Museum mecca

Boat/US Magazine, July, 2004 by Michael G. Sciulla

Ever since the founding of the first permanent English settlement a few miles up river at Jamestown nearly 400 years ago in 1607, mariners have been landing in the Tidewater-Hampton Roads area of southern Virginia to rest, relax and take advantage of the area's amenities. The tradition continues to this day as the city fathers of Newport News, Norfolk, Hampton Roads and Portsmouth have laid out a welcome mat of attractions that is especially appealing to the cruising boater.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Anyone interested in maritime history, naval warfare or shipbuilding will find a host of nationally recognized, nautically-oriented museums (including the first "living" museum located east of the Mississippi) within a 20-mile radius of the confluence of the James River and the Chesapeake Bay.

The Mariners' Museum

Simply put, the The Mariners' Museum, located in Newport News, is a gem. Set amidst 550 acres of rolling countryside, the museum houses a collection of more than 35,000 items chronicling the scientific and technological changes in shipbuilding, ocean navigation and cartography that made the explorations of the 15th through 18th centuries possible.

Just last year it opened a new permanent exhibit, the International Small Craft Center, that contains dozens of intriguing vessels, ranging from mahogany Chris-Crafts and Native American birchbark and dugout canoes, to sleek 1950s-era runabouts and an Italian gondola that must be hundreds of years old.

One of the museum's most fascinating attractions is its Crabtree Collection of Miniature Ships. Housed in a darkened room and seemingly lit from within and below to give it an especially eerie feeling, are 16 glass-encased miniature vessels by artist-carver August F. Crabtree. Crafted from unusual woods such as pear, laurel and white thorn, Crabtree's attention to detail is remarkable.

Of particular interest to Civil War and nautical warfare buffs is the museum's collection of artifacts from the USS Monitor, the U.S. Navy's first ironclad. Designated as the Principal Museum for the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, The Mariners' Museum has a collection of hundreds of items including its propeller, anchor, steam engine and turret, all of which remained at the bottom of the sea from 1862 until 1973.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Another interesting exhibit is the William Francis Gibbs Gallery which chronicles the life and career of Gibbs, who designed more than 6,000 naval and commerical vessels including World War II Liberty ships and the superliner SS United States.

But no trip to The Mariners' Museum would be complete without carving out some time for its world-renowned library which contains some 78,000 books and journals, 600,000 photos and images, one million manuscript items, 65,000 plans and drawings, 5,000 maps and charts and 400 ships' logbooks. And, if you have a soft spot in your heart for antique Chris-Crafts, the museum's collection of archival items and boatbuilding records of these vessels is unparalleled. For more information go to www.mariner.org.

Living Museum

A short five-minute drive from The Mariners' Museum is Newport News' brand-new Living Museum, a 62,000-square-foot building that's part of a 10-acre complex which just opened this past spring. Of particular interest to mariners will be its Coastal Plain Gallery that contains a 30,000-gallon Chesapeake Bay Aquarium and its Coastal Plain Aviary, a 3/4-mile elevated boardwalk filled with coastal birds such as pelicans, herons, egrets and ducks. The museum, which is particularly kid-friendly, also houses a planetarium and rooftop observatory with a dome that revolves 360 degrees and includes a new 16-inch Meade telescope. For more information go to www.valivingmuseum.org.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Military Museums

While you're in the area, do stop off at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum located in Fort Eustis a few miles north of the Mariner's Museum. It boasts a "truck that walks and a ship that flies." Several outdoor parks feature full-size watercraft, trucks, aircraft and trains. Its Marine Park includes a bunch of amphibious vehicles as well as a tugboat, a 10,000-cubic-inch, 4,000-hp marine engine and a giant propeller.

Meanwhile, a few miles south of The Mariners' Museum and worth a visit is the Virginia War Museum. While not necessarily nautical, it contains an impressive collection of 19th and 20th century war posters and original wartime artwork used for propaganda and to persuade public opinion.

Just a stone's throw from the War Museum is Deep Creek Landing, a BoatU.S. Cooperating Marina as well as the 200-slip Leeward Municipal Marina, which usually has transient slips available for $1.00-per ft. including electric.

Newport Shipyard

A few blocks south at the tip of the peninsula, is the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipbuilding yard. For more than a century this facility, located on more than 550 acres along two miles of waterfront, has designed, built, overhauled and repaired a wide variety of ships for the U.S. Navy including 25 of the Navy's attack submarines in use today and 11 of the nation's 12 active aircraft carriers.