Compass survives Navy Yard burning in 1814, returns 200 years later In the spring of 1814, a still-young United States was reeling from several bitter defeats at the hands of the British. Two years of low-intensity fighting at sea had begun to sap the strength of the republic’s fledgling Navy, a Navy responsible for the bulk of the nation’s defense during the conflict now known as the War of 1812. Begun two years earlier under President James Madison, the nation declared war to gain territory in Britain’s Canadian colonies and press a number of legal claims against the British, including guarantees to cease forcing American sailors into Royal Navy service and fomenting Indian attacks on settlers in American territories. Because the bulk of Britain’s military was tied up in their war against Napoleon’s France, the first two years of the war saw most of the fighting done at sea. But by April of 1814, Napoleon had been defeated, and the British were free to transfer a large contingent of ships and Royal Marines to the East Coast of the United States with the goal of stopping American forces from attacking British holdings in Canada. Recognizing the relatively weak defenses in the area, the British decided to launch their land invasion against Baltimore and Washington in August of that year. In what became known as “the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms,” the British routed the small militia stationed in Bladensburg, Maryland and began an unhindered attack on Washington. Though the city was hardly a strategic military target, it was home to one of the nation’s key naval shipyards – the Washington Navy Yard. In addition to storing large amounts of military equipment, the yard was nearing completion on the 44-gun frigate USS Columbia and the 18-gun USS Argus, incredible prizes should they be captured. Upon hearing the British had entered the capital, the Navy Yard’s commandant, Commodore Thomas Tingey, ordered his second-in-command, Nathaniel Haraden, to burn the yard to prevent its capture. In one of the most important acts of an already distinguished Navy career, Haraden set to the task, leaving only two quarters buildings and the historic Latrobe Gate — still intact at the 8th St. entrance — standing. Overseeing the burning of the Navy Yard was only one event in a remarkable lifetime of service for this little-known American sailor. He’d served as sailing master aboard USS Constitution under Capt. Edward Preble. He commanded a gunboat in the siege of Tripoli during the Barbary Wars. Eventually, he would go on to rebuild the Navy Yard following the War of 1812. Until his death in his house near the Navy Yard on Jan. 20, 1818, Master Commandant Haraden had served in nearly every major conflict in which the young U.S. Navy was involved. The compass Fast forward almost exactly 200 years from its burning in 1814, and the Washington Navy Yard was again under attack. Not by an invading army, but by an IT contractor who had gone on a rampage that ended with the deaths of 12 Navy employees and contractors.

In the aftermath of the shooting, help came from all corners of the country. From donors to mental healthcare teams, many offered to assist the victims and survivors. Among those interested in helping, teams of comfort dogs and their partners from HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response, spent days and weeks visiting with survivors, helping them work through the trauma. Ned Polan and his golden retriever Brinkley were one of the teams who came from HOPE, meeting with survivors all over the base. Polan wasn’t a stranger to the Navy Yard. In fact, he had interned at the Navy Yard during graduate school and eventually worked under contract to Naval Reactors, researching radiation damage and stress corrosion in reactor core materials. But that wasn’t Polan’s only connection to the Navy. His wife, Nancy, was a direct descendent of Nathaniel Haraden’s father, and they had in their possession the late Navy officer’s pocket compass. It was an incredible coincidence, and one Polan quickly recognized. “When Brinkley and I were at the Navy Yard in September … in Leutze Park, I thought I recognized a small white building on the east side of the park, so I took a picture of it. I sent it to my wife,” said Polan. “Her father had kept historical documents and clippings from his family’s past. So we looked through those, and one of those documents was an old postcard that had a picture of that building. There was a note on the back that said it was Quarters B, and that’s where Nathaniel Haraden had lived when he served on the Navy Yard.” When Polan and Brinkley returned to the Navy Yard in November, he learned from NAVSEA’s facilities director Andy Anderson that the command intended to include some Navy artifacts in Building 197 once renovations were complete. Knowing his compass needed a permanent home, Polan offered to donate it to NAVSEA so that it could be displayed in Building 197. In fact, Polan had long wanted to donate the compass to the Navy. “More than 20 years ago, when my wife inherited the compass, I thought, oh, this is pretty valuable,” Polan recalled. “So I wrote the USS Constitution museum at the time, and got a response from the curator, who confirmed its great age and had forwarded my photographs to the Navy History Center for further guidance, but nothing else ever came back. My wife and I always wanted to put it somewhere where people could appreciate it and it could be publicly available." Likely built between 1773 and 1777, the small pocket compass is approximately 2 ½ inches in diameter, 1 inch tall and made of brass. Though the side and lid are cracking slightly, the compass still works accurately. In the months following his visit to the Yard, Polan worked with Anderson and NAVSEA Corporate Operations Director Peggy Loomis to arrange a permanent donation.

On Monday, June 23, following a ceremony in which Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus honored victims and first responders, the Polans officially donated the compass to the Navy. With their dog Brinkley on hand – along with their HOPE colleagues and their dogs – the Polans handed over their family’s compass to Navy History and Heritage Command Director Jerry Hendrix at the Navy Museum. After being in the Haraden family for more than 200 years, the compass will now be held by the Navy museum until it can turned over for display to NAVSEA. “I’ve always been conscious that the media and public quickly move on from tragedies. But the people who went through it, for them it doesn’t go away in a day. Sometimes it never goes away,” said Polan when asked why he made the donation. “What some of these people saw and experienced … they went through so much. We thought this was a way we can contribute and show that we really care about these people, and that they’re important to all of us. This compass has weathered the seas for well over 200 years, as have the exceptional people to whom we dedicate it.” Once construction on Building 197, now officially known as the Joshua Humphreys building, is complete, the compass will be moved in and put on permanent display. Once there, it will serve as a constant reminder that, though the Navy Yard has gone through dark times, it has always rebounded — stronger than ever.