I'm in the Navy stationed in Ingleside, Texas on the USS Warrior (MCM 10). A minehunting ship. Anyway, we pulled into Galveston a few months back, and being the Cussler fan that I am, while the rest of my shipmates were boozing it up on The Strand (the old port district that has become a tourist trap) I went to the local bookstore and bought a paperback of the seahunters to re-read about the Zavala and see if I could figure out where it was. Well, it took me a few hours of walking around but I found the old mill that Clive stood atop when he surveyed the parking lot and pretty much eyeballed the area where they actually found the ship. It's actually right next to a cruise terminal. Well I was pretty darn excited by this point. I figured there must be a plaque or something. I walked into the parking lot that was full or cars and walked around for a while and found...nothing. absolutely nothing. Aside from my disappointment I was shocked to see the model of the Zavala at the maritime museum. Plus there was a very cool old Barque that is part of the museum that they let you go on. All in all Galveston was a nice place to visit but I wish they would just take more pride in the history that is literally right under their feet. The story about the passengers and crew who kept her afloat for days during a hurricane through a bucket brigade and sheer force of willpower is an incredible anecdote of human endeavor and something that deserves to be resurrected in the minds of Americans and especially Texans along with the "ship that sails under a parking lot". When some other sailors found out about my quest after I'd kicked back a few brewski's and become a little loose lipped, they practically busted a gut laughing so hard. But thats okay because they wouldn't know Julius Caesar from a Caesar salad. It's amazing how little most people care about history. But maybe thats why we find ourselves as a country in the predicament we're in.
Hey Rob, welcome back. I've been posting about the Zavala for the past 3 years trying to get something done with Wayne's help and to no avail. I took my 6 year old to see the Elissa for her first time as well as the Zavala model and she loved it. Did you get a chance to go to the library in Galveston?
Your right Rob, so few today care about the history that made today what it is. I gues the world has been made to easy. There is not the challanges that drove the people 150 years ago. :(
Life itself is still a challenge and too many people take it for granted. p: