2000 The Holland Anniversary Year
This millennium year 2000 is the hundredth anniversary of the purchase by the American Government of John Philip Holland's Underwater Torpedo Boat No. 6, on the 11th. April 1900, and her commissioning on 12th. October that year as the first vessel in the United States Navy Submarine Service. The centenary is being marked in the Heritage Centre, Cobh, County Cork with a Holland Exhibition on loan from the County Louth Museum, Dundalk, which continues until the end of June and which was officially opened by the Flag Officer commanding Naval Service, Commodore John Kavanagh on April 5th. The Maritime Institute Branch in Cork co-operated with this event. For further information contact Ms Debbie Walsh, Manager of the Cobh Centre at +353 – (0) 21 - 813591. Unfortunately as no advance advice was received by the Maritime Institute of the arrival of the USS Barry DDG 52 in Cobh in April even though the Institute had been trying since 1998 to get the ship to Ireland for this Holland year, it was not possible to arrange anything, although a letter of welcome was put aboard for the Captain, Cmdr. John Chandler USN. It is not generally known that one of the British Navy's early Holland class submarines HMS A5 , suffered an explosion off Cobh in October 1905, while refuelling. This resulted in the deaths of six members of her crew, who are buried in the old cemetery above the town which also holds the graves of navy men killed in a tragedy aboard the monitor HMS Mars in 1902. Indeed one of today's Naval Petty Officers looks after these graves, which is all part of that town's great naval heritage. The Holland exhibition will also be on display in the Central Library at the ILAC Centre, Henry Street, Dublin, for the month of October with a lecture on the final Saturday. The Maritime Institute is also looking at the holding of a one-day Holland seminar that month in Dublin or Dun Laoghaire, with speakers from Ireland, Britain, and America if financial support can be arranged. Also the new Clare County Museum which is opening at the Templegate Plaza, Ennis, this year is working on creating a Holland section or display and the Maritime Institute has provided information and background sources to Mr. Dan Mac Carthy, the museum's researcher. In the United States of America, some ceremonies have already taken place. At New Suffolk, Long Island, near New York the site of the first submarine base, a granite memorial was dedicated to the Submarine Service on April 8th. a set of postal stamps on the US submarine service was also issued on March 27th. at Groton CT., one of these depicting John Philip Holland. Regrettably the Clareman's inventive genius in the creation of the "under-water torpedo boat", has been more than some-what overshadowed in the hype of the atomic powered submarine, the World War II and Cold War exploits of the US submarine fleet. In addition, Holland's second boat the Fenian Ram which was scuttled in the Passic River and raised in 1927, has been transported from the Paterson Museum, New Jersey to New York City and is on display at the Naval & Space Museum aboard the former Aircraft Carrier USS Intrepid. That museum has also paid for a new replica conning tower to replace the original tom off during the salvage effort. On August 12th., members of the Morris/Holland group led by Jim Gallagher will lay a wreath on Holland's grave in Paterson cemetery. Finally, the Maritime Institute's Museum at Dun Laoghaire has received a request from Dr. Ed Furgol, curator of the United Navy Museum, at Washington DC for the loan from October 2000 to March 2001 of the two six foot models of Holland No 6 constructed by Ciaran Johnston for display as part of their exhibition for the centenary. All costs of transport and insurance will be met by the US Navy Department. Dr., Philip Smyiy.ahd his committee have agreed to the loan and this has: been supported by the Executive Committee.A supplement to the Spring 2000 edition of "The Trident" The millennium year 2000 is the hundredth anniversary of the purchase by the American Government of John Philip Holland's Underwater Torpedo Boat No. 6 on the llth. April 1900, and her commissioning in October that year as the first vessel in the United States Navy Submarine Service. The centenary is being marked in the Heritage Centre, Cobh, Co. Cork from February to June with a Holland Exhibition on loan from the Co. Louth Museum, Dundalk. The Maritime Institute Branch in Cork are co-operating with this event. For further information contact Ms. Debbie Walsh, Manager of the Cobh Centre at 021-813591 or Mr. Chris Lenzy, Secretary of the Branch at 021-374861. It is not generally known that one of the British Navy's early Holland class submarines HMS "A5", suffered an explosion off Cobh in October 1905, while refuelling. This resulted in the deaths of six members of her crew, who are buried in the old cemetery above the town, which also holds the graves of navymen killed in a tragedy aboard the monitor HMS "Mars" in 1902. Indeed one of today's Naval Petty Officers looks after these graves, which is all part of that town's great naval heritage. The Holland exhibition will also be in Dublin at the Central Library in the ILAC Centre for the month of October. The Maritime Institute is looking at the holding of a one-day Holland seminar early that month, with speakers from Ireland, Britain and America if financial support can be arranged, in Dublin or Dun Laoghaire. There is also the possibility of a visit by a United States Navy surface warship, as all today's US submarines are nuclear propelled and are taboo in Irish ports. Also the new Clare County Museum, which is to open in the Templegate Plaza, Ennis in May 2000 is working towards creating a Holland section or display and the Institute and the Museum have provided information and background sources to Mr. Dan Mac Carthy, the museum's researcher. For more information call 065-6823382.