I just listened to this coverage on NPR of a controversial exhibit at the Smithsonian, which I learned about this past weekend at a conference. The exhibit, “Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds” is an exhibit of Chinese ceramics taken from a shipwreck off Belitung Island in Indonesia. These artifacts were “recovered” from the wreck in a less-than-scholarly manner by a commercial treasure hunting firm in the late 1990s, and the exhibition of artifacts taken in this way violates professional ethics. Essentially, the community of maritime archaeologists only wants to support excavations that are done responsibly, recording the state of artifacts on the bottom and their relationship to one another, so that the maximum amount can be learned from the exercise. When ships are emptied of treasure the way Belitung was, a great deal of contextual information is lost.
I listened to a presentation on this controversy by Paul F. Johnston, a Curator at the Smithsonian who specializes in maritime history. He is, to say the least, not pleased with this exhibit or the Smithsonian’s failure to do the due diligence required on these salvaged artifacts. The presentation was part of the annual conference of the Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM) which took place in Santa Barbara this past weekend. One of the ethical policies this exhibit threatens to violate comes from CAMM and is referenced in the NPR story: “Members shall not knowingly exhibit artifacts which have been stolen or removed from commercially exploited sites.” It will be interesting to see whether the Smithsonian chooses to move forward with the exhibit, violating its own ethical policies and encouraging similar “recovery” operations on future wreck sites.
I was at CAMM to present on the Wawona Project for Northwest Seaport, and on the Collections Policy of the Center for Wooden Boats.
In Seattle we have known for some time that Neil Young’s 101’ Baltic topsail schooner W.N. Ragland was for sale. She is moored out on Bainbridge Island in the Sound, awaiting her next assignment. I enjoyed this profile of her in the latest issue of Yachting, in which her unique aesthetic is described, aptly, as “Haight-Ashbury-hippie-pad-meets-Swiss-Family-Robinson-treehouse.”
Although, I am actually more interested in Young’s other classic, Meteor, which is now up in Port Townsend. Meteor was designed and built in Seattle by Jensen Boat Co in 1938. It is a kind of a wild boat, very streamlined and styled like something out of Metropolis. The boat is often described as having been “ahead of her time,” but thats not actually true in most ways. Lots of runabouts were designed with that streamlined, double-ended look in the 20s and 30s, probably inspired by Gold Cup speed boats of the 1920s like Baby Bootlegger. The credit for that style really goes to George Crouch, who designed Bootlegger and similar boats. Unfortunately, I don’t think Jensen really looked at Bootlegger’s lines; if they did they would have realized that the point in the stern was actually just to carry the rudder post aft of the planing surface, and that there was a step that the stern rode on. Meteor was originally designed with a double-ended planing surface, which didn’t exactly work out. Those “wings” were added to correct the design defect.
Still, it is a stylish boat, and I like that. So is Ragland, and I especially appreciate yachtsmen with such diverse tastes. Way to go, Neil.
An article I wrote has come out in the new issue (220) of WoodenBoat magazine, on newsstands now, or at your doorstep. In which I research, work on, and race a class of powerboats from 1910. The “Number Boats,” first one-design racing class for motor boats, native to the Thousand Islands of New York State. Good stuff, I think. WoodenBoat has been an authoritative source for information on classic watercraft since the 1970s, and I’m glad to have been included.
(I was in WB once before, actually, in an article on my father Everett, where I can be seen in a baby sling on his back as he works on an Adirondack Guideboat in issue 65. But this time I got paid.)
Not a subscriber? You can read the article (and others, I suppose) for free if you download the WoodenBoat App for iPhone or iPad. Or if you would just like to skim the topic, see these four previous posts.
I heard a really cool anectdote about the Morgan’s restoration from a freind this morning, and found more info on the blog above. Apparently, many futtocks and other timbers being used in the restoration of the ship are almost as old as the ship itself. That may seem ill-advised, but these timbers came from a 100+ year-old timber basin, also called a “pickling pond.”
These were shallow ponds in shipyards where fresh-cut wood was left to soak in heavily salted water. This cured the wood so that it would resist rot, while also allowing it to “take up” to the moisture content which would be inevitable once the ship was in the water. This particular timber basin was covered over many years ago, and was uncovered by contractors building a parking garage recently near Charleston Naval Shipyard north of Boston.
You can read more on the blog above, and see pictures at the bottom of the page.
Do you have an anchor tattoo, and are wondering what to do this weekend? Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut is opening an exhibit on Saturday about maritime tattoos and tattoo culture going back 200 years. Learn the trade.
I would get an anchor myself, but authenticity requires an artist who still does tattoos with a sail-maker’s needle. This may be the place to find one.
