On his plans to restore the USS Hartford and construct a naval museum - photo 1

On his plans to restore the USS Hartford and construct a naval museum

Lot 213
02.02.2024 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 756
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
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ID 1129833
Lot 213 | On his plans to restore the USS Hartford and construct a naval museum
Estimate value
$ 1 000 – 1 500
ROOSEVELT, Franklin D. (1882 - 1945). Typed letter signed ("Franklin D. Roosevelt) as President to Lieutenant Commander and author Harold A. Calahan, [Washington], 13 March 1941.

One page, bifolium, 75 x 225mm on White House letterhead (light spot of soiling at bottom edge, mounting remnants on the verso). Sold with transmittal envelope.

Writing of his plans to construct a naval museum in Washington D.C., and the restoration of the flagship of David Farragut, the USS Hartford. Roosevelt—who served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the First World War—writes that the building of a naval museum is "a matter that is especially interesting to me."

He specifies that, "there is a project afoot, in connection with a new Navy building when authorized and appropriated for, to install the HARTFORD and several other historic vessels of different periods in our country's history, in a Marine basin near the Navy Building...", and that "..it is planned to restore the HARTFORD at the time work is undertaken on the marine basin..." He, however, warns that the construction of the basin depends upon congressional action, and that "no funds have been appropriated by Congress to finance the task of restoring the HARTFORD ... at the first suitable opportunity, the matter of the Hartford's restoration will be brought to the fore and it is hoped that Congress will legislate favorably."

Roosevelt intended to construct a naval museum alongside the new Naval building in Washington D.C., which would house the USS Hartford, as well as George Dewey's flagship, the USS Olympia, along with other vessels. However, upon his death in April 1945, plans to construct this museum seemed to have fell through. As of October 1945, Congress did not include funds to construct this basin with the $46.5 million allocated to construct the new Navy Department building. The unrestored USS Hartford would be towed to the Norfolk Navy Yard that same month, where it would be classified as a relic until it sank in November 1956.
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