In anticipation of the Nor’easter a comin’...... we decided to visit the New Jersey Museum of Maritime History in Beach Haven, and I am very glad we did.We spent a good part of the early afternoon browsing through the two floors of exhibits.
At the museums front entrance lies a huge anchor and chain, the possible weight of which we wondered out loud about as we climbed the steps to the front door. Upon entering the museum, you are immediately met by floor to ceiling exhibits covering all the walls and in cases and on tables everywhere you look.
I believe it is a 13 lb lobster that you immediately spy as you enter, and as much as I would love to claim victory over one of these monsters, I will admit, especially since things look measurably larger under water, I might.....just might now...not poke one of these. Awww ..... who am I kidding, I would probably be sorry, but I would do it.
To the right of the entrance is an antique Navy diving suit. The forerunner of today’s dry suits. There are lead weights covering the toes to keep you from having floaty feet. I have enough trouble climbing a boat ladder
without lead weights on my feet that could kick a hole right through the boat. And just past that is a lighted display of hand painted slides of maritime themed pictures. They are absolutely intriguing. As you walk down the hallway, it is lined with pictures and little comments on myriads of New Jersey wrecks hung in alphabetical order. To see these and be able to say, “Hey I dove on that one!“ makes your time here fly by.
From there you enter a large room with floor to ceiling pictures and antique postcards of local towns and follow their development into what they are today. I could not imagine trying to swim in some of the costumes displayed here.
In another room are more pictures of maritime rescues and local coastguard stations and storm devastation. While we were there a video was playing showing the local coastline being devastated by storms from the late twenties to the one in the sixties when “the ocean and the bay met” . There was some awesome footage on this video showing the power of these storms that have pounded our coastline with enough force that one time it beached a Navy battleship.
There is a huge display on the Morrow Castle catastrophe that brings a very personal side to the story to your mind and replaces the fact that you just knew that she burned and sank. From the beginning where they show you the poster advertising 10 and 20 day cruises for $200.00 and bills showing charges to rooms for 12 beers at a cost of $1.20, you look to see what other little treasures are among the hundreds of items spread before you. And then the story progresses to pictures of the fire and rescues. Showing the actual victims being pulled onto the beach while people try to revive them. Of children who have lost their entire family sitting with blank stares waiting for someone to claim them. It is a very powerful exhibit.
You then wind your way upstairs where you are greeted by a library of maritime reference books, a lending library and computer data base. There are several areas to sit and browse with tables and chairs, desks and a conversations pit of comfy stuffed furniture.
As you walk along up here you still have to remember to look up as things are everywhere. There are so many portholes on display that you find it hard to believe there are any left in the ocean. If you have never been lucky enough to find your own, you come away with a respect for how heavy these are and how thick the glass in them is
There is a display on the Andrea Doria and on this visit a video documentary on the sinking was playing. There are personal items and china and several cases of artifacts as your read your way along the display. Attached to the walls and ceiling are lights and bells and pieces of various ships, many of which are on loan from divers and local people through out the state.
There are display cases with recovered artifacts from dozens of wrecks and displays of antique navigational tools and even a cannon. Antique logs of shipwrecks and letters and articles and personal pictures that bring the history to life. Just a never ending display.
In one small alcove is display of the submarine S-5 which was visited by a group of local divers this summer. Center of the display is the recovered coffee urn from the mess room of the sub. I could not imagine swimming out of that sub dragging this piece behind me.
There is another room dedicated to local wildlife and displays of different shells and several areas where you can see they are still a work in progress. The building has been lovingly restored and the huge amounts of natural light make walking through a pleasure. The displays are varied from sea life to local history and covering rescues and diving. Admittance is free and donations are accepted. I am positive you can revisit this place several times and still find something new or something you missed every time. I know I will be back.
http://www.museumofnjmh.com/photographs.html The pictures are from the website, visit it to see more and visit the museum to see it all.