SHIP RELICS

Catalog Page 8

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PERSPECTIVE	MECHANISM	BACK

8.12  SMALL SHIP’s HELM.  Very scarce, the first of its type we have seen, mid 1800’s ship’s wheel complete with steering gear box.  This rare, surviving example consists of a classic pinned and dowelled 6 spoke wheel with wooden hub attached to its spindle by brass screws.  The turned spokes are of oak and the body of the wheel is mahogany.  The wheel revolves on a hand-forged inverted “V” brace in brass finish, held by a large brass acorn nut on the hub.  The hub is attached to a stout brass rod running through the gear box, supported in back by a brass bearing and cotter pin.  The internal wooden spindle, with the rod running through it, would have taken several turns of line which connected to the rudderhead by a series of pulleys.  The arched top of the mahogany steering box is reinforced with brass straps and the entire piece is in its original old finish with nicely variegated surfaces indicative of its age and sea service.  The entire presentation measures 23 ¼ inches tall overall.  The wheel is 22 inches from spoke tip to tip and 16 inches in diameter on the rim.  The steering box measures 18 inches wide and 14 ¼ inches deep from the front acorn nut to the rear support.  Excellent original condition with good signs of use and no abuse.  The wheel is nicely balanced and turns freely.  A truly rare offering.  1595

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SPINDLE	ORIGINAL FINISH

8.11  “OLD IRONSIDES” BOOK ENDS.  Scarce, matched pair of solid brass and copper bookends made from the original material used to construct the USS CONSTITUTION, affectionately referred to as “Old Ironsides”   These detailed bookends are cast in the form of old fashioned ship's helms depicting a port bow view of the venerable ship under sail within a medallion reading "OLD IRONSIDES Launched 1797 / 1804 Tripoli / 1812 Gurriere, Java / 1815 Cyane, Levant.  FRIGATE CONSTITUTION."   This is encircled by a rope border studded with stars.  On the front of the base, cast in relief, is the declaration, "THIS MATERIAL WAS TAKEN FROM U.S. FRIGATE CONSTITUTION 1927.   Each bookend is weighted with a lead insert on the bottom and measures 6 ½ inches high by 6 inches wide and 1 ¼ inches deep.  Outstanding original condition with wonderful age patina.  The Revere foundry in Canton Massachusetts produced all of the copper nails, spikes, bolts, pins and sheathing for the USS CONSTITUTION and many other early American frigates.  Accordingly the metal used to make these bookends most certainly was produced by Paul Revere.  345 U.S.S. CONSTITITUTION is the oldest and without rival the most famous commissioned ship still in the United States Navy.  In modern times, when Somali piracy is a hot button International issue, it is interesting to note that in 1794 President George Washington approved the building of 6 armed frigates to protect the growing American merchant fleet against piracy.  Increasing attacks by North African "Barbary Pirates" from Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli posed a threat to fledgling America’s maritime commerce, as did the increasingly aggressive British Navy.  CONSTITUTION was launched on October 21, 1797 and put to sea for the first time on July 22, 1798.  During 1803-1805, with her first skipper, Commodore Preble in command, CONSTITUTION  lived up to expectations by mounting 5 attacks on Tripoli. During America’s War of 1812 with Britain, CONSTITUTION under the command of Isaac Hull, engaged HMS GUERRIERE 600 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia on August 19.  More than an hour into the battle the British ship was mortally crippled by CONSTITUTION fire. It was during this time that an American sailor purportedly saw British shot bouncing off CONSTITUTION’s side exclaiming, "Her sides are made of iron!"  This was the genesis of her famous nickname "OLD IRONSIDES." In December CONSTITUTION was again victorious over a British man-o-war, this time sinking HMS JAVA off the coast of Brazil.  In 1813 and 1814 CONSTITUTION operated in and out of Boston Harbor, defying the British blockade there.  On February 20, 1815 CONSTITUTION was victorious yet again, capturing HMS CYANNE and HMS LEVANT.  While en route her homeport CONSTITUTION encountered a large contingent of British ships which were able to recapture LEVANT.   But to her credit CONSTITUTION  managed to hold on to her CYANE prize which was later recommissioned USS CYANE. Thus ended CONSTITUTION’s war service. Effectively she never saw battle again.  During the period of 1844-46 under Captain John "Mad Jack" Percival, CONSTITUTION circumnavigated the world, sailing 52,370 miles in 495 days.  The venerable vessel saw service as a training ship for midshipmen during the Civil War, a duty which she carried on until 1878.  Later that year, into 1879 she conducted her last cruise in foreign waters, visiting the ports of France and England. Upon returning to New York, CONSTITUTION  began the period of her last active Naval service as a training ship for naval apprentices until 1881. Finally she was laid up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire as a barracks ship. The remainder of USS CONSTITUTION’ s long life has been as a good will ambassador and museum ship. Today she resides in Boston Harbor as the focal point of the USS Constitution Museum. In March 1925 Congress authorized a major restoration of CONSTITUTION, stipulating that funding was to be provided by "popular subscription." A National Committee was established to coordinate the fund raising effort, appealing to schoolchildren to donate pennies, nickels, and dimes in an effort dubbed the "Pennies Campaign."  The 1927-1931 restoration of CONSTITUTION was the first time souvenirs made from the ship's materials were sold to the public to generate the money needed for her restoration.   At the same time, the effort reestablished "Old Ironsides" as an important historic icon in the hearts of patriotic Americans.  An identical pair of bookends currently resides in the USS Constitution Museum.

BACKS	BOTTOMS	INSCRIPTION	MEDALLION

8.98  IDENTIFIED STATEROOM MIRROR.  Very, very scarce, actual ship’s watch officers’ stateroom mirror from the famous early American cruiser U.S.S. SALEM as identified on an original label on the reverse.  The label reads, “Quartered White Oak, Berth deck.  Wardroom stateroom #9.  Watch officer.  One Sect. Bureau.  U.S.S. Salem.”  The mirror is of thick quarter-sawn white oak with a very heavy plate glass beveled mirror. The entire presentation measures 22 by 32 inches and weighs a substantial 21 pounds!   Of obvious value and significance is its provenance signified by the original old label on the back identifying what it is, where it was located, and of course the name of the ship on which it served.  Also shown here (but not part of this offering) is an original photograph of the USS CHESTER (CL-1) which was the lead ship in  that class. 695  USS SALEM (CL-3) Scout Cruiser No. 3, was a Chester-Class cruiser, the first U.S. Navy ship to be named for the city of Salem, Massachusetts.  She was laid down on August 28, 1905 by the Fore River Shipyard, Massachusetts, launched on July 27, 1907, and commissioned on August 1, 1908.   SALEM was one of the first turbine engine ships to operate in the U.S. Navy.  She departed Boston on October 17, 1908 and underwent extensive sea trial testing along the Atlantic coast.  She then joined her sister ships, CHESTER and BIRMINGHAM, to form the Scout Cruiser Division in June 1909 and cruised the Atlantic, making one crossing to Madeira.  Placed in reserve at the Boston Navy Yard, SALEM replaced WABASH there as receiving ship on April 20, 1912, just days after the fateful  TITANIC disaster!  SALEM  remained in Boston until October.  Reassigned to the Reserve Force, Atlantic Fleet, SALEM cruised to Gibraltar, returning to Philadelphia in late March 1913. On April 23, 1914 SALEM was assigned to the Special Service Squadron for duty in Mexican waters. She cruised off the Mexican port of Veracruz supporting U.S. operations against the Mexican uprising there until September 19th when she sailed for Boston arriving October 1st. SALEM relieved USS BROOKLYN  as receiving ship at the Boston Navy Yard in March 1915 and served there until assigned to the Caribbean May 1916.  Cruising off Mexican and Dominican ports, SALEM transported U.S. Marines, assisted in early radio communication links, and protected United States interests in the region until returning to the Philadelphia Naval Yard to be placed out of commission on December 2nd. With America’s entry into World War I,  SALEM was recommissioned on April 21, 1917 for duty as a receiving ship at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.  She departed Boston Harbor on March 12, 1918 and joined a convoy force escorting submarine chasers across the Atlantic. From March 31 to June 15, she served as flagship of two such convoys to the Azores. Then on June 18, she became flagship of a flotilla of 12 submarine chasers assigned to Key West operating against German submarines. SALEM continued in that duty through the remainder of the War. After the force was disbanded  SALEM steamed to the West Coast. Designated  as CL-3 on 17 July 17, 1920, she was decommissioned at Mare Island, California on August 16, 1921 and struck from the Naval Register on November 13, 1929.   Along with cruisers ALBANY and NEW ORLEANS, SALEM  was sold to D. G. Seagraves of San Francisco, California, for scrapping in February 1930.  Interestingly, the prior owner of this mirror acquired it from the old Smith River Hotel in downtown Smith River, North of San Francisco.

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8.02  WEST COAST HELM BELL.  Particularly nice 19th century sailing ship helm bell identified by maker.  This heavy, solid bronze bell is stamped on the top of the yoke on both sides “W.T. CARRATT & CO., SAN FRANCISCO.”  It is of classic 19th century form with a contoured yoke terminating in flat brass feet.  The bell is secured at the top by a lovely acorn nut finial.  The original iron clapper is secured to the inside of the bell in an unusual way – on a brass rod running across the inside top of the bell.  Attached to the clapper is the original cotton bell rope done in a seamanlike fashion with fancy knotwork terminating in a monkey’s fist.  As configured the bell stands 10 inches high and 12 inches wide.  The bell itself measures 7 ¼ inches in diameter at the mouth.  Excellent original condition with a lovely deep statuary bronze age patina.  There are numerous paint spatters indicative of a long life at sea.  A real gem of a shipboard bell from the days of sail.  995 This is the second such bell we have offered in our 35 years.  The first, offered 10 years ago, sold for the same price. Langley’s “San Francisco Directory” for the year 1881 lists W.T. Carratt Machine and Hydraulic Works at the corner of Fremont and Natoma Streets in San Francisco.  They were manufactures of steam-related equipment. Bunting’s "Portrait of a Port, Boston 1852-1914" depicts a nearly identical helm bell on page 346 with the caption, “June 6, 1887, The ship Panay of Salem tows down the harbor.”

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REVERSE	OPEN

INTERIOR	DETAIL

REVERSE	KING SPOKE	HUB

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