Salem Maritime National Historic Site

After we finished up touring the Charlestown Navy Yard we headed out of town.  Salem Maritime Naval Historic Site on our short list of parks to visit but realized that we might not have time to visit the next morning as we had originally planned, so we decided to see if we could visit in the evening before going back to our campground.

Established on March 17, 1938 as the first National Historic Site in the United States, the site consists of nine acres of land and twelve historic structures along the Salem waterfront, as well as a downtown visitor center. The site includes the Custom House, Public Stores, Scale House, Hawkes House, Derby House, West India Good Store, Pedricks Store House, a lighthouse and three historic wharves.
--from Salem Maratime NHS website

We first visited the main information center in town.

Inside were a few nautical exhibits.

This is a model of the brig Leander, which was built in Salem.

The kids had fun with the photo prop.

 We left the visitor center and headed out to the ocean-side portion of the park on foot.

 This statue in the middle of town was "erected by the followers of very reverend Theobald Mathew Apostle of Temperance."

 Our first stop was at the Waite and Peirce store, which also serves as a second visitor center for the park.  Due to the lateness of the day we also knew we'd better hit the store before it closed while we would have longer to wander around outside.  The original Waite and Peirce were a merchant outfit that commissioned the original of the ship Friendship that is usually docked at the park (sadly it wasn't in port the day we visited).

The park consists of a series of several buildings and three wharves jutting into the water.

The wharves were once busy commercial areas bustling with ships and cargoes being loaded and unloaded.

This store house (originally located elsewhere) was first built in 1770.

This is where the Friendship of Salem normally moors.

The older kids and I walked all the way to the end of Derby Wharf.

 Once we got out there we could take a closer look at Derby Light.

The lighthouse was built in 1871.   It isn't much to look at compared to other iconic structures, but it was fun to take the walk all the way to the end of the wharf.

Once we walked back we crossed the street to look at the Custom House.  Nathaniel Hawthorne was actually posted here from 1846 to 1849 as the port's surveyor and we have this posting to blame for the genesis of his novel The Scarlet Letter.
Inside this impressive building were the offices of United States Customs Service collectors, inspectors, and other officials.  It was here that ship's captains and owners paid duties on imported goods and conducted other business.  Before the passage of the Federal Income Tax Act of 1913, customs duties on ship's cargoes provided most of the money to run the Federal Government.  Between 1789 and 1840, duties collected here earned the Treasury more than $20 million--a substantial amount in those days.
--from exhibit signage

Next to the Custom House is the Hawkes House, built in 1780.

Next to the Hawkes House is the Derby House, the oldest brick house in town that dates from 1762.

Behind the Derby House we found a garden area.

There were many beautiful blooms to be discovered.

Behind the Custom house was the Public Stores building used to store goods destined for another port or awaiting payment of duties.

The sites of several other structures were visible behind this area as we continued walking away from the ocean and closer to our car.

As I recall we got back just a few minutes before our paid parking expired--or maybe parking in the later afternoon/early evening was free and we'd ended up in that time period.  Either way we wasted no time but packed up and headed back to the campsite as we had a good drive the next day as we headed north into Maine.  All of my pictures from this site are visible in this album.

~Matt

Boston National Historical Park - USS Cassin Young

The second ship that we visited at the Charlestown Shipyard was the USS Cassin Young, a ship from a period much later than the USS Constitution.  It wasn't the first World War II ship that I'd visited as I got to go aboard the German U-boat U-505 back in 2007 (though sadly no pictures were allowed) and spent several hours aboard the USS Wisconsin at Nauticus.  The Cassin Young is a destroyer built in 1943.

Built for speed and capability, USS Cassin Young engaged in seven Pacific battles in World War II, survived two Kamikaze hits, and served another full decade beyond her expected lifetime. Built in 1943 in San Pedro, California, she is one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built during World War II. Here in Charlestown, this navy yard built dozens of similar ships during the war. In the 1950s, Cassin Young and many other destroyers received regular repairs and modernization in Charlestown.
--from Boston NHS website

While nowhere near as big as the Wisconsin had been there was still plenty to explore aboard the Cassin Young.

A number of torpedoes were stored above deck, ready to be launched when necessary against an enemy vessel.

Anti-aircraft guns like these 40 mm ones were essential, especially in the Pacific theater.  "Each gun mount had two barrels, and each barrel could fire 160 rounds per minute..."  Ships wanted as many options as possible when faced by suicide plane (kamikaze) attacks.

The equipment in the galley (the ship's kitchen) was large as it was designed to be able to feed quite a few people.

This was the Combat Information Center (CIC) was the hub of the ship's operations.

"Information collected by visual means and by radar, sonar, and radio was assembled and evaluated here and then relayed to the appropriate combat stations on the ship or to neighboring vessels."

While the ship was in port this was the captain's cabin.

This might have been the officer's mess.

Not all areas of the ship were open to tour.

The anti-submarine homing torpedo (Mk32) was developed after World War II as a weapon against increasingly high-speed submarines.  This torpedo was self-propelled and actively sought out its target by detecting noise made by a submarine.  The MK32 torpedo's fins were wider than its body,a nd so it could not be launched from tubes.  Instead they were "thrown" over the side by a launch system.  The Cassin Young carried one launcher with three torpedoes on each side of her deck.
--from exhibit signage

Shells for the big 5 inch guns.

The five inch guns were the ship's largest weapons, but by no means its only means of attack.

These 20mm anti-aircraft guns provided a final line of defense against attacks.  They were apparently all removed during a modernization of the ship in 1952 at the Charlestown Navy Yards and must have been put back later when it was prepared as a Museum ship.

 Depth charges were explosive charges used to attack submerged submarines.

After leaving the Cassin Young we headed back to see one more part of the shipyard.  First were these flags showing the flags used during the Barbary War and the War of 1812.

Behind the flags was a now-empty, but once bustling dry dock.

This dry dock was first used by the USS Constitution in 1833.

The dry dock worked on a similar principle as a lock on a canal.  The interior was flooded, the ship was brought inside, and then the water was gradually pumped out until the vessel could be fully supported without the water.

This was the caisson at the ocean end of the dry dock.

You can view these pictures and more from the ship yards in this album.

~Matt

Boston National Historical Park - Charlestown Naval Yards and USS Constitution

The Charlestown Naval Yards were our final stop on the Freedom Trail.  Technically the USS Constitution is the only part of the yards on the Freedom Trail.  Since the Constitution is an active ship in the US Navy and does occasionally take a turn around the harbor or go out to sea you must not be able to complete the trail all the time.  Thankfully on the day of our visit the ship was in port.

Though ships such as USS Constitution were strongly built and well designed, they required constant maintenance to remain reliable and seaworthy. Navy Yards were needed to maintain and resupply existing naval warships and to construct eventual replacements as technology rapidly changed. Established in 1800, the Charlestown Navy Yard was one of the original six yards created to support the young United States Navy. For the next 174 years, the yard served as a hub of innovation, an employer of skilled workers, and a home to Naval officers, sailors, and U.S. Marines.

The heart of the original Navy Yard is preserved as a historic site open to visitors year-round. The most popular attractions in the yard are the two historic warships who call the Navy Yard home: The undefeated sailing frigate USS Constitution and the 20th century Fletcher class destroyer USS Cassin Young. Both are examples of what the yard built, repaired, and maintained for two centuries. The two ships also illustrate the transition that the Navy underwent as it shifted from timber and sail to steel and steam. Museum exhibits about the Constitution, Cassin Young, and the Navy Yard, are at the nearby USS Constitution Museum and the Charlestown Navy Yard Visitor Center.
--from Boston NHP website

Our first view of the navy yard was one of construction.

However, we were able to follow the brick path of the Freedom Trail directly to where we needed to go.

We first headed towards the grassy area and stopped for a bit to eat our lunch.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of a cannon.

When we headed into the yard we headed over towards the entrance to the Constitution.

We were heading towards this building, but first we had to go through a security check.

Inside was a museum dedicated to the history of the Charlestown Shipyard, which was one of the very first shipyards dedicated to support the infant US Navy in 1800.

Once we were back outside (but now within the security perimeter) we were able to approach the Constitution closely.  Sadly some work was being done on the ship so I couldn't get any completely clear photos, but it was still wonderful to see the ship so close.

 We walked up the gangplank to board the ship.

The Constitution was built from 1794 to 1797 in another shipyard in Boston.  You can view the entire timeline of the ship's history on the USS Constitution Museum's website.

I especially enjoyed seeing the various decorative woodworking.

We wandered around the main deck for a while.

Then we headed down the narrow steps below decks.

There was an exhibit explaining the cannons and some crew members were on hand to explain how the cannons had been fired.

 There was quite a bit of space below decks.

I assume that this furniture can be used when the ship is sailing, though I don't know how long its voyages are whenever it leaves port.

I wonder how comfortable it was to sleep in these hammocks.

 I imagine these hammocks were for the regular crew members..

Did you know that the ship has been designated a National Historic Landmark?

 We also saw several larger cabins.

 A good deal of work was going on, but thankfully most of the ship was still accessible.

Quite a bit of rope is used aboard the ship.

 We exited the ship on the other side.

 The side of the ship made for a beautiful view as we walked back around.

 I even got a good view of the bow.

Our next stop was another ship preserved at the shipyards, but that is for another post.

~Matt