Lenore Richards Everett
Lenore is the daughter of Norwood Richards (also known as Dick Richards). He was a Canadian Merchant Marine and Yard Superintendent at Norlantic Diesel in Fairhaven. As a teenager in Nova Scotia, he began sailing and working on coastal schooners that carried goods from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean. Having worked at many boat yards over the years, he was an expert boat builder and craftsman. He worked on historic vessels such as the Charles W. Morgan and the Mayflower II. Lenore’s Great Grandfather and Great Uncles in Nova Scotia were all captains of schooners, the ‘work horses of the sea’.
In a letter her father wrote about the Charles W. Morgan:
“She was at our shipyard, and I had the privilege of going
over her. We had better accommodations for our
animals in the barn than the crew.”
“I think it’s important to show that the Norlantic Diesel was not only a repair shop, but they were also an integral part of the fishing community. Because back in the ’40s and ’50s, most of the boats were wooden and you must keep them in repair, because it’s dangerous being out in a boat that’s not in excellent repair.
The Fairhaven waterfront was very important to the fishing industry. Because without that maintenance, repair, and storage, they would have not been as successful as they were.”
Norlantic was able to haul the larger, steel hulled boats because of the 500-ton marine railway they installed in the late 1970’s.
“All of my father’s uncles were captains of very large wooden four masted schooners, and they traveled the east coast from Nova Scotia to what was called the West Indies at the time. Jamaica was a stop. Bermuda was a stop. The ship was full of lumber, and they brought back fruit, linen, and cotton. Being the oldest surviving child of 10 children, his mother had her hands full, and she said to her brother-in-law, the captain of one of those ships, ‘How would you like to take Norwood with you on this trip?’ And it just caught on. He was a natural, skilled carpenter. He never had any lessons, so he did a lot of the work on the ship, even at a young age and he liked it. That was the beginning of his career.”
Lenore’s Great Grandfather was the captain of the legendary schooner “Governor Parr” in the early 1900’s.
“They called it August Gales, but it was actually a hurricane that he and his uncle on this big ship got caught in. But it wasn’t as bad as his grandfather because his ship, the Governor Parr, got caught in the hurricane. It was quite violent, the four masts all snapped and of course, as captain, he stayed on board ship. He lost his life when he got washed overboard.”
“He was involved in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and taught Safe Boating classes to the community. He was involved in what was known as the Whaling City Regatta, and he was also very active in the Fairhaven Saltwater Fishing Club, which was an organization that had a building on Union Wharf.”
The pins Lenore’s father earned while in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Lenore sitting on her mother’s lap with her older sister standing with her father. The photo was taken in Lenore’s aunt’s backyard in Braintree, MA.
Norlantic Diesel, Inc. Manager Eivind H. Strand’s business card, Norlantic Diesel Hat, and tape measure.
Scrapbook Articles
According to the Nova Scotia Archives – Schooners: Workhorses of the Sea, the Governor Parr was “launched in 1918 as the last schooner built in Parrsboro, N.S., the Governor Parr defied storms, modern navies, and the odds to become a legendary ‘ghost ship’, drifting crewless across the Atlantic and wreaking havoc on the high seas for years.”
To learn more, see:
Backyard History: Nova Scotia’s unsinkable ghost ship – October 9, 2024
Links to articles about the Boat Yards on Union Wharf in Fairhaven:
October 29, 1998 Standard Times – Norlantic Diesel to close
August 5, 2008 Standard Times – Fairhaven Shipyard buys D.N. Kelley in harbor-sized deal
