14 April 1912. It is almost midnight. The luxury passenger ship Titanic rams an iceberg at full speed and soon starts to fill with water. About 2200 people are on board, all trying to get to safety. April 15 marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titantic.
The sinking ship detail in our banner is from a stained-glass window at the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where the museum building is the former customs house, just like us!
Have been traveling in the Netherlands and visited six maritime museums over the past weeks. The photos in this week's email blast are from those visits. Above, this international water emblem is embedded in the walls & floors of the new Maritieme Museum in Rotterdam. Founded in 1874, this is the oldest maritime museum in the Netherlands. However, it recently reopened in the spectacular modern Mas Museum complex.
Image of smoking herring at the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen.
The Zuiderzee Museum was founded in 1948 with the purpose of recording the fishing culture around the former Zuiderzee. When the Zuiderzee was cut off from the North Sea in 1932, thus becoming an inland freshwater lake, people were concerned that the culture of the former Zuiderzee region would also disappear completely. For this reason, 130 historical buildings were allocated a spot in the open-air section of the Zuiderzee Museum.
coming up
Attend our Skill-Building Workshops with Harriet Grayson Public-Private Partnerships Monday, April 30, 9 AM - noon - $65. It takes collaborations among Nonprofits, local government and business for communities to create a viable cultural trail that delights tourists, local school children and the larger community. Call 860-447-2501 to register.
Harriet Grayson, former Director of the Annual Fund for the Greyston Foundation will discuss her experiences and examine how new technologies can assist.
Pirates are inextricably linked with our maritime history. They have been feared opponents on the seas since the time of Julius Caesar. Even nowadays they are still a threat to shipping, and today's pirates are particularly violent. A very different picture of pirates is often painted in Hollywood movies, in books and on TV: the pirate as an action hero. Captain Hook, Long John Silver and Jack Sparrow are evocative images. The 'Real Pirates' exhibition plunges the visitor into the world of piracy, where young and old alike can discover that there is still a great deal to learn about genuine pirates.
High School students: Win a chance to sail into New London harbor aboard the USCG Eagle with OpSail 2012 Essay and Art Contest.
New London Harbor Light Tours
New London Harbor Light will open for visitor tours on Wednesdays in May and June, 2012. Space is limited to six visitors per tour and advance reservations are required. Visitors meet at the Custom House Maritime Museum at 1 and 3 PM. The tours raise funds for the restoration of New London Harbor Light--the oldest & tallest lighthouse on Long Island Sound. New London Harbor Lighthouse is located onshore, approximately three miles from the downtown, and offers breathtaking views over the Sound. According to the United States Coast Guard, at night more lighthouses can be seen from the lantern of this lighthouse than from any other place on earth.
Visitors receive a guided tour as they climb the 119 steps to the lighthouse lantern. Call 860-447-2501 to make a reservation. Suggested donation is $35 for adults and $15 for children ages 8 to 14.
Save the date: May 11, 6:30-8:30
Make Mine Wine - The Waterford Rotary Annual Charity Wine Tasting & Silent Auction. It benefits the Custom House(!), Sound Community Services and Women's Center of SE CT. At the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Waterford.
Save the date: Monday, June 4, 2012
Join NLMS for a day trip to colonial Newport on Monday, June 4, 2012. Highlights include a visit to Doris Duke's incredible 17th-18th century furniture collection in an 1811 mansion with magnificent gardens, and to the Redwood - the oldest lending library in the country. A terrific lunch is included. Member price $80, non-members $95. Call 860-447-2501 or email for reservations.
Nicholas Bellantoni to speak at April Meeting of Friends of Fort Trumbull April 26, 2012, 7 PM, at the Fort Conference Center
Dr. Bellantoni, the Connecticut State Archaeologist, will return to kick-off the 2012 program series of the Friends of Fort Trumbull on Connecticut in the Civil War. His topic will be the mysteries surrounding the Hunley, a confederate ship, which became the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship- the Union's USS Housatonic- and then mysteriously vanish into the sea. The program is open to the public and new members are always welcome. For more information visit our website at www.fortfriends.org.
30th Annual Northeast Joint Clubs
SHIP MODEL CONFERENCE AND SHOW
Saturday, April 28, 9 AM to 4 PM at the Port 'N Starboard Convention Center, Ocean Beach Park, New London, Connecticut. Public welcome! See detailed models from award-winning craftsmen and artists. $5 admission (children under age 12 are free).
