Bravo Zulu — or well done — to the young men and women of Sea Scout Ship 1942.
The ship, also known by the awesome name Dragonlady, is based in Arlington, Va., and was recently selected by the Boat Owners Association of The United States and the BSA as the 2014 Sea Scout National Flagship.
That award recognizes Dragonlady‘s “exemplary program of seamanship and youth development.”
Ship 1942 has something really good going. This year is the third time Dragonlady has found its way into the BSA national spotlight.
It was the 2007 Sea Scout National Flagship and was one of the ships named to the 2012 Flagship Fleet. Ship 1942 annually meets the Journey to Excellence (JTE) “Gold” level and has been a Northeast Regional Standard Ship since 2002.
What’s the ship’s secret to success? A large, co-ed group of youth members helps. Ship 1942 has an average of about 40 members and recruits well every spring.
Then there’s the Ship 1942 fleet, which includes 15 sailboats, 12 of which are named after points in the Scout Law.
As with any unit, on land or at sea, adult volunteers play a critical role. Ship 1942 has 35 passionate volunteers serving as skipper, mates and committee members. Thirty-three of these adults are fully trained for their positions of responsibility, with a combined total of hundreds of years of experience and thousands of miles of offshore sailing.
Sea Scouts from Ship 1942 go on to do great things, including enrolling in West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
2014 National Flagship Fleet
Of course, Ship 1942 isn’t the only great group of Sea Scouts out there. The 2014 National Flagship Fleet recognizes other ships for their outstanding programs over the past year:
- Ship 378, The Dawn Treader, Flint River Council, Newnan American Legion Post 57, Georgia
- Ship 450, Heatwave, Las Vegas Area Council, Lake Havasau City Outrigger Canoe Club, Nevada
- Ship 601, City of Roses, Cascade Pacific Council, Fleet Reserve Association, Branch #55, Oregon
- Ship 678, Tsunami, Cascade Pacific Council, Battle Ground Elks, Oregon
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