[MAR. 20 DINNER MEETING] Maria Vazquez on Conservation of the USS Constellation Anchor
On Monday, March 20, Varnum Armory Vice President Maria Vazquez is the featured speaker for our monthly members meeting. Her presentation, “A Brief History of Anchors and the Conservation of the USS Constellation Anchor,” will give an account of the history of anchors, how they developed, and how they were used. The presentation will continue with Maria’s insight into the thought and research that went into conserving an anchor from the USS Constellation, a sloop-of-war ship.
[DEC. 12 DINNER MEETING] Speaker Greg Banner on The Halifax Disaster
In December 1917, a World War I ammunition ship blew up in Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia. This massive event was listed as the largest man-made explosion in human history prior to atomic weapons and totally devastated the city. Thousands died. Our December speaker, Varnum Member Greg Banner, will describe the background, event, response, and results and discuss aspects of military, nautical, local, and emergency response history.
[APR. 11 DINNER MEETING] Varnum Trustee Brian L. Wallin speaking on “Jamestown and the Military”
Varnum Trustee Brian L. Wallin leads our return to monthly member meetings with a presentation on “Jamestown and the Military.” Incorporated in 1678, Jamestown has a long, diverse military history. From early colonial days into the 20th century, Jamestown has experienced occupation (and devastation) by the British during the American Revolution, as well as U.S. Civil War encampments, major coastal fortifications, highly classified military research and communications facilities, and even a pair of top-secret World War II German POW camps.
[CANCELLED] Naval War College Museum and Varnum Armory Special Lecture, “The Lucky Few: The Story of the USS Kirk” with Commander Hugh J. Doyle, USN
On Sunday, March 29, the Naval War College Museum and Varnum Memorial Armory Museum will hold a special program in honor of 2020 Vietnam War Veterans Day. The event will be hosted at the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum, 6 Main St, East Greenwich, RI, 02818. A showing of the documentary, “The Lucky Few: The Story of the USS Kirk” will begin at 3:00 PM and will be followed by a question and answer session with CDR Hugh J. Doyle, USN (Ret.), former Chief Engineer of the USS Kirk during the Fall of Saigon.
[MAR. 9 DINNER MEETING] Historian Robert Grandchamp Chronicles Rhode Island’s U.S. Civil War Dead
At out March meeting, Mr. Grandchamp will talk about his research and findings and tell the story of three Rhode Island men killed in action during the Civil War and whose military artifacts are in the Varnum Armory museum.
[FEB. 10 DINNER MEETING] Guest Speaker: Stanley Carpenter on “Crushing the Reich: Normandy to Berlin”
This year, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Our February speaker, Stanley Carpenter, will focus on the key last year of the War in his presentation “Crushing the Reich: Normandy to Berlin, 1944-45.” In this timely talk, Carpenter will explain the strategy and include stories and interesting anecdotes about the Allies’ efforts to defeat Nazi Germany in the crucial last year of the war.
[DEC. 9 DINNER MEETING] Guest Speaker: Christian McBurney on “Untold Stories of World War II Rhode Island”
Christian McBurney returns to the Varnum Memorial Armory Museum to speak about his newly-released book, “Untold Stories from World War II Rhode Island”. This is a sequel to the 2017 book (“World War II Rhode Island”) that he co-authored with the Varnum Continental’s own Brian Wallin. The new publication shares long-forgotten stories, from amazing secret […]
[SEPT. 9 DINNER MEETING] Guest Speaker: Brian Wallin on Ida Lewis, Legendary Lady Light Keeper of Lime Rock
Ida Lewis was only 11 years old when her father Hosea was appointed keeper of Newport’s Lime Rock Lighthouse in 1853. Four years later, he suffered a debilitating stroke and his teen-aged daughter began assisting her mother in tending the light that marked the often stormy harbor.
[APR. 8 DINNER MEETING] Guest Speaker: Brian Wallin on “Dutch Island Then and Now”
From its earliest inhabitants (possibly as far back as 12,000 years ago) up to modern times, 55-acre Dutch Island in the center of the Narragansett Bay’s west passage, has played an interesting role. From Italian explorer Giovanni deVerrazano‘s first visit to the bay in 1524, to the arrival of the Dutch in the early 17th […]
[MAR. 11 DINNER MEETING] Guest Speaker: Roy R. Manstan on U-boat Hunters During World War I
Soon after America declared war on Germany in April 1917, the Secretary of the Navy established the Naval Experimental Station in New London, CT, on the grounds of Fort Trumbull. The mission was to create technologies to counter the U-boats that prowled the Atlantic and Mediterranean. In a coordinated effort to exploit a submarine’s vulnerability […]