HOUSTON, TX – We’ve all heard the age-old saying, “history’s bound to repeat itself.” So, it’s important to remember and learn from our past mistakes. In an age of “out with the old and in with the new,” it’s nice to know there’s an effort to preserve a piece of our past. Even if it is from one of the darkest times in human history. Nazi Germany.
So what may look like an old, rotting boat to some is in actuality, so much more because the boat was more of a life-preserver. Project Manager, Walter Hansen, described the Danish fishing boat that belongs to Houston’s Holocaust Museum, as a representation of Danish citizens’ efforts who moved about 7,200 Jews out of Nazi Germany into Sweden in about a three week period.
“Wise-guy” Glenn Beck’s comments back in 2012, that the ship’s restoration was a waste of both time and money, seemed to really boost the efforts to fund the preservation of the ship. A career of soul-saving has, at the very least, earned the boat a comfortable retirement.
So, a specially designed steel cradle is throwing the vessel a lifeline, protecting it from the corrosion and rot that had been taking a toll on the ole’ girl. It’s also the first step in restoring the boat to its former glory.
So forget about a message in a bottle, because the grounded history lesson still has a profound message to share, and Hansen said it best. The boat is a reminder that, “The efforts of individuals can successfully overcome even the most organized oppression.”
