The Day John Wayne Rode into Bath

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

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 

 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.

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!

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.

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!

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!