Life Lines
U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association
February 2020
Happy Birthday, U.S. Coast Guard, January 28, 2020
Happy Birthday U.S. Coast Guard and welcome to Life Lines the monthly newsletter for members of the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association. For those of you reading and have yet to join, please consider doing so. Your membership will get you access to the station inventory link and our new venture to create a “Surfmans’ Data Base.” If you would like to join please go to http://uslife-savingservice.org/join-donate-support/
Publications Now Available as Print-on-Demand
The two books that the USLSSHA produced are now available by print-on-demand at lulu.com. Search for either “They Had to Go Out” or “Rescue: The Stories of the U.S. Life-Saving Service” edited by John Galluzzo. If you have not added these two books to your library here is your chance to do so.
Councilor wants Kittery to contribute $500K for Wood Island pier
Photo Credit: Wood Island Life Saving Station Association
Town Council member and lobsterman Ken Lemont has proposed that Kittery pay for the Wood Island pier. This means that a public hearing will occur, likely March 23, where all Wood Island Station supporters will need to attend and give their support – and bring some friends!
The question for that hearing will be if Council should allow the voters to decide about this funding in June, the next election. There will be a vote to put the question on the ballot or not. To find out more go to the following link: https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20200129/councilor-wants-kittery-to-contribute-500k-for-wood-island-pier
Hull Lifesaving Service Museum and Sea and Sky Art Show
Photo Credit: Hull Lifesaving Museum
Opening Reception: Friday, February 14, 2020, 7:00 pm
The Sea & Sky Art Show celebrates the beauty of our coastal environment and the richness of the artistic community on the South Shore and beyond. This year, we are thrilled to have marine artist Bill Davis as our juror and we will have a tribute to long time Hull Artist Trish Turner who passed away recently. Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in this great show. For more details go to: http://www.lifesavingmuseum.org/_fileCabinet/2020_cfe.pdf
Shore Lore: The Stranded Bellmont
Photo Credit: Building Provincetown
While the outer bars of Cape Cod claimed over 3,000 ships from 1626 through the mid – 20th century, the men of the U.S. Lifesaving Service, which preceded the Coast Guard, were able to rescue countless sailors from death.
However, despite their heroic efforts, Mother Nature often proved to be too much of an adversary for the surfmen.
“Despite the celerity of the lifesavers, stranded vessels sometimes dissolve before the lifeboat can be got through the cordon of the surf and the inner bar breakers,” wrote the New York Herald in April 1911. “Life has been lost as the result of the almost instant dissolution of the ship.”
Unfortunately for the barkentine Bellmont, only a few members of her crew were able to be rescued after the 533-ton vessel, carrying a load of sugar from Cuba, crashed into the Peaked Hill sandbars on April 9, 1894. If you would like to read more go to: https://capecod.wickedlocal.com/news/20200124/shore-lore-stranded-bellmont
Kittery, Maine is the Next Destination for the 2020 Annual Conference
Photo courtesy of the Wood Island Life Saving Station Association
The 2020 Annual Conference and Meeting will be in and around Kittery, Maine and will include stations between Nahant, Massachusetts along the coast of New Hampshire and to the southern edge of Maine. The dates are September 24-26, 2020. Mark your calendars and save some time to make the trip.
The conference hotel will be the Hampton Inn and Suites in Kittery, ME. The cost will be $179/night. Call and make your reservation at 800-445-8667 and mention the U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association. The deadline to make hotel reservations to get the special rate is August 7, 2020.
Also mark your calendars for the 2021 Conference which will be held in Southport, North Carolina on September 23-25, 2021.
Watch this site and Wreck and Rescue for more information.
If you have a story to submit for the next Life Lines please contact us through our website. http://uslife-savingservice.org/contact/
Also consider joining the Life Lines staff. If you would like to be the editor or would like to assemble a few of the issues a year, the help would be welcome. We are now three and more are welcome to join us. If you wanted to have a role or contribute to the organization this is your opportunity to do so.