Jean Wort and Ron Oswald at recent CAMM Meeting.
NMHS named 2013 Mariners Award recipient
BATH, Maine, July 8, 2013…The National Maritime Historical Society has been selected by Maine Maritime Museum to receive the 2013 Mariners Award in recognition of its leadership role in raising awareness of our nation’s maritime heritage and the role seafaring has played in shaping civilization.
The award will be presented to the society’s Chairman Ronald L. Oswald in a ceremony at the Museum in August. Among the sponsors of the 2013 Mariners Award is General Dynamics Bath Iron Works.
“It is fitting that Maine Maritime Museum honor the National Maritime Historical Society with the Mariners Award during the Society’s 50th year,” says Amy Lent, MMM executive director. “Through the Society’s efforts over the past half-century the public’s knowledge and appreciation of the preeminent role that maritime issues and activities have played in our nation’s development, defense and culture has been greatly expanded.”
Originally founded in 1963 as an effort to rescue and preserve the Arthur Sewall & Co. Shipyard Bath-built bark Kaiulani, the Society evolved into a not-for-profit membership organization that seeks to educate Americans about our nation’s extraordinary maritime accomplishments and their continuing relevance for our nation’s prosperity and cultural vitality.
“Our two organizations have been on almost parallel courses for the past 50 years,” says Lent. “Founded less than a year apart, each for a single purpose, we have both evolved to become leaders in educating the public about the maritime heritage of our state and our nation and enlightening the American public about the continuing importance of maritime industries and activities, today and into the future.”
The Society’s initiatives encompass publications, educational programs, sail training, and preservation of historic ships. The Society communicates with its members through its quarterly publication, Sea History, which, with its 45,000 readers, is recognized as the pre-eminent journal of advocacy and education in the field. Its website, www.seahistory.org, provides information about U.S. maritime heritage as well as about today’s maritime activities, including a calendar of maritime-related events such as conferences, exhibits and ship news.