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Handling Chunk Of Red Oak From USS Constitution and Other Historic Artifacts
by Civilian Public Affairs Officer Max Lonzanidam, Naval History and
Heritage Command
December 18, 2018
On any given day, visitors to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum have
the opportunity to experience over 240 years of naval history.
Visitors have the opportunity to peer through plexi-glass cases and
get an up-close look at the wooden model of the sailing ship USS
Cumberland, or awe at builder’s models of the USS America (CV-66)
and the ill-fated USS Maine (ACR-1). These intricate models
displayed behind plexi-glass provides visitors a glimpse into
history. The museum also hosts model ship builders during the week,
which offers visitors a rare opportunity to see history being built
right in front of them.
Then there are special historical
experiences like when museum volunteer Tony D’Angelo brought in a
special piece of wood during September 2018. The chunk of wood
resembled an aircraft chock block, and weighed a little over three
pounds. It has a coat of varnish on it, and was rippled on a few
sides, which indicated that it was once fused to other pieces. But
when flipped on its front, the name USS Constitution is clearly
visible and etched in the wood.
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The USS Constitution, the world’s
oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat, underwent a
drydock period from 1973-1974 prior to her bi-centennial
celebration. During that time, large pieces of red oak were
removed and replaced with white oak; including pieces of her
deck and hull ribs. Tony D’Angelo, a museum volunteer with
the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, was able to receive a piece.
He brought the artifact to the museum on September 27, 2018.
(Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Navy photos by
Civilian Public Affairs Officer Max Lonzanida)
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Tony was present in Boston sometime in 1973-1974. He saw the USS
Constitution as it entered drydock, and during that time period,
large chunks of red oak were removed from the ship and replaced with
white oak. White oak was used because of its durability, and in
1976, a grove of trees consisting of white oak was established at
the Naval Support Activity in Crane, Indiana. The dedicated grove of
white oak trees spans thousands of acres, and includes mature white
oak trees that are marked by GPS for use in repairing the worlds
oldest commissioned warship, the USS Constitution.
She was
dry docked numerous times since she was launched in 1797. The
drydock period in 1973-1974 was in preparation for the iconic
sailing ship’s bi-centennial; and Tony was given the piece to take
with him as a memento. This memento served as a wonderful piece of
touchable history for visitors, who were encouraged to touch and
handle the artifact.
One of the museum’s resident volunteer
model ship builders, Lee Martin, was busy toiling away at a model of
the USS Constitution. Lee Martin tells visitors that he has been
building model ships since he was a child, but obviously less
intricate ones. He is also part of the Hampton Roads Ship Model
Society, and volunteers during the week at the museum doing what he
enjoys; building ship models. Lee was happy to showcase the
intricate model that he was working on, and also hand visitors the
piece of wood from the ship. Lee commented that it is rare to have
visitors handling artifacts, and this was a big plus for him. Lee
commented that visitors were delighted to see him work on the
sheathing and building the deck of the model, but it was even more
delightful to have visitors handle the chunk of wood to give them an
idea of what the USS Constitution was made of.
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Lee Martin, a volunteer model
ship builder who was in the gallery working on a model of
the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned naval
vessel still afloat, at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum on
September 27, 2018, when Tony D’Angelo, a museum volunteer,
graciously loaned him a piece of red oak from the USS
Constitution. (U.S. Navy photo by Civilian Public Affairs
Officer Max Lonzanida)
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The museum also assembled some of its artifacts to be 3D printed
in May 2018 when Don Darcy, their Exhibits Specialist, scanned some
of the artifacts ... A bell dating back from 1944 from Tinian
Island; a shell from a Blakely rifle aboard the CSS Florida; a Civil
War Era pipe; and, a printed picture of the Battle of the Capes are
on-display outside of their respective plexi-glass cases. All are
replicas that were 3D printed, and visitors are encouraged to touch
and interact with the artifacts.
The same 3D printed
artifacts are also on display at the nearby Hermitage Museum, where
they are showcased in a new exhibit, 3D printing the Smithsonian.
The exhibit features 3D printed artifacts from the museum, Sargeant
Memorial Collection, Hunter House Victorian Museum, the Chrysler
Museum of Art and Nauticus; all are on display at the Hermitage
Museum for visitors to touch and handle through December 2018.
About Hampton Roads Naval Museum
The
Hampton Roads Naval Museum is one of ten Navy museums that are
operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. It celebrates the
long history of the U.S. Navy in the Hampton Roads region of
Virginia and is co-located with Nauticus in downtown Norfolk,
Virginia. Admission to the museum is free, simply by-pass the ticket
line and take the stairs or elevator to the museum on the second
deck. The museum hosts a robust educational program for area schools
and commands, with free educational programs to area schools aligned
with state curriculum standards, a traveling sea chest program, a
premier Lego outreach program, and historical presentations for area
commands. The museum is also host to a robust volunteer corps, who
serve as docents, support special events, and assist in museum
archives
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