Star of India
From ManxWiki
The Star of India was built in 1863 as "Euterpe", a full-rigged iron windjammer ship, by Gibson, McDonald & Arnold in Ramsey. She was launched on November 14, 1863.
After a full career , she became a salmon hauler on the Alaska to California route going on the be preserved as the world;s oldest ship that still sails regularly.
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Brief History
In 1897, after 21 round-the-world trips, sailing between Great Britain, India and New Zealand, Euterpe was sold, first to Hawaiian owners, then in 1899 to the Pacific Colonial Ship Company of San Francisco, California and from 1898 to 1901 made four voyages between the Pacific Northwest, Australia and Hawaii carrying primarily lumber, coal and sugar. She was registered in the United States on October 30, 1900.
In 1901, Euterpe was sold to the Alaska Packers' Association of San Francisco, who re-rigged her as a barque (converting the square-rigged aftermost mast to fore-and-aft) and in 1902 began carrying fishermen, cannery workers, coal and canning supplies each spring from Oakland, California to Nushagak in the Bering Sea, returning each fall with holds full of canned salmon. In 1906, the Association changed her name to be consistent with the rest of their fleet, and she became Star of India. She was laid up in 1923 after 22 Alaskan voyages; by that time, steam powered ships were replacing sail.
Preservation
After retirement in 1926, Star of India was sold to the Zoological Society of San Diego, to be the centerpiece of a planned museum and aquarium. The Great Depression and World War II caused that plan to be canceled; it wasn't until 1957 that her fundraising for her restoration began.
She was restored between 1962 and 1963 and is now a seaworthy museum ship ported at the San Diego Maritime Museum in San Diego. Her hull, cabins and equipment are nearly 100% original.
In 1976, the fully restored Star of India put to sea for the first time in fifty years, under the command of Captain Carl Bowman. She is kept fully seaworthy, and sails at least once a year.
She is the oldest ship that still sails regularly and the oldest iron hulled merchant ship still floating. The ship is both a California and United States National Historic Landmark.
Specifications
| Star of India | |
|---|---|
| Built: | Ramsey, 1863 |
| Length: | 62.5 m (205 ft 5 in) waterline 84.8 m (278 feet) sparred length |
| Weatherboard Height: | Full-rigged: 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in) Barque rig: 6.5 m (21 ft 6 in) |
| Mast height: | 38.8 m (127 ft 4 in) |
| Beam: | 10.7 m (35 ft 2 in) |
| Draft: | 6.6 m (21 ft 6 in) fully loaded |
| Displacement: | 1197 tons gross, 1107 tons under deck (as Euterpe) 1318 tons gross, 1247 tons net (as Star of India) |
External Links
Categories: Ships | Maritime | History
