The Portland's legacy

Evan Kovacs presenting ROV video footage from Portland

The year was 1898. Just three days after Thanksgiving, New England would see the worst maritime disaster in the region's history. The passenger steamship Portland left Boston at 7 pm, bound for Portland, Maine. Meanwhile, the storm of two centuries swept up the North American coast, claiming shipwrecks in her wake. The Portland sailed straight into the storm, and none of the approximately 200 people on board survived. 

It's been 125 years since 1898 - well, 2023 was. Last October, my collaborators at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary planned an event to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the sinking of the Portland. Unforeseen circumstances forced us to reschedule, but we were finally able to hold the event last weekend!

Terry Wolkowicz from Sound Explorations sharing her
music-based educational creation about Portland's 
biological community. https://vimeo.com/842533494

We gathered in Portland, Maine, the ship's namesake city. Portland is also the community with the strongest impact of the ship's sinking. In fact, you can still find descendants and relatives of individuals who lost their lives on the Portland in Portland, Maine.

For me, Portland's 125th anniversary celebration was a time to connect with colleagues. Two different people who I had worked closely with during our 2019-2020 telepresence project showed up to the event, and I was delighted to see them again. Another person who I had only ever met on Zoom was there, so we finally got to talk in person! I also used the chance while I was in town to catch up with a researcher I met during covid - another first in-person meeting!

I was glad to contribute to the Portland anniversary commemoration. It was a good day.