After a multi-million dollar restoration lasting almost five years, the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, a National Historic Landmark and America’s oldest surviving commercial vessel, will return to the water Sunday, July 21, at 2 p.m. on the 172nd anniversary of her initial launch. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ric Burns will deliver the keynote address at the public ceremony, at which point the ship will be lowered into the Mystic River. Once launched, Museum shipwrights will complete the restoration with the vessel in the water in preparation for her ceremonial 38th Voyage to historic ports of New England in 2014.
Editor’s Note: The launching of the Charles W. Morgan on July 21, 2013 was streamed live on the Mystic Seaport website. Featured below is a video of the event which was recorded by the Museum’s Film & Video Department.
