From the S&S archives: MacNamara's (lace) band

MACRAME, the art of weaving threads or line into a pattern, is one of the fastest-growing and popular hobbies in the States.

For 200 years sailors of the U.S. Navy have practiced this art, which they call "fancywork."

It has been — and still is — used to decorate ceremonial areas aboard naval vessels. Boatswain's mates who run admiral's barges and captain's gigs are proud of the fancywork they create to "dress" those boats they call their own.

MacNamara's Lace, one of the most popular and also most difficult forms of the art, is often used to make curtains in the barges and gigs and for ornamental purposes aboard such ships as cruisers and carriers.

"To make MacNamara's Lace," said Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Thomas Santella aboard the cruiser Little Rock, the 6th Fleet flagship, "you start out with a piece of canvas and strip it down into thousands of threads — literally thousands.

"The actual design or pattern is up to the individual's ingenuity. Fancywork is as old as sailing itself and it's still done by Navy men, not only to improve the looks of their ship, but to kill time while at sea."

Most of the men who create fancywork are boatswain's mates, the "seamen" who work the open decks performing sailor's work even in this day of sophisticated weapons systems.

"Out of 20 boatswain's mates aboard, I probably have six or seven that do the fancywork, "said Santella.

"The number is rather limited because you not only have to have the knack to do it but you also have to have a lot of patience."

One sailor who has both is Petty Officer 1C Frank Broback, who skippers the barge of Vice Adm. Frederick C. Turner, Commander, 6th Fleet.

Broback has made curtains, deck mats and ornamental work throughout the barge that carries "the flag" to and from his official visits in ports throughout the Mediterranean.

"In addition to MacNamara's Lace, he's used Turkish Twirl, Fox-and-Geese, and Turk's Heads to decorate the interior of the cabin, and such basic knots as the square knot to make the matting," Santella said.

"Actually, even the fanciest of the fancywork is made up of basic knots that any sailor learns in boot camp."

Petty Officer 3C Brian Kimball was working on a decorative piece in a tiny cubbyhole off the main deck which he referred to in Navy talk as a "gear locker."

"We do fancywork any place where we can hang a piece of canvas," said Kimball. "I like to work in here — it's cramped, but it's peaceful."

Kimball, who has been working at his pastime for two and a half years aboard the Little Rock, learned from a senior boatswain's mate.

"That's how the art kept alive," said Santella. "It's been passed on from generation to generation among Navy boatswain's mates and other sailors."

Materials, in addition to canvas, include nylon parachute shroud and other nylon and cotton line, according to the weaving experts on the Little Rock, one of two of the old Navy gun cruisers still in commission. The other cruiser of its type, the Oklahoma City, serves as flagship for the U.S. 7th Fleet in the Pacific.

"We also apply this weaving and knot tying during our day-to-day work," Santella said, "when we make all the fenders (bumpers) for the ship and its boats."

As he toured the main deck he pointed out three young boatswain's mates working with some line.

"They're making a `pudding' for the accommodation ladder," said the senior boatswain mate.

Of course — as every good sailor would know — he meant that they were making a fender for the ladder used to get aboard the cruiser from a liberty launch.

Liberty launch?