Generations of Dedication, 1901 - 1996
by Madeline Carol

Charleston, South Carolina, a port by the sea, has since its beginnings had a strong connection with life on the sea. From its earliest times,the natural harbor at Charleston oriented the city toward the sea and enhanced its commerce and economic well-being. Charleston was a prosperous city until the War Between the States, when its economy was shattered and its life devastated by the effects of the war. In an effort to soften the economic impact of the loss, many saw in Charleston's natural harbor and waterfront the ability to attract jobs. As Charleston moved into the twentieth century, the reality of a Charleston Naval Shipyard was envisioned as an economic enhancer. Up the Charleston peninsula beyond The Neck was extensive marshland surrounding what were the remnants of inactive rice plantations which once had prospered in the Low country. But at the close of the nineteenth century the deteriorating but stately mansions and their inactive rice fields and waterfront property were available. Beyond the large creek and marshlands above The Neck are, there were Marshlands Plantation and Turnball Plantation. In August of 1901 the Navy took possession of both plantations and in 1902 acquired the marshlands from there down to the Shipyard creek. The first dry dock was begun and completed in 1907. A powerhouse was constructed, and in 1909 the first vessel was dry-docked at the Shipyard. The improvementswould continue as the Shipyard became the Charleston Naval Base and the Charleston Naval Shipyard. This facility would in time see state-of-the-art ships and submarines frequenting it. The marshlands down to the Shipyard creek would end up being filled and become dry land on which buildings, roads and facilities would be built. The location of the rice industry of the nineteenth century would become the location of the naval industry of the twentieth century, and the Charleston Naval Shipyard on a daily basis would be the destination for generations of Charlestonians reporting to their jobs in the morning and leaving in the afternoon to go back to their homes and their families in communities supported and built in part upon the revenue that the Charleston Naval Shipyard generated. The Charleston Naval Shipyard would become a place of duty, where one could experience one of the finest run operations in America.

Through the gates of the Shipyard would go workers and Navy personnel who not only would build up special loyalties to the Navy but who would build up special friendships. These friendships would spill over into civilian life outside the Shipyard, and the Shipyard would become part of the family fabric of Charleston.

For the many of us who have worked at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, we can remember driving through the MacMillan Street Gate, finding our parking area and reporting for work. Many of us recall getting out of our cars in the big lots outside the fence and walking through the gates into the Shipyard to put in a full day. We can remember the rainstorms that we ran through during these walks, and we can remember the Old Powerhouse standing vigil and committed to the mission of the charleston Naval Shipyard. We remember the sounds of the twelve o'clock noon hour and the lunch breaks that were but small respites from the hours of work that we had just completed and still faced.

As one recalls the days of the Shipyard, each of us can remember the sounds, the sights, the smells, and the feelings which made up our years at the Charleston Naval Shipyard.

With the announcement of the closure of the Charleston naval Shipyard and base, we can see the fabric of our past being torn apart and the spirit of what once was, disappearing.

In this painting, Madeline Carol has attempted to capture our memory, our hopes and our commitment to the Navy. She has attempted to build in, through colors and through the enhancement of nature's actions, the feelings that each of us had when we reported for work and when we departed from work. You can see in this painting the fond memories of the beautiful horizon, and yet you can feel the excitement and relief at having completed a day's work and heading home to family and friends. Though tight enough in its composition and lines to recreate reality, the image has been injected with enough impressionism through style and colors to give life and energy; and Madeline Carol invokes different moments, reflections and ghostly apparitions to take you back to that spot in time so that you can - in the present - relive feelings of the past. The Charleston Naval Shipyard was part of the Charleston landscape; and though it will be no more, the memories that we treasure will hopefully be kept alive by this print. For here in this print are our recollections and experiences, and here is for each of us our part of that responsibility and duty which caused us to be Generations Dedicated To The Fleet.

So look in and enjoy and - through the color and graphics - relive that which is yours and Charleston's. The Charleston Naval Shipyard as it existed in its heyday with its spirit, with its people, with its hopes, and with its Southern ingredient - duty. This painting is dedicated to each of those who were or are part of what is the landscape, memory, and the story of the Charleston Naval Shipyard. This print is an attempt for each of you to share and to perpetuate this great institution, and it serves as a reminder that whether in war or in peace the Charleston Naval Shipyard never failed because we were through time, Generations Dedicated To The Fleet.

Madeline Carol, Capturing the Spirits
Art Gallery