My project reflects who I am, especially my future career in the military. I have a great interest in how we remember/memorialize acts of valor, both in and out of combat. Also, in all likelihood the first time I will ever teach a history class it will be at the Naval Academy teaching American Naval Heritage.
With that said, I have decided to take on the subject of William Lewis Herndon and the S.S. Central as mentioned in last week’s class. This is a great story from its very origins. Herndon, in the middle of an exceptional naval career took command of the mail ship S.S. Central America. His ship was struck by a powerful storm that disabled the ship’s boilers. Captain Herndon went down with his ship and about 3 tons of California “49er” gold. The gold was rediscovered by treasure hunters in the late 1980s, leading to a decade long court battle with insurers. I believe that the story between the ravenous court battle over the gold and the relative anonymity of Captain Herndon, need to be examined and pose an exceptional opportunity to challenge students, promote critical thinking, and encourage professional development as future Navy or Marine Corps officers.