The following story appears Winter 2009 issue:

CONSTITUTION'S GUARDIAN (page 1 of 4)

My friend ‘Spider’ Healey approached me one day with this proposal: “Hey, I have an idea for your Bone Yard Boats newsletter. How would you like to interview a former commander of the USS CONSTITUTION?” It took no time at all to grasp what a great opportunity I was being handed and quickly pleaded with him to make the introduction. After all, how often do you get the chance to speak with a man who walked the decks commanding the ultimate ‘old wooden boat’ – a ship whose construction was commissioned by George Washington himself and whose original copper hull sheathing was supplied by none other than Paul Revere.

CONSTITUTION is an American maritime treasure for sure, and she holds a special place in the hearts of Bostonians. Majestic in her slip at the Charlestown Navy Yard, she is visible to all who cross over the Tobin Bridge into or out of Boston from the North Shore. She is particularly loved by the citizens of the seaside town of Marblehead, who provided her a safe haven during the War of 1812 and were the fortunate recipients of her return visit back in 1997 when she sailed for the first time in over 100 years. That brings me to Commander David Cashman, USN, Retired.

I met with Dave at his Marblehead home on the morning of December 2nd – a sunny day, 40 degrees, high cumulus clouds. I had with me one of my own personal treasures that, being a Navy man, I thought Dave would appreciate. It was a framed 2-page letter (and envelope) hand-written by my then 20-year old father to his own mother on September 3, 1945 while aboard the heavy cruiser USS QUINCY (CA71) anchored in Tokyo Bay at the conclusion of World War II. I propped the letter up on one of Dave’s dining room chairs for him to view. He squatted down to get a better look and respectfully asked my permission to read the letter. Permission granted, he read the letter aloud, without pause, from beginning to end as if he had read it a hundred times before. As he concluded, he commented, “You can hear the relief in his voice – it’s finally over.” It was a profound pleasure to share that piece of family past with a man who undoubtedly has a feel for history, particularly of the seagoing variety. For the next couple of hours I sat mesmerized by Dave’s easygoing nature and wonderful stories as I looked out his living room window toward Fort Sewall and the mouth of Marblehead harbor, both of which feature prominently in the history of CONSTITUTION.

The following story appears Winter 2009 issue:

CONSTITUTION'S GUARDIAN (page 1 of 4)

 UNDER SAIL JULY 21, 1997 (U.S. Navy Photo by Todd Stevens)

A Brief History

After the Revolutionary War and the break with Britain, America’s now unprotected merchant fleet was being harassed and crews enslaved by the “Barbary Pirates” based in the North African ports of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. Even the British began interdicting American merchant ships, particularly after the French, once allied with the colonies in the American Revolution, were drawn to matters at home and their own French Revolution. In response to the aggressions at sea, President George Washington signed the Act to Provide a Naval Armament in March of 1794 authorizing the construction of six well-armed frigates and the creation of the U.S. Navy. All six ships were designed by naval architect Joshua Humphreys, but each of the six was to be built in a different shipyard in a different city.  

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