Lady Washington
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It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Lady Washington (1750) and Lady Washington (1989), accessible from a disambiguation page. (Discuss) |
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| Career |   |
|---|---|
| Name: | Lady Washington (replica) |
| Operator: | Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority |
| Builder: | Ray Wallace, Aberdeen, WA |
| Laid down: | 1987[1] |
| Launched: | March 7, 1989[1] |
| Homeport: | Aberdeen, WA |
| Honors and awards: |
Washington tall ship ambassador Washington State Ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Brig |
| Tons burthen: | 178 tons |
| Length: | 68 ft (21 m) (LOD) 58 ft (18 m) (waterline) 112 ft (34 m) (sparred) |
| Height: | 90 ft (27 m) (Rig height) |
| Draft: | 11 ft (3 m) |
| Sail plan: | Brig 4,400 sq ft (410 m2) |
| Notes: | Douglas fir hull |
The original Lady Washington (or more commonly, Washington) was a 90-ton merchant sloop. As part of the Columbia Expedition, she left Boston Harbor on October 1, 1787. She sailed around Cape Horn and participated in the fur and pelt trade with the coastal Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest and in tea and porcelain across the Pacific in China.
Named in honor of Martha Washington, she was captained originally by Robert Gray, and later by John Kendrick, former captain of her larger sailing partner, the Columbia Rediviva (Kendrick insisted he and Gray switch vessels mid-journey). Under the command of Kendrick, she was refitted as a brig (she was formerly a sloop).
She became the first American vessel to reach Japan in an unsuccessful attempt to move some unsold pelts. Washington remained in the Pacific trade and eventually foundered in the Philippines in 1797.
A ship replica of the Lady Washington was built in Aberdeen, Washington, USA in time for the 1989 Washington State Centennial celebrations. Aberdeen is located on Grays Harbor, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean named for Robert Gray, the man who discovered the harbor as Master of the Columbia.
Named "Washington State's Tall Ship Ambassador", as well as the State Ship,[2] the new Lady Washington has already made plenty of her own history. Operated by a professional and volunteer crew under the auspices of the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, she sails up and down the Pacific coast reaching out to sailors and lubbers of all ages through the romance of the sea in the hope they take a little of her history back with them.
Recently, she has appeared in various films, portraying the brig Enterprise in Star Trek Generations and the HMS Interceptor in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. She also provided the basis for the RLS Legacy in the Disney animated feature Treasure Planet.
Today she sails regularly in pair with the Hawaiian Chieftain, educating students in the history of merchant trading, life of common sailors, and responsibilities of the ship's officers.
 A cannon firing on the Lady Washington |
 Crew climbing the rigging to furl the sails on the Lady Washington |
 Captain, Mate, and helmswoman of the Lady Washington |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Lady Washington timeline, Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, February 20, 2009, http://www.historicalseaport.org/media/press_releases/LW_timeline_FINAL.pdf, retrieved on 2009-05-20
- ^ State Symbols
[edit] External links
- History of the Lady Washington
- Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, Lady Washington's operating organization
- The American Sail Training Association
- Maritime Heritage Network, an online directory of maritime history resources in the Pacific Northwest.
- The Lady Washington Incident, a sea story.
- Hit and Run History:The Columbia Expedition
