unitedstatesmarines

The collier Vestal was launched on May 19, 1908 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Miss Gladys Goodrich, daughter of the yard commandant, christened the vessel.
See New-York Tribune (New York [N.Y.]), May 20, 1908, p. 1. col. 2, with photo of launching at top of page.
" Miss Gladys Goodrich, daughter of the commandant, broke the customary bottle of champagne and named the vessel. The launching party reached the stand at the bow about 10:30 o'clock. It consisted of Major General and Mrs. Frederick Dent Grant, Captain James D. Adams, Lieutenant William F. Bricker, General Stewart L. Woodford, Lieutenant Commander Edward S. Kellogg, Emory S. Land, Lieutenant Carlos Pfiester, of the Italian navy; Admiral C. H. West (retired); Congressman W. M. Calder, Commandant Goodrich and his daughter. At 10:45 the whistle of the derrick near by gave a screech and the workmen were ordered out from beneath the ways. A few moments later the boat slid into the water."
This indicates that the Asst. Naval Constructor Land was Emory S. Land.


According to
- www.brooklynnavyyard.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Comma...
Rear Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich, was commandant of the Brooklyn Navy Yard from 1 June 1907 – 15 May 1909.

The Find a Grave memorial for Gladys (14 Jun 1886 - 26 Jan 1933) is at
www.findagrave.com/memorial/6731607/gladys-brennon

The New Haven union (New Haven, Conn.), May 13, 1908, (POSTSCRIPT EDITION), p. 3, col. 5 with photo of the collier "Vestal"
- www.loc.gov/resource/sn92051126/1908-05-13/ed-1/?sp=3&amp...

Headline: Rear Admiral's Daughter Collier's Sponsor
Caption: COLLIER VESTAL ON IHE WAYS AT THE NAVY YARD.
"New York, May 13. - In the presence of several thousand persons the collier Vestal, the largest vessel of the kind in the world, will be launched next Tuesday at the New York navy yard.
Miss Gladys Goodrich, daughter of Rear Admiral Casper F. Goodrich has been named as sponsor of the Vestal. When she breaks the bottle of wine against the bow of the collier at 10:45 o'clock Tuesday morning she will have as an escort on the christening platform half a dozen young women."

Presumably Miss Green is one of the young women.

New-York tribune (New York [N.Y.]), May 20, 1908, P. 1, Col.2. under "BIG COLLIER LAUNCHED"
- www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1908-05-20/ed-1/?sp=1&amp...
'The Vestal Slides Into the East River Without a Hitch.
With from 25,000 to 30,000 persons cheering, the big United States collier Vestal slid from the Brooklyn Navy Yard into the East River yesterday. Naval Constructor William J. Baxter, the designer of the boat, was in charge of the launching ceremony. There was not a hitch in the programme.
"The launching was the finest that I have ever had anything to do with," said the constructor afterward. "In about fifteen months from now we will have another launching here-this time a Dreadnought-if the bureau at Washington does not slip up on its plans."
Miss Gladys Goodrich, daughter of the commandant, broke the customary bottle of champagne and named the vessel. The launching party reached the stand at the bow about 10:30 o'clock. It consisted of Major General and Mrs. Frederick Dent Grant, Captain James D. Adams, Lieutenant William F. Bricker, General Stewart L. Woodford, Lieutenant Commander Edward S. Kellogg, Emory S. Land, Lieutenant Carlos Pfiester, of the Italian navy, Admiral C. H. West (retired); Congressman W. M. Calder, Commandant Goodrich and his daughter. At 10:45 the whistle of the derrick near by gave a screech and the workmen were ordered out from beneath the ways. A few moments later the boat slid into the water.
When the Vestal is completed, in three or four months, she will be the largest fleet collier in the world. Her length on the water line is 450 feet and overall 465 feet 9 inches. Her beam is 60 feet and her draft 26 feet.
A dinner was held under the auspices of the Navy Yard Employes' Association at the Assembly, in Pierrepont street, in the evening. About five hundred men were present. In responding to the toast "The Battleships We Hope to Build and the Prosperity of Our Navy" Naval Constructor Baxter thanked the men for their cooperation in making the collier a success and expressed his belief that the government would soon see that better work could be done at the navy yard than elsewhere.'

So this is the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Asst. Naval Constructor Land is Emory S. Land.

A Find a Grave memorial for Gladys Goodrich (14 Jun 1886 - 26 Jan 1933) is at
- www.findagrave.com/memorial/6731607/gladys-brennon

See also

This rifle team performed well in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. See the [Omaha, Neb] Monitor., August 08, 1924, page 1, towards bottom of column 3. chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/00225879/1924-08-08/ed-1/... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_C._McDougal "Douglas C. McDougal (April 23, 1876 – January 20, 1964) was the 10th Assistant to the Major General Commandant of the Marine Corps." The New Britain herald. June 26, 1924, Page 9, top of 2 right hand columns. chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014519/1924-06-26/ed-... states that the U.S. won gold, and the Haiti team was trained by the American Marines, saying, "General McDougall, of the Haitien Gendarmerie, who is a Lieutenant colonel of the United States Marine Corps, had the pleasure of seeing his dusky charges tie the redoubtable Finns and descendants of William Tell."

This image appeared with the following caption. "A great ovation was given the rifle team of Haiti on its return home after tying for second place in the Olympics. The victorious riflemen of the Gendarmerie d'Haiti, coached by United States marines, were accompanied to France by their commander, Col. Douglas McDougal U.S.M.C. in the foreground." Source: Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 17 Aug. 1924. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1924-08-17/ed-...)

Thanks swanq and Dean Z, we'll add this information to the catalog record. When I looked up the Olympic results from 1924 I saw Haiti got bronze despite tying for second with France. After tying, they held a shoot-off to determine who would get second and third and France won, so Haiti officially placed third.

William Knox Martin (USMC) (October 30, 1892 - July 28, 1927) Distinguished aviator, painter and poet, W. Knox Martin. He is also the father of artist Knox Martin. See: earlyaviators.com/emartin.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knox_Martin