Palm Beach Maritime Museum

Palm Beach Maritime Museum Album

Click or scroll down to see images and information about the Kennedy Bunker,
Governor's River Walk Reef, Jeanie Johnston Irish Emigrant Tall Ship or the Nina Tall Ship Visit.

The Maine Exhibit

In 1896, the Cubans were rebelling against Spain ... The political flavor of the times under Teddy Roosevelt was expansive and the future of the hemisphere was at stake. In a mystery that hasn't been solved to this day, the Battleship USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor in 1898, with a loss of 277 lives. The Spanish-American war was prosecuted by an outraged U.S. Congress and the rest is history. Public sentiment never left the Maine and she was surrounded by a cofferdam and many of her artifacts were salvaged in 1912. The hull was towed to sea where she was permanently put to rest. This temporary exhibit of the USS Maine was on loan to us and is permanently housed at the Key West Art & Historical Society in Key West, Florida.

Above: Left to right: Maine's Commission Pennant, The Maine's "Jack"

Left to right: Army uniforms from the Maine; A bell "purported" to be the Maine's from Cuba ... We're checking ... it was not part of the official salvage; The bugle that blew taps on the eve of the explosion.

The President John F. Kennedy Bunker

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the SeaBees secretly, and very quickly built a bunker for the President, who spent a great deal of time at the Kennedy Compound here in Palm Beach. Although it would have been a temporary command center for the nation in a time of crisis, it is still relatively small. It was constructed adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard Station, about 100 yards away, concealed in the woods, underground, but above the water table. The bunker had fallen into complete disrepair, but was restored by the Palm Beach Maritime Museum ... with some difficulty, since it is at the water table and had been semi-flooded for a long period.

With the exception of a presidential seal, added as a modern enhancement, the declassified, decommissioned bunker is very close to the original. The structure is covered with earth and many layers of concrete and rebar. Entry is via a blast-hardened tunnel, with a 90 degree angle to minimize shock effects from a nuclear explosion. Entry is through a secure decontamination area, which was, however, and interestingly, made of plywood. This is a thought-provoking exhibit, especially in light of recent events in the United States. Below: Bunker door and entrance tunnel; Main room in the bunker, where President Kennedy might have run the U.S. during the first hours or days of a nuclear attack.

Governor Bush Dedicates "Governor's River Walk Reef" on 5/17/02.

Our Palm Beach Maritime Academy Principal, Mrs. Turchiaro, gets Governor Bush's attention to show him the Maritime Academy Middle Level FCAT test scores, which beat Palm Beach County's and the State's averages. The School scored 405 points on its FCATs, which is just 5 points short of an "A".

Click on Governor's River Walk Reef for information and pictures about the Dedication of this artificial reef, which was hosted by Palm Beach County and U.S. Customs, and held at Palm Beach Maritime Museum's Historic U.S. Coast Guard Boathouse on Peanut Island.

The Irish Emigrant Tall Ship Replica "Jeanie Johnston" Visits Palm Beach Maritime Museum on Peanut Island.

A replica of the Irish Famine Tall Ship "Jeanie Johnston" (Picture at right courtesy of STV Jeanie Johnston) arrived on 4/15/03 to Palm Beach Maritime Museum's docks on the south side of Peanut Island. The ship was open to the public for tours from the 19th through the 27th of April 2003.

The ship set sail from Fenit Harbor, Tralee, Ireland on 16 February 2003. She set sail from Tenerife, Canary Islands on Friday, 14 March 2003 and arrived at the Museum's docks on the 15th of April. The ship's captain followed the same course of trade winds Christopher Columbus followed on his discovery voyage to the New World.

From 1848-1855, the "Jeanie Johnston" carried over 2,500 Irish people across the Atlantic on the first step in a brave new adventure. In the process, the "Jeanie Johnston" accomplished a remarkable feat - no lives were ever lost on board.

The"Jeanie Johnston" was open for tours between 10 AM and 4 PM, Saturday 4/19/03 - Sunday 4/27/03 at the Museum's docks on Peanut Island and departed on 4/28/03 at 7:00 p.m. for Savannah, Georgia.

For up-to-date information about the ship's journey, please visit www.jeaniejohnston.ie.

The Palm Beach Maritime Museum and the International Children's Museum collaborated to make this visit possible.

Columbus Replica Ship "Nina"

Visited Palm Beach Maritime Museum at Currie Park

3/11/04 - 3/22/04

On Thursday 11 March 2004, the Nina, a replica of Columbus' favorite ship, arrived at Palm Beach Maritime Museum's docks at Currie Park, 2400 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, Florida at approximately 2:00 p.m. The ship was open to the public from Friday, 12 March 2004 through Monday, 22 March 2004 and departed the docks early Tuesday. This is the last year the ship will be touring the U.S. before making her permanent home port in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Built completely by hand and without the use of power tools, Archaeology magazine called the ship "the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built." The craftsmanship of construction and the details in the rigging make it a truly fascinating visit back to the Age of Discovery.

The ship has been touring continually since 1992 as a "sailing museum" for the purpose of educating the public and school children on the "Caravel", a Portuguese ship used by Columbus and many early explorers to discover the world.

For more information about the Nina, please visit their website at www.thenina.com.