Name/Title
Gallinnipper Name PlateEntry/Object ID
2023.32.01Description
Sheet metal, possibly copper, V-shaped name plate, hand engraved with "Gallinnipper of Saugatuck / 1856-1931 / U.S.V.C.G.S / S.S.B.S.A"
The legs of the plate have different widths and the outside edges are longer [1.75"] than the inside edges [1"]Context
According to Shahana (Hungerford) Klingerberg, the plate was found by her father Peter Hungerford "in the 60s out in the dunes of Saugatuck near Singapore." The plate was kept by his mother until Peter grew to manhood. In 2023, Peter's daughter donated the plate to the SDHC.
The dates suggest this object was a sea scouts project from the 1930s. The Francis lifeboat was modified by Carl Bird after WWII to improve its performance as a sailboat before its restoration in the 2010s. The purpose of the plate is unclear since it does not fit anywhere on the current boat. It may have been for a trailer, the dock or other equipment associated with the craft.Collection
Nautical, Scouting and CampfireCataloged By
Winthers, SallyAcquisition
Accession
2023.32Source or Donor
Klingenberg, Shahana (Hungerford)Acquisition Method
Donation, unconditionalDimensions
Height
2-3/4 inWidth
9-1/4 inLength
5-1/2 inLocation
* Untyped Location
Sec 3E Shelf S19Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Francis Lifeboat/Gallinipper (boat), Saugatuck Sea ScoutsGeneral Notes
Note
from https://sdhistoricalsociety.org/Newsletter/2014/oct14/oct14_newsletter.htm
American Maritime History in Our Backyard: A Story of the many Surf Boats named Gallinipper
There were a number of "Gallinipper" surfboats. The first one, according to James Sheridan, Saugatuck Through the Years (pp. 80-91) was the old (abandoned) iron Francis boat of 1854, one of the first U.S. government regulation lifesaving "surf boats," that members of the Saugatuck Sea Scouts restored in 1929-30 and refit as a training vessel, naming it Galllinipper. It was used by the Sea Scouts until the organization disbanded in the 1930s. Then, with the revival of the Sea Scouts after WW II, Carl Bird and others put the iron hulk back into commission with a rudder and centerboard to make her into a better sailing craft. But it too was abandoned when the wood-lapstrake one that Frank Lovejoy worked on replaced it, taking the same name: Gallinipper. Finally, our original 1854 boat (one of 2 remaining in the U.S.) was restored and now rests in the History Center boathouse - a testimony to the heroic and sometimes tragic history of Lake Michigan and a big note in the origins of the U.S. Lifesaving Service.Note
Ralph Birkholz, who was a 1950s-era Sea Scout, when emailed a photo of the nameplate by Sally Winthers in July 2023, did not recognize the name plate, suggesting it was indeed from the 1930s Sea Scouts era.
Mr. Birkholz writes, "I've never seen this artifact before, even when I was active in the organization during the mid to the late '50s. At that time, the only vessel we had was the motor lifeboat, of which you probably have pictures."Create Date
July 10, 2023Update Date
August 16, 2024
