At the heart of any museum is its collection; from these, we form a mission, design programs, host events, programs are designed, and so much more. Chances are, a simple walk around the Erie Maritime Museum may lead visitors to assume that the institution’s chief focus is to tell the story of the Brig Niagara or USS Michigan/Wolverine. Its not hard to imagine that, considering a large chunk of the Museum’s gallery space is dedicated to telling these two locally built vessel’s history however, our story is much more than that. You may be surprised to know that we seek to tell the story of Erie’s relationship with the water, up to and including the stories of local sailors who have served in our maritime military forces.

One of this author’s favorite artifacts has become one of these more “obscure” items. It is made of paper and is 7” x 5.5” in size. It should come to no surprise that this item is smaller than most of the items in our collection however, it tells a much larger story…one of a holiday in the midst of a dark time in human history. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, put on your comfiest ugly sweater, maybe dim the lights and give this blog post a good read.

Docked in New York City on December 25, 1917, the USS UTAH was months away from receiving orders to Europe to aid in the war effort. Launched on December 23, 1909, the Florida-Class Battleship spent World War I’s first sixteen months stateside, serving as a training ship for naval gunners and engineers. Onboard this battleship was a local sailor who is now synonymous with Erie’s maritime history - Lt. Commander William Leverett Morrison.

On this particular Christmas, as with tradition, Morrison and the crew of UTAH received a special holiday dinner and a show. On the menu included the following mouth-watering items: scalloped oysters, asparagus, pickles, turkey, ham, fresh fruit. Dessert included: fruit cake, apple pie, coffee, and cigarettes. The ship’s band was also present, playing songs such as: Moonlight on the Hudson, What Kind of an American Are You?, and American Patrol.

It is worth noting that the holiday season, while in the midst of a world war, the crew of the UTAH were able to come together, knowing full well the dangers on the Atlantic Ocean - a body of water they would soon cross. The following fall, the UTAH would be sent to Ireland. From there, they would serve as the flagship of Real Admiral Thomas S. Rodgers, American Battleship Division 6 (BatDiv6). Shortly before returning home to the United States in 1918, UTAH escorted the SS GEORGE WASHINGTON as she sailed with precious cargo - President Woodrow Wilson as he made his way to Brest, France, for post-war peace negotiations at Versailles.

The USS UTAH was demilitarized in 1931. She would meet her fate during the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when she was struck with six torpedoes. At 8:12am, UTAH capsized with several crewmembers trapped onboard. As for William Leverett Morrison, he returned to Erie serving as the final Captain of U.S.S. WOLVERINE, the second Commodore of the Erie Yacht Club as well as the first Superintendent of Presque Isle State Park. Morrison was also instrumental in raising and restoring Oliver Hazard Perry's relief flagship, U.S. Brig NIAGARA in 1913 for the Centennial of its construction and victory in the Battle of Lake Erie. Long story short, he is a very important figure in Erie, Pennsylvania’s maritime history.

Dinner and a Show

A Treaty of Peace