The North Carolina Maritime Museum plans to celebrate the anniversary of the United States Coast Guard with a number of events planned for July 31 and August 1. Visitors will be able to see a fully restored Monomoy surfboat, view an extensive collection of Coast Guard model boats, and tour a modern day 47-foot Motor Lifeboat used by the United States Coast Guard today.
The events will commemorate the founding of the United States Coast Guard as the Revenue Marine on 4 August, 1790. This year marks the 225th anniversary of the United States Coast Guard.
On Saturday, August 1, the restored Monomoy and the Coast Guard model exhibit will be open free to the public at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 1. Visitors can tour a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat provided by Sector North Carolina from Station Fort Macon in Atlantic Beach. Tours will be conducted from the Watercraft Center docks. They are free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The 47-foot Motor Lifeboat is designed as a first response rescue resource in high seas, surf & heavy weather environments. They are built to withstand the most severe conditions at sea and are capable of effecting a rescue at sea even under the most difficult circumstances. They are self-bailing, self-righting, almost unsinkable, and have a long cruising radius for their size. If overturned, the vessel will return to an upright position in 30 seconds or less.
“This is an exciting opportunity for visitors to see both an early surf boat and a lifeboat used today by the United States Coast Guard,” exclaimed David Cartier, Public Relations Coordinator for the North Carolina Maritime Museum system. “We think people will gain a better insight into the work that gets done by the men and women of the United States Coast Guard to protect our safety on the water,” he said.
On Friday, July 31, 2015, the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum will host a reception at the Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center. Museum staff will unveil a 26-foot Monomoy Surfboat restored by the watercraft center volunteers.
Captain Sean Murtagh, Sector Commander for Sector North Carolina of the United States Coast Guard will speak at the unveiling of the surfboat.
For reception ticket folders, a preview of the Coast Guard model exhibit will also take place in the Museum’s auditorium.
The reception will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and feature heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. Tickets are $30 in advance (by Tuesday 7/28) and $40 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the Museum Store or online at www.maritimefriends.org.
“We look forward to unveiling the historic surf boat to showcase the hard work that the museum volunteers have done to restore it,” stated Brent Creelman, Director of Operations for the Friends of the Museum. “The Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort are thrilled to be a part of this occasion,” he said.
The Monomoy surfboat belongs to the U.S. Coast Guard Museum collection and features a sailing rig. The restoration involved cleaning off accumulated dirt, repairing several broken frames and split planks, and replacing a very large number of fastenings. After all repairs were completed, the boat was repainted exactly matching the original colors and the oars and spars refinished.
The restoration project was funded by The Friends of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras.
The Coast Guard Museum has loaned this boat for the long term to The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras. It will be on permanent display there later this year. The Friends organization has made plans for the Coast Guard vessel to be on display for this event.
In addition, the Museum will also host a large exhibit of models depicting Coast Guard vessels from the establishment of the Revenue Cutter Service to the present. Among them are models of Mercury and Governor Williams, from the early 1800s. Both played a significant role in the history of the United States Coast Guard.
The Mercury, known as a double topsail schooner, was built on Ocracoke Island in 1806 and served as a Revenue Cutter (the early Coast Guard). During the War of 1812, British Admiral Cockburn's fleet arrived off Ocracoke Island with the intention of landing forces & invading North Carolina. Captain Wallace of the Mercury sited the British invasion fleet & set off to warn the Governor in New Bern.
Capt. Wallace pressed on all sails, cut away the long boat, dumped several cannons, and successfully out sailed his foe. Wallace's outstanding seamanship saved North Carolina from invasion. With his surprise thwarted, Cockburn left North Carolina waters, sailed up the Chesapeake Bay & sacked Washington, D.C.
During the Quasi-War with France, Congress authorized the building of ten lateen-rigged galleys to protect the Southern coast. Built in 1798 at Wilmington, N.C., the Governor Williams was transferred to the Revenue Service in 1802 and used as a surveying vessel. While stationed at Ocracoke in 1806, she was lost in a storm.
The models of the Mercury and the Governor Williams are on loan from the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum for this event. Both were purchased by The Friends of The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum for permanent display in Hatteras.
These two models were built by North Carolina artist Jim Goodwin of Charlotte. A longtime supporter of the North Carolina Maritime Museum system, Goodwin has appeared over the years at The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort and the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Southport.
A ship in a bottle of the Coast Guard Cutter EAGLE by Goodwin will also be on display during the model exhibit. Best known for building ships in a bottle, he appeared earlier this month on a segment of CBS Sunday Morning. Goodwin’s bottles have also appeared in the movie, The Lovely Bones staring Mark Wahlberg. His bottles have appeared in a sketch on Saturday Night Live.
The U.S. Coast Guard Barque EAGLE was built in 1936 in Hamburg, Germany as the training ship Horst Wessel, with Sister Ships: the Gorch Fock, the Sagres and the Mircea. She was included in reparations paid to the U.S. following WW II. President Kennedy had the United States Coast Guard chevron installed on her. She is a sail training ship for the USCG and is based in New London, Ct. It is the seventh U.S. ship to bear the name EAGLE.
“We’re thrilled to see the Coast Guard model exhibit come to life,” stated Paul E. Fontenoy, Curator of Maritime Research & Technology for the museum. “We think people will be amazed at the work that goes into building these models by-scratch,” he said.
Glenn Darst of Emerald Isle will have a number of his Coast Guard models on display. One of particular interest is a spectacular detailed scratch-built scale model of the present-day Diligence, homeported at Wilmington, NC, which is radio-controlled and fully equipped with working lights.
“We are proud of our long standing relationship with the United States Coast Guard,” stated Joseph K. Schwarzer, Director of the North Carolina Maritime Museums. ”We are excited to celebrate this important milestone in the Coast Guard’s history,” he stated.
The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort is located at 315 Front Street. It is open Monday thru Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission. Donations appreciated.