Sea Scouting, which began in early 1910s, is one of the longest running programs of the Boy Scouts of America. Interestingly, the State of Kansas has some unique ties to the early periods of the program. The Sea Scout Ship (S.S.S.) Kansan, based out of Topeka, Kansas, was skippered by William Menniger. Menniger, along with his brother and father established the Menniger foundation and Clinic for the study and treatment of behavioral disorders.
How does this tie into Boy Scout memorabilia? Here’s how: I happened upon this video yesterday regarding early Sea Scout patches:
Sea Scout Memorabilia Interview
As I was watching the video, a round patch referred to as a National Flagship award, caught my eye as it is very similar to two patches in my collection that I have not been able to identify…until last night. After a quick digital picture and an email to several Scout memorabilia dealers/historians, the patches in my collection were identified as the 1931 National Flagship award. As it turns out, the S.S.S. Kansan won the National Flagship competition in 1931 and 1933.
Below is an image of the patches. They are approximately 2″ in diameter and as show below, one is white and one is dark blue. The color difference is intended to coordinate with the summer and winter uniforms used by the Sea Scouts.
1931 National Flagship Awards given to the crew of the S.S.S. Kansan
It is always fun to make a new Scouting memorabilia discovery, especially when it is already part of your collection. Does anyone else have any Kansas-related Sea Scout memorabilia?
