September 1952 - Console and chapel exterior (Reisner ad in The Diapason magazine/Scot Huntington)
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
2014-12-06 - Dedicated June 6, 1952; some old pipes used, Swell reeds and strings and Great Mixture were new; Great Fourniture was imported from Europe and the Choir mutations were made and voiced in Mr. Raymond's shop by Mr. Van Camp; the console was built by Reisner. -Database Manager
2023-04-23 - The brick chapel stands on the highest hill on the Academy grounds and is built in the pseudo-colonial style popular int he 1920s, with the organ located behind plain grills in the divided chancel chambers. There were heresay reports the organ was enlarged in the early 1980s by a local tuner, but was unfortunately discarded without a trace in 2000, just shy of its 50th anniversary. The Raymond organ was replaced with a particularly unmusical flagship model made by one of the standard imitation companies, given by the Class of 1950 on the occasion of their 50th anniversary. The pipe organ was parted out, and the unused components were junked. The Chapel is used for both Catholic and non-denominational weekly services, and is a busy venue for cadet weddings and alumni memorial services. -Scot Huntington
2023-04-30 - While the original plans for the Academy drawn up in 1930 show a chapel as the centerpiece of campus, suggesting the church dates from this period, actual construction was delayed first for lack of funding then by the World War. The brick chapel in the pseudo-Colonial style was finally completed in 1948. There is no organ listed for this chapel on any of the major organ factory opus lists, but the Chester Raymond organ of 1952 was a rebuild of an older organ. This would suggest either that Raymond rebuild a second-hand organ for a new installation here, or a second-hand organ was installed in the new 1948 building and subsequently modernized by Raymond 4-years later, or an organ was assembled here in 1948 from unknown sources and it was unsuccessful, being put to rights by Raymond in 1952. The building is acoustically poor, having reflective quarry-tile aisles but plush wall to wall carpet under the thickly over-padded pews, thereby requiring an extensive amplification system to overcome the layers of acoustical handicaps. It would be such an easy problem to fix, and the treatments appear to be recent upgrades rather than older. People who knew the Raymond organ said it was adequate for the room with a typically American-Classic ensemble grafted on to older symphonic-style foundational color registers. -Scot Huntington
Stoplist copied from <i>The Diapason</i> July 1952 Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded
New London, Connecticut
United States Coast Guard Academy
Memorial Chapel
Chester A. Raymond 1952 3/30
_________________________________________________
GREAT SWELL
8' Open Diapason 61 16' Lieblich Gedeckt 73 unit chest
8' Grossflöte 61 8' Diapason 73
8' Gamba 61 8' Gedeckt 12 unit flute
8' Melodia CH 8' Gamba 73
8' Dulciana CH 8' Gamba Celeste 61
4' Principal 61 4' Flute d'Amour 12 unit flute
4' Flute CH 2 2/3' Nazard -- unit flute
2 2/3' Octave Quinte 61 2' Piccolo -- unit flute
2' Super Octave 61 16' Bombarde 12 unit reed
IV Fourniture 244 8' Trompette 73 unit reed
8' French Horn 61 8' Oboe 73
Sub 8' Vox Humana 73
Unison Off 4' Clarion -- unit reed
Super Tremolo
Chimes Sub
Unison Off
PEDAL Super
16' Diapason 32 CHOIR
16' Pedal Bourdon 32 unit
16' Violone 12 GT 8' Concert Flute 61
16' Lieblich SW 8' Dulciana 61
8' Major Flute 12 unit 8' Muted Viole 61
8' Violoncello 32 8' Muted Celeste 61
8' Still Gedeckt SW 4' Flauto Traverso 61
5 1/3' Quint -- unit 2 2/3' Rohrnasat 61
4' Pedal Flute -- unit 2' Blockflöte 61
16' Bombarde SW 1 3/5' Terz 61
8' Tromba SW 8' Clarinet 61
4' Clarion SW Tremolo
Sub
COUPLERS Unison Off
Swell to Great Sub, Super Super
Swell to Great
Choir to Great Sub, Super
Choir to Great
Swell to Choir Sub, Super
Swell to Choir
Great to Pedal
Great to Pedal Super
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Pedal Super
Choir to Pedal
Choir to Pedal Super
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