{"id":14219,"date":"2012-05-06T21:36:59","date_gmt":"2012-05-07T01:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelswithmiranda.uskeba.ca\/?p=14219"},"modified":"2016-09-18T09:49:18","modified_gmt":"2016-09-18T06:49:18","slug":"mariners-museum-newport-news-va","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/mariners-museum-newport-news-va\/","title":{"rendered":"Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, VA"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have to make a note of technological importance before I get into the details of my day. One of the things that irks me about my otherwise wonderful camera<\/a> is that it has to be plugged into the computer to transfer photos over. If I forget to eject it and turn the camera off, the battery becomes drained very quickly. Plus, I’ve been known to forget the transfer cord. It would be so much easier to be able to put the memory card directly into the computer.<\/p>\n

The problem is that Apple is always ahead of its time and the 17″ Macbook Pro does not have a slot for memory cards but rather an ‘Express Port’. That port is versatile and can hold a number of cards that do different functions. One of those cards is a memory card reader. I couldn’t justify buying the card just to transfer my camera pictures over. But now I have a wand scanner and a cell phone with memory cards, too, so in the interest of saving my sanity from cord overload, I went ahead and got a card for my Express port that can read memory cards<\/a>\"\". The card was just $10. The last time I looked at getting one they were $50, so please don’t call me cheap. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Below are the photos transferred over to my computer in this method. I am never going back to cords; this is so much easier!<\/p>\n

So today. I glanced through all my tourist info material for the area and determined that whatever was open on a Sunday was only open noon to five. So I decided to pick an activity that could occupy the whole afternoon rather than trying to squeeze in a bunch of things. I’d been wanting to drive the James River Bridge on my own, so I decided to look up Newport News attractions on Trip Advisor and see if anything fit the bill.<\/p>\n

The number one attraction was the Mariners’ Museum<\/a>. The comments were consistent: amazing and so much to see that most didn’t have time to do it all. Add to that my interest in the topic and my desire to see the USS Monitor<\/em>‘s turret and this was an activity tailor made for my day. Oh, and I found a coupon for $1 off admission in my Newport News guidebook!<\/p>\n

The Mariners’ Museum is actually several museums. There is a section devoted to maritime history in the Chesapeake region. The main attraction is the exhibit about the USS Monitor<\/em>. I won’t pretend to being an expert on this part of US history, but I knew what I was getting into. The USS Monitor<\/em> was an ironclad Union ship that went head to head against the Confederate CSS Virginia<\/em> during the American Civil War. The battle was a draw, but it changed naval warfare. There is a lot more to the story than that, but I definitely went in knowing more than the average visitor to the museum. There is also a section about cartography, the Battle of Trafalgar, the American Cup, and the Titanic. Next are two model ship exhibits. Next to last, there is an impressive collection of boats from around the world. Finally, there are some exterior exhibits, including a replica of the USS Monitor<\/em>, and a lovely 5 mile trail around Lake Maury.<\/p>\n

I arrived around 12:30 and by the time I felt I’d seen everything it was 4:30!!! I decided to go for a brisk walk around the lake to make up for being indoors all afternoon. That walk was a balm to my soul, scented with honeysuckle and oh-so-pretty.<\/p>\n

There was way too much information today to do justice to the museum. I’ve put some information below the pictures, but you’ll have to do your own research for more details. Or come to Newport News and see this incredible museum for yourself!<\/p>\n

While I studied the American Civil War in university, I have to say that having read Gone With the Wind<\/em> gave me more context to the history of this part of Virginia. I don’t think you need to know anything going in to appreciate the museum, but if you don’t and find yourself interested, you might not have time to get through all the material.<\/p>\n

\"random<\/a>

random “my boy is hilarious” pic<\/p><\/div>\n

\"James<\/a>

James River Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"James<\/a>

James River Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"James<\/a>

James River Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"James<\/a>

James River Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Newport<\/a>

Newport News<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Mariners'<\/a>

Mariners’ Museum<\/p><\/div>\n

\"lovely<\/a>

lovely grounds<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I first encountered this type of lighthouse at Heceta in Oregon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I first encountered this type of lighthouse at Heceta in Oregon<\/p><\/div>\n

\"18th<\/a>

18th century drafting tools<\/p><\/div>\n

\"18th<\/a>

18th century drafting tools (shark skin case)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"no<\/a>

no ship building guilds meant innovation could flourish<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the legendary Blackbeard, a pirate<\/p><\/div>\n

\"map<\/a>

map of the region showing Chesapeake Bay<\/p><\/div>\n

\"we<\/a>

we have yet to invent a machine that can shuck oysters as effectively as does a human<\/p><\/div>\n

\"oyster<\/a>

oyster shuckers stood in these boxes<\/p><\/div>\n

\"oyster<\/a>

oyster shuckers stood in these boxes<\/p><\/div>\n

\"clams<\/a>

clams are left in clean water for two weeks to remove impurities before being brought to market<\/p><\/div>\n

\"wooden<\/a>

wooden ship innards<\/p><\/div>\n

\"ironclad<\/a>

ironclad innards<\/p><\/div>\n

\"when<\/a>

when a commercial ship enters Chesapeake waters, it must surrender command to a local experienced commander who climbs up one of these ladders<\/p><\/div>\n

\"when<\/a>

when a commercial ship enters Chesapeake waters, it must surrender command to a local experienced commander<\/p><\/div>\n

\"heading<\/a>

heading up to assume command<\/p><\/div>\n

\"an<\/a>

an 1897 log book, “Crew all well and employed”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"May<\/a>

May 18th, 1897<\/p><\/div>\n

\"notice<\/a>

notice the date, 128 years from when the US became independent<\/p><\/div>\n

\"giant<\/a>

giant ship’s wheel<\/p><\/div>\n

\"combine<\/a>

combine your automobile tour with a pleasant steamer trip<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this steamer trip menu looks delicious<\/p><\/div>\n

\"varsity<\/a>

varsity rowers had to wear a special uniform and there were strict rules for girls<\/p><\/div>\n

\"typical<\/a>

typical boat school boys would have rowed<\/p><\/div>\n

\"satellite<\/a>

satellite image of the Chesapeake region<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I was impressed that this image was taken in the ’80s<\/p><\/div>\n

\"USS<\/a>

USS Lancaster Eagle Figurehead<\/p><\/div>\n

\"USS<\/a>

USS Lancaster Eagle Figurehead<\/p><\/div>\n

\"entering<\/a>

entering the USS Monitor exhibits<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the first artifact found was the anchor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the first artifact found was the anchor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"letter<\/a>

letter from a USS Monitor officer to his wife<\/p><\/div>\n

\"he<\/a>

he begged her for a picture until she sent him this one<\/p><\/div>\n

\"entrance<\/a>

entrance to the exhibit about the Monitor in pop culture<\/p><\/div>\n

\"news<\/a>

news article claiming the Monitor was fine, when it soon floundered into the depths of Cape Hatteras<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the name Monitor was used for advertising<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Welcome<\/a>

Welcome to the world of Monitor madness<\/p><\/div>\n

\"points<\/a>

points about a GE refrigerator; I like the “electric, so modern” comment<\/p><\/div>\n

\"all<\/a>

all about this innovative fridge design<\/p><\/div>\n

\"refrigerator<\/a>

refrigerator with the mechanism located at the top and with legs “for easy cleaning”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"more<\/a>

more about the Monitor Top fridge<\/p><\/div>\n

\"funny<\/a>

funny cartoon: “a bad day on a boat is still better than a good day at work” “you must really hate work”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"scenes<\/a>

scenes from this movie were played<\/p><\/div>\n

\"scene<\/a>

scene from Hearts in Bondage<\/p><\/div>\n

\"information<\/a>

information about a lovely mixed-medium painting<\/p><\/div>\n

\""The<\/a>

“The Battle of Hampton Roads”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"one<\/a>

one of the Monitor’s nicknames made me laugh, “cheesebox on a raft”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the fates of the Virginia and Monitor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I thought this effect of walking over water was neat<\/p><\/div>\n

\"just<\/a>

just one gorgeous exhibit after another<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a Korean turtle ship, perhaps the first ‘ironclad’<\/p><\/div>\n

\"about<\/a>

about the turtle ship<\/p><\/div>\n

\"it<\/a>

it was only after the Industrial Revolution that enough metal could be produced to clad ships in iron<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The first ironclad? (ie. the turtle ship)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"life<\/a>

life aboard ship was crowded and segregated<\/p><\/div>\n

\"ironclads<\/a>

ironclads meant the end of close naval warfare where enemy ships were boarded<\/p><\/div>\n

\""I<\/a>

“I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” A. Lincoln<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Agriculture<\/a>

Agriculture vs. industry. This was the most basic difference between the south and north.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the south was aristocratic while the north favoured free enterprise<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the south felt that the states had more rights while the north felt that the Union should take precedence<\/p><\/div>\n

\"was<\/a>

was slavery right or wrong?<\/p><\/div>\n

\"slavery<\/a>

slavery was a hot political issue<\/p><\/div>\n

\""the<\/a>

“the incommunicable experience of war”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Gosport<\/a>

Gosport Navy Yard<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Gosport<\/a>

Gosport Navy Yard<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the Blockade<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the strategic significance of Hampton Roads<\/p><\/div>\n

\"escape<\/a>

escape Virginian slaves were deemed contraband of war and not returned to their owners after Virginia seceded<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Gosport<\/a>

Gosport Navy Yard<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Gosport<\/a>

Gosport Navy Yard<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this fun interactive exhibit had us designing our own ironclad<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I used what I’d learned from the exhibit and built the perfect ship on my first try!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"will<\/a>

will it float?<\/p><\/div>\n

\"about<\/a>

about my ironclad<\/p><\/div>\n

\"more<\/a>

more about my ironclad<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I picked big armaments<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I used what I’d learned from the exhibit and built the perfect ship on my first try!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I used what I’d learned from the exhibit and built the perfect ship on my first try!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I used what I’d learned from the exhibit and built the perfect ship on my first try!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I used what I’d learned from the exhibit and built the perfect ship on my first try!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the USS Awesome!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I used what I’d learned from the exhibit and built the perfect ship on my first try!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I used what I’d learned from the exhibit and built the perfect ship on my first try!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I used what I’d learned from the exhibit and built the perfect ship on my first try!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"it<\/a>

it took 100 days to build a warship<\/p><\/div>\n

\"giant<\/a>

giant propeller<\/p><\/div>\n

\"doctor's<\/a>

doctor’s cozy quarters<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the Monitor had a lovely interior<\/p><\/div>\n

\"rosewood,<\/a>

rosewood, black walnut, damask, lace…<\/p><\/div>\n

\"cozy\"<\/a>

cozy<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the USS Monitor had flush toilets!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"both<\/a>

both north and south claimed victory, but it was a draw<\/p><\/div>\n

\"giant<\/a>

giant ship’s wheel<\/p><\/div>\n

\"enlisted<\/a>

enlisted crew schedule<\/p><\/div>\n

\"enlisted<\/a>

enlisted crew schedule<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the food wasn’t always palatable but, “a good apatite makes up for that. Mustard too.” LOL!!!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"mustard<\/a>

mustard and salt bottles<\/p><\/div>\n

\"archaeology<\/a>

archaeology of the Monitor’s turret<\/p><\/div>\n

\"replica<\/a>

replica of the Monitor’s turret, as it was found<\/p><\/div>\n

\"replica<\/a>

replica of the Monitor’s turret, as it was found<\/p><\/div>\n

\"human<\/a>

human bones<\/p><\/div>\n

\"replica<\/a>

replica of the Monitor’s turret, as it was found<\/p><\/div>\n

\"an<\/a>

an upside down time capsule<\/p><\/div>\n

\"replica<\/a>

replica of the Monitor’s turret, as it was found<\/p><\/div>\n

\"replica<\/a>

replica of the Monitor’s turret, as it was found<\/p><\/div>\n

\"looking<\/a>

looking out to the replica of the Monitor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"replica<\/a>

replica of the mechanism that made the turret spin<\/p><\/div>\n

\"two<\/a>

two bodies were found in the turret<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this ring was on the hand of one of the skeletons; it had no identifying marks<\/p><\/div>\n

\"about<\/a>

about the gold ring<\/p><\/div>\n

\"this<\/a>

this spider-like device pulled the Monitor’s turret out of the ocean<\/p><\/div>\n

\"about<\/a>

about the “spider”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"about<\/a>

about the “spider”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the “spider”<\/p><\/div>\n

\"standing<\/a>

standing on the deck of the Monitor replica<\/p><\/div>\n

\"standing<\/a>

standing on the deck of the Monitor replica<\/p><\/div>\n

\"standing<\/a>

standing on the deck of the Monitor replica<\/p><\/div>\n

\"lovely<\/a>

lovely grounds<\/p><\/div>\n

\"lovely<\/a>

lovely grounds<\/p><\/div>\n

\"standing<\/a>

standing on the deck of the Monitor replica<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I<\/a>

I wonder if he would have worn a shirt had he known what would happen to this photo!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the Monitor’s engines were horizontal so the ship did not need to be so tall as others<\/p><\/div>\n

\"glass<\/a>

glass plate showing the engines<\/p><\/div>\n

\"more<\/a>

more about the engines<\/p><\/div>\n

\"since<\/a>

since the living quarters were underwater, the ship needed flush toilets<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the assistant surgeon had trouble with the head and turned it into a fountain!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the assistant surgeon had trouble with the head and turned it into a fountain!<\/p><\/div>\n

\"the<\/a>

the mechanism that spun the turret<\/p><\/div>\n

\"shrunk<\/a>

shrunk down plan of the Monitor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"shrunk<\/a>

shrunk down plan of the Monitor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"below<\/a>

below the replica of the Monitor<\/p><\/div>\n

\"you<\/a>

you can see the turret (sort of) in the lab<\/p><\/div>\n

\"new<\/a>

new discoveries in the lab<\/p><\/div>\n

\"you<\/a>

you can see the turret (sort of) in the lab<\/p><\/div>\n

\"you<\/a>

you can see the turret (sort of) in the lab<\/p><\/div>\n

\"I'm<\/a>

I’m sorry that I’m a couple of weeks early for this exhibit<\/p><\/div>\n

\"about<\/a>

about the art of cartography<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a 17th-century map of the world (no Antartica)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"about<\/a>

about the map<\/p><\/div>\n

\"EXPLOITING<\/a>

EXPLOITING new worlds<\/p><\/div>\n

\"for<\/a>

for the KING (LOL)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Le<\/a>

Le cap. Jacques (James) Cook<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Le<\/a>

Le cap. Jacques (James) Cook<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Nelson Touch<\/p><\/div>\n

\"qualities<\/a>

qualities of a great leader<\/p><\/div>\n

\"another<\/a>

another gorgeous exhibit<\/p><\/div>\n

\"surgical<\/a>

surgical kit<\/p><\/div>\n

\"surgical<\/a>

surgical instruments (shudder)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"list<\/a>

list of equipment (in French)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"a<\/a>

a group of sheep led by a lion can win, but a group of lions led by a sheep is likely to lose<\/p><\/div>\n

\"another<\/a>

another lovely exhibit<\/p><\/div>\n

\"inside<\/a>

inside the ship<\/p><\/div>\n

I am at the hotel again tonight and will be going home in the morning after checking out since my room isn’t available past tomorrow. However, there are other vacancies now this week, so I have reserved another room for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. I am thrilled seeing as the next closest hotel to my friend’s place is in Suffolk, meaning an extra half hour from the rig. This hotel is just over an hour away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have to make a note of technological importance before I get into the details of my day. One of the things that irks me about my otherwise wonderful camera is that it has to be plugged into the computer to transfer photos over. If I forget to eject it and turn the camera off, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1515,1265,635,1298,5,3,16,612],"tags":[853,1447,654,801],"class_list":["post-14219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-carrollton","category-newport-news","category-north-america","category-petersburg","category-rving","category-travel","category-usa","category-virginia-usa","tag-accommodation","tag-cats-in-an-rv","tag-hiking","tag-maritime-museums"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14219\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raecrothers.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}