not Wasp?

One of the singular occurrences in the War of 1812 related to USS HORNET (subject of our most recent initiative) is that she is the only US warship to challenge her own sister ship to a ship-to-ship duel - today in 1813. Confusing, I know. Let me explain.

HORNET and her close sister WASP were both built to the same design, by Josiah Fox, as we've covered in previous entries. But in 1805 new ship construction was closely scrutinized - President Jefferson's administration and a Republican dominated Congress had since resolved to focus on a reduction of the Naval establishment in favor of small gunboats for harbor defense. So an an experiment, it was decided to contract HORNET's construction to a private shipyard while WASP was built in a Navy yard by government workers. HORNET came in ahead of schedule and under budget, but once launched it was found that alterations to her rigging were going to be necessary as she had trouble in bad weather. WASP, taking a bit longer, was quickly altered in response to the lessons learned from HORNET, and HORNET was brought in for overhaul.

HORNET Updates

I've been getting quite a few emails regarding the USS HORNET Project, everyone wanting to know what's happening. For those just joining us, this is our project to build the first blue-water replica of a US Navy sailing ship as part of the 1812 bicentennial commemorations - the Sloop of War HORNET (1805-1829). For more information check out our website at http://www.navalheritage.org/.

First, I should say that we are working hard behind the scenes to get our media release ready. We need to put our best foot forward when we start broadcasting, and need to do our due dilligence and then some to ensure that. And in typical NHS fashion, we have saved our biggest surprise for that event. I know I like to say 'stay tuned' but you're probably not going to want to miss that one.

On deaf ears

One of the unique mission-sets of the completed replica of USS HORNET will be the integration of deaf participants, and possibly programs geared exclusively to the deaf. I say possibly because one of my core beliefs is that everyone benefits from diversity. No, not that kind - not forced or mandated diversity, but the opportunities that present themselves when you allow the natural elements to fall as they may. Case in point, when we open HORNET programming to the public, we are bound to have deaf participants. The entire crew of professionals and participants benefit from having a deaf person onboard, if only because they might not interact with a deaf person on a regular basis, and doing so adds educational value and breaks that communication bubble, if even only a little bit.

I will discuss my policies on diversity in another entry. For now, back on the topic of deaf participants.

I've not known many deaf people myself, but when I met Chelsea Lew, a volunteer financial analyst on our staff, I could instantly recognize that the term "disabled" did not apply. I don't want to use the term "handi-capable" because it's a bit lame. But case in point, Chelsea can speak well, read lips at an astonishing pace, and is brilliant to boot. The thought crossed my mind - what if I had written her off because she was deaf? Aside from being an ass, I would have missed out on harnessing her talents and energy - of which there are plenty.

But as much as Chelsea would undoubtedly love for me to continue ranting about her talents - this isn't about her. Well, not really. Start with the basics - how many deaf people are there in this country?

• About 2 to 4 of every 1,000 people in the United States are "functionally deaf," though more than half became deaf relatively late in life; fewer than 1 out of every 1,000 people in the United States became deaf before 18 years of age.


• However, if people with a severe hearing impairment are included with those who are deaf, then the number is 4 to 10 times higher. That is, anywhere from 9 to 22 out of every 1,000 people have a severe hearing impairment or are deaf.

That means the chances of the average person interacting with or knowing a deaf person are pretty good. Consequently, the chance of having deaf participants is also pretty high.

Add - impetus!

There is one more great reason that we should make a point of extending HORNET's programming to include the deaf - and you may be amazed to find that it comes from a historical source. In the 19th century, the mark of an efficient crew aboard a US Navy sailing ship is that they executed maneuvers in silence. The idea was that leaders of various groups of sailors could then hear commands, and communicate these to the other Sailors through action or hand-signals, thus preventing a caucophony of shouted commands and calls around the ship. Know your job, know the job of the person next to you, observe their actions, and conduct yours accordingly. The concept is simplicity itself. From Seamanship by Stephen B. Luce:

Officers of every rank are expected, when at quarters, when performing the duties of the ship, or when at their different stations, to preserve silence among the men, and see that the orders from the quarter-deck are executed with celerity, and without noise and confusion.

So if HORNET's crew is trained to that historic standard, why should it not be relatively easy to integrate the deaf into regular programming? Ensure a few of our crewmembers - and possibly all, later on - are fluent in ASL, and there you have it. Teach, explain, demonstrate, do.

More about HORNET's programming plans later on.

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Meet and greet, wash, rinse, repeat

Since our soft launch, we have been building partnerships and connections with other 501(c)3 organizations as well as those institutions with critical importance to our mission with the USS HORNET Project. I've been meeting some great people and making great connections, sharing some fun sea stories and good jokes. Eat, sleep, get up and do it again. Each day I wake up and realize that I have no idea where I might end up, who I might meet, and what connections I'll have made by the time I hit the rack that night.

Yesterday I had the great opportunity to sit in on the War of 1812 commemorations working group led by CAPT Pat Burns and his staff at the Naval History and Heritage Command Office of Commemorations. And before you say "oh cool" you need to picture a very full room, a malfunctioning conference call-er widget and death by powerpoint. Yes, it was that exciting. But the key take-away is that since October 2010, CAPT Burns and his team have been networking Navy commands and public institutions getting the preparations made for the War of 1812 bicentennial commemorations - no easy thing when your task is to harness the ever-shrinking body of Navy assets that can be allocated to such events (vice combat deployments) and personal, professional and political networks as vast and complex as a united string of my past girlfriends. Yikes.

When I look at NHS, from the top down to the individual volunteers, I see a united formation fighting an uphill battle with substandard weapons and limited support. I think my job is difficult. And then I meet CAPT Burns and his team riding their backsides raw corralling a nation-wide support base and pushing to collect and conglomerate what may be the most complex, challenging and (for the time being) under-appreciated commemoration schedule in decades. I realize that I am small potatoes, here.

There is a certain hopeless feeling that starts to erode confidence after a few hours. And yet CAPT Burns and his people are still there, in the saddle, pushing onward. They know, as few others can imagine, that all of this grating, grinding, agonizing planning and re-planning will ultimately produce something grand, impressive, and remarkably meaningful. And not only for the historical community and its broad base of armchair supporters, but for our Sailors and Marines, for whom the last ten years have been the epitome of the drawn-out, uphill battle full of far-flung enemies, economic strain, and personal sacrifice.

Realizing that 200 years ago, we faced similar perils and triumphed, against all odds, those Sailors and Marines will look back proudly at their remarkable history. At the same time, the American public will focus on and celebrate the proud heritage that these Sailors and Marines have carried on - with aplomb - and recognize that, contrary to the "kids these days" outlook, our Naval forces remain READY, RESPONSIVE and RELEVANT. Our Sailors and Marines are the heart of that truth, and carry that torch proudly. Let them remember that, and let the public remember that.

Dismount - soapbox.

Hat tip, NHHC Commemorations Office!

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Reactions to HORNET - or - how we know we are on the right track

I think I've beaten to death all the tales about three years of planning, developing a financially self-sustaining cultural attraction and so forth. If you have questions about that, please read the website first, then email - I'm a little shocked by the number of emails I get that remind me "make sure you put engines in your ship." Um, thanks.

Since our soft launch just over a week ago I've been sort of watching the responses attempting to gauge opinions. We haven't started the full-on media blitz, in fact we've declined interviews in order to prolong the "soft-kill" study and get our ducks in a row for the "hard-kill" barrage to come. What I've seen I can summarize as follows:

(1) once Sailors understand what we're doing - that we're actually building a ship, and how we intend to run our programming - they are excited. VERY excited.

(2) existing sail training professionals are largely skeptical and quietly discussing the program in back rooms. Here in Norfolk, I expected nothing less. Others have engaged, cautiously, to see what we're about - glad to hear from you.

(3) history professionals want to know why we weren't touring a lecture circuit or writing a book. Good ideas, but the immediate effects would have played out on the wrong audience. Don't worry, our groundwork is well in place for both - and they'll come soon enough.

(4) the average person with no vested interest is surprised at our projected price points. Common response "sounds like fun, sign me up!"

BT

Processing responses is a matter of weighing professional demographics (listed above) with appropriate attention to the individual motivations within each category. Once the motivation is factored in, determining relevance is relatively easy - basically asking ourselves "should we care?" The answer for the first and last demographics - US Navy Sailors and the otherwise uninterested general public - is absolutely. That's our market base, our reason for doing this. These are the people we will serve. On the other hand, sail training and history professionals have comparatively little to lend HORNET as a community on the whole - though we certainly have something to give them. And that's not to say we won't need support and assistance from individuals within these categories, but rather to say that a ringing endorsement from those professions as a whole is relatively unimportant compared to the measured impact on our target audiences.

Go back and read that sentence carefully, and make sure you take it all in before emailing.

Special thanks to the special advisement of those people in the aforementioned categories that we've brought onboard so far. Hat tip.

The point is this, we've had some great feedback from the most important people - our target audience - and can definitely say we are on the right track.

BT

Mini-HORNET will be at US Fleet Forces Command until May 20th, after which we'll be breaking it down to hit the road for our fundraising efforts. In the meantime, we've been establishing the partnerships that are going to make this project really take off. In the last week alone, we've finalized plans with several other 501(c)3 organizations, all of which will be made public with our first media release.

Stay tuned!

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Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler...

This weekend we put the finishing touches - well, for the time being anyway - on Mini-HORNET in preparation for moving her to US Fleet Forces Command later today. As usual, we're pushing hard to meet a deadline, and calling in every ounce of support we can muster. Today, that means asking our base of support at USFFC to stay after work to help unpack and set her up. Yeah... I'm going to need you to come in on Sunday... too.

Deduct two points if you don't know what movie that's from. Deduct TEN points if you also work at USFF. If you actually thought I was asking you to come in on Saturday, don't cry, call me and I'll come give you a hug. Back on topic.

While a handful of volunteers from USFF have been instrumental in building Mini-HORNET and getting it ready, most of our support base have only heard 'sea stories' about just how big it is. I think we're really going to knock their socks off when they see it. And for those members of the general public who aren't able to get on base to see our little masterpiece, be patient - she'll undoubtedly make the rounds this year as we start ramping up the USS HORNET Project.

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Off and running!

Over the past several weeks we've been engaged in a mad dash to make a few of the aspects of the HORNET Project presentable to the public. Many of our volunteers worked long hours at the Dockyard to get our materials ready for launch, including the three primary projects: the 3D renderings, our website (yes, it too was built at our Dockyard -in the office), and Mini-Hornet - which we have decided to stop calling a model because at 1:12 scale it is just too damned huge (16' long, 12' tall)! In the end, our 'soft launch' went very well, and our mission at the moment is to get the word out, grassroots style.

So where do we go from here? Well, we're bending sails on Mini-Hornet this weekend, and we'll be taking her over to US Fleet Forces Command on Naval Security Annex Norfolk for display. As of Monday evening she'll be set up in their atrium until the end of the week, when she might be headed down to Town Point Park for the 10th annual Norfolk Beer Festival. We'll have to wait and see if they give us space.

A few people have asked, "where's the media?" Good question. We're working on that one, but like our soft launch, there are a great many things going into the media release, including our first big partnership - that will be announced at that time. For now, we'll keep the press on social media and personal connections until you're all sick of us asking if you've heard about it!

I'll probably be in and out of the Dockyard after that, engaged in a long string of meetings raising funds for the project. In my absence, we'll get some guest bloggers in here and mix things up a bit!

Rolling out to the shop - if you're in the area, stop on by and lend a hand! PS- Jerry, your carronade pattern will be on its way back to you later today - thanks a million!

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Announcing the USS HORNET Project!

Our new site is uploaded, and with it the announcement of our newest and most ambitious project - construction of a full-scale replica of the US Sloop of War HORNET, one of the most successful ships of the War of 1812.

In honor of the occasion, I've published a few back-dated blog articles from the period of our radio silence. They explain in a little more detail the thought process behind all of this, and how we prepared for today - our first public announcement.

I'm going to take a bit of a breather to let everyone go explore the new website at http://www.navalheritage.org/ and read about the project. Feel free to come back and email me or post your questions, and I'll do my best to get back to you asap.

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