Harbor master’s hut gets new home at Farragut brig museum

BAYVIEW – Perched high above the covered boat sheds of World War II vintage sat the harbor master’s hut.

The last vestige of the wartime base was coming down along with all of the other remaining boat sheds dating back to that time. Bayview Marina had a new owner and with that ownership change came time to take down the decrepit, patched-together facility that had served well past its time.

Linda Hackbarth, Bayview’s historian, gazed up at the hut and asked, “Could that somehow be saved?” Later, during the actual demolition, Tina Arendt, then-manager of Waterford Park Marinas, called Hackbarth in Arizona where she was wintering.

She asked, “Do you still want that harbor master hut?” Hackbarth did. No more was heard from the marina until Hackbarth returned. There, on the ground, was her project, salvaged and saved at the expense of the marina.

During that war of long ago, the boat sheds and the hut above were constructed for the purpose of training new sailors in small-boat handling, both cutters and whaleboats. This was, unfortunately, a necessary skill: Many lifeboats were used during the war, as millions of tons of shipping were sunk by both Japanese and Germans.

Built by Bill Bockstruck and Harold Stewart, two local carpenters, the hut is still in pretty good shape for its age. The harbor master Haven Berg, also a local, sat high up in the hut, directing traffic as the neophyte sailors learned their new skills. His name was prophetic, as a haven he did supply. The view from the hut was spectacular, but Berg’s only mission was to make sure his charges got back safely.

All of the above are long gone now, but their memory still lingers. Now the problem was, “Where do we display it?” Hackbarth said. For a year, several locations were explored until finally the rangers at Farragut State Park, just up the road a few blocks, were asked. Yes, they would love to have it, said head ranger Randall Butt. It turns out that the park, which houses a museum in the original brig, is looking for a World War II vintage whaleboat to go with the hut.

The harbor master’s hut, with the permission and cooperation of Bob Holland, CEO of Waterford Park Marina, and with the assistance of Norma Jean Knowles, Dave Vig and a cast of many, arrived at the brig last week, where it will be made new, then displayed at the courtyard of the former prison for all to see.

In all, a great job of cooperation between developer, the park and one lone historian.