THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9606280183
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: 81 lines
It's one of a kind, and it's on Portsmouth's skyline.
The Naval Shipyard's hammerhead crane has been a Portsmouth landmark since 1940. The crane was built to load turrets for 16-inch guns onto battleships during World War II.
Twenty stories high and five million pounds strong, the metal monster extends over the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River.
The crane's operators have the area's best view: on a clear day they can see 12 to 15 miles in all directions. That's as good as forever!
The crane always is a curiosity. But it has become part of local news in recent days.
First, it's right there in the shipyard next to Berth 2, which is where the Halyburton is docked. The Halyburton is one of seven ships homeported in Norfolk that will be ``convenience berthed'' at the shipyard. The proximity of the base of the crane to the docks being used by these ships has thrust the crane into news photos.
Second, the city has used the crane's image for a small pin to give visitors and to send to national meetings with local leaders who will give the pins to others.
The pin is attached to a battleship gray card that gives a brief history of the shipyard and describes the crane.
City Clerk Sheila Pittman chose the crane for the new pin at the suggestion of Shipyard Commander Bill Klemm and his wife, Nan. As Sheila tells it, the Klemms and she were sitting at the same table at a Rotary Club meeting when the topic turned to what would be an interesting symbol of Portsmouth to put on such a pin.
Capt. Klemm and his wife almost simultaneously replied: the hammerhead crane.
``And they're right,'' Sheila said. ``The crane is something unique about Portsmouth. And it's very visible.''
The crane happens to be emblazoned with the number ``1'' on the end facing Downtown and Norfolk. That number was added years ago, when the shipyard was chosen No. 1 in the nation for its efficiency.
The gold-colored replica of the crane is faithful to the real thing, including the ``1'' in black. Sheila added Portsmouth, Virginia, in black on the side of the crane.
The written information with the pin notes that Portsmouth is ``very proud of her naval history.'' This historic waterfront community is home to the country's first naval shipyard and first naval hospital.
Many people know about the first battle of the ironclads between the Monitor and the Portsmouth-built CSS Virginia, the clash that changed naval history around the world by making wooden ships obsolete. The Virginia was built on the burned-out hull of the Merrimack. The nation's first drydock, still in use at shipyard, was where the Merrimack was transformed.
What many people do not know or have forgotten, this shipyard also built the nation's first battleship, the USS Texas, and the first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley. The card includes that information.
It's great that the city is pinpointing its grand naval history as an asset.
A lot of people in Portsmouth seem to take that history for granted, just like they take the city's historic neighborhoods for granted. They don't really understand the attraction of local history to a broader public - probably because they've lived with it so long. Locals sometimes forget that a vast majority of people do not live in places as old as Portsmouth or as well-connected to national history as is Portsmouth.
I saw a magazine ad the other day placed by a Maryland town, bragging about that town's connection to two wars - the War of 1812 and the Civil War - and inviting tourists to come discover the history and the waterfront. Portsmouth has genuine bragging rights on every event from the Revolution to now, surpassing by far history in almost every other town anywhere.
Because of the Tory connections at the shipyard, it has some unusual Revolutionary tales. Because of the federal ownership of the Navy yard and the Naval Hospital, it was in an interesting position in the Civil War.
Then we have the ships. The ironclads certainly are the most important story. But we have not made enough of the fact that Portsmouth built the first battleship and the first aircraft carrier, which was the conversion of an old collier and took some real ingenuity.
In addition to the impressive history, Portsmouth also has a wonderful waterfront with myriad activities and sights, including the hammerhead crane. This new little giveaway memento is a way to promote that history.
Perhaps it can be the beginning of a larger effort to tell the world some of the Portsmouth story. by CNB