Dr. Samantha Cavell presents at the “Maritime History Conference” on Admiral David Farragut, the first admiral in U.S. history. Courtesy of Samantha Cavell
Visiting Assistant Professor of History and Political Science Dr. Samantha Cavell flexed her experience in maritime history in New Orleans at the 11th “Maritime Heritage Conference.”
Cavell’s interest in maritime history has been with her since a young age, but she found a profession in it later in life.
Cavell did not start off her career in history. She found her love for maritime past when searching for a new passion after being “burnt” out of her job. She set her sights on history, earning her master’s degree from Louisiana State University in history. She worked with Victor State, a professor in humanities and social sciences. Cavell also attended Exeter College in Devon, United Kingdom and was able to study with professor Nicholas Rodger who is “one of the great men in the field.”
“I had just had enough of the job I was doing,” said Cavell. “I traveled a lot. I guess I got a bit burned out with it. I just didn’t love, and I’ve always been interested in maritime history my whole life. I started out reading Horndweller books by Sears Foster, and then I moved up to a book called “The Wooden World” by professor Nicholas Rodger, and I was like, ‘Wow, the facts are more exciting that the fiction.’ And that’s what got me into it, and someday I was just like, ‘Nope, I want to study this. This is what I’m interested in and got on with it.’”
Cavell became involved with the university through connections with Professor Dr. Drew Robertson who was already on campus.
“I had known Dr. Rob for many years since my LSU days, and he had asked me to come into Southeastern several times and do guest lecturing whether doing a film course on the Georgian period or the Georgian navy or anything like that,” said Cavell. “And it just grew from there.”
At the “Maritime Heritage Conference,” Cavell tapped into the history of the location of the conference discussing Admiral David Farragut’s effect on New Orleans and his contributions to the Federal victory in the civil war.
“I talked about Farragut’s capture of New Orleans in 1862 where he joined camps and because of his success,” said Cavell. “He became the first admiral. They didn’t have admirals before then, and so it’s a very exciting story.”
One audience member was even involved in current research and exploration of ships involved with her panel topic.
“One guy came up to me after my talk and told me he was involved in trying to find the wreck of the Louisiana, which was the Confederate warship that scuttled and sunk during Farragut’s capture and running of the fort in Fort Jackson,” said Cavell. “He was on the team that actually located the iron from the case made.”
Cavell’s time at the “Maritime Heritage Conference” allowed her to meet people from all walks of life in the maritime community.
“It’s been great,” said Cavell. “There’re probably about 1,000 people here and from all walks of maritime and naval historical community. It’s a really interesting mix of people who work in the presentation of history, museum and scholarly environment, but also people who actually sail these ships and build them. Reconstructing them from the ground up to create replicas that people can go on and sail in the old way.”
The conference held a diverse group of attendees connected by a similar interest.
“It’s a very diverse class, and everyone is linked by a common interest in maritime history,” said Cavell.
These panels were geared to bring education about maritime history to the public.
Cavell discussed why having these conferences in Louisiana has benefited the state.
“It’s always a good thing to bring educational crew people to New Orleans,” said Cavell. “We have so much to offer here. We got our maritime history on the river and on the lake. It’s just a culturally rich place for historians and people who are inserted in history to come to.”
Cavell admitted that it has been an adjustment to juggle both her lecturing and speaking at conference.
“It’s a lot right now,” said Cavell. “I have to try and get a good night’s sleep, but unfortunately when I’m with all my mates, especially a bunch of sailors, going to bed early is not an option. There are lots of after hour drinking drinks at bars that happens whenever we go.”
Cavell’s next maritime conference will be the “Tugs & Barges Conference & Expo” in Philadelphia. The “Maritime Heritage Conference” will hold the part of its conference in April in conjunction with “Navy Week” where new and historical ships from all over America and even some Dutch warships will gather in New Orleans and the general public will be able to have hands-on experience that would be for people not just knowable about maritime.
“That’s what it’s all about,” said Cavell. “Bringing on the general public to have an experience of what a sailing ship looks like, feels like, sound like how it works. Just get a sense of history being on board.”
Correction: In an earlier version of this article posted on Feb. 20, 2018, the maritime conference was referrred to as the “Tugs & Barges Conference & Expo” in Philadelphia. It was later clarified that the conference should be referred to as the "Consortium on the Revolutionary Era in Philadelphia."