Birthplace Of Navy Still In Dispute After Meeting

The debate over the birthplace of the U.S. Navy will have to go on a bit longer.

The Archivist of the United States, David Ferreiro, came to the U.S.S. Constitution Museum in Boston on Wednesday to discuss the rival claims of several communities to be the Navy birthplace. They include Philadelphia, Providence, R.I., Whitehall, N.Y., and Marblehead and Beverly, Mass.

But instead of declaring a winner, Ferreiro - a Beverly native - put the question before the 100 or more people who came to hear the discussion. He read off each of the claimants and asked audience members to greet their preferred Navy birthplace with a shout of "huzzuh" - an old English cheer.

The lion's share of huzzuhs came for Marblehead and Beverly, and a spokesman for the archivist said the decidedly unscientific poll was declared a tie.