THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 2, 1994 TAG: 9411020666
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KERRY DEROCHI, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
On the second floor of Nauticus, in a quiet, sprawling maze of ship models and sunken artifacts, Dr. Charles Devine Jr. has found a new calling.
A urologist and medical school professor, Devine plans to don the uniform of a Civil War surgeon in the next few weeks, hoping to educate those who come to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum.
``I really think many of the people in this area don't recognize exactly the relationship of the Navy to Hampton Roads or of Hampton Roads to the Navy,'' Devine said. ``They don't realize how valuable they are to each other.''
Devine, a volunteer at the museum, will be one of 10 characters soon to be found roaming the exhibit, representing different eras of naval history.
The new costumes are part of an effort to lure more people into the museum's new location at Nauticus in downtown Norfolk. The admission is free. Those who want to go to the museum without touring the Nauticus exhibits must wear a brightly-colored wristband that blocks them from entering the other attractions without paying.
The museum, once housed in Admirals Row at Norfolk Naval Base, moved to Nauticus in June, at the request of the city of Norfolk.
The move more than doubled the space of the museum, and, so far, has boosted the number of visitors.
This summer, an average of 4,000 visitors toured the museum each day - about eight times more than during the same period in previous years. The number has recently dropped to about 500 a day, which is still five times above what it used to be.
``The move has realized the best of both worlds,'' said Elizabeth Poulliot, the museum director. ``When you think Nauticus gets this million-dollar collection and we're able to spread out.''
Poulliot, who came to the museum in 1989 from the now-closed Presidio Army base in San Francisco, said the new exhibits are designed to represent the Navy through key periods in history: The American Revolution, the Civil War, the industrial age and the 20th century.
A common theme is the life of a sailor through these times. Visitors can pick up a telephone and listen to a recording of a sailor describing shipboard life - the boredom and the danger.
The exhibits include replicas of the ironclads and a detailed history of the battle of Hampton Roads. A battered fragment of the Monitor hangs on one wall.
There are artifacts recovered from the frigate Cumberland, which was sunk in March 1862 by the confederate Ironclad Virginia.
Black and white photographs of the 1907 Jamestown Exhibition at Norfolk Naval Base line one wall.
``The purpose of the museum is to educate the Navy and the public on the importance of the U.S. Navy in Hampton Roads,'' Puilliot said. ``You will see that story mirrors the larger importance of America and the history of events that happened here in Hampton Roads.''
The exhibits end with a tribute to the final phase of a sailor'ss life - the homecoming. A giant replica of an aircraft carrier is displayed in a case, and a videotape plays of sailors returning from the Persian Gulf war.
``You can stretch the continuity of the Navy as it was and the Navy as it is today,'' said John Simanton, a former Navy operations specialist, as he works on a ship model in one corner of the museum.
``Traditions carry on.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GARY C. KNAPP
John Simanton, a former Navy operations specialist who volunteers
his time at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, works on a ship model in
a corner of the museum.
Graphic
THE MUSEUM
Location: Nauticus, the National Maritime Center, Norfolk
Hours of operation: Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m., and Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Admission: Free
by CNB