On Good Friday, Joe and I
arrived in Bath for a peaceful weekend. Before relaxing completely, we stopped
at Brackett’s, the local market, for essential supplies - corn flakes and pinot
noir. At the checkout, Joe added a few
newspapers because he always feels a need to stay informed even when we’re not
working. Truth be told, I agree, especially when it comes to reading
The Coastal Journal and
The Times
Record. Professionally, I’m a foreign language teacher, but personally I’ve
always been drawn to local news because, at the end of the day, most teachers answer
to the parents and children of a particular city or town. We prefer to think
locally! The last article I read before turning off the lights on Good Friday
was “Coastal History: John Wayne to the Rescue” (March 24, 2016). The article,
written by Zac McDorr, a Bath native and contributing writer for
The Coastal
Journal, gave me food for thought and a Bath legend to dream about.
Holy Saturday rushed in cold but sunny, so Joe and I decided
to walk up to Bath’s Freight Shed to
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| A view of BIW with three destroyers under construction |
shop at the Farmers’ Market. On the way, we
caught a glimpse of the USS
Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) at Bath Iron Work’s. Standing
in front of the Customs House, we could see BIW’s towering red and white cranes
that looked as if they were standing guard over new destroyers looming in the background. I had to snap a photo, and I couldn’t help
but link the image of a destroyer due to be christened in mid-June to the
Coastal Journal’s article on the most legendary launch in BIW’s history. An
hour later I was telling Lisa, my favorite stylist at Bath Hair Salon, about that
day in 1975 when John Wayne came to Bath and saved the christening of the USS
Oliver
Hazard Perry. The Duke succeeded in launching the ship with a big shoulder push
after Mrs. Donald Rumsfeld, the wife of the Secretary of Defense, smashed a
champagne bottle across the ship's bow, but failed to launch it. Congressman
Dave Emery and Senator Edmund Muskie also tried to send the
Oliver Hazard Perry
down the ways, but they failed, too. Much to my surprise, Lisa told me she
remembered that day because her mother attended the ceremony and had a chance
to meet John Wayne. I was duly impressed because I am a huge John Wayne fan. I can
remember going to the movies with my dad and seeing
The Longest Day and
The Sons of Katie Elder and watching old, black and white movies on television over and over again on channel 9 in New York.
When I was growing up, Million
Dollar Movie was the program that presented movies throughout the
weekend and entertained me while I made a dollar an hour babysitting every Saturday
night! By the time I was seventeen, I had seen most of the 24 films that John
Wayne had made with renowned director John Ford, a native son of Maine, born in
Cape Elizabeth in 1894. Of all the films John Ford and John Wayne made
together, The Searchers and The Quiet Man were my favorites, but I recognized
the cinematic excellence of Stagecoach and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance as
well. I learned a lot about the personal sacrifices involved in
settling the American west by watching John Ford movies starring the Duke, but I
also gained an understanding of World War II history by watching Otto
Preminger’s film In Harm’s Way, which starred John Wayne, Kirk
Douglas, and Patricia Neal. In my
movie-loving mind, it was this 1965 Hollywood blockbuster that forever linked
John Wayne, the movie star, with the United States Navy, which is the preferred
military service of both my father and brother. From time to time, my brother,
Mike, likes to post a YouTube link to a scene from the 1940 film Seven Sinners, which features Marlene
Dietrich singing “The Man’s in the Navy.” And who do you think walks into the
South Pacific bar as Bijou Blanche (Dietrich) sings that song? Listen to the
lyrics written by Frank Loesser, and you’ll see the man with the glorious
shoulders:
See those shoulders bold and glorious.
See
that smile,
that
smile’s notorious.
You
can bet your eyes
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| John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich in The Seven Sinners |
the man's in the Navy.
See those nice blue trousers
walk
about.
That’s
that salty walk
they
talk about.
You
can bet your life
that
man’s in the Navy.
Lots
of men stand 6’7.
And
lots of men have arms
like
heaven.
And
lots of men have hair
all
golden and wavy.
But
when they’re around
gorgeous
women,
they’ll
chase him
like
a wanted criminal.
You
can bet your life,
that
man’s in the Navy…
Of course, in the movie, young Lt. Dan Brent was played by none
other than John Wayne, and the rest is movie history. I’m not sure if art
imitates life or life imitates art, but I know that I have always been a fool
for a man in uniform - I married a young lieutenant. I believe John Wayne was destined
to come to Bath, and forty years later I was meant to read about his heroic
push to launch the USS Oliver Hazard Perry. As fate and Bath would have it, The Coastal Journal’s article shed some
light on why I have been so drawn to Long Reach, the four-mile, protected stretch along
the Kennebec River that holds the heart of Bath’s shipbuilding history. I feel at home in Bath because I feel connected to my family’s past in this City of Ships. I call myself a Pearl Harbor survivor because my father survived the December 7th attack. He retired from the U.S. Navy Reserves in 1981 as a Chief Petty Officer
after 40 years of continuous service, eight active and 32 reserve. I’m not sure
that’s possible in today’s Navy, but after WWII, the Navy needed the old Chief
Machinist Mates to keep the old “tin cans” afloat, and my dad did that with
distinction at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
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| The Maine Maritime Museum as seen from the Kennebec |
In June, my family and I will be celebrating our daughter’s
wedding day at the Maine Maritime Museum on the same day that the USS
Michael
Monsoor (DDG 1001), will be christened at the last remaining shipyard in Bath.
In 1854, Long Reach was home to 21 shipyards. A lot has changed since those
boom years, but one key fact has remained: “Bath built is best built!” On April
12, 2014, the first Zumwalt-class destroyer was christened by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt’s
two daughters. On December 7, 2015, the USS
Zumwalt (DDG 1000) began sea trials.
Clearly, the December 7th date was chosen deliberately!
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| The USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) returning from sea trials |
Recently, the owners of Doubling Point Cottage managed to take a photo capturing the powerful
grace of the Zumwalt underway. Ironically, my daughter and her husband-to-be
will be taking their wedding photos at the Doubling Point Lighthouse. It’s
striking to see how the story lines - present and past - intersect.
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| Doubling Point Lighthouse |
If you read the names of all the ships christened in Bath, American
history comes alive in a personal, sweat and tears, kind of way. A U.S. naval
ship’s christening day is like a rebirth of an American hero. It’s a unique and
beautiful way to remember those who sacrificed and made great strides in the
name of freedom. Amidst all the cheering, there are usually a few tears. For
example, on October 31, 2015, the USS Rafael Peralta (DDG115) was christened by
the mother of Sergeant Rafael Peralta USMC, who was killed on November 15, 2004
during the Second Battle of Fallujah while engaging in house-to-house urban
combat. General Dynamics BIW is now building an Arleigh Burk destroyer which
will be christened the USS Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. after a United States Marine
Officer, who received the Medal of Honor for his valor during the Vietnam War. Last
October, the President of BIW expressed the meaning of the christening day celebration
best: “We all understand the importance of what we do – building ships that
will protect our sailors and marines. We know that these ships will be called upon
to go anywhere, at any time, in harm’s way.” Because I’m from a Navy family, I
have always been familiar with the term “harm’s way,” but I didn’t know it’s
origin until yesterday. Captain John Paul Jones, a Revolutionary War Naval
Captain, used it first: “I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not
sail fast, for I intend to go in harm’s way.” Clearly, Bath, Maine’s City of
Ships is still building fast ships!
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| USS Zumwalt at Bath Iron Works |
When Joe and I bought our home on Washington Street, we had
to spend a few weeks apart because of Joe’s work commitments in Chicago. That
separation made our first summer in Bath slightly more challenging, but Joe is resourceful
and creative. He sent me a series of care packages, and when I tore off the brown paper wrapped around the first one, I found a hard-covered book, a
biography by Scott Eyeman:
John Wayne – The Life and Legend. How could
Joe have known that a Hollywood biography would connect us to Bath and to each other so strongly? Call it serendipity, or Bath magic, but some moves are
meant to be. At last, our hearts are home in Bath. The Coastal Journal’s description
of John Wayne’s role in the launching of a Bath built destroyer might have surprised
some people, but it didn’t surprise us. On the contrary, it seems only natural
that John Wayne would ride into Bath and save the day! After all, this is Bath,
Maine’s Cool Little City!
