National Maritime Historical Society News

I don’t remember when I discovered that the first application of lightbulbs occurred at sea rather than ashore. But when I dug a little deeper into the subject recently, I came across an interesting set of coincidences that shows how innovation often relies on simply doing, rather than endlessly talking about it. After Thomas Edison managed to make sufficient improvements to the lightbulb concept to have it show commercial viability in late 1879, he ended up in a chicken and egg conundrum.The lightbulb might be great, but to get it to work would require an electrical power plant.

The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) announced that Clay Maitland will receive the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award at an awards dinner in New York on October 26. Maitland, who is a Managing Partner of International Registries, Inc (Marshall Islands Ship Registry), is being recognized for his many industry accomplishments including being a NAMEPA co-founder. “Clay is one of the finest examples in our industry of a successful businessman who expends nearly as much energy on philanthropy,” said NAMEPA Chairman Joe Hughes. Maitland has worked in the shipping industry since graduation from law school in 1968. He was employed by International Registries, Inc.

All are welcome to visit the Tanker Mary A. Whalen on Pier 11, Atlantic Basin, Red Hook, Brooklyn on Tuesday, May 21. Our short stay in Atlantic Basin, in Red Hook for National Maritime Historical Society makes the ship available on her 75th birthday. PortSide will host an open house on Tuesday, 5/21/2013, from 1-7 p.m. with cake and remarks from 5-7 p.m. The tanker, built 1938, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Access the Mary A. Whalen on Pier 11 in Atlantic Basin via the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, pedestrian gate at Pioneer Street and Conover Street.

The National Maritime Historical Society will host its 2012 Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at the New York Yacht Club in New York City. The NMHS Distinguished Service Award, for outstanding contributions in the maritime field, will be presented to Admiral Sir Jonathon Band GCB DL, Captain Brian A. McAllister, and Captain Don Walsh, USN (Ret.), PhD. The David A. O’Neil Sheet Anchor Award, recognizing the contributions of those who further the work of the Society, will be given to Thomas F. Daly.

Joins More than 30 International Maritime Industry Speakers. Clay Maitland, managing partner of International Registries, Inc., which administers the Marshall Islands Ship Registry, the third largest registry in the world, will be the keynote speaker at the SHIPPINGInsight 2012 Fleet Optimization Conference, Oct. 8-10 in Stamford, Conn. As keynoter, Maitland, a distinguished veteran in the shipping industry, will set the tone in addressing the challenges and solutions for improving ship efficiency and fleet operations – the central theme of the conference.

Clay Maitland, managing partner of International Registries LLC (which administers the Marshall Islands ship registry), Founding Chairman of  the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), member of the United States Coast Guard Foundation board and former Chairman of the National Maritime Historical Society has been named to the board of The Glacier Society, the non-profit foundation fighting to save the historic icebreaker U.S.S./USCGC Glacier from demolition.

Helen Delich Bentley will be an honoree at the National Maritime Historical Society's Washington Annual Award Dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at the National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW, Washington, DC, 20045. A former chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission and five-term U.S. Congresswoman representing Maryland's 2nd Congressional District, Bentley's history of advocacy for the Port of Baltimore was highlighted in 2006 when the Port was officially renamed The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore by Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich.

Tom Crowley Jr., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Crowley Maritime Corporation and Richard du Moulin, president of Marine Transport Corporation (MTC), jointly announced that with the successful integration of MTC into Crowley, du Moulin will be resigning from MTC to pursue other business interests. Crowley acquired Weehawken, N.J.-based MTC in February 2001. Mark Filanowski, senior vice president and chief financial officer of MTC, will also be leaving the company. Both resignations will take effect April 1, 2002. du Moulin had been Chairman of MTC since 1989 when he and Filanowski, utilizing their company Intrepid Shipping, acquired what was then NASDAQ-listed Marine Transport Lines, Inc. (MTL).

Three Vericor Power Systems' TF50 marine aeroderivative gas turbines have been selected to power the 118 Wallypower high-speed yacht being built by Intermarine Shipyard, Sarzana, Italy for Wally Yacht. This is Wally Yacht's first foray into high-speed power yachts, and the company's initial application of gas turbines. Wally Yacht, based in Monte Carlo, Monaco, is a world-renowned designer of high-speed sailing and power yachts. The 118-ft. yacht will feature three TF50 gas turbines in a Combined Diesel Or Gas (CODOG) turbine configuration. Two TF50s will be used as side or "wing" engines, with one small auxiliary diesel engine connected to each wing engine. The diesels will provide for very slow maneuvering only.