What you are looking at here is a 19th-century side-wheeler.
The vessel Lang Syne was built in 1889. Today the old girl is tied to a dilapidated pier up in a river off the upper
Chesapeake Bay, where she has laid, partially sunk, for the last nearly ten years. She lays on the bottom in shallow water near the
shore and her lower aft portion fills with water at high tide and empties as the tide recedes. She has been an eyesore to local
residents passing over a nearby bridge and she cries out for someone to bring her back to what she used to be.
Her current owner, while having good intentions when he took over her title ten years ago, converted her from steam power to diesel.
Since then he has done little or no work on her and for all intents and purposes, she has been totally abandoned.
We at NROTC have great plans for Lang Syne and when work is complete, she will be the only vintage sidewheeler operating on the
Chesapeake Bay - and the first one to do so in many years. “Have you seen pictures of the old boats like the Emma Giles?” -
“That’s exactly what this one will be like.”
Vessel Emma Giles photo courtesy of Maryland Historical Society
In the early 1900's, vessels like the "Emma Giles" ferried passengers, mostly vacationers, from Baltimore, across the Chesapeake
Bay, to summer resort homes on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Read a short historical story about
Emma Giles.
The vessel Lang Syne is a smaller, but no less historically important version of the Emma Giles.
Our first step is to raise enough money to purchase her. From what we understand, her asking price is about $5,000.00 - Then the
work begins.
Says Tom Ruley, NROTC's Founder and President. "We have plans for a multi-phased Restoration and Put To Good Use project.
Immediate plans are to make her seaworthy again."
NROTC hopes to accomplish this through community volunteers, community financial support, other donations and/or grant funding,
which is currently being sought for the associated costs of the project.
This funding will allow NROTC to provide employment to a number of homeless Veterans who are currently being housed at Maryland's
largest nearly 200 bed temporary housing and rehabilitative facility, The Maryland
Center for Veterans Education and Training, known as McVets, which is located in Baltimore, Maryland. McVets is providing a
tremendous service for many of Baltimore's unfortunate and forgotten Veterans, and they welcome those who can provide decent
employment opportunities to Veterans in need. Learn more about McVets.
Refloating Lang Syne, a project which could involve bringing her to dry-dock and replacing portions if not all of her steel
hull bottom would involve lifting her from the water by crane and transporting her to dry-dock. Moving her to dry-dock alone has been
quoted at eight to ten thousand dollars and returning her to water will cost the same. Due to this factor, NROTC is currently looking
into alternate, safe and perhaps more economical methods of making her seaworthy again. One method being considered very strongly is
reinforcing her bottom from within with rebar and ferro-cement, which has traditionally been used in a less known but nevertheless
viable and sturdy method of vessel hull construction. We are looking into this very closely at this time. Learn more about
Ferro-Cement boat hulls at http://www.ferroboats.com/.
Lang Syne is located within two miles of NROTC's headquarters. Again says Tom Ruley, "I am very familiar with Lang Syne
as I have kept a fishing boat at the same marina for the last ten years. I know that she went down slowly over time and could most
probably be floating again with the use of water pumps, enough to do the Ferro-Cement hull refit project without... having to
bring her to dry dock and replacing her steel hull bottom."
Regardless of which method we use to once again make her seaworthy, which could be accomplished in a few short months if not weeks or
possibly even days, her topsides will need major refurbishment!...
We plan to use her as a Riverboat Retreat Vessel for our wounded warriors coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as any
needy or disadvantaged Veteran including those from McVets. McVets is a
very rigid rehabilitative program that starts basically as Boot
Camp and no unnecessary leave from the premises is granted. As the inductees progress through the program successfully, little by little,
leave time and/or time away for employment is allowed.
Lang Syne is REALLY VERY ROOMY INSIDE AND THERE ARE TWO FLOORS!... After she is floated, much work is still before us... She will
need a complete topsisides restoration. This Vessel Restoration will require many trade skills including carpentry, plumbing, electrical
and general for lack of a better description, general home improvement skills. Many of our Veterans at McVets or elsewhere
already posess
these skills and if not, they could taught these skills. It should be noted that these trade skills ARE transferable and could lead to
other more permanent employment.
It should also be noted that, that the problem many recent combat trained Veterans face when they return home is that their skills aquired
in the military are practically useless in the private sector. This is why learning job skills is so valuable to a returning
Veteran.
Wages paid to any "McVets"or other Veterans contributing to the
topsides restoration plus materials are estimated to run another $10,000.00
Once the restoration is complete, employment, counseling and job skills training such as food preparation, seamanship and boat
handling will be provided to these recovering Veterans aboard the Lang Syne.
NROTC has for some time now, been providing at least to some degree, recreational therapy to our Wounded Troops being housed
at Water Reed Army Medical Center and National Naval Medical Center formerly known as Bethesda Naval Hospital.
Our plans are to have private berthing bunks aboard the Lang Syne enough to overnight about ten guests and crew. A full galley
and cook staff will be aboard. Lang Syne will ferry our Wounded Heroes and Veterans to entertaining venues
around Maryland's upper Chesapeake Bay as well as providing fishing and crabbing opportunities for daily, multi-day or week-long
excursions. Says Tom Ruley, "We know for a fact that giving these individuals an opportunity for relaxation, recreation and
just getting some fresh air, can really go a long way for them!... Can you think of anyone more deserving than someone who has
unselfishly served our country?"
NROTC has also given thought to inviting the public aboard for excursions for a fee and provide dinner aboard prepared by an
"ALL VETERAN" kitchen crew. All crewmembers would of course be Veterans and proceeds could help fund other NROTC
charitable activities.