Matt, Mike, Dave and Barry visited the Battleship U.S.S. New Jersey BB-62
May 2003
Sea Scout images from ScoutFleet 2002 a celebration of the
90th Anniversary of Sea Scouting in the USA in New York Harbor!
Article in the NE Region Sea Scout
Telegraph:
(click pictures above to enlarge)
ScoutFleet 2002
New York City
-Sea Scouts Lay Wreath-
Governor Declares Sea Scout Day
On Saturday, July
27th, 2002, a fleet of Sea Scout vessels formed a parade stretching more
than a mile, sailed the Hudson
River in celebration of Sea Scouting's 90th Anniversary.
With four-hundred Sea Scouts and
officers manning vessels from fifteen States and Washington,
D.C., flags a-flying, New York
City got a glimpse of America’s future—capable young men and
women with character. Escorting
the Fleet was a Waterways ferry boat for parents and those
who came by land or air, and the
schooner Pioneer from South Street Seaport.
The Northeast Region’s
ScoutFleet 2002 celebration was hosted by the Intrepid Sea - Air - Space
Museum in Manhattan. Thirty-five
vessels from Northeast Region (and one 20' schooner that was
towed all the way from Houston,
Texas!) tied along three barges set aside for our use by the mu-seum.
Sailing up from the Statue of
Liberty, the Fleet paused to lay a wreath of flowers which was
placed into the river as the parade
passed "Ground Zero", in memory of those who lost their lives
in the September 11 attacks. An
anniversary ceremony, commemorating 90 years of Sea Scouting
in the United States was conducted
aboard the Intrepid. National Bo’s’n Cyrus Lawyer, served as
the MC. Featured addresses were
made by Charles Holmes, National Director of Venturing and
Vice Admiral John Craine, former
Interim-president New York State Maritime College who read
a proclamation from Governor George
Pakaki making July 27 Sea Scout Day in the State of New
York. During the closing ceremony
Sunday morning, NE Region Commodore Bruce Johnson
and Regional Bo’s’n Gary Cutler
presented the Scout Fleet commemorative medals to the Skipper
and Bo’s’n of each Ship in the
Fleet.
In order for the
Fleet to assemble, Ships' Committees prepared their boats and crews for
what
would likely be the longest journey
they would ever make. The Chesapeake Flotilla formed an
organizing committee to help its
members prepare for their long journey. For many boats coming
from the southern part of the
Region, the cruise turned out to be several days of heavy seas in
the North Atlantic.
A task force of
what turned out to be more than a dozen very dedicated Sea Scouters was
formed
officially on a cold winter morning
in February of 1999 when Dave Mosher, Bill James and Bob
Legg huddled together at the NE
Region’s offices to chart a course to this great celebration.
From there, those Sea Scouters
and many other helpful volunteers took on the specific
tasks which made ScoutFleet 2002
a success. Together, we were guided by the vision of what this
event could become, and worked
together to bring that vision to life. The Fleet of Sea Scout vessels
dressed in flags sailing around
Liberty was a vision. On that Saturday morning, the vision became
a reality.
Ships Participating in ScoutFleet
2002
ALABAMA --
Ship 26
NEW YORK -- Ships 12, 51, 272, 303, 441, 460, 544, 565, and 609
CONNECTICUT
-- Ships 84, 101, 110, and 464
NORTH CAROLINA
-- Ship 207
