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As is commonly known the bureau is charged with the general superintendence of the commercial marine and merchant seamen of the United States so far as vessels and seamen are not under existing law subject to the provisions of any other officer of the government. This work required legal training and for that purpose Mr. Tyrer completed a law course at George Washington university graduating in 1910. He is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia. In connection with this work Mr. Tyrer prepared for congress the draft of a number of acts having to do with safety of life on the water, the movement of commerce, ete. Among these, are the so-called numbering act of 1918, under which identifying numbers have been placed on approximately 200,000 undocumented power boats and the names and addresses of owners recorded in the cus- tom house. He also had considerable to do with the change of names of vessels act of 1920, enacted to pre- vent disguise of old vessels under new names and fixing one of the means of identification. This act also has pro- duced considerable revenue to the government. Other measures on which he has worked are: the home port act of 1925 which was found necessary to quiet the title and insure the validity of mortgages in the case of docu- mented vessels of the United States; and the sixth great district act of 1926, the effect of which is to relieve the immense commerce on the great lakes from the filing of numerous statistical reports on each voyage and sub- stituting therefor periodical reports thus furnishing all of the required statistical data while doing away with a great mass of unnecessary clerical labor. “During the past three years,” said Mr. Tyrer, “the bureau has continued in the activities which it has carried on for over 100 years in the enforcement of the naviga- tion laws of the United States. These laws are exten- sive and detailed and cover practically every step in the navigation of over 200,000 small vessels, 26,951 trading vessels of over 18,000,000 tons operating within our waters and of all foreign vessels entering and clearing our ports. Most of the regulations with which the bureau is concerned have particular reference to the safety of life and property at sea and their enforcement is for that reason of the highest importance. ; “It is impossible to detail the activities of the bureau. The vessels under its control patrol the waters of the Atlantic coast from Eastport, Me., to Galveston, Texas. While, as a rule, the navigation laws, are well observed, Lord Nelson's Flagship yet violations reported to the bureau, many of which are trivial but some important, number about 12,000 an- The inspectors supervise the loading of ex- see that the number embarked does not exceed the authorized limit and during the year 5,775,279 passengers were counted in the performance of this duty. The employment and dis- charge of approximately 500,000 officers and men each year on American vessels is supervised by the shipping commissioners who handle various matters in connection with their shipping, wages, quarters and treatment.” That the appointment of Tyrer as commissioner is popular can be seen from the following editorial pub- lished in the Portsmouth (Va.) Star, immediately follow- ing the announcement by the President. The Star edi- torial said: The appointment by the President of A. J. Tyrer to be commissioner of navigation in succession to D. B. Carson, of Tennessee, resigned, is one of the best appointments of the entire Coolidge administration. It is removed from politics in every sense of the word and is an ap- pointment where merit only won for the recipient his commission. Mr. Tyrer has served through numerous Presidential administrations as assistant commissioner of navigation. Under Commissioner Chamberlain, ap- pointed by Grover Cleveland—and who saw service down through the years—until the Carson appointment by Mr. Harding, Mr. Tyrer has run the practical side of the commissioner’s office with credit and distinction. It can certainly be safd that one who knows the duties of the commissionership of navigation, as no one else knows them, has been appointed to direct the affairs of the bureau. The appointment, too, indirectly reflects all credit upon Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, to whom the new commissioner of navigation will report directly, because it is clearly evident that Mr. Tyrer’s nomination went from the office of his new chief, Mr. Hoover, to the White House. The appointment must have been made quickly, because had the politicians received advance knowledge of the pending resignation of Mr. Carson there is no telling what might have happened. Certainly the nation received the benefit from what did transpire. Virginia, and Virginians who have to do with matters maritime, will of one accord approve the appointment of A. J. Tyrer to the commissionership of navigation. This because the right man is indeed in the right place. nually. cursion steamers to HEN Lord Nelson’s flagship \ \ Victory, went into drydock for respairs at Portsmouth, Eng- land, not long ago, the original cop- per-sheathed rudder was found to be still in serviceable condition in spite of its age. The famous vessel is being exten- sively refitted and reconstructed and will soon look exactly as she did when Nelson fell upon her deck mor- tally wounded at the Battle of Trafal- gar in 1805. With the passage of more than a century many parts of Reprinted from the June 15 bulletin of the Cepper & Brass Research Association. 48 the old ship have rotted away and must be replaced. Not so the copper- covered rudder, however. It remains untouched by rust or decay. The photograph which is reproduced here was taken just after it had been overhauled and reswung. The rudder is as good today as it was 122 years ago when it guided Nelson and his ship into one of the decisive naval engagements of modern history. It was from the deck of the Victory that shortly before his death Nelson gave his famous signal to the British fleet, “England expects that every man will do his duty.” MARINE REVIEW—August, 1927 ORIGINAL COPPER-SHEATHED RUDDER STILL ON NELSON’S FLAGSHIP