Hero's ship comes
in, after years of neglect
Recognition: The memory of Matthew A. Henson, whose
role in Robert E. Peary's expedition to the North
Pole was ignored for decades, is honored as a Navy
ship named for him arrives in Baltimore.
Henson's accomplishments
were always honored by his family, said 75-year-old
Olive Henson of Boston, a grandniece of the
Maryland-born polar adventurer. She remembers
visiting him in New York City when she was a child
and trying on his arctic gear. He entertained his family
with tales of the Inuit people, who taught the
explorers how to survive in the high arctic and held
Henson in highest esteem. Both Henson and Peary
fathered children with Inuit women.
Olive Henson once asked her
father, Earl, whether Matthew was ever angry about
the way his achievements were ignored.
"He said, 'No. That's not our family's
way'."
By Frank D. Roylance
Sun Staff
The spirit of
African-American explorer Matthew A. Henson returned
to Baltimore yesterday aboard the Navy's newest and
most sophisticated oceanographic survey ship, the
330-foot USNS Henson.
His descendants were there,
some on board and others waiting proudly at the dock. "One hundred twenty
years ago, Matthew Alexander Henson left the Inner
Harbor as a 13-year-old cabin boy. One hundred twenty
years later, a ship bearing his name -- a
state-of-the-art Navy survey ship -- returns to
Baltimore. I think there's a little bit of irony
there,"
The USNS Henson is one of seven
ocean research ships in town this week for the Marine
Technology Society's meeting at the Convention
Center.But it was the historic --
and human -- significance of the Henson's arrival
yesterday that most moved the small crowd on hand.
Henson's pivotal role in
Navy Cmdr. Robert E. Peary's 1909 expedition to the
North Pole was widely ignored in his day. Although
Henson broke trails, built camps, repaired sleds,
drove the dog teams and might have reached the pole
first, Peary was given the honor as his own. It was
not until 1937 that the Explorer's Club in New York
recognized Henson's contribution.
It took until 1954 -- a year
before Henson's death -- for Henson to win full
recognition from his government. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower presented him with an award acknowledging
his achievement.
Henson's accomplishments
were always honored by his family, said 75-year-old
Olive Henson of Boston, a grandniece of the
Maryland-born polar adventurer. She remembers
visiting him in New York City when she was a child
and trying on his arctic gear. He entertained his family
with tales of the Inuit people, who taught the
explorers how to survive in the high arctic and held
Henson in highest esteem. Both Henson and Peary
fathered children with Inuit women.
She was one of several
family members on hand yesterday when the ship came
into sight after an overnight cruise from Norfolk.
"I'm so thrilled. My heart won't stop
pounding," she said. The arrival ceremonies were
accompanied by a band from Matthew A. Henson Middle
School in Charles County.
For more information, try
the Internet at www.matthewhenson. com.
Originally published on
Nov 17 1998