The latest addition to the fleet at Mystic Seaport just arrived in time for The WoodenBoat Show. Aida is a 33-foot keel/centerboard yawl designed and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. in 1926.
A recent restoration by Doug Hylan in Brooklin, ME sought to return her as close as possible to an “as built” condition using the original Herreshoff techniques. Both the interior and exterior were restored and the work also included refinished spars, a new diesel, and new sails. This was the first major refurbishment of the boat since launch.
Aida was owned for more than 40 years by former Museum staff member and trustee Maynard Bray and his wife Anne. Bray oversaw the project and just published a book chronicling the boat, her owners, and the restoration. “Aida: N.G. Herrehoff’s Finest Shallow-Draft Yawl” is available in the Museum’s Maritime Bookstore.
Aida will be part of the Museum’s Yachts on Exhibit program. She will be on display at various locations on the waterfront for several years, after which time she will be put on the market. The proceeds will be used to support Mystic Seaport operations.
Editor’s Note: Aida was sold in late 2017 and is no longer part of the Yachts on Exhibit program..
The Charles W. Morgan was rolled out onto the Museum’s shiplift Wednesday, June 25. With a single forklift and a lot of supervision, the ship’s cradle was carefully nudged about 200 feet onto the center of the lift. The ship now stands in position ready to be launched on July 21.
On Monday, the Shipyard staff shifted the vessel sideways about 40 feet to align her with the tracks leading out onto the lift. That was the first time since late 2008 that the Morgan had moved.
Late Wednesday, she was be partially lowered into the water to allow her planks to soak and expand to close up her seams. At no time will she be allowed to float: that will not happen until the big day in July.
Visitors will be able to board the vessel sometime on Friday once a new gangway has been installed.
The 12’ x 18’ American flag that flew over Stonington during the attack by the British navy in 1814.
The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announced “The Rockets’ Red Glare—Connecticut and the War of 1812” is the recipient of an Award of Merit from the AASLH Leadership in History Awards. The award, now in its 68th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
The exhibit is a collaboration of the New London County Historical Society, Mystic Seaport, the Stonington Historical Society, the New London Maritime Society, and the Lyman Allyn Art Museum.
“The Rockets’ Red Glare” featured a three-fold approach to sharing the impact of the War of 1812 on the state, including an exhibition at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, a companion book published by the New London County Historical Society, and a website. While the exhibition closed in January 2013, the book is still available for sale from each of the partners in the project, and the website is available at www.warof1812ct.org. The exhibition showcased historical objects from each of the partners’ collections. The 12’ x 18’ American flag that flew over Stonington during the attack by the British navy in 1814, a treasured artifact in the Stonington Historical Society collection, was a highlight of the exhibition.
Fred Calabretta, of Mystic Seaport, was the guest curator for the exhibition, and Glenn Gordinier, also of Mystic Seaport, was the primary author of the book. The exhibit design was the work of Jeff Crewe of Mystic, and the book designer was Trish LaPointe of Old Mystic. The website was primarily the work of Andrew German of Mystic and Joel Bergeron of Old Mystic. Edward Baker, of the New London County Historical Society, was the project director.
This year AASLH is conferring eighty-eight national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, books, and organizations. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States.
Presentation of the awards will be made at a special banquet during the 2013 AASLH Annual Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday, September 20. The banquet is supported by a generous contribution from the History Channel.
After nearly five years out of the water, the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan took the first step on her journey back to the Mystic River on Monday, June 24. Beginning early in the morning, shipyard staff cleaned the area around the rails and rigged a long chain and four chain falls to the side of the ship’s cradle. These were attached to four eyebolts bolted to the concrete on the far side of the tracks. When the start signal was given, staff members systematically cranked link-by-link to draw the ship onto the new track. Now that she is in alignment with the lift track, each of the wheels supporting the cradle will be rotated 90 degrees do she can roll lengthwise.
The next major step occurs Wednesday, June 26, when the 300-ton ship is rolled approximately 200 feet out onto the shiplift. This will be the vessel’s final move before her July 21 launch.
Watch the sidetracking process in this timelapse video:
The Charles W. Morgan took an important step towards her launch today as she began her move to the Museum’s ship lift. Shipyard staff members pulled her about 40 feet sideways so her cradle was in line with the rails that will guide her out to the lift. The vessel had been moved to the side in late 2008 so that other vessels could be hauled while she was out of the water.
Beginning early this morning, shipyard staff cleaned the area around the rails and rigged a long chain and four chain falls to the side of the ship’s cradle. These were attached to four eyebolts bolted to the concrete on the far side of the tracks. When the start signal was given, staff members systematically cranked link-by-link to draw the ship onto the new track. The process took about two hours in very hot and humid conditions.
Now that she is in alignment with the lift track, each of the wheels supporting the cradle will be rotated 90 degrees do she can roll lengthwise.
The next major step will occur on Wednesday, June 26, when the ship is rolled approximately 200 feet out onto the ship lift. She will then be partially lowered into the water so her bottom planks will have the opportunity to soak up water and swell.
Unfortunately, visitors will not be able to board the ship for the next few days, but she will be open sometime on Thursday in her new location.
The Apprenticeshop, a school for traditional boatbuilding and seamanship in Rockland, Maine, has finished building one of the 10 replica whaleboats that the Charles W. Morgan will carry onboard during her 38th Voyage in 2014. Students at The Apprenticeshop celebrated their graduation from the two-year boatbuilding program on June 14 with the launching of the 29’ Leonard whaleboat.
On June 16, seven students and staff members embarked on a 350-mile rowing and sailing journey to deliver the boat to Mystic Seaport and to also honor the seafaring traditions of Maine. After stowing their full two-week’s gear in both the whaleboat and the accompanying chase boat Advent (a 36’ Bud McIntosh schooner), the open boat left the dock at Rockland with Captain Bryan McCarthy, Apprenticeshop director, at the helm. Apprentices Rachel Davis, Daniel Creisher, Simon Jack, Garrett Farchione, and Tim Jacobus were in the rowing stations. Apprenticeshop board member Pat Lydon joined the flotilla when they reached Port Clyde later that day.
The crew is posting photos, videos and daily updates of their journey on The Apprenticeshop’s Facebook page and blog and, as of the most recent post on June 20, they have already reached Kennebunkport, Maine. The whaleboat will arrive at Mystic Seaport in time for the 22nd Annual WoodenBoat Show (June 28-30) and will be displayed for Museum visitors. Five Beetle whaleboats also built for the Morgan project will join the Leonard on display. These boats are from the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia; New York City’s Rocking the Boat; Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway of Vineyard Haven, MA; Beetle Boat Shop of Wareham, MA; the New Bedford Whaling Museum; and the Great Lakes Boat Building School in Cedarville, MI.
We are pleased to announce the arrival of a new Mystic Seaport website. With help from all areas of the Museum, the site has fresh photos, an enhanced calendar of events, more news and My Trip–a personal organizer for planning your next visit. Here’s a quick tour:
My Trip, a personal visit planner. As you’re browsing the website, you can use the “Add to My Trip” buttons to save locations and events that you don’t want to miss. Come back to My Trip at any time to view, print or share your plan with others.
Ric Burns, the award-winning documentary filmmaker, will deliver the keynote address at the launch of the Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport on July 21, 2013. The National Historic Landmark ship has been undergoing a comprehensive restoration since November, 2008. She will be launched and returned to the water in a public ceremony that begins at 2 p.m.
Burns is best known for his acclaimed series New York: A Documentary Film, a sweeping chronicle of the city’s history, which garnered several honors, including two Emmy Awards and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award. Burns’ career began with the celebrated series The Civil War, which he produced with his brother, Ken Burns, and co-wrote with Geoffrey C. Ward. In 1991, Ric founded Steeplechase Films and has since written and directed a number of award-winning films for PBS, including Coney Island, The Donner Party, The Way West, Eugene O’Neill, and Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film. Burns most recently finished Death and the Civil War, a film based on the best-selling book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by acclaimed historian and Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust. In 2010, Burns wrote, produced, and co-directed for American Experience a film about the history of the whaling industry, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World.
Mystic Seaport President Steve White said, “We are honored to have Ric Burns serve as the keynote speaker at our launch ceremony. His extensive knowledge of American history and the role whaling plays in it will help us articulate the importance of the Charles W. Morgan in our nation’s maritime experience.
The Morgan is the oldest American commercial ship still in existence. The 113-foot vessel was built and launched in New Bedford in 1841 and had a whaling career that lasted 80 years and 37 voyages that spanned the far reaches of the globe. The ship came to Mystic Seaport in 1941. More than 20 million people have walked her decks since she arrived.
The launch is a key milestone in her restoration, which has been carried out at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at the Museum. Once back in the water, work will continue with the installation of her spars and rigging, additional interior carpentry, and preparation for her 38th Voyage to begin in May, 2014. The Voyage will take the ship back to sea on a tour to historic ports in New England, including New London, Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, Provincetown, and Boston. Each port visit will include an interactive dockside program designed to inspire excitement and interest in America’s maritime heritage. The ship will also sail through the whale-watching grounds of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to recognize the changing relationship of mankind to the whale.
Have you visited the Shipyard to see the Charles W. Morgan lately? Now is a good time. Last month the plastic cover was removed from the scaffolding and now the majority of the shed has also been removed, providing optimal viewing of the whaleship before she returns to the water on July 21.
Though removing the plastic cover and shed took many hours, you can watch the process in a little over a minute thanks to the skill of our Film & Video Department. You’ll also see a majority of the Morgan‘s hull being painted, too. Enjoy!
Shipyard staff member Sean Patrick Kelly drives the final golden spike on the shutter plank.
Shipwrights at Mystic Seaport installed the final plank on the hull of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan on Friday, May 10. Known as the shutter plank because it “shuts in” and completes the hull, the achievement is traditionally a moment of celebration in the shipbuilding process.
The 20-foot long plank of yellow pine was placed on the port side quarter of the hull near the waterline. It was steamed for several hours prior to installation to make it flexible, lifted into position, and spiked in place. Each member of the Shipyard crew working on the restoration signed the plank.
The last spike used to fasten the plank was gold-plated to mark the occasion. F. M. Callahan & Son of Malden, Mass. donated the plating. Company president Eric Jackin presented the 10-inch long fastener to the Museum in an informal ceremony Friday afternoon.
”This moment is a milestone in the continuing voyage of the Charles W. Morgan. The shutter plank is just one small part of the ship’s fabric, but it is emblematic of all the parts, and of all the people, that are coming together to take the ship back to sea for her 38th Voyage in 2014,” said Mystic Seaport President Steve White.
Visitors and Museum staff watch as the shutter plank is maneuvered into position.
The Morgan has been undergoing a comprehensive restoration in the Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard since November 2008. The project addresses significant structural issues in the hull below the waterline and in the bow and stern. While the shutter plank marks the end of principle hull restoration, Museum shipwrights must finish caulking, fairing, and painting the hull prior to launch.
The ship is scheduled to be launched on Sunday, July 21 at 2 p.m. in a public ceremony in the Shipyard. Once back in the water, the Morgan will remain berthed at the Museum’s lift dock through the completion of the project. The shipwrights need to build and restore many peripheral details, build and restore spars, and restore and install the rig. With rare exception, the ship will remain accessible to visitors to board and explore.
Once the restoration is complete in late May 2014, the Morgan will embark on a ceremonial 38th Voyage to historic ports in New England to celebrate the importance of America’s maritime heritage. After a period of refitting and sea trials based in New London, Conn., the ship will sail to Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, Provincetown, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and Boston. She will also participate in the centennial celebration of the Cape Cod Canal.
