INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF MARITIME...

Inside this issue...

2From the Editor

3ICMM Congress 2009

4Maritime MuseumsAround The World

14The benefits of ICMM membership

19Conferences andCongresses

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N G R E S S O F M A R I T I M E M U S E U M S

NEWSVOLUME 29 ■■ ISSUE 6 ■■ 2008 End of Year

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

"Oceans of Change: Maritime Museums in a New Century" is the working

title for the ICMM 2009 Congress in Annapolis USA. The planning of the overall

programme, as well as the individual sessions, is in progress as you will learn

from the piece from our Secretary-General Stuart Parnes later in this newsletter.

It is indeed a promising programme which I am not going to comment upon here,

other to say that I would like to encourage you to send comments and ideas to

the Programme Committee - Mary-Louise Williams, Hanna Hagmark-Cooper,

Paula Johnson, Stuart Parnes, Stephen Riley and Lars Scholl - to help make the

programme even better.

Maritime MuseumWorld Truly Blessed

PRESIDENTS COLUMN

... continued on page 2

Australian treasure acquired. See page 4

“

Right nowthe maritime

museumworld is

blessed with alot of veryexcitingprojects

I C M M N E W S ■■ V O L U M E 2 9 ■■ I S S U E 6 ■■ 2 0 0 82

It is a bumper edition this time! Ourcorrespondents have been fruitful in theircontributions and as editor I have been blessed witha surfeit of riches. Indeed, some contributions havehad to be cut down and a couple held over for nexttime or for the website. It is a wonderful difficulty tohave when I know that other editors have to scramblearound for content. Articles from ICMM News haverecently been repeated in India and we have receivedrequests for copies from elsewhere - a testimony tothe interest generated, though the latter can bedifficult to service as we only print what we need. Toensure you get your copy, please join ICMM!

As ever I am indebted to the many contributorsand Deputy Editor Stuart Parnes and his fine eye andproperly directed pedanticism (I'm not sure that isactually a real word, but he does not read this bit!).Thank You All!

This is our last edition for the year, so I take thisopportunity to wish you every joy at Christmas,holiday time, and for the New Year.

GO WELL,Larry Robbins

FROM THEEDITOR...

SN

IPP

ET

S

Do you receive the periodic ICMM E-

News? We send out almost 300 emailnewsletters every couple of months (wesent out 2 at the start of August) but itseems that a significant number are neveropened. We assume that most of these endup in spam boxes. If you want to receive theE-news please (a) subscribe using the formon the website home page and (b) [email protected] to your spam whitelist as anaccepted 'from' address.

Help needed for FALLS OF CLYDE

Honolulu's historic vessel, FALLS OF CLYDE,may be sunk if a saviour cannot be found.Visit the news page of the ICMM website forupdated and breaking news.

Right now the maritime museum world is blessedwith a lot of very exciting projects. A new nationalmaritime museum was opened in Kotka, Finland; in July,another will open in July 2009 in Shanghai, China; andplans for a third are well in progress in Dubai, UAE. InDenmark the Danish Maritime Museum in Elsinore hassuccessfully raised the finance for building a newmuseum in the docks of the former Elsinore Shipyard vis-a-vis the Kronborg Castle. And huge projects are also onthe way in places like the Netherlands and Great Britainjust to mention a few. Certainly these major nationalmuseum projects will be a very relevant theme inAnnapolis next year.

However, museum projects are not only a matter ofnew museums, new buildings or new exhibitions. Hugeand very impressive research projects are carried out too.The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, has justcompleted the trial voyage which is part of one of thebiggest experimental archaeological projects everundertaken. Among the Viking shipwrecks excavated inRoskilde in the early 1960's was the remains of an ocean-going warship built by Vikings in Dublin in 1042. In2004 the museum launched a reconstruction of the 30m-long vessel that carried a crew of 65. After test sailings inDanish waters, the ship was ready for the real trial -- avoyage from Roskilde to Dublin and back.

The voyage started in the summer 2007. So far, manyexperiments have been carried out and significant datacollected. This outstanding scientific experiment willeventually answer an abundance of questions thathistorians, archaeologists and boat builders havepondered for centuries. During the voyage, the vesselnamed HAVHINGSTEN (The Sea Stallion) fromGlendalough became a very popular subject in theworldwide mass media. When the vessel returned toRoskilde on 9 August 2008, about 20,000 visitors werethere to welcome her back. A hearty congratulation toour colleagues in Roskilde for a project that successfullyhas combined research and presentation and drawninternational attention.

It will be a while before the results of the Roskildeproject are ready for publication, but I do not think wehave to wait for the results before we learn more aboutthe project and how it was created. The Roskilde projectshould be an inspiration to all of us and we need to havethe project on the agenda inAnnapolis in order to learnhow we can create state of theart research and reach newaudiences at the same time.

Best regardsMorten Hahn-PedersenPresident, ICMM

... continued from page 1

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Stuart Parnes provides an update on preparations for our next congress.

Plans for our 2009 Congress on the Chesapeake Bay are coming together beautifully, thanks to a lotof help from our friends. In this article, I want to just give you a little more detail, and a little moreflavour of what awaits you here.

LOCATION: Historic Annapolis, Maryland (www.visit-annapolis.org/index.aspx)

THEME: OCEANS OF CHANGE. Each of our organizations is facing unprecedentedchallenges, brought on by generational, cultural, economic andenvironmental changes. We know we need to adapt and take advantage ofthese currents, and we are each responding in our own ways. This Congresswill explore some of the strategies being followed to keep ourselves vibrant,relevant and valuable to our changing communities.

The programme is still in development, but updated versions will beavailable for your review and input at our website (www.icmmonline.org).

ACCOMMODATIONS: Our headquarters hotel(s) will be the Historic Inns of Annapolis(www.historicinnsofannapolis.com) beautifully modernized historicbuildings in the heart of the small city, and walking distance to everything.Alternative Annapolis hotels are available to meet all budgetary requirements.

VENUES: The best I can do is to share these enticements, along with their websites.DON'T Panic. All these sites are very close - NO long coach rides until thePost-Congress Tour.

ICMM CONGRESS 2009

Sunday, September 27Explore Baltimore's Inner Harbor, with stops at USS CONSTELLATION,(www.baltimore.to/Constellation/index.html)

the National Aquarium, (www.aqua.org)

and Fort McHenry(www.nps.gov/archive/fomc/home.html.)

Monday, September 28The beautiful Annapolis Yacht Club(www.annapolisyc.com/) will be our headquartersfor sessions and meals.

Tuesday, September 29Cruise from Annapolis aboard CATHERINEMARIE (www.watermarkcruises.com) across theChesapeake Bay to St. Michaels and theChesapeake Bay Maritime Museum(www.cbmm.org). Spend the day in sessions,demonstrations and out on board historicvessels (www.sultanaprojects.org) (www.cyrg.org),

(www.skipjack.org/) (www.logcanoes.com/gallery.htm)

and (www.oystercatcher.com).

Dinner cruise back to Annapolis.

Wednesday, September 30Sessions and tours at the US Naval Academy(www.usna.edu/homepage.php) and(www.usna.edu/Museum/).

Thursday, October 1A day in the U.S. Capital. Sessions at theSmithsonian's National Museums of AmericanHistory (http://americanhistory.si.edu/) and NaturalHistory (www.mnh.si.edu/), followed by some freetime on your own (www.si.edu/Museums/) and areception at a venue to be determined.

Friday, October 2Final day of sessions and workshops, includingour ICMM General Meeting, capped off by ourclosing dinner at the extraordinary "green"headquarters of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation(www.cbf.org).

Saturday, October 3 - Monday, October 5Post-Congress trip to the Mariners' Museum(www.mariner.org) in Newport News, Virginia.Stops at the Calvert Marine Museum(www.calvertmarinemuseum.com), HistoricJamestowne (www.historicjamestowne.org), ColonialWilliamsburg (www.history.org), and more …

Mark your calendars, keep an eye on those airfares, and save your Dollars, Euros, Pounds, Pesos,Dinars, Yuan, Krone, Guilder, Yen…


MARITIME MUSEUMSAROUND THE WORLD

AustraliaFirst Fleet treasure acquired “for allAustralians”

The Australian National Maritime Museumrecently acquired one of the acknowledged treasures ofAustralia's maritime heritage - the silver CharlotteMedal from the First Fleet.

The disc, 74 mm in diameter, was engraved byconvict Thomas Barrett on the transport shipCHARLOTTE in January 1788 at the conclusion of theFirst Fleet's long, gruelling voyage from Britain to NewSouth Wales. It's believed he created themedal while CHARLOTTE and thefleet's other ships wereanchored in Botany Bayawaiting GovernorPhillip's decision tomove north to strikethe continent's firstEuropean settlementat Port Jackson.

On one side ofthe medal, Barrettengraved a fully-rigged ship securedto a buoy with thesun down near thehorizon line on thelower left and a crescentmoon and stars on theupper right. Above the sunare inscribed the words TheCharlotte at anchor / in BotanyBay / Jany. the 20, / 1788.

On the reverse side of the disc is a shortdescription of CHARLOTTE's voyage from Spithead,England (13 May 1787) to Botany Bay in the "island ofNew Holland" (20 January 1788).

Barrett engraved the medal for the First Fleet'sPrincipal Surgeon John White who travelled with himon CHARLOTTE, and it's believed he used a surgeon'ssilver 'kidney dish' to make it.

The Director of the Australian National MaritimeMuseum Mary-Louise Williams has hailed the

acquisition as an important one for all Australians.

"This one small object is a direct link with thatpivotal event in Australia's history - the arrival of theFirst Fleet at Botany Bay and the subsequent Europeanoccupation of the continent," she said. "And the piecehas further significance… Barrett's engraving has beenwidely acclaimed as the first known Australiancolonial work of art."

Ms Williams said the Charlotte Medal will be acornerstone in the museum's collection. It will go ondisplay as soon as practicable.

The museum paid $A750,000 for the medal at aNoble Numismatics auction in

Melbourne. It was purchased withassistance from the

C o m m o n w e a l t hGovernment's National

Cultural HeritageAccount. The vendor isa private collector,and it's believed thisis the first time thepiece has been heldin a publiccollection.

CroatiaGuest country at

Fête InternationaleDe La Mer Et DesMarins, Brest 2008Croatia had the honour of

being among the guest countriesat FÊTE INTERNATIONALE DE LA

MER ET DES MARINS, Brest 2008.

A dozen traditional vessels, under the patronage ofthe Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, with a total of 45sailors represented the country's maritime heritage atthe festival. Among these 'jewels of Croatia' are twoclassic "gajeta falkusa", COMEZA-LISBOA andKURNATARICA from the village of Betina, on Murterisland. The gajeta falkusa originates from Komižawhich, from the 16th century onwards, was one ofDalmatia's most prosperous fishing villages.

The 9m replica of a Croatian "Bracera" GOSPA OD

The Charlotte Medal (Australian National Maritime Museu

m)


Maritime Museums Around The World cont...

MORA, launched in Dubrovnik in Easter of 2008, wasalso on display. A Bracera is a wooden boat,traditionally seven to twelve metres in length, used oncoastal waters to transport cargo and the occasionalpassenger.

The Batana CALSANTA from Rovinj, was also thereand is said to be as important locally in the Istria regionas a gondola in Venice. The Batana is a flat-bottomedwooden fishing boat which in days gone by wouldhave been the pride and joy of most coastal families,driven by triangle-shaped sails rather than engines. It isperhaps the most fortunate among traditional Croatiansailing boats. In 2004, ecomuseum The Batana Housewas established in Rovinj, dedicated to one traditionalwooden boat (www.batana.org)

The "Ladja" has strong links with the country'smain river, the Neretva, and was used for transportingpeople, animals and farming produce for centuries, aswell as being at the centre of weddings and funerals.Today, races are organised with these craft in order tokeep up the tradition of using the Ladje on a regularbasis. These 'marathons' comprise a rowing crew with10 rowers, a drummer and a cox.

The "Croatian Maritime Village", with an area of

more than 1000m2, was set up in a prominent locationin Brest. During the festival days, a permanentprogramme of events and demonstrations of maritimeskills was presented by the people who are still livingtransmitters of Croatian maritime heritage. Inparticular, the village included six reconstructions ofDalmatian cottages, housing exhibitions on traditionalboats, the Croatian Wine Bar, and the House ofAdriatic Flavours. Other houses were dedicated to

Croatian Batana at Brest - the first Batana to sail on the Atlantic?

At the Croatian Maritime Village - L-R, Deputy Mayor of Rovinj, Mayor of Brest and thePresident of Croatia with one of the younger participants



maritime and craft workshops: shipwrights' yard,workshop on small fishing boats (www.trabakul.com),rope workshop, pottery, weaving and basket-makingstalls. In all, 75 musicians, singers and dancers stageda continuous musical show from 11 in the morninguntil late into the evening.

Italy - GenoaLa Merica!

La Merica! From Genoa to Ellis Island: the Journey bySea of Italian Emigration, a new exhibition in theGalata Maritime Museum in Genoa will become apermanent section of the future MEM (Museum ofEmigration) to be set up inside the Galata.

The exhibition is an important co-productionbetween Galata and the Ellis Island Immigration Museumin New York, in collaboration with the US Embassy inItaly. Between 1892 and 1956, three million Italiansemigrated to the USA, a quarter of the immigrants whopassed through Ellis Island during those years.

Genoa was truly the door from which most of thetwenty-nine million Italian emigrants left the country.Shipping companies such as Norddeutscher Lloyd,Hamburg-Amerika Line, or White Star Line choseGenoa to exploit the business of emigration.

The exhibition consists of eight rooms in threegalleries (1,200 square metres), telling the story ofItalian emigration to the USA between 1892 and 1914.What makes this exhibition special is the involvementof visitors. Not only can they look at pictures, readposters and sit on the berths, they can also becomeemigrants themselves, through a sophisticated systemthat assigns them the identity of an emigrant andallows them to follow their story from departure totheir settlement in America.

At the entrance of From Genoa to Ellis Island,visitors are given a passport and a ticket and enter theport of Genoa, where they wait for their liner togetherwith all the other emigrants. After some securitychecks (according to the identity given to themthrough the passport, an officer will ask them a list ofquestions), they will be allowed to board.

The ship is amazing: it's a faithful full-sizereconstruction of the liner CITTÀ DI TORINO, basedon the original drawings held by the museum. Thusvisitors board and search for their berth in the male orfemale dormitories. Or they visit the refectory, theinfirmary, or the prison cell while watching different

scenes from the portholes - the ocean by day and bynight, the arrival in Ellis Island, and passing the Statueof Liberty.

But this is not the end of the journey. Visitors aredirected to the Inspection Line, where doctors andofficers examine the emigrants to verify that they arehealthy and able to work in America. This is when anemigrant is accepted or rejected and sent back home,depending on the answers given to the officers!Visitors will now see what happened to the immigrantwhose identity they have taken: their achievements,their failures, their lives in America.

Documents and scientific research are not the onlymaterials of the exhibition. Actors from the Theatre ofGenoa have given their voices to a soundtrack ofletters, dialogues, and announcements that helpsvisitors to immerse themselves in the atmosphere.

Thus, From Genoa to Ellis Island is really a"different" exhibition, it's an emotional journey, filledwith excitement and hope. Emigration was, and still is,the story of people and their feelings.www.galatamuseodelmare.it

MediterraneanLOST! - Schooner THO PA GA

THO PA GA, one of the few operational schoonerswhich still sailed the Mediterranean was wrecked on 8July some 40 miles offshore as she sailed to participatein the Brest 2008 maritime event. The crew was safelyrescued by helicopter.

Gerald Delgado and Nicole Legler, owners of theschooner, restored her about thirty years ago. THO PAGA, has been described as "a real gem of maritime

LAMERICA



heritage afloat." The island of Ibiza, one of theMediterranean Balearic islands, was the base port forthe vessel. THO PA GA was a 2-masted wooden vesselbuilt in a Spanish coastal town (Águilas) in 1924.Originally named THREE BROTHERS after theshipyard in which she was built, she was typical of alocal type of sailing cargo vessel. Until recently shevoyaged to the Caribbean with cargo and participatedin regattas as distant as Sidney.

New ZealandNew home for Royal New Zealand NavyMuseum

After 25 years in temporary accommodation, theMuseum will relocate from its current site to TorpedoBay on the picturesque shores of the WaitemataHarbour in Devonport, Auckland.

Torpedo Bay - Te Kainga O Te Waka Taonga O Te TauaMoana. Torpedo Bay - The home of the canoe of treasuresof the Sea Warriors

Torpedo Bay is of exceptional heritage significance,having been a key part of Auckland's early defencesystem as well as having been continuously occupiedby New Zealand military forces since 1880. TorpedoBay is the most substantial and intact 19th centurymining base to survive in New Zealand.

Relocating the Museum to Torpedo Bay will see theMuseum leveraging off the site's extraordinaryheritage value. The existing heritage buildings on thesite will be redeveloped to accommodate the newMuseum. Completely new permanent exhibitions willshowcase the story of the Navy's contribution to thedevelopment of New Zealand's identity through thelens of the Navy's values - commitment, courage andcomradeship.

The Museum expects to open for operation atTorpedo Bay in early 2010.

Norway - OsloMud surrenders ancient ships

The largest collection of antique shipwrecks everfound in Norway has been discovered under mud atthe building site for a new highway tunnel in Oslo.

Jostein Gundersen, the project's lead archaeologist,said at least nine wooden boats, the largest being 17meters (56 feet) long, were found well preservednearly 400 years after they sank at Bjoervika, an Osloinlet near the new national opera house.

"For us, this is a sensation," he told The AssociatedPress. "There has never been a find of so many boatsand in such good condition at one site in Norway."

The wrecks were remarkably well preservedbecause they had been covered in mud and fresh water,where river waters run into the sea, he said.

"We have a fantastic opportunity to learn moreabout old shipbuilding techniques and the oldharbors," said Gundersen of the Norwegian MaritimeMuseum in Oslo. He said that the wrecks are believedto have sunk sometime after fire swept the woodenbuildings of old Oslo in 1624. After that disaster,Danish-Norwegian King Kristian IV ordered the citycentre moved before reconstruction started.

The discovered boats were moored at the old port,which became a remote area after the city was moved.He said the boats may have been 30 or 40 years oldwhen they sank.

"There is nothing to indicate that the ships weredeliberately scuttled," said Gundersen. "They couldhave sunk one by one, because of sloppy mooring orpoor maintenance, or maybe sank in a storm."

He said the wreckage will be charted and removedas quickly as possible, so construction of the underseatunnel can continue. It will then take years, he said, to

THO PA GA

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examine all the ship's remnants back at the museum.Gundersen said the find will help fill gaps inknowledge between Norwegian Viking ships ofroughly 1,000 years ago and more modern vessels. -Courtesy of Associated Press 29 Aug 2008

United KingdomJersey - Relaunch of Jersey’s firstmotorised lifeboat

On Saturday 17 May following a short ceremony ofre-dedication, the Liverpool class lifeboat HOWARDD, Jersey's first motorised lifeboat, joined the JerseyMaritime Museum's heritage fleet. Donated to theRNLI and the Island in 1937 by local philanthropist TBDavis, and named in memory of his son who waskilled in the Great War, HOWARD D has a specialplace in the affection of Islanders as she remained inthe Island on service throughout the Occupation(1940-45).

She left the Island in 1948 and was sold out ofservice by the RNLI in 1964. In her time as a RNLIlifeboat, HOWARD D was launched on 70 occasionsand saved 66 lives on station in St Helier (1937-48),Flamborough (1948-53), Arbroath (1953-56) and inthe reserve fleet (1956-64).

From 1964 until her return to Jersey in 1996 shewas used as a fishing boat. As with many restorationprojects, lack of suitable workspace hampered any realprogress. It was not until 2006, when the HarbourDepartment gave the museum access to a disusedwarehouse that work could begin. The two-yearrestoration, largely funded by Jersey Heritage and theFriends of the Maritime Museum, has been carried outby a team from the Maritime Museum boatshop leadby Doug Ford.

The re-dedication was carried out by Mrs NormaAsplet from Jersey, a friend of Howard Davis' sisterswhose husband was a Howard Davis Scholar at HMSWORCESTER and Mrs Aylwen Lyddell from SouthAfrica, the great granddaughter of the donor, TB Davis.Altogether nine members of the extended Davis familyfrom Jersey, the UK, and South Africa attended alongwith many islanders who had connections with formercrew members of HOWARD D as well as the presentRNLI lifeboat.

HOWARD D (see page 9) has a berth in front of theMaritime Museum in St Helier marina kindlysponsored by the States of Jersey Harbour Department.

Society for Nautical ResearchThe Society for Nautical Research was formed in

1910 'to encourage research into matters relating toseafaring and shipbuilding in all ages among all nations,into the language and customs of the sea, and into othersubjects of nautical interest.' The Society, which willcelebrate its centenary in 2010, was instrumental insecuring the survival of Nelson's VICTORY atPortsmouth and continues to be associated with herrestoration and preservation. The SNR was also amongthe founding partners of the National MaritimeMuseum at Greenwich and of the Royal Naval Museumat Portsmouth. It publishes The Mariner's Mirror, anauthoritative journal distributed to members world-wide and a regular Newsletter. www.snr.org.uk

Naval Dockyards SocietyThe Naval Dockyards Society, which came together

with ICMM at the Congress in Malta in October 2008,is organising a one day conference in London, 18October 2008. A tripartite event with surgeons and theRoyal Navy, will be held at the Royal College ofSurgeons, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. TheConference will recognise seven hundred years oforganised surgery in Britain. Further details from DrAnn Coats, Secretary of Naval Dockyards Society, whowill be known to ICMM members who were in Malta.Details: [email protected]

Royal Naval Museum, PortsmouthCurrently showing at the Royal Naval Museum is

Sea Your History - The Twentieth Century Royal Navy.The exhibition promotes a recently-launched websitewhich aims to give access to much more of theMuseum's twentieth century Royal Navy collections.When the web project is complete later this year, therewill be images and interpretation for some 15,000items, including photographs, documents, medals andinsignia, ships, aircraft, submarines, tools andequipment, private mementoes of service personneltogether with recordings of their own stories.www.seayourhistory.org.uk

Captain Cook Memorial Museum, WhitbySmoking coasts and ice-bound seas: Cook's voyage to

the Arctic . To 31 October 2008.

An exhibition featuring six original drawingsacquired by the museum in 2007, of natives ofKamchatka by John Webber, the official artist onCook's third voyage. The exhibition tells the little-



known story of the two visits to Kamchatka afterCook's death. It was in Kamchatka that news ofCook's death passed across Siberia to St Petersburg andfrom there to London. Webber's drawings show anunusual humanity and interest in the Kamchatkans,rather than viewing them as others did at the time, as'specimens' of previously unknown peoples.www.cookmuseumwhitby.co.uk

Small can be beautifulI'm told there are 20,000 museums in the UK; it

was claimed several years ago that a new museumopened every week. Some of them have sincedisappeared. One of my all-time favourites, and onethat is very much still with us, is the EmsworthMuseum, opened in 1988, and run by the EmsworthMaritime and Historical Trust, an independentcharitable trust. It occupies rooms above the local firestation. How many museums do you know that have afire engine permanently on site? On one side is thelocal hospital and on the other is the Post Office;opposite is the supermarket; it is, as they say in realestate terms, conveniently-situated. Emsworth is a

small, not-so picturesque town, better described asworkmanlike. It's on Chichester harbour, just a fewmiles east of Portsmouth and Nelson's VICTORY, onthe south coast of England. It's hardly a port thesedays; in the nineteenth century, it had a busy trade,mostly importing coal and exporting local grain undersail. But Emsworth was particularly famous for itsoyster fishery. In about 1908 over half the populationof the town were employed in the fishing andboatbuilding industries and over 100,000 oysters aweek were being sent to market in London. Truth betold, the oyster fishery came to a rather sticky end in1902 when the Dean of Westminster died from foodpoisoning thought to have come from Emsworthoysters. The first law of the oyster trade is don't poisonyour customers.

Emsworth Museum is remarkable. Not leastbecause it's full of 'stuff'. From the moment you go inthe front door you're confronted with 'stuff'; all theway up the windy, wooden staircase there arephotographs and things on the wall. There's a stair-liftif you need it. I fancy taking the stair-lift, but stoppingoccasionally on the way up, there's so much to see.

HOWARD D on sea trials May 2008 (Jersey Maritime Museum)

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When you get to the top you're greeted personally byone of the many volunteers that staff the museum. It'srun completely by knowledgeable and enthusiasticvolunteers. It's free, but 'donations welcome'. Theopening hours are set out on the board at the door:Saturdays & Bank Holidays 10-30am to 4-30pm:Sundays 2-30pm to 4-30pm Easter until 31 October.But not forgetting Fridays during August. PrivateOpening for groups and individuals may be arrangedwith the Hon Secretary. Now is that service? Or is thatservice?

When you get into the upper rooms, it's like anAladdin's Cave. It's just full of interesting 'stuff': thereare showcases groaning with local memorabilia, allwith a story to tell. There are ship models and handcarts, clothes and fantastic tools that have youguessing what they were for. And there arephotographs of Emsworth as it was in 1890, and in1905, and 1930, and in 1945 and 1975.

On the wall just inside the entrance is a deck winchfrom a small yacht. But this is no ordinary deck winch.This is a prototype Lewmar deck winch. Now I canhear you saying, oh, yes, a Lewmar deck winch. WellLewmar deck winches revolutionised racing undersail, substituting technology for brute strength, andhave been fitted to some of the most successful Englishracing yachts over the last 25 years. Lewmar are stillvery much in business. The story here is that theLewmar winch was developed in an Emsworthworkshop by two engineers, Len Lewery and LeslieMarsh from 1946 onwards.

Further on, there are photographs of well-scrubbed, local fishermen looking uncomfortable intheir Sunday-best on the equally well-scrubbed decks

of big J-class racing yachts. The local fishermen wentracing in summer; it was likely to be much morelucrative than fishing. There's a section aboutP.G.Wodehouse, him of Jeeves and Wooster fame, wholived in Emsworth for ten years. Many of the fictionalplaces in the Jeeves and Wooster stories are based onlocal towns and villages around Emsworth. Andthere's a section about the local Boy Scouts. They werebig on Boy Scouts in Emsworth. And among myfavourites, a faded sepia photograph of a local worthyin top hat and tight waistcoat, sitting in the mainsquare in about 1870, with his pet heron and pet duck.I'd loved to know the story behind that.

There are little fluorescent green frogs in some ofthe showcases - a trail for young ones to follow. Thenot-so young ones like following it too. But themuseum is well run: in 1994 it achieved Registrationby the National Museums and Galleries Commission,which means its displays and documentation conformto national standards. It must say something when theEmsworth Museum is still there but the Museums andGalleries Commission is now long defunct.

Emsworth is hugely proud of its maritime heritage(perhaps with the exception of the duff oysters.)Elsewhere in the High Street there's a fine display oflocal history: it's in the window of the localundertakers. Why not? There is an Oyster Trail aroundthe town; and there are also trips under sail in theharbour on TERROR, a 28ft gaff-rigged open boat builtabout 1890 for transporting oysters, and recently-restored locally with the help of Heritage Lotteryfunding. And don't forget trips on a solar-poweredboat to see the seabirds nearby.

In this age of hi-tech and AV, Emsworth Museum

Restored oyster carrier TERROR, Emsworth January 2008

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still 'does it' for me. Essentially it's telling stories aboutpeople, mostly local people. And the things that wereeither theirs or they knew about and cared about. I'veheard it said many times, which doesn't necessarilymake it true, but I believe that in this case it is, 'peopleare interested in people'. Emsworth Museum is aboutpeople: that's why I like it so much.

By Stephen Riley

ClenchwartonAnd also on the 'small is beautiful' theme …

Mike Smith and his wife Jo run a 'small butimpressive' maritime museum at their bungalow [asingle storey house in England - Ed] in Norfolk. TheMarshland Maritime Museum displays more than3000 artefacts from Mr Smith's collection. Mr Smith,who spent over ten years in Britain's Royal Navy,said recently that over 70 people had travelled fromall over the UK "to enjoy bangers and mash with atot of rum" at a fundraiser for a UK Forcesrehabilitation Centre.

The museum, in the small village ofClenchwarton, is open just about every day andattracts around 1000 visitors a year - includingschool groups and bus tours. Admission is free andJo Smith usually provides a cup of tea to the visitors.The Smiths sold their engineering business andmoved to their bungalow a few years ago,purchasing the one next door to use as the museum.

The collection is steadily growing, with over 500crests from RN ships, ship models and uniforms -including one donated by Admiral Sir John Lee whois the Patron of the D-Boats Association (Anassociation for those who served in the Daring andDefender classes of destroyers) which the Smithsalso run. Mike says that the museum has becomequite well-known in its own way, being featured inmagazines and appearing on UK TV - though untilthe ICMM Editor phoned, he'd not before beencontacted from New Zealand!

SwedenNews from the Vasa Museum

Visitor numbers in 2007 exceeded the one millionmark for the first time, reaching 1,067,000. Aboutthree quarters of the visitors are internationaltourists, business travellers, official groups.

The massive public interest in the museum means

that in summer rush hours, the museum buildingsometimes cannot accommodate all who want tocome. Both Fire Department regulations and climatecontrol capacity limit the simultaneous visitornumber to about 1,500. When that number is reached,museum doors have to be closed until enough peoplehave left the building.

In order to tackle this problem, and also to updatethe building that is now almost twenty years old, theNational Maritime Museums, of which the VASAMuseum is a constituent part, and the NationalProperty Board have started a joint project to expandthe building. The objective is to increase maximumcapacity to 2,000 by enlarging the entrance zone andthe shop and adding a 350 sq m hall for temporaryexhibitions. Emergency exits and other safetyarrangements will be upgraded. All the additions willbe outside the VASA climate zone, thus avoiding aprohibitively expensive rebuild of the climate plant.

Hopefully, the project will be finished by 2011, butthe fact that the museum is situated in an urbannational park might lead to considerable delays in thetown planning and building permit processes.

For the last eight years, the museum has had to dealwith chemical processes in the VASA timber, such asthe forming of sulphuric and other acids. Similarreactions have been observed in the Viking ShipMuseum in Roskilde, Denmark, the Batavia in theWestern Australia Maritime Museum in Fremantle andthe Mary Rose in Portsmouth, England. Thesemuseums or universities linked to them have beenpartners with the VASA Museum in the researchprogrammes dealing with the problems. Promisingproposals for the treatment of individual objects havebeen presented. As for the VASA hull, research focus isnow on measuring changes in the mechanical propertyof the timber, in preparation for the design andconstruction of a new cradle for the ship. Also, as manyas possible of the 5,500 steel bolts that were inserted inthe 1960's will be replaced by new bolts in compositematerial and highly corrosion resistant steel.

The major project of a full documentation of theVASA is well under way. The first volume, VASA I, theArchaeology of a Swedish Warship from 1628, waspublished in 2006, and volume II, Seamanship in theEarly 17th Century, is expected to appear in early 2009.Present plans include another three volumes. Editor isDr. Fred Hocker.



Canada - VancouverSpecial Report

"City to close Maritime Museum" read the startlingheadline in the Vancouver Sun earlier this year (6 May2008), prefacing an article that outlined difficultiesbetween the Museum Society's volunteer board and asenior municipal official about the future, and suggestingthat the 50 year-old museum would be closing at the endof 2009. Wary of merely repeating news reports (sincethere are obviously a number of factors at work), ICMMNews asked a contact in Vancouver to report on thematter.

Since the initial report, it has become clearer thatthe demise of the museum is not perhaps thatimminent. However, it seems obvious that in the longrun some city officials will not continue to support theinstitution 'as is' in the amount of $500,000 annually.The central question is: what does the future hold foran excellent regional maritime collection, some piecesof which clearly have international significance? Aboveall, what will happen to ST ROCH, the legendaryRCMP schooner that served in the Arctic and twicetraversed the Northwest Passage in the 1940s?

Some background is required ... For at least 20years the museum has been discussing the need for anew home to improve the conditions for its notable

collection, and to better serve its visitors with anexpanded facility and a deep-water harbour. In recentyears, under the leadership of former Director JimDelgado, the museum completed a number of studies,articulated some ambitious plans for a new museum'of the Pacific and the Arctic' and searched for a newsite within the city's boundaries. Just as the searchseemed to be going nowhere, the City of NorthVancouver stepped forward to announce, in January2007, that it was keen to enter into discussions withVancouver and the museum about the future. Itproposed the creation of a new facility on the NorthVancouver waterfront, on the site of the formerBurrard Dry Dock, one of Canada's greatest shipyards,which closed in 1991.

It is now nearly two years since that offer, and theCity of North Vancouver has made significant progressin planning for and receiving provincial support for itsidea of a "National Maritime Centre." At present, it isconfidently waiting for crucial financial support fromthe Government of Canada. What was initiallyconceived of as a reasonably straightforward (despitethe large sums of money required) evolution of thepresent Vancouver Maritime Museum into the newfacility, has not proven so simple.

Within months of its announcement in 2007, theCity of North Vancouver seemed to indicate that it was

RCMP Schooner ST ROCH at the Vancouver Maritime Museum


looking for 'more than a museum' and it appears thatwhat is now envisaged is more like a science centrethan a museum. There would be room for only alimited number of original historical artifacts toestablish context, in favour of an emphasis on thecontemporary and the future rather than the past.North Vancouver has gone on record to say that itwould like to secure ST ROCH, bringing it back towhere it was built in 1928. Apart from that, it isunclear as to how much of the VMM's historicalcollection the new institution has its eyes on, as thedetailed exhibit planning is not that far advanced.What is of concern to the VMM, however, is thatNorth Vancouver appears little interested in theVMM's valuable maritime archives and library, which,along with the artifacts and works of art, make up astrong and important overall holding.

Executive Director Wesley Wenhardt, appointed inMay, 2007, working with a Transition Team of theVMM Board, is steering the Museum through somechallenging and uncharted waters.

Everyone seems to agree that a new maritimeinstitution is desired, though it is a question of whereand when. Regardless of location, the work continuesto build the membership, programs and collection to bethe best maritime museum in the country. Attendanceand membership are strong thanks to a new exhibitMeltdown: Oceans React to Global Warming

Meanwhile, to put itself into a more comfortablesituation for any future negotiations, the City ofVancouver has contracted with a leading Vancouverconsulting firm to undertake a detailed analysis,categorization and appraisal of the VMM collection.Included in the consulting team are a former DirectorRobin Inglis, and well-regarded Canadian maritimecurator John Summers.

If the funding falls through and no new facility of

the nature and scope suggested becomes possible, allbets are off and it is probable that the VMM wouldcontinue on for the foreseeable future while the dustsettles. If North Vancouver does receive the funding toproceed, however, then negotiations between the twocities and the trustees of the VMM, representing aconsiderable community of donors and supporters,will no doubt begin.

The outcome is not easily predictable. Vancouverhas a fine collection of maritime artefacts, archives andbooks worth millions of dollars but an inadequatefacility. North Vancouver will have the chance to buildits National Maritime Centre on the best possible sitein the region; but it seems not to want it to be amuseum. And what happens to the collection thatNorth Vancouver doesn't want?

What transpires will be interesting to say the least;so stay tuned! We can be certain, however, that thetrustees of the VMM will battle the threat of closure ofits current operation until an acceptable future for thesignificant assets of the City's VMM can be assured.

Maritime Museums Around The World cont...S

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TS BBC News is following a shipping container around

the world for a year to tell the story of globalisation.The BBC website displays a map and the currentlocation of the container as well as its past positionsderived from a GPS unit in the 'box'.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7600053.stm

The Fisheries and Maritime Museum in Esbjerg,Denmark, has been engaged by the National

Cultural Heritage Agency to carry out the firstphase of a project called "Maritime Denmark". Theaim is to qualify the information about maritimecultural heritage sites, and the project addressesmainly tourists - and among them first andforemost yachtsmen. The first phase of the projectwill deal with Zealand in eastern Denmark and theislands south of it, and the result will be a bookletof about 42 pages describing 30 maritime culturalheritage sites in the area. The work is to be finishedby December 1st 2008.

Knowledge and skills pass from father to son at Brest (see article p4)


ICMM Membership From a Canadian Member...

I've thought for many years that theInternational Congress of Maritime Museums is byfar the best organization that I belong to. Havingattended all the major congresses (except the firstLondon and the Paris conferences) I've been tomany places from Oslo to Philadelphia toAuckland and, along the way, visited manysignificant maritime museums and historic sites.Over the years I've discovered that the colleaguesI've met are like-minded individuals who arekindred spirits in the maritime history world.They are people who read nautical books at homeand whose personal libraries at least match those oftheir institutions. Many have become goodfriends.

Whenever my work required research fromanother country my ICMM friends have alwayscome through with helpful information - often atconsiderable expense of their time.

Over the years my wife Barb and I haveentertained many ICMM friends here in Yarmouth,Nova Scotia. The list includes John Arrison, StuartFrank and Mary Malloy, Basil Greenhill, HaraldHamre, Robin Inglis, Lance Lee, Niels Jannasch,Stephen Riley and Jane Weeks, Maurice and RuthSmith, Mike Stammers, Anne Witty and JonathanTaggart, and possibly a few others. In turn we'vebeen hosted by a number of them.

After retirement from the Yarmouth CountyMuseum I believed that the ICMM was oneorganization which was still important to me andso, last fall, Barb and I attended the conference inMalta. While there we met many of my friends -especially the Scandinavians with whom I tend to'hang out'. As they knew that we would bespending most of the year in England, severalinvited us to visit them while we were 'in the area'.I spent a lovely weekend in Chichester, Englandwith Stephen Riley and Jane Weeks then, throughvarious circumstances, the opportunity to visitfriends in Scandinavia in June arose. And so wedid.

What a wonderful time these friends showedus! What experiences we had! First of all wevisited Harald Hamre, Director of the StavangerMaritime Museum. A boat tour to Lysefjord

allowed us to see Prekestolen ("Pulpit Rock") frombelow, whereas Harald had hiked us to the top onour 1986 visit. Endre Elvestad took us to severalnearby sites and shared his marine archaeologicalknowledge with us by pointing out obvious (afterwe knew) marine sites - a marvellous insight intothe local Viking history. Another colleague, AnnaTove Austbø, and her partner, treated us to afabulous dinner while we watched the comings andgoings in Stavanger Harbour from the patio.Harald's wife, Heidrun, fed us extremely well,helped us with booking accommodations in Bergenand generally introduced us to local customs andfriends. Harald drove us through delightful sceneryto visit historic towns rarely visited by out-of-country tourists.

We travelled by ferry to Bergen, where the fineBergen Maritime Museum was high on our list,then by train via Oslo to Stockholm (with afabulous visit to the VASA Museum - free to me dueto my ICMM membership) and then by ferry toMariehamn, Åland Islands. Hanna Hagmark-Cooper, Director of the Ålands Maritime Museum,saw that our visit there was a success by arrangingaccommodation and visits to her museum and thePOMMERN nearby. Former museum director,Capt. Göte Sundberg, took us out for a day andarranged for us to meet Mrs. Gun Erikson-Hjerling,granddaughter of Gustav Erikson, who showed usthrough the Erikson home and Gustav Erikson'soffice (a 'Mecca' for lovers of sailing ships). On thewall was a painting of his first command, thebarque SOUTHERN BELLE - originally a Yarmouthvessel - what a thrill! Göte also took us home tovisit his wife and to enjoy her delicious Ålandpancakes, a local specialty.

Eric and Barb Ruff in front of "Kommandørgården" on the island of Rømø - Theimpressive house was built in the 1730's by Hacke Thadens - a Danish

commander in the Dutch whaling fleet.


offers many benefits

After Mariehamn we were met by Ole LisbergJensen in Karlskrona, Sweden, to be conveyed tohis nearby summer farmhouse. Here we spentMidsummer's Eve with his family enjoyingtraditional herring, potatoes and, of course,aquavit. Retired Director of the Royal DanishNaval Museum, Ole toured us around local townsand took us to the four-star Karlskrona MaritimeMuseum. At his 'farm' we enjoyed a very relaxing time.

Finally, we took the train to see Morten Hahn-Pedersen, Director of the Fisheries and MaritimeMuseum in Esbjerg, Denmark. What a visit!Morten gave us a personal guided tour of themuseum, both the exhibits and behind the scenes,followed by a trip to the seal banks in themuseum's historic fishing boat CLAUSSØRENSEN. The next day was a full agenda ofvisits to nearby historic sites and towns (all with anautical connection of course) followed by dinnerwith Morten and his partner Ingrid which includeda great number of reminiscences of former ICMMconferences and, of course, a little 'shop talk'.

The above is a short version of a memorablemonth's travelling in Scandinavia where, with thehelp of ICMM colleagues, we saw superbmuseums, ate and drank extremely well, learned agreat deal of history and local culture, andthoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of colleagues,with whom friendships were renewed andstrengthened. I took note of a number of museum

display ideas, as well as maritime connections andsimilarities- all 'good stuff'.

We hope to be able to show our Scandinavianfriends around our area in the near future, and alsolook forward to other ICMM visitors.

Thanks, ICMM. The International Congress ofMaritime Museums is obviously much more thanan organization that puts on great conferences. It'sa world-wide network of friends and colleagues.

Eric Ruff

And from Denmark:

A big and cordial "Thank You" from Esbjerg. Asone of the hosts of Eric and his delightful wifeBarb, I am of course in complete agreement withhis views. This is, I suspect, an experience thatquite a few ICMM members have had in very manyplaces all over the globe - and it is of course one ofthe benefits of being a member of the ICMM.

But there are other benefits and I have recentlyexperienced one! The Fisheries and MaritimeMuseum in Esbjerg is planning an overall changeof all permanent exhibitions within theforthcoming years. The process was planned tostart with a kick-off meeting at the museum inAugust 2008. As part of this kick-off session Iwanted to show my staff members a worldwidesample of pictures from maritime museums.However, my own collection of photos did notprovide me with the right kind of photos.

Q: "So what do you do, when you …..?"

A: "You get by with a little help from yourfriends!" … And circulate an e-mail to ICMM-members!

And here I am with a fantastic number of simplygreat photos from maritime museums from all overthe World. I really look forward to show and toinspire my staff members by all the photos that Ihave got. And to all of you, who provided me withphotos: A big and cordial "Thank You" for all youreffort and great help.

Morten Hahn-Pedersen

WHY NOT JOIN ICMM? FOR DETAILS AND TO JOIN GO TOWWW.ICMMONLINE.ORG/PAGES/JOIN.HTM

Eric Ruff and President Morten in Møgeltønder - an old Medieval city in theDanish Marchlands only some ten kilometres from the German border.


● Poul Holm. The Fisheries and Maritime Museum in

Esbjerg Denmark proudly reports that Dr Poul Holm,

former curator of fisheries history (1986-2000) and

head of the research centre for maritime and regional

history (1994-2000) at the Museum, has been

appointed Professor of Environmental History at

Trinity College Dublin and Academic Director of the

Trinity Long Room Hub (www.tcd.ie/longroomhub/).

The Long Room Hub is named after Trinity's famous

Library (the Long Room). The Irish government

recently granted 10.7 million Euro in support of

developing the Hub as an international research

facility for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

One of the goals of the Hub is to develop museum

studies, and the museum therefore looks forward to

continued good collaboration.

● The New Zealand National Maritime Museum has

appointed Paul Evans as its Chief Executive Officer.

His most recent position was as general manager of a

broad based leisure industry consultancy; before that

he was business development manager for both a

sports stadium and a local aquatic centre. He brings to

the Museum a wealth of experience in community-

based endeavours.

● The Yarmouth County Museum, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia,

Canada is a general history museum with an emphasis on

the marine history of the town and county which, in the

late 1800's was the second largest (by tonnage) port of

registry in Canada. The Museum has a new Director and

Archivist. Bruce Bishop BA AOCAD took over as

Director in June 2008. The Archivist is now Ms Jamie

Serran MLIS BAH. Nadine Gates remains as Curator.

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SFor travellers keen on size, the BootsnAll

Travel Network has come up with a list ofnine of the world's largest travel-related items.This list was compiled by BootnAll TravelNetwork, a resource for independenttravellers. It states the World's largest museumattraction as being the Titanic Museum inBranson, Missouri, United States. "This half-scale ship has only been open since 2006, andalready more than 1 million guests havewalked an elegant replica of the Titanic'sGrand Staircase, and stood on the mightyship's bridge. Your visit begins when theyhand you the boarding pass of an actualTitanic passenger, and you check out theMemorial Wall to see if they lived or died. "www.titanicbranson.comAnd talking of size …

Decks were finally cleared for conversion ofVIKRANT, the decommissioned aircraft carrierof the Indian Navy, into a full-fledged maritimemuseum. Earlier known as Indian Naval Ship(INS) VIKRANT, she is now known as IndianMuseum Ship (IMS) VIKRANT, as she alreadyholds a museum on board - but she needs tobe permanently berthed. The IndianGovernment has accorded approval to convertVIKRANT into a modern museum and onAugust 2 a government resolution was issuedto berth her in Mumbai (formerly Bombay).This will be the only museum of its kind in Asiaand would be a symbol of India's richmaritime heritage. VIKRANT, once referred toas the 'Old Lady of the Indian Navy', served theIndian Navy for nearly 36 years. She wascommissioned on March 4, 1961 in the UnitedKingdom; prior to that, she served with theRoyal Navy as HMS HERCULES. She wasdecommissioned from active service onJanuary 31, 1997.Toy Boat exhibition extended

The popular exhibition Bateaux Jouets - toyboats from Paris 1850-1950 will remain onview at the Australian National MaritimeMuseum for an additional two months… untilSunday, 12 October. The exhibition opened inMarch this year and was due to close on 17August. "We're extremely pleased to havenegotiated this extension," the museumdirector, Mary-Louise Williams, said.

PEOPLE NEWS

FALLS OF CLYDE at Hawaii. What does her future hold?


Maine Maritime Museum, USA. Mariner Made: FolkArt by Those Who Went to Sea.

To October 12 2008.

NZ National Maritime Museum, Auckland.Winkelmann's Waitemata. Stunning photographs from

the Victorian era. To May 2009.

Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia USA.Black Hands, Blue Seas

The Untold Maritime Stories of African Americans.To March 22 2009.

Lake Geneva Museum, Nyon Switzerland. Plonk and RePlonk.

French Maritime MuseumsParis. The Lapérouse mystery, a South Pacific investigation.

To Oct 20 2008.

Albert Marquet, itinéraires maritimes.The maritime aspect of the work of painter Albert

Marquet (1875-1947).Oct 15 2008 - Feb 2 2009.

Débarquements.An opportunity for the public to understand the

concept of cargo work and its complex evolutionthroughout the ages.

Oct 21 2008 - Feb 9 2009.

Rochefort. Charles Lapicque, peintre de la marine.To Dec 31 2008

Toulon. André Hambourg (1909-1999),embarquement & escales. to Dec. 31 2008

Brest. De Brest en Terre AdélieAs part of the Fourth International Polar Year, the

Musée National de la Marine will present twoscientific campaigns to the Adélie coast in 1948

through the photographs of Luc-Marie Bayle, thenlieutenant and painter of the Navy.

Oct 30 2008 - Feb 2009.

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, USA.The Bay from Above,

Aerial Views of the Bay Then and Now18 October 08 to 1 June 09

For fuller details of these exhibitions:www.icmmonline.org/exhibitions.htm

E X H I B I T I O N R O U N D U PFIRST MUSEUM SURVEY OF PAINTINGS BY

THOMAS CHAMBERS

- 'AMERICA'S FIRST MODERN'

Thomas Chambers (1808-1869), American Marineand Landscape Painter

(September 27-December 28, 2008)

The Philadelphia Museum of Art will present the firstmuseum exhibition devoted to the bold and expressivevision of Thomas Chambers, the 19th-century artist whowas once hailed as "America's first modern." ThomasChambers (1808-1869), American Marine and LandscapePainter (Sept. 27 - Dec. 28, 2008) includes 44 of theartist's works, approximately 15 paintings and prints byhis contemporaries and a selection of decorative artsfrom the heyday of American "fancy" taste.

Although much of his life has been a mystery untilrecently, Chambers played a pioneering role in thedevelopment of popular American landscape andmaritime art in the mid-19th century. His distinctivestyle has been widely recognized since the 1940s, whenhe was rediscovered as a precursor to American modernartists. Chambers' work has been included in numeroussurveys of American art, but until now his paintings havenever been assembled to consider the breadth of hiscareer. The exhibition is drawn from public and privatecollections and will travel to three venues following itsdebut in Philadelphia.

The exhibition explores Chambers' marine andlandscape paintings, which he produced in a romanticstyle that melds cosmopolitan and folk styles of the time.His patriotic and literary subjects - drawn from history,popular novels and current events - show Chambers'entrepreneurial imagination and also reflect the tastes ofhis bourgeois urban and prosperous small-town andrural patrons in New York state and New England.

Like many early American artists, Chambers drewinspiration from etchings, engravings and lithographs ofAmerican scenery. Influential books illustrated byWilliam H. Bartlett and Jacques Milbert will be displayedin the exhibition alongside paintings by Chambers basedon such prints. These landscape works were not signed,but the variant versions that survive - including multipleimages of West Point and Lake George - demonstrate thepopularity of these views. Chambers often signed anddated his more ambitious and original compositions - asign of his primary identity as a marine painter. Amonghis greatest efforts were naval battles, such as TheConstitution and the Guerrière (c. 1840-50) and Captureof the H.B.M. Frigate Macedonian by U.S. Frigate UnitedStates, October 25, 1812 (1853). Although inspired byprints of the War of 1812, Chambers reworked theseimages with his unique flair.


Sir

UNITED KINGDOM MARITIME

HERITAGE FORUM

I write to advise that the United Kingdom MaritimeHeritage Forum will be launched at Liverpool on 2-3December 2008. It brings together existing maritimeheritage groups - the Maritime Curators Group, theAdvisory Committee on National Historic Ships, andthe United Kingdom Maritime Collections Strategy - inone forum to share their experience and knowledge ofthe maritime heritage sector. It is hoped that themeeting at Liverpool will be the first of biennialcongresses, timed to alternate with the meetings of theICMM.

The Forum's aims are to encourage dialogue andbroader engagement with institutions and groups whohave maritime collections or interests, but which arenot specifically, or would not see themselves as,primarily maritime. These would include EnglishHeritage, the National Trust and many local maritimetrusts. The Forum will debate issues of contemporarynote to the sector and will be prepared to take aposition on them if required, although the Forum doesnot intend to set itself up as the voice of the sector.

A planning group has been set up to programmethe first meeting. Some of the names will not beunfamiliar to ICMM members: Kevin Fewster(National Maritime Museum), Matthew Tanner (S.S.Great Britain), Tony Tibbles (Merseyside MaritimeMuseum), Martyn Heighton (National Historic Ships),Richard Holdsworth (Chatham Historic Dockyard),Sally Archer and Nigel Rigby (National MaritimeMuseum). We will report back on progress after theLiverpool meeting.

Dr Nigel Rigby

LE T TER TO THE EDITOR FIFTH IMEHAINTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

OF MARITIME HISTORY

Over two hundred delegates from 30countries attended the fifth IMEHAInternational Congress of Maritime Historyat the University of Greenwich between 23and 27 July 2008. Establishing theconvivial atmosphere for which thesecongresses are noted was the openingevent: a reception in the beautiful setting ofthe National Maritime Museum's historicQueen's House, when delegates werewelcomed by Professor Sarah Palmer,Director of the University's GreenwichMaritime Institute, and Dr Kevin Fewster,Director of the National MaritimeMuseum. A superb line-up of keynotespeakers - Dr David Williams of theUniversity of Leicester; Professor GopalanBalachandran of the Graduate Institute ofInternational and Development Studies inSwitzerland; Professor Nicholas Rodger ofthe University of Exeter; Professor LewisFischer of Memorial University ofNewfoundland and Rear Admiral AlanMassey of the Royal Navy - set the tone fora fascinating series of panel sessions whichexplored a bewildering range of subjects. Afull report on the conference can be foundon Greenwich Maritime Institute's website:

http://www.gre.ac.uk/schools/gmi/events/5th-international-congress-of-

maritime-history

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STOP PRESS! - HONOURS AWARDED IN USA

Jerry Ostermiller, Executive Director of ICMMMember Columbia River Maritime Museumreceived one of the highest US Coast Guardhonours on 12 September.

In a surprise presentation at the museum,Ostermiller received the Distinguished PublicService Award for his support of local CoastGuard units and his efforts to preserve andpromote the agency's national heritage. Thehighest recognition given to private citizensaside from life-saving awards, the medal adds toOstermiller's official honours: In 1998 he receivedthe Coast Guard's Meritorious Service Award, the

second-highest honour.Vice Adm. Vivien Crea, vice commandant of theCoast Guard, presented the award. Under Ostermiller's leadership, the maritimemuseum has "become a world-class tribute to therich maritime history of the Pacific Northwest,"said Captain Peter Troedsson, commander ofCoast Guard Group Astoria. "His dedication,charm and persistence raised millions of dollarsfor the museum and the Coast GuardFoundation. His personal touch shines through inexceptional displays that honour the CoastGuard."Congratulations and well-done, Jerry!


&Conferences Congresses14th Forum of Maritime Heritage of the Mediterranean

23-26 October 2008, Seixal, PortugalThe Ecomuseu Municipal do Seixal will hostthe 14th Forum of Maritime Heritage of the

Mediterranean on behalf of the Association ofMediterranean Maritime Museums.

Professionals from maritime museums and experts onthe maritime heritage of Portugal and other Europeancountries will discuss fluvial and maritime heritage.

The Forum will also concentrate on the responsibilitywhich museums and communities can contribute to

the preservation of maritime heritage. The AMMM Annual General Assembly, will be held

during the event.The schooner SANTA EULÀLIA, the ambassador of theMuseu Marítim de Barcelona, will travel to Portugal tosupport the activities of the Forum and to celebrate the

10th anniversary of the Association of MaritimeMuseums of the Mediterranean.

The event is open to all and will have two officiallanguages: Portuguese and English. For further

information: [email protected]

International Conference for Island and CoastalMuseums - ISLAND AND COASTAL HERITAGE - A

VITAL PART OF EUROPEAN IDENTITY. Haugesund,Norway 10-13 October 2008

Looking at climate change challenges, socialsustainability, island/coastal museums network and the

European dimension..http://assembly.coe.int/Museum/ForumEuroMusee/Wor

kshop/workshop_Index.asp

4th Congress on Maritime History of Catalonia19 - 21 November 2008,

Museu Marítim de Barcelona, Spain This year the Congress has as its focal point the impactof science and technological progresses in a maritimecontext. Sessions will centre on different perspectives:

technological evolution and work, inventors andengineers' documents, industry and workers, work andlearning, and social relationships, etc. In other words,

it will deal with the development of science andtechnology in relation to maritime activities,

highlighting the human involvement in this process ofdevelopment.

For further information: www.museumaritimbarcelona.cat;

[email protected]

Maritime identities: museum, communal and

personal uses of heritage.

A session at the Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG)

2008 conference being held at University of

Southampton, UK on 15-17 December 2008.For details visit

www.icmmonline.org/pages/conferences.htm

The 2009 Annual Conference of the

North American Society for Oceanic History,

Steamship Historical Society of America and

National Maritime Historical SocietyMay 14-17 2009 California Maritime Academy, CSU

Vallejo, California, USA

"Ports, Forts and Sports: Maritime Economy, Defense

and Recreation through Time and across Space," the

28th Annual Conference of the North American

Society for Oceanic History (NASOH) co-sponsored

by the National Maritime Historical Society and

Steamship Historical Society of America. Call for

papers has been issued. Details are on the conferences

page of the ICMM website and for further information

visit www.nasoh.org and click on the "Annual

Conference" button.

ICMM Congress 2009

28 September to 2 October 2009 (Monday to Friday)

headquartered at Annapolis, Maryland.

The week-long program includes day trips to the

Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and the

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels,

Maryland. Optional pre-conference day trips to

Baltimore and Washington, and a post-conference

excursion to Newport News, Norfolk, Williamsburg

and Jamestowne, Virginia.

See article earlier in this newsletter and check our

website for updates:

www.icmmonline.org

Corrosion of Historic Ships

5 - 9 September 2011, Mariehamn, Åland Islands, and

Turku Finland

See last edition and website for full details

Contact [email protected] J.R. Örjans, Skarvgränd 4,

AX-22100 Mariehamn, Åland, Finland

Members may be interested in the following conferences: (for more details visit ICMM website or address given)


ICMM News is the journal for members of the International Congress of Maritime Museums and ispublished three times per year (generally in March, July, and November). ICMM News is published at theNZ National Maritime Museum (NZNMM), Auckland, New Zealand on behalf of ICMM. The support ofNZNMM is appreciated. Views are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect theviews of ICMM or the NZNMM. Contact the Editor, Larry Robbins: ICMM News, PO Box 35-401, BrownsBay, Auckland 0753, New Zealand. Fax: +64 9 478 4782 Email: [email protected]

DEADLINE FOR 2009 ISSUES: 20 FEB 2009, 20 JULY 2009, 30 OCT 2009, (CONGRESS REPORTS)

Copyright © 2008 International Congress of Maritime Museums www.icmmonline.org

CONTACT DETAILS

President

Morten Hahn-Pedersen,Fiskeri-og Søfartsmuseet, Esbjerg,Denmark. [email protected]

Vice President

Mary Louise WilliamsAustralian National Maritime Museum,Sydney, [email protected]

Secretary General

Stuart ParnesChesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, PO Box 636, St Michaels, MD 21663 USA. [email protected]

Treasurer

Tony TibblesMerseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool, [email protected]

MEMBERS

Daniel FinamorePeabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA, [email protected]

Hanna Hagmark-CooperÅlands Sjöfartsmuseum, [email protected]

Harald Hamre,Stavanger Sjøfartsmuseum, [email protected]

Paula J. JohnsonNational Museum of American History,Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC,USA. [email protected]

Elvira Mata i EnrichMuseu Maritim de Barcelona, [email protected]

Stephen RileyLondon, UK . [email protected]

Larry RobbinsAuckland, [email protected]

Lars U. SchollDeutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum,Bremerhaven, [email protected]

CO-OPTED

Harry de BlesMarinemuseum, Den Helder, [email protected]

Frits LoomeijerMaritime Museum, Rotterdam,[email protected]

Newsletter Editorial Board

& Regional Correspondents

Larry RobbinsEditor & webmaster, Australasia and rest of worldCorrespondent. [email protected]

Stephen RileyBritish Isles [email protected]

Elvira Mata I EnrichMediterranean Correspondent. [email protected]

Dan FinamoreNorth America Correspondent. [email protected]

Frits LoomeijerContinental Europe Correspondent. [email protected]

Harald HamreScandinavia and the Baltic Correspondent. [email protected]

Hanna Hagmark-CooperEducation [email protected]

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Wanted: Host Venues Biennial

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ICMM News seeks contributionson any topic related to maritimemuseums from members and non-members.

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