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June 1, 2001 Issue


June 15, 2001 Issue



June 1, 2001

Design Loss, or What's in a SNAME?

By E. Judson Pitman

There exists a situation of grave concern to all who enjoy "messing about in boats." The central core of those offering design and build services to the boating community are under threat of losing their livelihood, or risking jail time of up to 12 months, by a most egregious act of state by state licensing enforcement. Without due review, and lacking any clear mandate regarding public safety, it appears that the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) is attempting to expropriate the field of small boat/yacht design from its rightful practitioners.

The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) may be serving as an ill-advised agency to this scheme. Consider for a moment a mildly revised historical back-drop. Location, the province of Tuscany, time, May 1490. Events that are to shape future of the Arts for centuries to come are taking place. 11 Magnifico, Lorenzo de' Medici, the governor of Firenze (played by the chair of the SNAME licensing committee) has decreed that: "Henceforth ALL drawing, sculpture, and fresco commissions will be awarded only to government licensed contractors, trained in a rigorous 4-year program of disembodied Cartesian reductionism. The lascivious dangers of intuited, visionary, sense-informed art (small craft design) will no longer threaten our population and general well being. The former products of chaos will quickly be transformed into a reason-based, analytically proven art" (a gridded spreadsheet retinue of soulless design clones).

"Elimination of the malcontents, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo (played by Phil Bolger, Bruce Kirby, and Dick Newick, et al), will be done by government administered testing. Leonardo Da Vinci (Olin Stephens) will be grandfathered, thereby avoiding public outcry and lending credence to our stratagem." (translation, the wholesale appropriation of small draft design). Permit us to move forward in time, and across the Atlantic, to the Annapolis 2010 boat show. "Welcome aboard, folks, I saw you were admiring our new Clorox 48'. Her palatial saloon, multiple drink holders, extended bimim spoiler and optional mast (in the unlikely event she should ever leave the wharf), clearly sets us apart from the other designs."

Webster's defines design, "To plan and carry out, esp. by artistic arrangement or in a skillful way. Or, the arrangement of parts, details, form, color, etc. so as to produce a complete and artistic unit. Latin root for design, designare."

"Desire: To await from the stars, to wish or long for... Latin root for desire, desiderare." The act of design is an act of volition, it comes out of a felt need to express. If the design is informed, its inspiration is born of desire. Design and desire have, at their root, passion. To suggest or insist that design is based upon mathematics or principles of engineering is to evidence a myopia, a blindness of colossal proportion! The basis of design is found, rather, in observation, intuition, and inspiration. The practitioner endeavors to express through form, beauty, Design is primary, and is no less than the very source of the boating industry's lifeblood. Engineering, in this vital collaboration, is secondary. Neither is diminished in these complimentary roles. Wisdom, too, asks that neither be subjugated to the other. We can only hope that SNAME's board is not attempting to cast their grid upon a practice that precedes theirs, and exceeds their grasp!

If my history is correct, design predates, by millennia, the "engineering disciplines" which evolved from military science after the Civil War. Specific to the issue of our water-craft, skilled engineers may ably assist the designer through the ever-unfolding development of analysis.

No less an authority than L. Francis Herreshoff expressed his view of the division of expertise in this way, in a story entitled "Cutters, Laying-to, Etc.," found in An L. Francis Herreshoff Reader. [Regarding the distinction between sloops and cutters "How is it then," said Jovial, "that the naval architects call 'em cutters?" "Well, sir," said Precise, "they are naval architects, you couldn't expect them to know about yachting history. Great big fellows, you know, rather out of their element working on the design of' yachts." End of quote.

It is the designer's responsibility to engage appropriate expertise as he/she deems fit. Their very reputation depends upon it. In the past five years I have had the rare privilege to meet, and follow the work of, one of the long-respected designers in this field. Having a background of some of industrial experience, I've not met a more well-regarded, knowledgeable, and professional group of practitioners. If there were attempts by any organization to deny them their rightful livelihood and reputation, this would be unconsciously shabby behavior! Is a modicum of respect too much to ask'? Members of the design professionals have said that less than 1% of their fraternity would qualify to become registered. Is it possible that "the shoe don't fit.)"

Again to Webster's: "Synthesis: the putting together of parts, or elements so as to form a whole. 2. a unified whole in which opposites are reconciled."

A healthy, vital industry needs visionary design and competent analysis to succeed. In sum, to serve the needs of all who love, work, or reflect upon the waters. If SNAME has indeed offered to serve, then it is beholden to all of us to act and to reconcile what, if any, changes need be made to the existing practice of design. It is instructive to find in the National Society for Professional Engineers Code of Ethics the following words: "Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall: Canon 2: Perform duties only in their areas of competence. a. Engineers shall undertake assignments only when qualified by education or experience in the specific technical fields involved. b. Engineers shall not affix their signatures to any plans or documents dealing with subject matter in which they lack competence... Canon 6: Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession." (Italics added as emphasis)

The oversight of small craft design has been greatly informed by its pantheon of members: N. G. Herreshoff, Starling Burgess, John Alden, Sam Crocker, Olin Stephens, and continues to be, by the current school of "hard knocks" practitioners. Their legacy is ample testimony to this claim, as American yacht design history is rich with noble contributions. Indeed, in representing the U.S., they are second to no one! The French government recently designated the honor of "Monument Historique" to the 1968 OSTAR proa Cheers, of the designer Dick Newick. How different their approach. Fortunately, at the present time there are today many mentors and role models for young people entering the field to follow: There is no assurance of this access continuing.

Who among the proposed SNAME board has the qualifications to judge the worthy in matters such as these? Bear in mind that not one of the designers named held, or holds, a technical degree satisfying the proposed criteria. If you believe that good boats are a heritage worth preserving, the first step is to contact your state's licensing board so they may make hear other voices and opinions. If they reconsider, this will hopefully ensure the health of small craft design for years to come.

The opinions expressed are personal, as a boater. They are not intended to represent a professional or organizational view.

(E Judson Pitman holds a BSME from UNH and a Masters of Engineering from UVA. He was first encouraged in the arts by his father, a PE of 30+ years. A lifelong sailor, he served as engineer on Pride of Baltimore L He has developed curriculum and taught at NH Technical Institute, the Adult Degree Program at Norwich University, and is a founding member of American Engineers for Social Responsibility. His design-client company list includes, Osram-Sylvania, Mobil Solar, Carborundum, American Airlines, Nike Corporation, Hobart-TAFA, Data General, Thermalex, and Heidelberg Web Systems. He is a registered PE in Mechanical Engineering of 20 years.)


Here is an incomplete list of well-known widely published and widely-built 2011, century designers of boats and ships. Under SNAME leadership's strict gatekeeping conditions, none of them would have qualified to even take the exam. Their combined output of completed designs can readily be estimated as being far into high four-digit figures, with numbers of boats actually built in the medium six digits. They have significantly influenced American boat/ship design history, catering to the full demographic range from working class clients to unlimited budgets. Their work has literally touched millions.

Their archives with classics of decision history would be illegalized also:

These professionals. often with a broad educational background unrelated to naval architecture, competed/worked/ work side-by-side with degreed professionals in a wide open industry, offering their talents to the public in the open market place. On the other hand, SNAME leadership features no well-known designers as associated with the effort. However, it includes sonic lowering specialists with careers as instructors, consultants, system engineers, former Navy brass. So far no design portfolios have been offered to the public. A respected ship propulsion expert, its outgoing executive director Prof. Feminia authored a standard text on steam-propulsion, and teaches at Kings Point, New York.


June 15, 2001

A Look Around the Maritime Museum Circuit

(From Newsletters Recently Received)

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
Opens for Season

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum opened on May 1, kicking off a season filled with activities, events and exhibits to interest visitors of all ages. Exhibitions on view this season will include major collections on loan, as well as new additions to the permanent collections.

"The Dawn of Steam Navigation and the Paddle Steamer Laty Sherbrooke" provides an inside look at some of the world's earliest steamboats, including the Vermont, launched on Lake Champlain in 1808 and the Ladv Sherbrooke, which operated on the St. Lawrence River from 1817 to 1826. The exhibition, now in its final season, includes an important collection of artifacts from the Laa~y Sherbrooke on loan from the Stewart Museum at the Fort Ile Sainte-Helene.

"The Maritime Models and Watercolors of H. Richard Heilman presents an intimate view of the working small watercraft used along the eastern seaboard and the inland waters of New England as seen in the Heilman family collection. H. Richard Heilman constructed these detailed plank-on-frame replicas using tables from Howard Chappelle's classic volume American Small Sailing Craft to loft the models. Heilman sailed on all the boats shown in this exhibit, including sharpies, bugeyes, catboats, garveys, Friendship sloops, sneakboxes, the Surf City pound boat and the Great Republic. His accomplished watercolors provide glimpses of the settings in which many of the boats worked.

This year marks the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Valcour Island, when Benedict Arnold's little fleet on Lake Champlain staved off the British invasion and turned the course of American history. The museum will commemorate the anniversary throughout the 2001 season. A dramatic new painting by Ernest Haas, The Battle of Valcour Island, generously donated to the museum in 2000 by Mildred Payne, is featured in the exhibit "Key to Liberty: The Revolutionary War in the Champlain Valley."

The museum invites both amateur and professional photographers to enter its annual juried photo exhibition, "Lake Champlain Through the Lens". Entries must be received between August 11 and August 20, and the exhibition will be on view from September 1 through October 14. Call or write for details, or visit our website at www.lcmm.org.

Many enhancements of the museum's exhibits are planned to enliven the season's special events. Additions to the museum's boat collection will be installed in time for the Small Boat Show, July 7 and 8. On August 25 and 26, reenactors at the annual "Rabble in Anns" weekend will share their personal research and reflections on the events of 1776 with museum visitors. On October 13, the last Saturday of the museum's season, the date that Arnold scuttled his fleet will be marked with special activities on board the replica gunboat Philadelphia 11.

Additional exhibits are being developed for the museum's Burlington Shipyard, to provide hands-on interpretation and historical context for the replica canal schooner Lois McClure. The Burlington Shipyard will open to the public on June 21. A full calendar of courses, workshops and learning adventures is being offered, with activities at both Basin Harbor and Burlington. Community rowing in the evening will be available at both sites this summer.

Located in beautiful Basin Harbor, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is easy to find. Follow VT Route 7 to Route 22A in Vergennes, then take Panton Rd. to Basin Harbor Rd. For further information call (802) 475-2022 or find the museum online at www.lemm.org. The museum is open seven days a week, 10-4 through October 14.


Hudson River Maritime Museum
Announces New Exhibit

Purple Mountain Press is proud to announce the publication of this long-awaited history of the Cornell Steamboat Company by Stuart Murray with an introduction by Roger W. Mabieund essays by William duBarry Thomas.

This is the story of a great entrepreneur and his steamboat company. It is also about a period of history so colorful and important that it should never be forgotten. The Cornell Steamboat Company, founded in 1837, was once the leading tugboat company in the nation. In an era of unbridled free enterprise, the company won a virtual monopoly of Hudson River towing and endured into the 1960s. Founder and president Thomas Cornell was a man of many interests: railroad and hotel builder, two-term congressman, founder and president of two banks. The Cornell Steamboat Company was the jewel of Cornell's vast business empire. Stuart Murray is the author of more than 20 fiction and non-fiction books. Roger Mabie and William duBarry Thomas are past presidents of the Steamship Historical Society of America.

Thomas Cornell & the Cornell Steamboat Company, 223 pages, 83 historic photographs, 8.5" x 11", fleet list, general index, and index of vessels, hardcover, $39. Shipping and handling $3.50. NYS residents add sales tax. Order from Purple Mountain Press, Ltd., P.O. Box 309, Pleischmanns, NY 12430-0309, (800) 325-2665, fax: (845) 254-4476, http:// www.catskill.net/purple,

"Thomas Cornell and The Cornell Steamboat Company" is a new exhibit now open which will run until October at the Hudson River Maritime Museum on the Rondout Waterfront in Kingston, New York.

Thomas Cornell was a nineteenth century powerhouse of the Hudson Valley economy. He founded the largest tugboat company in the US, the Rondout Savings Bank and a commercial bank. He also owned railroads, a resort hotel in the Catskills and an amusement park on Kingston Point. He also found time to serve two terms in Congress. Thomas Cornell created a powerful engine of technological advancement and economic growth in his era. We believe that his story needs to be told.

The exhibit includes historic photographs of specific Cornell boats, workshops, and people, and paintings, plus original remnants of actual Cornell tugboats. In conjunction with the exhibit, Purple Mountain Press will release a book entitled Thomas Cornell and The Cornell Steamboat Company by Stuart Murray (see accompanying article. The last President of the Cornell Steamboat Company when it closed in 1964 was Bill Spangenberger, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Maritime Museum. He knows a great deal about the company and its history.

In addition to the Cornell exhibit, the Museum will continue its popular boat rides to the Rondout Lighthouse, its permanent exhibits and festivals. It will also host several unique visiting vessels which will be open to the public. For further information, call (845) 338-0071.


Come Explore The Penobscot Marine Museum

This unique seafaring village has nine National Historic Register sites and wonderful exhibitions on the 19th century days of tall ships and foreign trade. The museum boasts one of the finest collections of marine paintings in the country. You'll be surprised and delighted at the treasures that await you and your family!

This year the Museum's 13-building complex will have a new addition, The Small Craft Boathouse, which will house many of our fine recreational and commercial craft including a circa 1950's Beal's Island Lobster Boat. Our featured exhibit will be "Bark to Canvas: The Evolution of a Maine Canoe." Other exhibits include "Working the Bay", "Challenge of the DownEaster", "Travels to the Pacific Rim" and "The Thomas and James Buttersworth Collection of Marine Paintings". There are also hands-on activities for the whole family. For more information call (207) 548-2529 or write Penobscot Marine Museum, 5 Church St., Searsport, ME 04974-0498


THE MARINERS MUSEUM
Monitor 2001 Expeditions

The Monitor 2001 Expeditions are part of an ongoing long-term multi-agency project to protect and preserve our nation's naval heritage, in this instance the ironclad USS Monitor. This year the key objectives are to complete the stabilization of the Monitors hull, to recover her engine and associated components, to recover the section of armor belt that overlies the turret and, time permitting, to excavate the turret, in preparation for its recovery in 2002. The overall mission is divided into three phases. Each phase will involve personnel from NOAA, the U.S. Navy, and numerous other organizations.

Phase I (March-May): Using the USS Grapple (ARS-53), NOAA and the U.S. Navy conduct expeditions to prepare the site for the Navy's recovery mission (Phase 11).

Phase 11 (June-July): The U.S. Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two, with support from NOAA, will rig and recover the Monitor's engine, cut and recover a portion of the armor belt and hull that covers the turret, and if time permits, begin excavating the turret.

Phase III (July-September): With the USS Grasp (ARS-51), NOAA and the US Navy will conduct post-recovery expeditions to survey the site and to prepare for turret recovery, scheduled for 2002.

Phase IV: (July 2001-December 2002): The Mariners' Museum will work with the U.S. Army at Fort Eustis in transporting the Monitor's engine to the Museum conservation area. Other parts of the vessel that may be recovered with the engine will be removed and The Mariners' chief conservator will begin extensive examination of the artifact. The engine will then be surveyed and recorded for conservation, the beginning of a ten-year conservation process.

The Monitor Project provides exceptional deep-sea salvage readiness training opportunities for the Navy. The training and data gained from the 2000 expedition enabled the navy to revise its diving decompression tables. This year the Navy will work to certify saturation diving equipment and train divers in its use and in mixed gas diving.

In preparation for what will be the most ambitious recovery to date from the wreck of the USS Monitor, The Mariners' Museum worked with Newport News Shipbuilding to create a 12,250-cubic-foot conservation tank to house the USS Monitor's 30 ton engine. Made from half-inch steel plates, this mammoth 35' square tank stands 10' high and can hold 91,642 gallons of water.

The ironclad fought the Battle of Hampton Roads against the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia on March 8 and 9, 1862, resulting in a standoff. While on its way south, the USS Monitor sank off the coast of North Carolina in more than 240' of water, where it still lies today. As major components of the vessel are slowly raised by the U.S. Navy and NOAA, they go to The Mariners' Museum.

The Mariners' Museum was honored to be selected as the custodian of the artifacts and archives of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor by the federal government in 1987. As custodian, The Museum's charged with not only housing artifacts, but also providing conservation, interpretation, and education on the historic ironclad.

The Mariners' Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Association of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figure-heads, paintings and other maritime artifacts.

For further information, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581-7245, or write to The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606. The Museum can be reached on the World Wide Web at www.mariner.org.


Maine's First Ship
The Virginia Project He Came! He Saw! He Was Terrific!

Fred Walker, under contract to provide Maine's First Ship with a conceptual design of the Virginia, arrived here from Great Britain for a six-day visit in February. He was as eager to meet us and demonstrate his work as we were to meet him, so we planned a number of events to make that experience available to as many as possible.

Fred's task is not an easy one, and it has taken longer than any of us expected. His first priority is historical accuracy in terms of how the Virginia might have looked and how she would have been put together and rigged. We are pleased with the hull that Fred has produced; namely a vessel slightly less than 50' long with a beam of 14'6". The bow is blunt, rounded, and reflects the Dutch influence an early 17th century Thames River shipwright like Digby would have experienced. Her main deck is flush, with no raised quarterdeck, and her below-deck headroom is about 6'. Fully loaded she will draw about 66" with a freeboard (main deck to the waterline) of just under 2'. Although his design is beamier than expected, it fits with her ability to carry bulky trade goods, such as furs, yet does not rule out reasonable speed or handling.

The work remaining involves verifying various features of her construction and rigging. Fred is providing us with two rigs. The first is a fore-and-aft rig with a sprit mainsail and headsail jib for use along the coast and into our primary rivers. This is the way we have usually seen the Virginia portrayed. The second is a modified "barke" square rig, which many believe would have been used when she sailed over and back from England. Fred's rig has square main and topsail on the main mast, a lateen sail on a mizzen mast, a square spritsail rigged underneath a bowsprit, and two triangular headsails rigged forward of the main mast.

For further information contact Maine's First Ship, The Virginia Project, Box 358, Phippsburg, ME 04562, (207) 389-2990, www.mainesfirstship.org,



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