With Memorial Day fresh on everyone’s minds, we should all be remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the US Armed Forces and, given Niagara‘s role in the War of 1812, it is only fitting for us to take a dive into how Niagara can honor those members of the US Navy who gave their lives in service of our country.

The US Navy can trace its origins back to the founding of the Continental Navy on October 13, 1775 in Philadelphia by an act of the Continental Congress. Fast forward to 2024, and preparations are well underway to plan the 250th Anniversary of the US Navy in Philadelphia which is being called “Homecoming 250.” As part of that effort, organizers are attempting to bring in one vessel to represent every major war that the US Navy has fought in. According to event organizers (archived here in case it changes), US Brig Niagara is currently slated to represent the US Navy from the War of 1812.

Given Niagara’s pivotal role in the Battle of Lake Erie which represented the first time an entire British naval squadron was captured, it is hard to think of a better choice since the Navy is unlikely to risk sailing USS Constitution from Boston to Philadelphia so they can participate in the festivities. And what better fit for Niagara whose mission is to sail to other ports as an ambassador for Pennsylvania? It seems like a no brainer to have PA’s flagship attend such a significant event in Pennsylvania. One of the Navy’s mottos to this day is “Don’t Give Up The Ship” which was first used as Perry’s battle flag during the Battle of Lake Erie to honor the last words of his friend- James Lawrence. Beyond the historical significance, what better way to advertise Erie and what it has to offer to the state and nation as a whole than to have Erie’s crowning jewel be one of the centerpieces of the US Navy’s 250th Anniversary? And on a more somber note, shouldn’t part of Niagara’s mission be to honor and educate the public about the sacrifices made by those who served on her and similar vessels in the early days of the Navy?

Perhaps much more significantly, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionThe Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the state agency that stewards the U.S. Brig Niagara and Erie Maritime Museum. The PHMC is responsible for the collect... (PHMC) who as of January 1, 2024 maintained full control over Niagara, may have a legal duty to take Niagara to the 250th anniversary celebration of the US Navy. PHMC is bound by Title 37 of the PA Consolidated Statutes in how they operate as an organization and how they operate Niagara. Section 705.b states: “The commission shall have the power and duty to: (1) Coordinate with the Department of Military Affairs, the United State Navy and other appropriate organizations in commemorating significant events of our naval and maritime heritage. (2) Sail the United States Brig Niagara, within the means at its command, to various ports of call and commemorative events as the official sailing ambassador for Pennsylvania.” I am not sure about you but I would consider the 250th anniversary of the US Navy to be a commemoration of a significant event of naval heritage, which would mean that PHMC has a legal duty to try and have Niagara participate in Homecoming 250.

Since it seems like it would be obvious that Niagara will still be attending and that PHMC likely has a legally required duty to take her, let’s take a look at the Erie Maritime Museum’s (EMM) new FAQ (archived here in case it changes) section about whether or not Niagara will attend.

Wait, what? Niagara will now no longer be attending the US Navy celebration? It seems like it is such a perfect fit for Niagara that completely aligns with her mission and is a public relations home run.

How Did We Get Here?

Before I get into to too much more, I want to quickly address a common concern I’ve heard from people over how “the state wants to take Niagara to Philadelphia and leave her there,” or something along those lines. At no point in any of the evidence I saw were there plans that involved taking her to Philadelphia that did not include bringing her back to Erie after the Homecoming 250 celebration. I also did not see anyone expressing any interest in keeping Niagara in Philadelphia. Now that is out of the way, let’s continue.

The Flagship Niagara League (FNL) was first notified of Homecoming 250’s goal of having Niagara attend in 2020 and according to multiple sources that information was passed along to the acting EMM Site Administrator Tyler Gum. FNL continued to discuss it as a goal with PHMC which can be seen in the attached notes from March 21, 2021 that current EMM site Admin Jim HallJames E. Hall is the Site Administrator for the Erie Maritime Museum and a PHMC staff member. He replaced Walter Rybka in December of 2020. His background includes 13 years with th... was not only listed as in attendance at, but also provided a report during the meeting. This confirms that in 2020-2021, PHMC was aware that organizers were hoping that Niagara would attend and that FNL was interested in taking her. As far as we can tell, PHMC did not voice any concerns over these plans at that time.

First Signs of Trouble

The first communication from documents obtained during a Right to KnowA Right to Know (RTK) request is a request for information from a state or local government body in Pennsylvania. You are allowed to request any kind of information, and aside from... (RTK) request was EMM Museum Educator Chuck Johnson’s initial reaction to a news story where FNL stated they wanted to take Niagara to Philadelphia. He said in part “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go load up on Tylenol… these two give me instant migraines” in April 2023 (see email for reference). The “two” items Chuck is referencing are Niagara‘s participation in Tall Ships Erie 2025, and Homecoming 250. From there, Howard Pollman indicated that PHMC had yet to hear anything from FNL about this, which again from my understanding is incorrect since we know Jim Hall was aware since at least March 2021 and Tyler Gum was likely aware as of 2020. Why was PHMC now claiming they were unaware? Did neither Tyler nor Jim pass that information along to the appropriate parties at PHMC? Did PHMC forget? Either way, it is apparent from the start of 2023 that PHMC was not in support of Niagara attending the event.

In May of 2023, EMM Site Admin Jim Hall reached out to the Homecoming 250 team and received information regarding the event (see email for reference) and their hope of bringing Niagara there. Attached were draft PA House and Senate resolutions where the draft House resolution called out the importance of having Niagara attend. As far as we can tell, PHMC did not act upon it beyond an internal conversation over how PHMC should be the point of contact with organizers instead of FNL. Was PHMC more worried about who would be the face of Niagara than whether or not she would attend the event itself?

PHMC Attempts to Cut FNL Out of Discussions

There is general silence until July 2023, when George S. Leone, who is the Chair and President of the Homecoming 250 celebration, reached out to Captain William SabatiniFleet Captain William "Billy" Sabatini is the executive director and fleet captain of the Flagship Niagara League. Sabatini grew up in southeastern Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, and ... and EMM Site Administrator Jim Hall on July 17, 2023. (see email for reference) Leone references previous discussions about how important it is to the Homecoming 250 committee and the Governor’s Office for Niagara to attend. He invited both to their Ships Committee meetings. Jim Hall immediately replies indicating that FNL should be left out of discussions regarding Niagara‘s attendance and that “the contracted relationship between PHMC and the FNL may very well change in the future.” So it seems like PHMC was already planning on ending their relationship with FNL and was actively cutting them out of conversations a full five months before they were officially notified in December 2023.

PHMC then met with the Homecoming 250 representatives and the notes coming out of that meeting include some gems like “We are delighted that, subject to PHMC’s final approval, the Pennsylvania State Flagship Niagara may participate in the Navy and Marine Corps 250th Celebration in Philadelphia… I look forward to a definitive yes.” (see email for reference) From there it goes on to talk through how Niagara could be used similar to the Olympic torch where it would stop at ports along the way between Erie and Philadelphia to help spread information and create support for the Homecoming 250 celebration. That sounds like a great plan to bring attention to the event, as well as what Niagara has to offer, and to Erie in general!

PHMC Reverses Course

Everything appears to be trending up until September 19, 2023 when PHMC Director of Bureau of Museums Melissa MannMelissa Mann serves as Director of the Bureau of Historic Sites & Museums for PHMC. Starting the role in 2021, she supervises 24 state-owned historic sites and museums along th... replies and indicates that Niagara will not be able to attend. Her reasoning is due to the high cost of $1-1.2 million and concerns over the timeline for her refit (see email for reference). However, this information was not broadcast publicly until the EMM updated their FAQ on their website in the last week or two.

Less than one month after Mann’s email, Captain Sabatini indicated he was attending an event in Philadelphia where the Homecoming 250 folks were going to “introduce me to the Governor so I can stress the importance of Niagara being in Philadelphia representing the Commonwealth, and the Commonwealth’s and Erie’s strong connection to the US Navy…” (see email for reference). Sabatini included all of that in an email to PHMC where he was discussing the importance of taking Niagara to shipyard in the fall of 2023 and that not doing so would put Niagara‘s ability to sail in 2025 at risk and that “This shipyard period is a part of the path that gets Niagara there.” The “there” is Philadelphia for Homecoming 250. He also outlines a timeline that would complete Niagara‘s maintenance by July 2025. Just one month before the likely date for Tall Ships Erie and just in time for the Homecoming 250 event in October of that year. That timeline required Niagara to go to shipyard in April 2024, a date which is now gone and past, as Niagara still sits in her berth in Erie under her winter cover, without a captain, shipwright, or crew, and without any concrete plans for taking her to shipyard. The previous Niagara Captain outlined a plan that would get Niagara to the Homecoming 250 events, but it required interim milestones to be met that are now overdue. Has PHMC’s inaction and delays since taking over full control of Niagara cost us the chance of having Niagara attend? Every delay by PHMC continues to put Niagara‘s future timelines of when she can sail again and represent Pennsylvania once more at risk.

Can Niagara Still Attend Homecoming 250?

According to PHMC, Niagara will not attending for two reasons: Niagara‘s upcoming refit and cost. Which leads us to believe that if both can be addressed, then yes Niagara could still attend the Homecoming 250 celebration. And at the surface level both concerns appear to be valid, but let’s take a look at both in a little more detail.

Refit Timeline

Niagara obviously would be unable to attend if she were actively undergoing repairs, however the same FAQ section that says that Niagara will not be able to attend the Homecoming 250 event also says “our [PHMC’s] hope is that the necessary repairs and updates will be completed in time for Niagara to sail as part of Tall Ships Erie 2025.” Tall Ships Erie will occur in the Summer of 2025 (in 2022 it was in August), which is before the Homecoming 250 event in October. So based on PHMC’s own statements they are hoping to have Niagara‘s repairs completed in time.

Why then are they also not hoping to have Niagara attend the 250th Anniversary Celebration of the US Navy and are instead saying that there is no way it will happen? Or do they already know that Niagara will not be ready in time for Tall Ships Erie and are just leaving that “hope” out there so they can try to mislead the public to calm any concerns and outrage about Niagara not participating in Tall Ships Erie 2025? Which is it- do they hope repairs will be completed in time or not? I think we need to trust what PHMC is saying when they say that they hope Niagara will be ready by Tall Ships Erie 2025, since I would hope that a state-owned agency is not intentionally misleading the public. In which case, they would also be hoping that Niagara will be ready in time for the Homecoming 250 celebration.

Funding Concerns

Now let’s take a look at their second reason for not attending from the FAQ– the cost where “factoring in the cost of approximately $1.5 million, or 6.7 percent of PHMC’s total annual budget, for transporting Niagara to Philadelphia made participation even more unfeasible.” Assuming PHMC was telling the truth regarding their hope for Niagara to sail during Tall Ships Erie 2025, it likely all comes down to the $1.5 million number. While that is significant, it is not out of the reach of what is feasible. In PHMC’s statement they made it sound like they would need to foot the full cost of the bill which is almost certainly not true. Whenever Niagara voyaged to another port she received a fee for her time there, so one could only assume that Homecoming 250 would cover part of the cost of Niagara‘s attendance.

Even if PHMC could not afford the $1.5 million, there are still other potential sources of revenue PHMC could pursue. In the time it took me to write this article, here are the options I came up with. With the resources PHMC has at their disposal I would hope that they could come up with better solutions than me.

• Whenever Niagara sailed to another port she was normally paid a fee for attending. What were the Homecoming 250 organizers willing to pay?
• Similarly, Niagara could have stopped at other ports along the way there and back and collected port fees from other cities along the Northeast between Erie and Philadelphia.
• As PA’s flagship, PHMC could have worked with PA legislators to secure additional funding for Niagara to attend the event.
• The entire federal congressional delegation from PA, NJ, and DE signed a letter indicating their support for the event. Would they have been willing to help secure federal funding for Niagara to attend?
• PHMC could have partnered with the US Navy for a sponsorship. Since the Secretary of the Navy announced the event, there is definitely interest.
• Similarly, PHMC could have looked outside of the box to something like stopping in Boston to pick up sailors from USS Constitution and sailing with them onboard the rest of the way to Philadelphia similar to how Niagara has partnered with the Navy to have sailors from Constitution sail onboard in the past.
• Would private and nonprofit sponsors have been willing to help fund the cost for Niagara to attend?
• Would local organizations have been willing to help cover the cost so that they could advertise what Erie has to offer to a much broader audience?

We don’t know the answers to any of these questions and according to PHMC it looks like they only looked internally for sources of funding since it is hard to believe that there would have been no other sources of revenue to get Niagara to attend. Even if one of them was not the magic bullet, PHMC likely could have combined different options with internal funding to secure the necessary resources instead of just relying on their current internal budget. Instead of giving up efforts to get the ship to Philadelphia, why isn’t PHMC trying to get the funding through some other method for Niagara to attend such a significant event?

How to Get Niagara to Philadelphia

First, if you are a Pennsylvania resident reach out to your state representative and senator about why having Niagara attend is important to you. And even if you don’t live in PA, the national reach of the Homecoming 250 event presents an opportunity for you to get involved as well. Consider writing to your congressional representatives and senators at the national level about how important it is to you for Niagara to attend the 250th Anniversary Celebration of the US Navy. Either of those actions may help put pressure on PHMC for Niagara to attend or to be able to help secure state and/or federal funding to cover the cost of getting Niagara there.

At the start of the Battle of Lake Erie, Oliver Hazard Perry stated “If a victory is to be gained, I will gain it.” I hope that PHMC can honor Perry’s legacy by not admitting defeat for the idea of Niagara attending such a monumental event and that that they can look elsewhere to find funding. Especially when the statutes that govern their operations provides them a duty to take Niagara to exactly this type of event. This is exactly what Niagara was built to do and part of the reason she even exists. Instead of saying “No”, maybe PHMC should honor Perry and change their mindset to “If a victory is to be gained, I will gain it.”

Don’t Give Up The Ship!

Steven