Refurbished German War Relic Finds a New Home
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Gloucester City has moved the German ship anchor that
had been located at the old Coast Guard Base on King Street for years. It is now positioned
near the entrance of the City Marina at the intersection of King Street and
Jersey Avenue.
The anchor was
taken from a German freighter captured by the Coast Guard off of the Atlantic
Coast during World War II. For 40 years or more the anchor sat at the entrance
of the City Coast Guard Base. When the base was abandoned by the Coast Guard in
1986 they left the anchor. For the next 21 years the anchor remained on the property
rusting away behind some high shrubs.
Thinking it would make a nice addition to the City
Marina the mayor and council asked the members of Union Local 711 Painters and Allied Trades AFL-CIO if they
would donate their time to scrape the rust off the anchor and paint it.
Photo: Two union
apprentices, Krystal Carpenter and David Gregorio began the work on the project
earlier this month.
The job was completed last week and the anchor was
moved to its new location on Wednesday (August 22) by the Public Works
Department.
No sooner was the anchor
put in place someone wrote a complaint to the "Notebook" about the swastikas that
are visible on the anchor.
The
individual in part wrote, “My
suggestion would be to have a local welder come by and change those symbols to
some sort of block or something that would mask the view of the swastika. Or
get rid of it all together.
Until then I am afraid to say that my son will miss out on
all the ships down by this harbor because I cannot subject him to such hatred,
racism and death. We will seek other harbors outside the city that bring more
comfort and heartfelt welcome to those who wish to enjoy.” He signed the
letter, Disappointed.
Gloucester City
Mayor Bill James when asked about the negative remarks said, “Because of
it historic value the City decided it would be wrong to remove the symbols. In
the near future a plaque will be placed at the foot of the anchor explaining
the history of the anchor. Please tell your son that the swastika is a
reminder of the evil that America defeated so that you and he and all of us
could have the opportunity to enjoy a walk along the harbor.”