Argonauta, V. XVII, no. 3 · 2020. 8. 30. · ARGONAUTA Founded 1984byKenneth MacKenzie ISSNNo. 0843-8544 Editors William Schleihauf Maurice D. Smith Argonauta Editorial Office Marine

ARGONAUTAThe Newsletter of

The Canadian NauticalResearch Society

Volume XVII Number ThreeJuly 2000

ARGONAUTA

Founded 1984 by Kenneth MacKenzieISSN No. 0843-8544

EditorsWilliam SchleihaufMaurice D. Smith

Argonauta Editorial OfficeMarine Museum ofthe Great Lakes at Kingston55 Ontario Street, Kingston, Ontario K7K 2Y2

e-mail [email protected]: (613) 542-2261 FAX: (613)542-0043

ARGONAUTA is published four time a year-January, April, July and October

The Canadian Nautical Research Society

Executive OffICersPresident: William R. Glover, KingstonPast President: G. Edward Reed, Ottawa1st Vice-President: James Pritchard, Kingston2nd Vice-President: Christon Archer, CalgaryCouncilor: Lewis R. Fischer, St. John'sCouncillor: Peter Haydon, HalifaxCouncilor: Gerald Jordan, TorontoCouncilor: Maurice D. Smith, KingstonSecretary: Richard Gimblett, OttawaTreasurer: Greg Hannah, Kingston

Canadian Nautical Research Society Mailing AddressMembership Business

PO Box 511, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 4W5, CanadaAnnual Membership including four issues ofARGONAUTA

and four issues of THE NORTHERN MARINERILE MARINDUNORD:Individuals, $45.00; Institutions, $70.00; Students, $35.00

July 2000 - ARGONAUTA - Page 1

In this Issue

EditorialCouncil CornerCNRS Research Directory1999 CNRS Awards Committee ResultsArticles- Robin H. Wyllie "Maritime Provinces Steam Passenger Vessels"- Kenneth S. Mackenzie "West Coast Wisdom"- Rollie Webb "Oceans &Liberties, Forts & Parks"- Morgiana P. Halley "Manning the Lifeline Aboard Liberty Ships"- William Glover ''Nautical Nostalgia"Members' and Institutional NewsConferences and Calls for PapersCNRS Research Directory Listing FormAdvertisements

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10141921242728

Editorial

About 2,500 Liberty ships survived the war. Now,only The John W Brown and the Jeremiah O'Brienremain intact and fully-restored. The visit ofthe JohnW Brown to the Great Lakes and into Canadianwaters has occassioned two contributions fromauthors who responded with alacrity to a request fora Canadian perspective. Rollie Webb is aprofessional ship builder based in British Columbia.He is in the advanced stages of a history ofshipbuilding in Canada. Morgiana Halley holds aM.A. in Folklore from Memorial University with adoctorate from the University of Sheffield. She nowlives in Virginia. Each has particular butcomplimentary perspective. Their contributions areappreciated.

We are happy to have back Robin H. Wyllie who wehope will be a regular contributor. His previous workwas always a delight for our readers. Those of you

following the Doug Maginley autobiographicalaccount of how he eventually served with theCanadian Navy and Coastguard will not bedisappointed. Parts three and four will appear insucceeding issues ofArgonauta.

Now is the time to start planning for the CNRSAnnual Meeting in Kingston Ontario in the year2001. The planning committee under the ableleadership of Jim Pritchard is up and running andthe first call for papers appears elsewhere inArgonauta. Anyone undertaking research is wellpositioned in this city with at least three researchlibrary/archive complexes - Queen's University, theMassey Library at RMC and the Audrey RushbrookMemorial Library at the Marine Museum of the GreatLakes. All have good reference and marinecollections.

Why not accept the Queen's Shilling? Our FoundingEditor, Kenneth MacKenzie has taken up the mantleof west coast causes so we are now looking for a

July 2000 - ARGONAUTA- Page 2

volunteer columnist (s) east oflongtitude 120 W torepresent other regions of Canada. There seems nolack ofmaterial to write about.

Captain Harold J. Hogan, 1928 - 2000For over a decade Captain Harold Hogan and hispals, really shipmates gathered at the Tim Hortondonut shop near the ferry docks in Kingston, Ontario.He held court from 0700 to 0800 every day exceptSunday, and then he walked the dog an extra mile.Harold served with Canada Steamship Lines aboardcanallers and later was the Captain of the WolfeIsland Ferry. Among the ships he served in was thevenerable, Maple Heath, formerly the Toiler andfirst diesel powered ship to cross the Atlantic ocean.He later took up a retirement job as Captain ofseveralThousand Island tour boats. Anyone who wanted toknow what was really happening in the shippingworld knew that a cup ofcoffee for the captain in theearly AM was money well invested and always a goodlaugh.

On Saturday, May 8 the Island Belle carried his ashesinto the harbour. At the appointed time, the threeremaining shipmates stepped forward, raised theirTim Horton coffee cups in salute and then tossed thecups over the side to join the Good Captain. A benignheartfelt gesture that connects one old sailor with auniverse ofthose who have gone before.

Finally there is the matter of money. I am happy toreport that advertising has increased by 100%. Tenbusiness card advertisements at $20.00 each wouldgo a long way toward covering the cost ofeach issueof Argonatua. The goal over the next few years forthe Society is self-sufficiency. A advertisement is agood way to reach a select audience while helping aSociety publication survive.

Council Corner

An important part ofthe work ofour societyis our conferences. They provide an opportunity formembers to meet and many of the papers that are

presented are published in our journal. Therefore Iwould like to outline some of the planning that hasalready started for our future conferences.

By the time you read this, the Ottawaconference in early June will have passed into history.Our next conference will be in Kingston in 2001. Thedates are Wednesday (evening) 23 May throughSaturday, 26 May. At the 1999 annual meeting inComer Brook I was directed to invite our Americancounterpart, the North American Society for OceanicHistory (NASOH), to meet with us in either 2001 or2002. We have met with them before, in Kingston in1987 and in Vancouver in 1994. They haveenthusiastically accepted our invitation to meet withus again in Kingston next May. Planning has alreadystarted. The program and organizing committee isbeing led by CNRS Vice President Jim Pritchard.Maurice Smith, also a member of our Council, andthe Director of the Marine Museum of the GreatLakes is naturally involved. Faye Kert, a formerCNRS President and also a long time NASOHmember has been asked by NASOH to act on theirbehalf with the committee. Finally, we are invitingJim Bradford, a NASOH executive officer and amember offaculty at Texas A&M University, to helpwith the programme. Some ofyou will have met himat Comer Brook. He too is also a CNRS member andis one of our more frequent book reviewers in TheNorthern Mariner. The theme for the conferencewas easily chosen, given the combined meeting on theGreat Lakes. It will be "Canada and the United Stateson the Great Lakes in Peace and War." We hope thatthe call for papers will generate proposals that rangefar beyond the War of 1812. For example, CNRSmember Captain Huyck ofEdwards, Washington, hasbeen asking any who can assist about the influence ofGreat Lake freighter design on coastal freighters builton the Pacific coast. (See his query elsewhere in thisissue.) That prompts all sorts of questions aboutshipping related industries on the lakes. With ourcurrent concerns about trans-border environmentalissues, there could be room for a paper on GreatLakes diplomacy, early bilateral agencies, and theirimportance to the development of a North American


community. The substantive sessions will, ifcurrentideas are translated into fact, be supported with a fullsocial programme from an opening reception on theWednesday evening. The planning committee isinvestigating the possibility ofcombining the banquetwith a cruise in the 1000 Islands. Following theexample set by OlafJanzen in Comer Brook, after theformal closing of the conference on Saturday therewill be in informal reception in the evening. Thedeadline for responding to the call for papers is early 17 December - so please respond promptly. Aprovisional programme will be published as soon aspossible after that.

The next year, 2002, we are planning to meetin Vancouver. Jim Delgado, Director of theVancouver Maritime Museum, has volunteered toorganize our conference. As I write this I have noother information. We do not have even tentativeplans for 2003. However, planning for 2004 is welllaunched Members may remember that at the ComerBrook AGM I reported on the possibility ofhaving aconference that would recognize the centenary oftheCanadian Hydrographic Service.

Prior to 1904 the Canadian Government hadsupported three agencies, each with narrowly focusedhydrographic responsibilities. The Department ofRailways and Canals had an obvious mandate for theman-made inland waterways. The Department ofPublic Works was likewise responsible for publicharbours. The Department of Marine and Fisherieswas responsible for tidal surveys and somehydrographic surveys, including the Georgian Bayand Great Lakes Survey that had begun in 1885.Coastal surveys were made under the auspices oftheHydrographer of the [Royal] Navy. The loss of theSicilian in the St. Lawrence River in November 1902is acknowledged as having be instrumental in theamalgamation ofall these agencies under departmentthat would have undisputed and undividedhydrographic responsibilities. An Order in Council inMarch 1904 created the Hydrographic Survey ofCanada (the name was changed to the CanadianHydrographic Service in 1928). In August a second

Order in Council appointed William James Stewart,who had begun his working career with the GeorgianBay survey, as its head.

Following meetings with the DominionHydrographer, his staff, and members ofthe Friendsof the Canadian Hydrographic Service, I have beenasked on behalf of CNRS to organize the centenaryconference, with the active assistance ofthe CanadianHydrographic Service. The conference will be held inOttawa 12 - 15 May 2004. The working title as "ACelebration ofCanadian Hydrography." We hope tohave papers that examine the early French, Spanishand English work, as well as the work directed byCanadian governments. Topics might includebiographical subjects, such as Stewart, of Jean DesHayes, the Royal Hydrographer ofNew France. Thehydrographic work done by the Departments ofRailways and Canals, and ofPublic Works has alsoescaped serious study. It is important to note that theCHS antedates the creation of the Royal CanadianNavy by six years, and that whereas in othercountries, including Britain our imperial and navalmentor, hydrographic responsibilities have alwaysbeen a naval concern, and originally were theprecursor ofnaval intelligence sections. The questionof why this example was not followed in Canadamight also be examined. The twentieth century sawmany important Canadian contributions tohydrography that could be the subject of papers. In1930 the CHS began experimentation with electronicand radio aids. The innovative trends continued, butare largely unknown. The work of individuals alsoneeds attention. For example, Canadianhydrographers were instrumental in developing thetechniques for measuring underwater gradients on thebasis ofaerial photographs. It was this work that laybehind the selection ofthe 1944 Normandy invasionbeaches.

Letters will be sent in September to alluniversity history departments, marine museums andarchives with large maritime collections amongstothers, advising recipients of the conference, andinviting people to begin thinking now about research


and papers for the conference. I shall continue to useArgonauta as a means of keeping CNRS membersabreast ofplans. Anyone wanting more information,or better still, wanting to offer a paper, is invited tocontact me directly. My home mailing address is 163Churchill Crescent, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 4N3.From time to time I also clear the Society's Kingstonpost office box, whose address is on the inside frontcover.

Make plans now to attend these conferences.They will be both stimulating and enjoyable.

Bill Glover

CNRS Research Directory

A reminder to all that in the October issue ofArgonauta, we will be providing the fifth edition ofthe CNRS Research Directory. This will be morethan just a membership list, for we try to includeeveryone's publications and primary researchinterests. Please remember to fill out the informationsheet printed near the end ofthis issue and return it tothe Argonauta editorial office in Kingston (via e-mailto [email protected]) - we need it by 31August 2000.

1999 CNRS Awards CommitteeResults

by Faye Kert

Keith Matthews Award

The Matthews Award Committee consistingof Faye Kert (Chair), Michael Hennessy and RogerSarty, reviewed 16 articles from the NorthernMariner and 6 books for the 1999 Keith MatthewsAward. Following the Executive Council meeting inJanuary 2000, it was decided that due to the growingnumber ofjoumal articles published around the worldand the consistently high quality of articles in thesociety's own journal, it made sense to recognize theauthors published by the Society and select the

recipient of the Matthews article prize from theNorthern Mariner. Accordingly, the Committeereviewed the four issues of Northern Marinerpublished in 1999. Several submissions in the bothcategories stood out as potential winners but thecommittee's final decisions are as follows:

Best Book: Meta Incognito: a Discourse ofDiscovery - Martin Frobisher'sArctic Expeditions, 1576-78edited by Thomas H.B. Symons(2 vols), published by theCanadian Museum ofCivilizationas Mercury Series 10

Best Article: '''Too Many Chiefs and NotEnough Seamen': The LowerDeck Complement ofa PostwarCanadian Navy Destroyer - TheCase ofHMCS Crescent, March1949." by Richard GimblettThe Northern Mariner, Vol. IX,No.3. (July/juillet 1999)

The winners and the publishers will beadvised of the Committee's decisions following themeeting in Ottawa. Certificates will be prepared andsent to the recipients within two weeks. The resultswill be distributed to all publishers who offered booksfor consideration and to relevant trade journals andpublications.

Gerry Panting Award, 1999

The CNRS New Scholar Award has beenrenamed after the late Gerry Panting, a noted scholarand professor at Memorial University inNewfoundland, The 1999 recipient ofthis award isMichael Dove, a doctoral student in history at theUniversity of Western Ontario. Mr. Dove presentedhis paper, entitled Laying the Keel: The Evolution ofthe Hudson's Bay Company's Shipping Operation,1670 - 1730, at the CNRS annual conference inOttawa, June 8-10, 2000.


The Gerry Panting Award recognizes thework of a person in the early stages of his or hercareer in maritime research. It includes a financialaward of $500 to assist the recipient with travel topresent a paper at the annual CNRS conference.

Maritime Provinces SteamPassenger Vessels

by Robin H Wyllie

s. S. City ofGhent

Books Reviewed

Baehre, Rainer K.(00), Outrageous Seas,Shipwreck and Survival in the Waters OffNewfoundland, 1583-1893, McGill-Queen'sUniversity Press, 1999.

Delgado, James, Across the Top ofthe World,Checkmark Books, 1999.

Dunmore, Spencer, In Great Waters, McClellandand Stewart, 1999.

Specifications:Official Number:Builder:

Date Built:Gross Tonnage:Overall Length:Breadth:Draught:Engine:Propulsion:

63145Thomas, Charlton,

Great Grimsby, U.K.1871

198.64135.9 feet20.4 feet

9.7 feet2 cyl. 14" x 28" - 40 rhp

Screw

House, J.D., Against the Tide, BattlingforEconomic Survival in Newfoundland andLabrador, University ofToronto Press, 1999.

Milner, Marc, Canada's Navy, The First Century,University ofToronto Press, 1999.

Symons, Thomas, H.B. (00.) Meta Incognito: aDiscourse ofDiscovery, Martin Frobisher 's ArcticExpeditions, 1576-78, Canadian Museum ofCivilization, Mercury Series 10 (2 vols)

Articles Reviewed

Northern Mariner/ Le Marin du Nord, Vol.IX, Nos. 1 - 4

History

During the last quarter of the 19thcentury, the rapid growth of major U. S. eastcoast manufacturing centres created atremendous demand for construction materials,fresh fish and other products of the MaritimeProvinces. Many individual ship owners andshipping companies vied for the traffic, with thePlant Line, Yarmouth Steamship Company andDominion Steamship Line playing major parts.There was, however, another, perhaps morelucrative trade, which was dominated by Halifaxshipowners Pickford and Black. It was, ineffect, an updated version ofthe old West Indiestriangle trade - salt fish out and rum, molassesand salt on the way back.

Pickford and Black, originally a :firm ofship chandlers, entered the shipping business byestablishing a West Indies service with Cunard'sformer Bermuda mail steamers Alpha and Beta.Soon new steamers were calling regularly at


oo


Jamaica, Demerara, Turks Island and CentralAmerican ports and their cargo had grown toinclude Canadian lumber, flour and finishedgoods. With the faster vessels, fresh fruit wasadded to the list oftraditional return cargo.

By the turn ofthe century, Pickford andBlack had become the second largest shipowner in the Maritime Provinces, a position thecompany achieved through an aggressivebusiness policy. This included gaining controloffeeder services, an objective often reached byentering into partnerships with the other owners.It was in keeping with this policy that RobertPickford, one of the partners, acquiredownership ofthe little iron cargo vesse4 City ofGhent, with which, after its doubtless profitablesale to Pickford and Black, it was hoped to gaincontrol of much of the through West Indiestraffic from Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore,Chedabucto Bay and Northumberland Straitports.

Built by Thomas Carlton in 1871, theCity ofGhent was a typical product of the GreatGrimsby yard which specialized in theconstruction oflarge ocean-going draggers. Asa result, she had ample, if somewhat cramped,accommodation and, for her size, quiteprodigious cargo space. Like her smallercousins, the wooden steam drifters, the vessel'sdesign was close to perfect for use as a coastalpassenger-cargo vessel and she had a number ofowners, including the Grimsby SteamshipCompany, before she was brought to Halifax.

In 1892, Pickford and Black refurbishedthe City of Ghent and adapted heraccommodation space to carry twenty first classand ten second class passengers. A localnewspaper reported "Her staterooms are large,

fitted with all modem improvements, and shewas a handsome little saloon, with garnet plushtrimmings, mirror, etc." In the spring of 1892,the vessel made her first weekly run up theshore between Halifax and Port Hawkesbury,calling at Sheet Harbour, Salmon River, IsaacsHarbour, Canso and Arichat. During the openseason the route would be extended to includePort Hood, Charlottetown and Summerside.

The vessel was an immediate successand the service turned out to be everything thathad been expected of it. It was particularlyappreciated by the residents of Sheet Harbour,Salmon River and Isaacs Harbour, as the City ofGhent provided their first regular steamerconnection with the outside world. These andother small ports did not even have thetelegraph at that time and, at least initially,reports on the vessel's progress were carried toHalifax by carrier pigeon.

As with any vessel which has been on aspecific route for any length of time, the''Ghent'' as she was known locally had her ownlittle legend. It varies according to its sourcebut the gist ofthe tale is this - the City ofGhentwas originally fitted with a siren-type steamwhistle which, according to reports, soundedmore like a dog fight than anything else. Onefoggy morning, an old man who just returnedhome after a trip, emerged from his cabin tohear the sound for the first time. He grabbed hisgun and immediately set forth to track down thesource ofthe unearthly wailing. When he heardthe sound again, this time even louder, he turnedback toward his cabin for heavier ammunition.On the way, he met a young man hasteningtoward the village and asked him ifhe had heardthat "awful noise." "Oh that's jus the Ghent,"said the young man. The old fellow was awe


stricken. "The Ghent?" he asked - "What onEarth kind ofanimal is that?"

The little steamer remained on theEastern Shore run for close to twenty years andthen, like most of the other Pickford and Blackvessels she became involved in the First WorldWar. The forty-year-old City of Ghent sailedback across the Atlantic to the U.K., where shewas employed in shipping coke for the AlliedForces through the port of Rouen. Her endcame on September 5th, 1916, when she wassunk by a German submarine 18 miles southeast of the Barfleur lighthouse.

Sources:

Hartling, Philip L. Where the Broad AtlanticSurges Roll. Formac Publishing, Antigonish,1979.

Mills, John M. Canadian Inland and CoastalSteam Vessels 1809 -1930. Providence, R.I.,1979.

Assorted registers, contemporary timetables andalmanacs.

s. S. City ofGhent from a photograph in thecollection ofthe Maritime Museum ofthe Atlantic

West Coast WisdomBy Kenneth S. Mackenzie

ZOUNDS! Unmasked! My facade hasbeen stripped away: I am a closet west coasterno more. Ah well. It was about time, andthanks to the perspicacity of your editors I cannow hold my head high again.

That being the case I can go on theattack -- and eastern Canada maritime interests

give plenty ofopportunities for that. Witness thestorm in a teacup over Toronto's supposed'port lands' - Now Toronto has not had aneffective port for decades, and a large part ofthe lands up for grabs are property known as'railway lands' -- but no matter; their value isnot for traditional port business, but for othereconomic development, headed of course, bythe potential of that city hosting the 2008Olympic Games. THAT has focussed peoples'minds enormously, and all of a sudden thehitherto ho-hum position as a Toronto HarbourCommissioner (port Director, I think they arecalled under the new regime) had become apolitical plum. And hence the matter of lawsuitsand charges ofpolitical patronage.

There was one time when Torontoanticipated great things from its port. Localharbour commissioners were established in 1911and by 1930 had systematically improved theport to a point where it had a potential tocompete for whatever traffic a St. LawrenceSeaway might bring, when and ifbuilt. In 1920the then-premier ofOntario told a Navy Leagueof Canada gathering that "the time had comewhen Toronto (would become) an ocean port".Well, in the fullness oftime that happened-- butvery shortly after the opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway in 1959 it was obvious that iswould do little to increase the throughput oftheport. John Barber in the Globe & Mail on 20April 1994 wrote that as far as the ocean portissue in Toronto was concerned "Nobody cares.After a century of eagerly pursuing a maritimedestiny, Toronto has finally given up...as animportant part of the city's economicinfrastructure, the Port of Toronto is alreadyhistory".


Mr. Barber was obviously thinking oftraditional port activities; the Robert Fung TaskForce report foresees a $12 billion remake ofthe waterfront lands. With the material I have athand little or none ofthis rejuvenation will occurthrough maritime activities. Ah, how the mightyhave fallen.

Further east in Montreal there is asimilar battle being engaged. There theReichman family (of Toronto, I might add) istrying to place a huge $1 billion technodromewhere else, but on old port of Montreallands--the famous Bickerdike Pier. The port ofMontreal and provincial and federal taxpayershave spent many millions ofdollars to improvethe port since the formation of its harbourconnnission in 1830. The port ofMontreal is inthe fight for its life as a major participator in theCanadian ports scene. The president of the portauthority there, Dominic Taddeo, is eminentlyjustified in his reluctance to alienate forever oneofthe vital parts ofthe old port.

Now the fun part! As reported in theesteemed publication Canadian Sailings on 17April 2000 the ''Port ofHalifax (is) sharing costin building cargo hub in Scotland" .'The idea isto establish a cargo transhipment facility at a''former naval base" in Scotland. This turns outto be none other than Scapa Flow, that desolateoutpost in the north ofScotland that generationsofnaval personnel, British, Commonwealth andAllied, come to hate so much during two WorldWars. The mind boggles at this idea, and onewould hope that naval and maritime historianscould delve into the mass ofinformed commentsringing down the ages of the realities ofoperating from Scapa in order that in informeddecision can be taken. I have hope in the ideathis column was written on 1 April.

There is inevitably a continuing flow ofobituaries in the press ofpeople whose maritimecareers encompassed World War Two. InFebruary and March the Victoria TimesColonist and the National Post noted thepassing of Patrick Graydon. He had arrived inCanada in 1942 as part of the BritishAdmiralty's efforts to enhance the efficiency ofCanada's newly-reborn steel shipbuildingindustry, landing at Yarrow's in Esquimalt. Hespent the next 35 years on the West Coast,"involved in every major shipbuilding project inthe province" (except for the 'fast cats', I hastento add) until retiring in 1977. An amazing careerindeed.

Another who died was Joseph C.Marston. He had started his seagoing career onthe West Coast in 1932 as a cadet in theCanadian Pacific 'Empresses' and hadprogressed through that to wartime service inthe RCN, ultimately commanding the Canadianminesweeper Blairmore during the invasion ofNormandy. He finally swallowed the anchor in1981, and then became involved with theEsquimalt Naval Museum, where I had thehonour of meeting with him. I attended hismemorial service in the new "Officers' Mess" atHMCS Naden (yes, the old wardroom islooking pretty dilapidated) and 10 and beholdthere were two gentlemen in attendance whohad been involved with me at a tender age andwho will undoubtedly be remembered by othernaval cadets ofmy vintage -- Commander andJim Butterfield. Both are in fine form and agood time was had by all; the new wardroomand Joe's family did us proud.

We are now all aware ofEnigmalU1traand its pivotal role in fighting World War II -my word, it has even reached the distinction of


being part of revisionist history (eg. the bookreview of Clay Blair's second volume onHitler's U-boat War, by Robert Fisher inTNM/LMN Vol. X No.1, January 2000 P.130). What perhaps may not be well-known isthe role of women in Canada in the hugenetwork established to counter the U-boatonslaught, women such as Irene Carter, CPO incharge of listening station in Moncton, orLCDR Aileen Mason, who helped in divertingallied convoys away from submarineconcentrations. Their exploits may now beknown to the naval history cognoscenti, buthow about people like Reta Miller and VeraKillins? These two ladies worked at aDepartment of Transport radio station atStrathbun, just outside Glencoe, Ontario Therethey ''were monitoring enemy boats and Germancoast stations. The information was highlyclassified" - and unlike many others in the fieldthey maintained their oath of silence, untilinterviewed for the Niagara Farmer's Monthlyfor its September 1996 edition. It as my goodfortune to meet Reta Miller, who was aparticipant in a lecture programme I givecrossing Canada by train. A likable, sprywomen, hers is an experience few now knowabout. It is to be hoped that stories such as thesecan be uncovered before it is too late.

Finally, in the memorial circulated inmemory of Joe Marston a quotation fromRobert Louis Stevenson was front and centre.This sent me in search ofa new book I had justheard of. Entitled Long John Silver, it does forthat swashbuckling character from RLS'sTreasure Island what George MacDonaldFraser accomplished for the bully from TomBrown's Schooldays in his "Flashman" series. Itis much more than that, however, for the bookallows its author, Bjorn Larsson, full rein for his

ideas concerning the realities ofseafaring in theearly 1700's. I'll bet very few readers are awareofthe fact that the much-detested Captain Flintof the good ship Hispaniola was an earlyforerunner of the 'Sailor's Friend', SamuelPlimsoll! The book is a masterful piece ofwork,and if I have any qwbble with it, it is that itcovers the entirety of Silver's 'life', whereas Icould have done with the multi volumes ofFlashman's 'life' as provided by Fraser. It isreadily available, and if you have any troublegetting it just contact Volume Two Bookstorein downtown Ganges, BC. (The Harvill Press,London, 2000, ISBN 1 86046 538 2; paperbackedition, $17.95)

"Oceans & Liberties, Forts & Parks"A North American Story

by Rollie Webb

With the visit to the Great Lakes thissummer of the American Liberty ship John WBrown it is perhaps inevitable that the public willconsider this historic vessel to be a solelyAmerican story. While it is true that the name"Liberty Ship" was an American creation thereis a much broader and more compellingInternational story about the construction ofthese vessels. A significant part of that story isCanadian.

The origins ofthis design are well worthunderstanding. The basic ship used as a modelfor what became the largest standardshipbuilding program ever was a simple Britishtramp steamer developed in response to theeconomic pressures of the Depression.


Originating at an experienced shipyard, JosephL. Thompson & Sons Ltd. of North Sands,Sunderland, a series ofships starting as early as1935 are all claimed as part of the pedigree ofthe famous design. The most common storyrelates to the tramp steamer Dorington Court,completed by this company in 1938. This vesselattracted Admiralty attention since she couldmake 11 knots with a 2500 IHP steamreciprocating engine while consuming some 16to 17 tons of coal per day. This consumptionwas considerably better than the then currentnorm of25 tons a day.

Planning in Britain for the widelyanticipated War resulted in an agreement thatleft its merchant shipbuilders somewhat alone tobuild their own particular types of merchantvessel most suited to the individual shipyard.Thompson continued to develop their successfulDepression era design leading to a vesseloriginally known simply as Hull 611 ordered inthe autumn of 1940.

WIth the fall ofFrance the Germans hadovernight attained U-boat bases from Norway tothe Spanish border and immediate escalation ofsubmarine warfare resulted. By the end of thesummer of 1940 the British were desperatelylooking for replacement merchant tonnage andNorth America was the only place to go.

Under direction from the Admiralty, aTechnical Merchant Shipbuilding Mission wasestablished and the Managing Director ofJ.L.Thompson's shipyard, Mr. R.C.Thompson,33 years old, was in charge.. This group arrivedin New York on October 9th

, 1940. They tookwith them the drawings of Hull 611. WhileAmerica was willing to help her existingshipyards were full of Naval and merchant

vessels ordered for the USN and the fairly newMaritime Administration.

All the shipyards that existed in Canadaat the beginning ofthe War were occupied withNaval shipbuilding for the RCN and the RoyalNavy. Little ifany expansion ofCanadian yardshad taken place in the first year ofthe war. Fortwo frantic months the Mission toured NorthAmerica searching for shipbuilders andsuppliers, construction sites and availablelabour. The goal ofthe Mission was to order asmany 10,000 ton versions of Hull 611 as theycould :find capacity to build and still have thehard cash to pay for them.

By Dec. 20th, 1940 the British Mission

had signed two initial contracts with jointventures of Todd Shipyards ofNew York andBath Iron Works ofBath, Maine for a new yardon the East Coast and Todd again with a groupknown as the Six Companies, all constructionoutfits for a yard on the West Coast. This lattergroup included the famous Henry J. Kaiser.These ventures were contracted not only tobuild the ships but also to build the shipyardsnecessary for their construction. Todd wasessentially a repair company with memories ofbuilding ships in the First War and Kaiser was atotal novice in the shipbuilding field. Bath wasand still is a shipbuilder largely dedicated toNaval construction.

In parallel with the ordering of ships inthe USA the Mission had looked at sites inVancouver and Quebec and in early January,1941 ordered a further 26 ships from theestablished yards ofBurrard Dry Dock in NorthVancouver and Davie Shipbuilding andCanadian Vickers of Lauzon and Montrealrespectively. Davie and Canadian Vickers had


existing facilities that went right to work.Burrard had to expand by buying adjacent land,filling it and laying out new ways before theycould get started.

The accomplishment ofgetting these 86ships under contract and then underconstruction was being overshadowed by asteadily deteriorating condition in the NorthAtlantic. In the few months it took to get thisfar, losses had outstripped not only the Britishplanning but also their ability to pay theresulting bills. The contracts signed in Decemberand January essentially emptied their hardcurrency reserves.

By early December of 1940 the UnitedStates dropped its pretense of neutralitydepicted by the "cash & cany " mentality. ''LendLease" , whereby America just paid the bills andgot on with the task of building the necessarytools ofwar, was introduced to the Congress onJan. 10th

, 1941 and signed into law on March15tb

• America actually paid for and legallyowned most ofthe ships built in Canadian yardsfor Britain.

Through the last few months of 1940and first half of 1941 the humble little trampship from Thompson was chosen as the soledesign ofemergency tonnage to combat the Uboat losses and orders grew exponentially. Atfirst there was great resistance to building theseslow, somewhat dated designs, especially sinceAmerica was paying for them It tookPresidential direction to get the US MaritimeAdministration to accept the design and to startbuilding a US variant.

This variant became the "Liberty" shipas we know it today.

Thompson continued to build their Hull611, now aptly named Empire Liberty launchingit on August 23rd

, 1941 and completing it inNovember. Canadian and American yards wentto work from a standing start building copiesand variants of the design in such quantity thatthe U-boat losses were recovered and reversedby early 1943.

The race to complete tonnage createdfascinating stories across the continent. Aftercontract signing, three frantic months followedfinding sites, laying out and building orexpanding the shipyards in parallel with thedevelopment of detailed working drawings ofboth basic British design and the US Libertyversion. Keels were laid in April 1941,launchings started in September and deliveriesactually started in late October, just over a yearfrom the date the British Mission had first setfoot in North America and one month beforeThompson themselves delivered the prototype.

Canadian Vickers was the first Canadianyard to deliver and worked against the freeze upofthe St. Lawrence by moving their first vesse~the Fort Ville Marie further and further downthe river ahead of the ice and actuallycompleting it in Halifax in December of 1941.The first Liberty ship, aptly named the PatrickHenry ("Give me Liberty or give me death")was also delivered in December from BethlehemSteel's new shipyard at Baltimore. Todd andKaiser together launched their first vessel theOcean Vanguard from a brand new shipyard inRichmond, California on October 15th

, 1941 anddelivered her on the 2Tb of the same month.Kaiser continued to set new records throughoutthe war including the feat of assembling andlaunching one Liberty ship in 4 days and 15hours. The first Canadian West Coast delivery


Canadian shipyards participating in thisprogramme were:

23 tramps during the war , nine ofwhich werecopies ofthe Empire Liberty. A total of3,142hulls born from the same simple tramp shipdesign turned the comer ofthe war losses anddelivered the materials necessary for Victory.

Today two US built Liberties arepreserved & functional, one on each coast. TheWest Coast mate to the John W Brown, theJeremiah 0 'Brien is based in San Francisco andmakes regular goodwill visits along the PacificCoast. Only one Canadian built ship remains.Currently known as the Cape Breton she wasbuilt by Burrard Dry Dock and completed forthe Royal Navy as the maintenance ship HMSFlamborough Head. Destined to become anartificial reef within a year or so she is lying atthe abandoned site of her builders in NorthVancouver being stripped of hazardousmaterials and most importantly, her engine. Thissimple but effective steam engine is to bepreserved at a new waterfront developmentplanned for North Vancouver..

from Burrard was the Fort St. James deliveredin January 1942.

Canada had been at war for almost ayear and halfwhen the contracts for what wasknown here as the ''North Sands" freighterswere signed. Every existing yard were alreadybuilding corvettes and minesweepers for theRCN and just like in the US, new facilities wereneeded to allow these additional ships to bebuilt. Canada suffered from shortages ofeverything at the beginning of the war, steelplate and shipyard cranes being two ofthe majorproblems. More importantly people were inshort supply. Totally new shipyards were built atMontreal and on False Creek in Vancouver andall the rest were expanded to allow constructionofthe maximum number ofships. Canada's wareconomy was functional in 1941 and in anumber of areas suppliers were able to deliverCanadian components to American yards fasterthan domestic suppliers. Fourteen ofthe first 30freighters built by Todd-Bath were fitted withCanadian made engines.

WIth greater access to available capital,technology, population and innovativemanagement, and not yet embroiled in actuallyfighting a war, the US was able to layout newGreenfield shipyards, designed to allow theseships to be fabricated by welding versus beingerected as a rivetted vessel which remained thenorm in Canada.

Canadian Vickers,Montreal, Quebec

Number of

6

In the final analysis a total of 349 shipsbased on the Thompson design were built inshipyards in the shipyards of British Columbiaand Quebec while the US yards produced 2710"Liberty" ship variants, plus 60 more of theoriginal "Ocean" class directly for Britain.Thompson's yard in Sunderland built a total of

Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing,Lauzon, Quebec

Marine Industries,Sorel, Quebec

United Shipyards Ltd.Montreal, Quebec

19

30

44


Burrard Dry Dock Co.North Vancouver

North Vancouver ShipRepairs Ltd.,North Vancouver

West Coast Shipbuilders Ltd.Vancouver

Victoria Machinery Depot Co.Victoria

Yarrows Ltd.Victoria

Prince Rupert Dry-dock

Total: 349

108

53

53

21

2

13

Behrens, London 1955, Her Majesty's StationeryOffice

Lend Lease, Weapons for Victory by Edward R.Stettinius Jr. The Macmillan Co. New York, 1944

A Great Fleet ofShips by S.C.Heal, 1999. VanwellPublishing Ltd. St. Catherines

The Unknown Navy by Robert G. Halford, 1995.Vanwell Publishing Ltd. St. Catherines

Liberty Ships by John G. Bunker, 1972, AyerCompany, Publishers, Salem New Hampshire

Liberty Ships in Peacetime by LG. Stewart 1992.Ian Stewart Marine Publications, RockinghamBeach , Australia

British Tramps by LG. Stewart 1997. Ian StewartMarine Publications, Rockingham Beach, Australia

The fascinating details ofgetting themassive building programme off the groundand sustaining it for almost five years is asubject far larger than the space available forthis article. For further reading a shortbibliography follows:

Ships for Victory by Frederic C. Lane , 1951 bythe John Hopkins Press, Baltimore

The Oceans , the Forts & the Parks by W.H.Mitchell & L.A. Sawyer, 1966 by The Journal ofCommerce & Shipping Telegraph

The Liberty Ships by L.A Sawyer & W.H. Mitchell,1st Edition 1970 by David & Charles (Holdings)Ltd. Devon and 2nd Edition by Lloyds ofLondonPress in 1985

The Empire Ships by W.H. Mitchell & L.A. Sawyer. 2nd edition, by Lloyds ofLondon Press, 1990

Merchant Shipping & the Demands ofWar by C.B.

Manning The Lifeline AboardLiberty Shipsl

by Morgiana P. Halley

During World War IT, merchantseafaring comprised a true melting pot. On theNorth Atlantic "lifeline" run, North Americansand Europeans predominated. Many were fromthe British Isles, others "free" Europeans, at seawhen their home countries were taken, shippedon Allied vessels. Canadians entered thewartime workforce in 1938, when England firstbecame implicated, while the United States wasnot involved until Pearl Harbor. A number of"neutral" U.S. vessels, however, were carryingcargoes in active support of the Allies muchearlier.

Seamen manning the North Atlanticlifeline to Great Britain aboard Liberty shipswere not much different from those who


shipped out before the war. The mostobservable contrast was their comparativeyouth. This was true of officers as well asgeneral crew members. Experienced officerseither sailed for a particular company or weregiven better, already proven, vessels. Libertyships, just off the ways, however welcome tothe merchant service, were often thought of as"the bottom of the barrel" for an officer'sassignment.

More experienced ratings might likewisehave established connections to particularshipping lines, such as CPR, in addition topreferential status in the union shipping halls.Regulations mandated a certain number ofABsin each crew, so there was always someoneexperienced, even aboard newer vessels, toadvise, but the majority were youngsters whoelected the Merchant Service as theircontnbution to the war effort. Some, belowmilitary age, could sign on as merchant crew.Others lied about their ages to accomplish eventhat. Many were from the prairies, and imaginedthe seaman's life romantic, exciting adventure.Their British counterpart did not have to "runaway to sea" to seek adventure, action, anddanger; they were right in his own back garden.

Although the reality was far from thedream, many such adventurous youngstersadapted easily to the life and found it suitedthem well. Although excitement was notlacking, monotonous day-to-day routinepredominated. One veteran described hisexperience as day after day of excruciatingboredom, interrupted by fifteen-minute intervalsof sheer terror.

Many convoys formed in Bedford Basinat Halifax, Nova Scotia. Sydney, Cape Breton,

was a major assembly point for slowereastbound convoys. A few left fromNewfoundland, not yet part of Canada. St.John's, however, was primarily a base for theconvoys' escort vessels. After the U.S. becameinvolved, her warships escorted convoys up thecoast to Nova Scotia, breaking offto the base atArgentia, Newfoundland, while Canadian andBritish vessels left St. John's to shepherd thegroup eastward.

Liberty ships, known in England as"SAM" ships,2 were a significant part of mostconvoys, and they were impressive. Libertieswere sometimes credited with actually havingwon the war, since, according to onerespondent, they carried seventy-five percent ofessential cargoes. One Liberty could carry theequivalent of four trainloads at seventy-fiveboxcars each. When Roosevelt allowed theraising ofthe Plimsoll mark, a Liberty ship couldincrease her normal 10,OOO-ton capacity by twoor three thousand tons. Although this put themdeeper in the water, they were well-built andmostly safe. Ifcracks occurred, toe-plates werewelded into the bulwarks to inhibit further stressfractures. Liberties were, however, consideredtoo slow for practical peacetime shipping.

Some interviews producedcircumstantial data about standard ships, basedon filet, but inaccurate: "Liberties were built inonly fourteen days and used regularly to split inhalfamidships in heavy weather, because ofbadwelding. Henry Kaiser built them, all thewelders were girls, and the vessels were built tolast for only one trip to keep the war going:'3

A major problem for engine-room crews waskeeping position within a convoy. MostLiberties had no tachometer, and engine

July2000-ARGONAUTA- Page 16

revolutions had to be counted by the clock,through observation by an assigned individual.Another convoy trouble was bad weather, whichespecially affected deck crews. Liberties, thoughvery good ships, when empty, were "like aballoon on the water, and you had to watch outwhen they 'fell away' to prevent them landing ontop of you." Fortunately, in the Atlantic,prevailing winds were generally predictable, butone could never relro4 especially in bad weather.

Summing up the majority perspective,one veteran said, considering the situation, thetime was spent, ''worryin' about your skin and abuck to buy a beer." The vast plurality,however, seldom considered the insecurity oftheir situation except in action or under directthreat. Even then they were too concerned withnecessary routine to give hazards (or suchabstracts as "heroism" or "cowardice") muchthought. They discharged their duties almostautomatically, and asked later what theyrecollected, found it was often those standardoperational procedures which differentiatedwartime seafaring from that in peacetime. Theonly difference noted by most was that wartimeshipboard life was comparatively "a bit austere"or "a bit rigorous".

Tom Goodyear, a Newfoundlander,considered his experience: "...the greatestadventure in the world. I was afraid the war'd beover before we could get over there." In theback ofone ofthe boilers for a maintenancejob, he had not been inside long, when theLeading Hand came to the manhole door andsaid, "Come out, Goodyear! The war's started!Come out quick! We got to flash up this boiler!"Goodyear, terrified, thought it was the end ofthe world and was convinced that he could notget out, but somehow managed to do so

quickly.

Apprehension and monotony were thetwo primary sensations recovered from seamen'smemories. Other than that, it was just a case ofdoing the job for which they had been hired.

Capt. E.S. Wagner, ofDartmouth, N.S.,said, "You're young -- eighteen. You wouldn'tdo this ifyou were fifty-eight. You're ignorant.We were down below decks where thetorpedoes would have struck, painting our owncabins. Youth is heedless. You think, It won't beme; it'll be the other fellow."

Despite the seafarer's perceived socialstatus of"odd man out", many maintained thatenjoyment of life at sea directly resulted fromthe fellowship and camaraderie ofliving in fairlyclose quarters with a small group ofpeople anddeclared that mariners tended to be morebroad-minded and tolerant than their landsmancounterparts.

''They're unique ... because they've beenaround so much and through so much thatthey've built up a great feeling of camaraderie.... You don't forget a guy you've bunked with."

A sizeable group named conversation astheir favourite shipboard pastime, emphasisingthe importance of talk as a bonding mechanism,rendering life more bearable in a career whichincited anxiety even in peace, and more soduring wartime. The only real expression ofthemerchant seaman's isolation was the frequentcomplaint ofdifficulty in locating old shipmatesonce they had become separated.

"One of the things that struck me ...when I look back now, and I didn't think


nothing ofit then, is how cheerful people were,consideringthe circumstances that you were living under,not knowing whether you were gonna be deadin the next five minutes. The people ... just usedto carry on, as we said ... it's a job and you didit. There are always characters, y'know, I meanyour habitual drunks and one thing and anotherthat y' used to make allowances for." One knewand liked one's shipmates. "An odd one wouldn'tstay there too long, y'know." Ships werereasonably happy in the wartime years inparticular, but the uncertainty was all-pervading."You used to look forward to coming home, butyou just did not know."

One lifetime seafarer remarked that longvoyages made men so easily irritable theirtempers could be triggered by nearly anything.Close quarters and the limited group with whominteraction was permissible created anatmosphere in which personal habits sometimesbecame intolerable annoyances. Some practices,however, made associations easier, such asgranting a five-minute leeway on the relief ofwatches, one area which proved a major bone ofcontention. One respondent characterisedshipboard life as "rather like a monastery."Old-timers, especially, tended to be very quiet,perhaps like long-term convicts. Men cursed andtalked about women on the fantail after supper,but really discussed sexual exploits infrequently,probably not as much as ashore. Littleimportance was placed on sex at sea, where itwas unavailable, but when nearing shore, one's"genes start perking up." A (thankfully verysmall) minority found the emotional stressintolerable and committed suicide or "wentnuts" and had to be restrained. A fair proportionturned to alcohol as an ameliorative, and almostall admit the "drunken sailor" image was not

altogether exaggerated, though most today aresober citizens who drinkonly small amounts socially, or are in recoveryprogrammes. One veteran emphasised thatseafarers are "a race apart, really.... And everyone is an individual...." A published essay byanother credits his fellows with: "a breadth ofmind that comes only with meeting and minglingwith people ofmany races, understanding to thebest of your ability their ways of life andviewpoints; and, above all, learning to toleratethat which you cannot agree with norunderstand. ,,5

Merchant seafarers during the SecondWorld War were, as they still are,unrecognisable to a casual observer on thestreet. Although some were draft-dodgers andconvicts offered early release to thus support thewar effort, the vast majority were justadventure-seeking kids from the prairies,experienced seamen doing their regular job, orold retirees returning to sea in aid of theircountry.

Canadians were less stigmatised duringthe war than U.S. seamen, although it took themlonger to get official recognition as veterans,and I understand that the benefit schedule hasyet to be settled. Still, they did not have tocontend with the pernicious machinations ofsuch journalists as William Randolph Hearst,Westbrook Pegler, and Walter Wmchell, allloudly condemning seamen's putative moralturpitude. It has always seemed to me ironic thatthe latter began his every broadcast with thewords: "Ladies and gentlemen -- and all theships at sea..."

The Canadian populace entertainedBritish seamen off SAM ships lavishly, taking


them (especially the young apprentices) to theirhearts. One Liverpudlian, serving as a baker onthe CPR liners, made cakes for an elderly ladyhe knew in Montreal. In return, she purchasedrationed items for him to take home to England.Another British seaman shopped extensively inCanada himself: buying his girlfriend (now hiswife) items unavailable in the United Kingdom.The usual practice was to locate a shop, find afemale clerk about the same size as one'sgirIftiend or wife, and, using her as a model, buyclothes, which were heavily rationed in GreatBritain at that time. Dungarees andother such items were readily available in NorthAmerica and one could "load up" on items thatwere scarce or unavailable at home, like nylons.

Some respondents never personallyencountered any shoreside "attitude," eitherpro or con. Newfoundlander Harold Squires felthe was always treated courteously: "But thepoor old Merchant Navy, they seemed to get thebad name for doing the things that might'vehappened at one of the hostels, or somethinglike that." Stan Hoskins, anotherNewfoundlander, felt the Merchant Service wasmore respected in the United Kingdom andEurope. "Over there it's looked upon as aprofession." A Chartered Engineer and fellow ofthe Institute of Marine Engineers in England,Hoskins is barred from professional engineeringassociations in Canada because he did not attenduniversity, although university graduatesworking in the maritime field can join theMarine Engineers' Society. Some MarineSurveyors and Engineers have been acceptedinto professional societies in Ontario, but inearlier years it was impossible, and still is forthose in Newfoundland. Hoskins also feltoffended at being deported from Canada as a''foreigner'' after almost two years of wartime

shipping in the Canadian Merchant Servicebecause ofhis Newfoundland citizenship.

The Canadian public, more pragmaticthan the United States or Great Britain,reflected both extremes, the heroic merchantseafarer and social misfit. Data from NovaScotia and Newfoundland indicate that attitudestoward merchant seamen depended on whetherthe influence of British roots or Americanproximity predominated. Nevertheless, it is anincontrovertible fact that the American, British,and Canadian Legions all exerted great effort toexclude merchant seafarers from their ranks onthe grounds that they were not "servicemen."

"Even to this day the Canadiangovernment hasn't recognised the MerchantService as full-fledged veterans," said oneinterviewee. The Bill to grant Canadianmerchant seamen veterans' benefits was to beintroduced in the House the day before theabove interview. In an ironic twist, the firstplace I saw merchant seafarers included on awar memorial monument was in S1. John's,Newfoundland. When the monument waserected, Newfoundland was a colony of GreatBritain. As a Canadian province, she wasrendered unable to officially honour her WorldWar II merchant seamen as veterans until July,1992. British seafarers of the period, althoughso recognised, did not receive medals until the199Os. In Canada and the U.S. the situation wasreversed, they received medals at the time, butno recognition ofor benefits from their veterans'status. Stan Hoskins, on requesting the British"defence medal," received a blunt negative fromthe Canadian Government, with the words ''youare fully operational" underlined.

During the Second World War,


The men who manned the maritimelifeline were mostly young, most adopted anunruffled attitude toward the worst wartimesituations, and most, years afterward, recalledthat "nothing ofany great interest happened."

whatever his nationality, the merchant seamanwas simply a worker doing his job. This is oneof the attributes of the merchant crew mostnoted by the military gunners aboard - that theywent about their work so calmly anddeliberately, as though no crisis or war existed.Still, in tension-riddled situations and times ofstress, the most mitigating activities are oftenthose of routine and repetition. Perhaps it wasthis very quiet adherence to routine that kept thesea:furer calm and composed in the most violentofaction.

Roue's fascination with boats began ininfancy. He was constantly drawing boats andmaking models ofhis own design. However, thiswas not just doodling or playing in a work shop.He was genuinely interested in learning moreabout design. In that quest he became known in

The work of William James Roue isknow to every Canadian. Indeed, it is a nationalsymbol Yet, in the quintessential Canadian wayRoue himself is unknown and forgotten.WIthout reading farther, how many can name hisgreat work? To be honest, even in the specialist,non-representational audience of CNRSmembers, I would be surprised ifas many as adozen could identify him. He was born inHalifax on 27 April 1879. On his marriage in1908 he moved across the harbour toDartmouth, where he lived in the same houseuntil his death on 14 January 1970. For the firsttwenty-five years of his professional life heworked for the family firm Roue's CarbonatedWaters. In 1929 he sold the firm to concentrateon his real interest - yacht design. His mostfamous design was, of course, Bluenose,commemorated on our dime. (CNRS memberswith naval service may be interested to knowthat after Roue had sold the Carbonated Watersand established himselfas a naval architect, oneof his first commissions was to design a navaltraining vessel- lIMCS Venture. The ship mayhave gone, but the name survives.)

Nautical Nostalgiaby William Glover

Palmer, 132.

Hope, The Seaman's World,92.

only a fragment ofthe total produced.

5

4

They were so-called because all such shipstransferred to the U.K were given nameswith the prefix Sam-.

Mass-production reduced building time for aLiberty ship from nine months to aboutsixteen days. The Robert E. Peary, was builtin four days and fifteen hours as a result ofinter-yard competition.[Bunker, LibertyShips, 12.]

Kaiser was the primary, but not thesole builder. Many, but certainly not all,wartime shipyard personnel were women.The vessels justified the effort of theirconstruction if they made one successfulround trip. Although the number ofLibertieswith stress fractures was notorious, it was

I wish to thank the 125 interviewees whomade my doctoral thesis and this articlepossible. I regret my inability in the presentformat to mention each by name and givefull credit where it is due.

2

3


libraries, including that of the Royal NovaScotian Yacht Squadron. He would also showhis drawings and models to people whom hethought could connnent usefully. One of thismen gave him when he was 16 or 17 a copy ofYachting Architecture by Dixon-Kemp. Oncethis was mastered he began to enter his designsin magazine competitions. With one ofthem hewon an honourable mention. With thisestablished interest and track record, in 1907Frank Bell, Vice Connnodore of the RNSYS,suggested to Roue that ifhe would design a newyacht, Bell would have it built. So Roue's careeras a yacht designer was launched.

Two Roue designs are now considered"classics"and are still popular in the Maritimes.The first is the "Roue 20." It was first built in1922, and takes its name from the designnumber - his twentieth plan. The boat has alength overall of 28 feet, and 20 feet on thewater line. The yachts are described as "beingnarrow beamed with a deep fin and a relativelylong keel." They are easy to handle and have acabin that can sleep four. Roue 20s were stillbeing built ten years ago. The only change fromthe first boats is that they are now built infibreglass. The second popular design was theBluenose Class. This was developed in 1944 atthe request ofthe Armdale Yacht Club, locatedat the top of the Northwest Arm in Halifaxharbour. These boats are a bit smaller than the20s. Their length overall is 23 feet, and 16 onthe waterline. Like the Roue 20, modem boatsare made of fibreglass rather than wood. It isestimated that as many as 300 ofthese boats arestill in active use.

Small boats, of the type that Rouedesigned, are meant for summer use. Apart fromrecreational boating, be it cruising or racing,

there is another activity ofsummer that involvesboats, and should be of particular interest tothose who enjoy "nautical nostalgia." Antiqueand/or classic boat shows are typically a summerevent. There are two that I would like tohighlight here. One of the oldest in Canada isthe Ottawa International Antique and ClassicBoat Show that is organized by the ManotickClassic Boat Club. This year both the club andthe show will be celebrating their silveranniversaries. To mark this event the show willhave two major differences. First, rather thanbeing held in Westport, it will be at the HurstMarina and the Swan on the Rideau on RiverRoad, south of Manotick (and Ottawa). Thesecond new feature is surely a most interestingone. This year it will be a comparative show. Toquote the press release, ''vintage watercraft willbe displayed side by side with the newest andslickest designs that modem boat designers haveproduced for the new millennium." And whynot? After all, Roue designs were once brandnew. Ifyou are in the area Friday 11 August inthe afternoon, (3pm - 8pm), Saturday 12August, all day, or Sunday 13 August in themorning (9am - 1pm) go and have a look, anddecide which of the modem designs will rivalthe classics of yesterday. The show hasgenerally featured cruisers, runabouts,speedboats, canoes and skiffs. This year theshow will also have a 1925 Dodge water car.

The second show I want to mention isthe 23mannual Classic Boat Festival in Victoria,BC. In some boating circles this show may notbe well known because it is organized not by aboat club but rather by the Victoria Real EstateBoard and the Times Colonist newspaper. It isalways held in the Victoria Inner Harbour on theLabour Day Weekend, and this year will be noexception. Their press release speaks of ''this


spectacular display of our maritime heritage[that] features well-maintained vessels oftraditional plank-on-frame construction builtprior to December 31, 1955" and rivetted boatsofiron or steel also built before that same date.I know that boat show, and can certainlysupport the use ofthe word "spectacular."

Wherever you are, from Atlantic toPacific, enjoy the summer boating season. Pauseparticularly to enjoy the antique and classicboats as you see them, by themselves, in activeuse racing or cruising, or at either ofthese orany other boat show you may find in yourtravels. For those who would like to know moreabout Roue my source was his biography, ASpirit Deep Within, written by his greatgranddaughter Joan E. Roue. The book waspublished in 1995 by Lancelot Press ofHantsport, NS. It is probably available in amaritime museum bookstore near you.

Members' News

In February 2000, Richard Gimblettsuccessfully defended his doctoral dissertationUniversite Laval), Gunboat Diplomacy, Mutiny andNational Identity in the Postwar Royal CanadianNavy: The Cruise ofHMCS "Crescent" to China,1949. He is very pleased to infonn the members ofhis recent entry into the "Guild of Committers ofHistory."

Dan Harris' book, F.H Chapman, FirstNaval Architect has been translated into Swedish andpublished by Literatim, Stockholm.

Sadly, we have to report that fonner CNRSmember Captain Vernon Howland, RCN passedaway in Halifax, on the 19th ofMarch. He joined theRCNVR in 1937, seeing service ashore and afloatduring World War Two. After retiring from the navyin 1973, he played a key role in the preservation ofHMCS Sackville as Canada's Naval Memorial, and

was her first Captain after restoration. Vern waskeenly interested in naval history, and has had articlesappear in several publications - his presentation onthe loss of HMS Raleigh at the 1996 CNRSConference in Kingston will be remembered by many.He was a great friend to numerous students ofRCNhistory - always able to provide a useful lead orfascinating anecdote from his vast fund ofnaval lore.He will be missed.

On a variation of the nature or nurture questionCaptain Harold Huycke writes - "What I am tryingto learn and even prove is that some kind of shipdesign from the Great Lakes migrated to the WestCoast, even before the tum of the century. Mypremise is that some of the big-time lumber men onthe West Coast like Robert Dollar and CharlesMcCormick, who came from Michigan and Ontario,etc. might have brought their ideas of ship design forlumber with them. I guess the primary question is:when was the first wooden-hulled lumber carrierebuilt in the Lakes with a stearn-engine aft, like theAlice M, Gill, which was built at Grand Haven,Michigan in 1887?" Captain Huycke can be reachedat 18223 - 84th Place W., Edmonds, Washington,USA, 98026. The Argonauta editor would be pleasedto forward the full details of Captain Huycke'squestion to anyone who asks.

Olaf Janzen participated in a "MilitaryHeritage Initiative Conference" held in St. John's,Newfoundland on 9-11 June, 2000. Olafparticipatedin an opening overview session devoted to abroadbrush survey of topics from the late 17thcentury to the end of the Second World War.Specifically, he spoke on early 18th-century navalhistory, with related impacts on discovery, mapping,control of settlement, policing etc. as well as themainstream security/defence theme, giving conferenceparticipants a sense of the importance ofnavaVmilitary influences and factors inNewfoundland history.

In August, Olafwill head offto Denmark forthe 3rd International Congress of Maritime History(sponsored by the International Maritime Economic


History Association) at the Centre for Maritime andRegional History in Esbjerg, Denmark. Then he's offto Oslo, Norway for the Congress ofthe InternationalCommission for Maritime History, part of theInternational Congress ofHistorical Sciences; there,Olaf will present a paper on "Hugh Palliser, theRoyal Navy, and the Projection of British Power inNewfoundland Waters 1764-68."

Congratulations are in order. L. B. JensonofNova Scotia has just had his Tin Hats Oilskins andSeaboots published by Robin Brass Studio inToronto. The ISBN is 1-896941-1401

Trevor Kenchington's fisheries-scienceconsulting business has greatly expanded in the pastyear, so he is spending a great deal of time in NewEngland where his firm is designing a radically newway to manage the sea scallop fisheries. He says,"This is keeping me away from more historicalactivities but I will be taking a week away at seaunder square rig."

Dr. John K. Ling from Clare SouthAustralia reports two published papers. "ElephantSeal Oil Cargoes from King Island, Bass Strait, 18021819: With Estimates ofNumbers Killed and Size ofthe Original Population," Papers and Proceeding ofthe Royal Society ofTasmania, Volume 133(1), 1999and "Exploitation of Fur Seals and Sea Lions fromAustralian, New Zealand and Adjacent SubantarcticIslands During the Eighteenth, Nineteenth andTwentieth centuries," Australian Zoologist,December 1999.

Hopefully HMCS Sackville will get a fewextra visitors this summer... a museum reportappeared in the December 1999 issue of NavalHistory, and a photo essay in the April 2000 editionofShips in Scale, both by Bill Schleihauf.

Museum News

The National Museum of Science andTechnology has become the new home of theCanadian National Railway Photo Collection. Thecollection, dating from the mid-19th century, providesrich visual documentation of the activities ofCanadian National and its predecessors in a widerange of fields. In addition to a substantial marinecomponent arising from CNs marine operations,there are images of interest to the maritime historianthroughout the collection, including depictions ofcoastal communities, industrial facilities, fishing andrecreational boating. National in scope and consistingof over 750,000 images, this is one of the oldestcorporate photo collections in Canada. It is organizedalong thematic lines and is accessible by acombination ofmanual and electronic finding aids.

This June, the National Museum ofScienceand Technology is also opening a new exhibit on theCanadian canoe entitled "Canoes: the Shape ofSuccess". The exhibit examines early commercialcanoe production in Canada and its contribution tothe growth of the canoe as a national icon. Theexhibit will remain in Ottawa for two years, afterwhich it will travel.

Victory Ship Engine to be Saved

The provincial government and the City ofNorth Vancouver are banding together to save a rareengine from the last remaining Canadian-built SecondWorld War Victory ship. It was announced thatBritish Columbia would contribute $150,000 to theproject, adding to the $200,000 approved by the cityearlier this year. As noted in RolJie Webb' s articleabove, the engines from the Cape Breton are beingsalvaged before she is sunk as an artificial reef.

Total costs could be as high as $800,000 andit is hoped to find contributions ofcash and in-kinddonations to meet the total.


New Gateway To Maritime InformationOn The Internet

Readers with Internet access can now use anew infonnation service developed by the Centre forMaritime Research at the National MaritimeMuseum. "Port," the gateway to Maritimeinfonnation on the Internet, was launched to coincidewith the opening ofthe new Museum. At the heart ofPort is a Web-accessed database ofresource records,which can either be searched of browsed. TheseInternet resources have been classified, described andassigned keywords in much the same way as a librarybook is catalogued. Anyone who has experienced thefiustration ofusing one ofthe big search engines onlyto retrieve large numbers of irrelevant or out ofdateresults will appreciate this quick and easy route toquality maritime-related infonnation. You can use thegateway to find details of museums, courses,associations, discussion groups, electronicpublications and much more. Port also offers a rangeofrelated electronic services such as a set ofself-helpresearch guides to exploring the Museum's resources,an international current events calendar, a directory ofbook sellers and the Centre's new electronicpublication, the Journal for Maritime Research. Toexamine this new service and to suggest resources forinclusion, visit the gateway at:http://www.port.nmm.ac.uk.

Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson Launches HisOwn Website

The "personal" site of one of Britain'sforemost heroes, Vice-Admiral Horatio Lord Nelsonhas recently been launched:www.admiralnelson.orgWhile there are millions of sites on the world wideweb, it is believed that this is the first time one hasbeen prepared as if the dead person wasactually still alive.

Nelson was an ardent self-publicist. Ifhe hadlived in our time he would have been among the firstto use the web. Now his very own site has been

sponsored and prepared for him by the 1805 Club.

The 1805 Club is a special world-wide groupof the admiral's modern admirers. The UK-basedcharity arranges for the restoration and maintenanceofkey memorials and monuments dedicated to Nelsonand his fellow-seamen and promotes scholarlyresearch into Nelson and his Navy.

The new site is the brainchild of the Club'sChairman, Colin White (e-mail:[email protected]), and he hasassisted Lord Nelson in writing some ofthe material.The site features pictures of the great man and hismain exploits, together with copies of his owndispatches describing his most famous battles. Mostremarkable ofall, it includes a vivid personal accountofhis life and career, written by the admiral himself.

Lord Nelson commented: "I beg leave topresent to the world this short account of my life. Itcannot do harm to youth and may do some good, as itwill show that perseverance and good conduct willraise a person to the veryhighest honours and rewards."

American Battlefield Protection Program

Dr. Christopher McKee has been asked bythe u.s. National Park Service to serve on theadvisory committee for the American BattlefieldProtection Program. In his own words:

I consider my particular portfolio to be navalsites associated with the War of 1812, though I willbe looking at Revolutionary War sites as well. (Theprogramme is limited to the Revolution and the Warof 1812.) The programme's Web site is:http://www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/At that site you will find a better description of theprogramme than I can summarize here. You will alsobe able to log into the list of sites and associatedproperties under consideration by the programme.Contrary to the impression that you may gain when


you log into the list, you do not have to search eachbattle separately. You can simply click on"Revolution" or "War of 1812" under "War" and youwill get a comprehensive list. You may also searchfor the sites in a particular state.

So that I may be an informed member ofthepanel, I am asking that you look at these lists andadvise me of (a) missing sites and their importance;(b) listed sites which you consider high priority forprotection; and (c) sites which you think could bedropped. Please note that you can suggest thisinformation directly to the American BattlefieldProtection Program and Iurge you to do so. However, please also inform me ofany e-traffic you have with ABPP, especiallyconcerning War of 1812 naval/maritime sites so thatI can be a more effective representative. My e-mailaddress is:

[email protected]

John Lyman Book Awards

At its Annual Meeting the North AmericanSociety for Oceanic History announced the recipientsofthe John Lyman Book Awards for 1999.

Canadian Naval and Maritime HistoryJames P. Delgado, Across the Top ofthe World: theQuest for the Northwest Passage (CheckmarkBooks)

u.s. Naval and Maritime HistoryCharles R. Schultz, Forty-Niners Round The Horn(University of South Carolina Press)

Honorable MentionAlexander Boyd Hawes, OffSoundings: Aspects ofthe Maritime History ofRhode Island(Posterity Press)

Reference Work and Published Primary SourceRobert 1. Cressman, The Official Chronology oftheUs. Navy in World War II (Naval Institute Press)

Biography and AutobiographyCraig L. Symonds, Confederate Admiral: The Lifeand Wars of Franklin Buchanan (Naval InstitutePress)

The Awards Committee is composed ofJames C. Bradford, Chair (Texas A&M University),James M. Morris (Christopher Newport University),William A. Peterson (Mystic Seaport Museum), andRichard Turk (Allegheny College).

The John Lyman Book Awards recognizeoutstanding books dealing with the maritime andnaval history ofNorth America.

Conferences and Calls for Papers

CNRSINASOH Joint Meeting 2001at Kingston, Ontario, Canada

The next annual meeting of the CanadianNautical Research Society will be held jointly withthe North American Society for Oceanic History(NASOR) at Kingston, Ontario, Canada from 23 to26 May, 2001. The conference theme is "CanadianAmerican Relations on the Great lakes in Peace andWar". Proposals on all and any maritime topics arewelcome. Please send proposals to James Pritchard,Department of History, Queen's University,Kingston, Ontario. Canada. K7L 3N6 or by fax (613)533-6298 or bye-mail to [email protected] by 15December, 2000. Watch for more conference detailsin future issues ofArgonauta.

Tenth Maritime History Conference of TheAssociation For The History Of The NorthernSeas

To be held at the Merseyside MaritimeMuseum, Albert Dock, Liverpool, 8-12 August 2001.

CALL FOR PAPERS


The Association for the History of theNorthern Seas has built up an enviable reputationboth for the quality of work presented and for thehospitality at the various venues at which it has beenheld.

The conference theme has been chosen toreflect Liverpool's role both as an ocean port and asthe hub for a wide variety of transhipment trades,coastal and otherwise. Contributions are invitedfollowing this theme over as wide a period as possibleand in any part of the Northern Seas. Subsidiarythemes which intending contributors may care toconsider include intermodal integration, as in theownership ofports and vessels by railway companies,and the movement of cargoes within portsthemselves. The trade of major inland waterwayscomes within the theme, as does railway traffic inlandprovided that it relates directly to the handling ofsea-borne goods.

Proposals, outlining the scope and argumentof the proposed paper and the main sources used,together with a mini-CV, should be sent to:

Adrian Jarvis,President, AHNS,Centre for Port & Maritime History,Merseyside Maritime Museum,Albert DockLiverpool L3 4AQUK

or by fax: +44 151 4784098or e-mail:[email protected] 1 December 2000

Please note that the AHNS expects a right offirst refusal for publication of papers presented at itsconferences in the Northern Seas Yearbook.

As is usual at AHNS conferences there willbe at least one field trip and various social activities.Additional visits will be arranged for

accompanying persons if there is sufficient demand.

Race, Ethnicity And Power In MaritimeAmerica, 2000

Mystic Seaport Museum seeks paper orpresentation proposals for the second nationalconference entitled "Race, Ethnicity and Power inMaritime America 2000 - Maritime Communities ofthe Atlantic World and the Pacific Rim: AMulti-disciplinary Discussion." The conference willbe held at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut,September 14-17, 2000. It will engage a widecommunity of scholars, teachers, students, museumprofessionals, and the general public in abroad, crossdisciplinary conversation about issues of race andethnicity in the American maritime past. Scholars inAmerican history and literature, the social sciences,urban, Native American, African American, and LatinAmerican studies, and those who teach at all levelsare encouraged to submit proposals. Sessions will beorganized to foster a dialogue among conferenceparticipants about the state of scholarship, newresearch, and public access to the issues of race andethnicity through institutional programming andschools. Proposals are welcome from scholars,museum professionals, public historians, andteachers.

Please mail, e-mail or fax a 250-wordabstract of the proposed paper or presentation andc.v.(s) before April 1, 2000, to Glenn S. Gordinier,Conference Coordinator, Mystic Seaport, 75Greenmanville Ave., P.O. Box 6000, Mystic, CT06355-0990, USA (Glenn@ mysticseaport.org; fax:+1 860 572-5329).

Documenting The Past, Discovering TheFuture

A "Call for Papers" has been issued by theSociety for the History of Discovering the Future.The conference will be held at the Library ofCongress in Washington, DC. A one-page proposalwith title and abstract should be submitted by May


15,2000, and papers will be due by August 15, 2000.The organizers alsoinvite suggestions for Session Chairs. Proposals andsuggestions should be submitted to: Eric W. Wolf,Program Chainnan, Society for the History ofDiscoveries, 6300 Waterway Drive, USA (fax: +1703-256-6837; e-mail:[email protected]).

War Of 1812 Symposium

The War of 1812 Consortium announces thatthe Fourth National War of 1812 Symposium will beheld on Saturday, October 14,2000 at the Officersand Alumni Club at the US Naval Academy inAnnapolis, Maryland. The symposium will run from9 am to 3 pm and will include lunch. Attendees areinvited to tour the Navy Museum in nearby PrebleHall afterwards. Speakers and topics to be announcedshortly. The last symposium, the Third National Warof 1812 Symposium, held at the Navy Yard inWashington, OC, was a success, and organizers haveevery hope that this year's event will be similarly so.

International Symposium On Boat AndShip Archaeology:

Boats Ships And Shipyards

The ninth meeting of the Internationalsymposia on Boat and Ship Archeology will be heldin Venice, Italy in the first half of December 2000under the auspices of the Dipartimento di Sciencedell'Antichita e del Vicino Oriente of the Universityof Venice. The symposium theme chosen for thesymposium is Boats Ships and Shipyards. Otheraspects ofmaritime archeology will be accommodatedin open sessions. The official language of themeeting will be in English. For further details,contact: Dott. Carlo Beltrame (marked IX ISBSA),Dipartimento di Science dell' Antichita e del VicinoOriente, Sez, Archeologica, Universif Ca' Foscari,Palazzo Bernardo Favero, 1997 San Polo, Veneziz,Italy(Tel: +39 41 5287 992; Fax: +39 41 524 2605;e-mail: [email protected]).

Maritime History Beyond 2000:Visions Of Sea And Shore

An international conference on maritimehistory and heritage will be held in Fremantle,Australia on 11-15 December 2001. The conferenceis organised by the Australian Association forMaritime History and sponsored by the WesternAustralian Maritime Museum, the InternationalMaritime Economic History Association, and theInternational Commission ofMaritime History.

This conference aims at bringing togetherpractitioners and all others interested in maritimehistory in order to present the latest findings inmaritime historical research and heritage studies andto review the state ofthe discipline in all its aspects.The conference program is unlimited in space andtime, and papers are invited on all aspects ofmaritimehistory and heritage. It is anticipated that specialsessions may be devoted to subjects such as: thesocial history of living with the sea; cultural studies;fisheries and fishing communities; ports and portcities; naval history and strategic studies; shippingagencies and information flows; overseas shippingand trade; ethnic maritime communities; imperialismand dual economies; shipbuilding and technologytransfer; maritime labour and unionism; the maritimehistory ofAustralia. For further information contact:Malcolm Tull, Faculty of Business & Economics,Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia(tel: +61-8-93602481; fax: +61-8-93107725;email: [email protected]) or FrankBroeze, Department of History, University ofWestern Australia, Nedlands WA 6907, Australia(tel: +61 8-93802139; fax: +618-93801069:email: [email protected]).

Documents

Argonauta, V. XVII, no. 3 · 2020. 8. 30. · ARGONAUTA Founded 1984byKenneth MacKenzie ISSNNo. 0843-8544 Editors William Schleihauf Maurice D. Smith Argonauta Editorial Office Marine