Chattanooga Sail & Power Squadron
A unit of
District 17 of the
United States Power Squadrons®
America's Boating Club®
Calendar
News Letter The C-Way
Photo Gallery
History
-Burgee
-Choo Choo
Member Benefits
Education
Seminars
Vessel Safety Check
Bridge
Boating Links
Last Updated 05/15/2011
 |
| Stf/C Norman Halker,N |
The interest in having another squadron in Chattanooga was revitalized by Norman Hatker who had purchased his boat in the early 60’s and was seeking boating education courses. Becoming familiar with the United States Power Squadrons organization, he enrolled the then public course, Piloting, offered by the Atlanta squadron, which he joined. His interest in having a squadron in Chattanooga led him to the District 17 bridge officers who recommended the new squadron be a spin-off of the Knoxville Power Squadron since they shared the same river system.
A public Piloting Class was held in Chattanooga and many of the graduates of that class formed the Chattanooga Division of the Knoxville Power Squadron. Several other classes were offered in the Chattanooga area throughout 1972.
At the same time the group continued to work with the D17 officers toward the goal of becoming an independent squadron.
In June, 1972 a slate of officers was chosen with Norman Hatker as Commander. A Petition for Charter was signed, submitted, and approved on 23 September 1972 at the USPS Governing Board in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The temporary charter was presented to the Chattanooga Power Squadron at the D17 Conference in Asheville, NC. By the end of 1972 the Chattanooga Power Squadron had become incorporated by the State of Tennessee. In one year’s time, Norm Hatker’s goal was achieved.
Burgee History: When the Chattanooga Squadron was charted in September 1972 it was the 410th squadron and thus carried the nickname "The Shotgun Squadron." This name was also intended to bring to mind the part played by Chattanooga in the Civil War.
In November 1972 the proposed design was sketched for the pennant. Colors referred to Old Glory and were bright and nautical. White for purity and red for courage to finish and Blue for loyalty to the United States.
In January 1973 Norm Hatker attended a meeting of the Flag and Etiquette Committee at the annual meeting in Miami Beach. The Shotgun design was deemed to be not nautical
In March 1973 the Exec Committee sent a design by Mack Edwards replacing the shotgun part of the burgee with a clipped signal flag code letter "C" representing Chattanooga. The design was approved by D-17 in March 1973 and by National in May 1973 and is in the upper left corner of this WEB page.
Chattanooga Choo Choo This is not boating but you can not come to Chattanooga and not know about the train.
In March of 1880, the first train of the Cincinnati Southern Railway rolled into town creating the first major link between the North and South. A newspaper columnist nicknamed the train the "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", a name that would later go down in history. The Choo-Choo crossed the Tennessee River seven miles north of Chattanooga, and two miles further, at Boyce, connected with five miles of the W & A line to Union Station. Eventually CSR constructed its own line parallel to that of W & A from Boyce to Chattanooga. The Chattanooga Choo-Choo would not become famous for another sixty-one years.
The song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a big-band/swing song which was featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle and Joan Davis. It was performed in the film as an extended production number, featuring vocals by Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly, and The Modernaires followed by a production number showcasing Dorothy Dandridge and an acrobatic dance sequence by The Nicholas Brothers. This was the #1 song across the United States on December 7, 1941.
The song was written by the team of Mack Gordon and Harry Warren while traveling on the Southern Railway's "Birmingham Special" train. The song tells the story of travelling from New York City to Chattanooga. However, the inspiration for the song was a small, wood-burning steam locomotive of the 2-6-0 type which belonged to the Cincinnati Southern Railroad. That train is now a museum artifact. From 1880, most trains bound for America's South passed through Chattanooga, often on to the super-hub of Atlanta. The Chattanooga Choo Choo did not refer to any particular train, though some have incorrectly asserted that it referred to the Louisville and Nashville's Dixie Flyer or the Southern Railway's Crescent Limited.