The NSN SS Centennial: The First Ship in the Nebraska State Navy

Nope, you read that correctly. Nebraska has a State Navy!

…Well, sort of.

While Nebraska is known for being a land of “prairie schooners” (i.e. covered wagons) voyaging across its wave-like hills, it’s hardly one of the states that comes to mind when people think of naval activity. However, this didn’t deter Theodore W. Metcalf from establishing the Nebraska Admirals Association in 1931. After he found himself in the role of Acting Governor for a few weeks, Gov. Metcalf thought it would be amusing to establish the organization so he could bestow the title of Admiral to some of his close friends. This in turn also resulted in the establishment of the (mythical) Great Navy of the State of Nebraska – the country’s only land-locked navy.

The SS Centennial’s Beginnings

Rich Gallentine, Tom Moderow, Mark Hansen and Glenn Friendt aboard the SS Centennial

Upon its inception, the fleet of the Nebraska State Navy consisted of exactly zero commissioned vessels. However, this began to change in 1965 when four students from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln got an idea for how they could spread awareness for the upcoming Centennial celebration for the state of Nebraska (est. 1867). Three of these students were from Aurora – Rich Gallentine, Tom Moderow and Mark Hansen. The fourth, Glenn Friendt, was from Lincoln. Together, these four decided it would be fun to build a replica of an 1860’s fur-trading raft, and then sail it down the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers to bring attention to Nebraska’s Centennial year, and to serve as a good-will voyage to the other states encountered along the way. Their plan gained support from then-governor Frank Morrison, who brought the idea before the Nebraska 1967 Centennial Committee. Their plan was green lit by the committee, and construction on the vessel began in April of 1966 at the Nebraska Vocational School in Milford, NE.

Ship Specifications

·      Shipbuilder – Lowell Welsh

·      Size – 10 ft. x 24 ft.

·      Deck made from split logs

·      Flotation – steel pontoon barrels on each side

·      Propulsion – 2 Mercury Outboard Marine Motors, 50 hp. each

·      Average speed – 8-10 mph. (~7-9 knots)

·      Painted goldenrod yellow and royal blue, the colors of the Nebraska state flag

·      Flags – A 37-star American flag (commemorating Nebraska as the 37th state) and the Nebraska state flag

·      Radio-telephone system provided by the Hamilton Telephone Company and Motorola

The 1966 Voyage

On July 16, 1966, the NSN SS Centennial was officially commissioned in a full naval program at the Omaha dock of the Sioux City-New Orleans Barge Lines. Gov. Morrison gave the Commissioning Directive, and Admiral Don H. Shriner gave the Commissioning Acceptance and Captain’s Directive. Mrs. Maxine Morrison, wife of Gov. Morrison, had the honor of christening the ship with a bottle of milk. (As the crew members were not of age to drink alcohol, and Nebraska was known more for its dairy industry than for its spirits, milk was used in place of champagne.) Naturally, the crew members for the ship were the four students who originated the idea and, of course, all four were bestowed with the title of Admiral – the only rank within the Nebraska State Navy – as well as Junior Representatives of the State of Nebraska. For their uniforms, the crew wore Nebraska red blazers and hats.

Captain ……………..… Admiral Rich Gallentine

Executive Officer …….. Admiral Tom Moderow

Information Officer ….. Admiral Glenn Friendt

Fishing Officer ……….... Admiral Mark Hansen

Immediately after launch, the SS Centennial began her thirty-day voyage southward. As it is with all journeys, not all was smooth sailing for the SS Centennial. By the time it got to Memphis, TN, the crew became worried the ship had a leak in its flotation barrels as it began to sit lower and lower into the water. This was because the wood of the raft had become waterlogged, and the craft needed to stop and be drained of nearly 300 extra pounds of water before it could continue its mission. Previously, the crew had made a few jokes about how the SS Centennial may not only be Nebraska’s first ship, but also its first submarine. No such jokes were cracked again after this incident. Some other inconveniences the crew experienced during the voyage were losing the anchor on the second day of sailing, subsequent losses of a radio, a camp stove grill, a shoe and a shirt falling overboard, narrowly escaping a collision on the busy waterways, hardly catching any fish in the rivers, encountering “white rain” for the first time in Louisiana, battling shrimp flies, and running aground a few times on sandbars.

However, aside from these difficulties, there were no major incidents during the voyage, and there was much fun to be had as the SS Centennial drew enthusiastic crowds along the shores of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. At each destination they stopped at, the crew of the SS Centennial were received with great hospitality, and much good-will was expressed between the Nebraska crew and the various people they met along the way. As Rich Gallentine recalled, “We were treated like kings at receptions in many cases. Besides staying in hotels, we had chauffeurs, limousines, etc. In one case in Baton Rouge, we stayed in the presidential suit of the hotel.” Glenn Friendt also recounted how there was much interest in the purpose of their voyage and Nebraska’s upcoming Centennial. “The interest and friendliness was so natural that we felt perfectly at home and that we were leaving neighbors behind when we left.” The crew also exchanged gifts with various state, local and naval dignitaries along the way.

List of Stops and Destinations:

·      Omaha, NE

·      Nebraska City, NE

·      Atchison, KS

·      Leavenworth, KS

·      Kansas City, KS

·      Kansas City, MO

·      St. Joseph, MO

·      Lexington, MO

·      Boonville, MO

·      Jefferson City, MO

·      Hermann, MO

·      Washington, MO

·      St. Charles, MO

·      St. Louis, MO

·      Cape Girardeau, MO

·      Caruthersville, MO

·      Memphis, TN

·      Helena, AR

·      Vicksburg, MS

·      Natchez, MS

·      Baton Rouge, LA

·      Donaldsonville, LA

·      St. James, LA

·      New Orleans, LA

On August 13, 1966, the SS Centennial completed her voyage as she arrived in New Orleans, LA. For the return journey, the crew was flown back to Nebraska, while the SS Centennial was shipped via the Sioux City-New Orleans Barge Lines. The craft then wintered in Nebraska City while plans began swirling for what to do with the ship now that her mission was complete.

After the Voyage

While exact documentation regarding where the SS Centennial was housed after the voyage remains elusive, it is believed that it was in the care of the Moderow family for several years. By November of 1975, the SS Centennial had become part of the exhibits being assembled by the Hamilton County Historical Society for the opening of the Plainsman Museum. On July 4, 1976, the Plainsman Museum was dedicated and opened to the public for the first time as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration. In 1986, the Agricultural Building was added to the museum, and the SS Centennial would eventually be moved from the Main Building to the Ag Building as it provided wider exhibition space for the watercraft.

Plainsman Museum, 1975

Plainsman Museum, 1976

From 2019-2024, major renovations were made to the Wesley Huenefeld Agricultural Museum. The SS Centennial also received her own renovations in the summer of 2024, funded by a grant from Dale and Carol Saddler. Dale Saddler also coordinated the renovation work with fellow museum volunteers Don Bish and Larry Bengtson.