Sail Portsmouth brought three tall ships to town over the weekend for its ever-popular Tall Ships Festival. Visiting vessels included the US Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, S/V Denis Sullivan, and Schooner Ernestina-Morrisey.
The weekend event began with the Parade of Tall Ships on Friday. The tall ships, along with Portsmouth’s own tall ship, the gundalow Piscataqua, sailed up the river in the company of tugboats, patrol ships and dozens of private vessels.
Onlookers lined the shore at various points, such as Fort Foster, Fort McClary, the New Castle town landing, Peirce Island and Four Tree Island.
Over the weekend, the Eagle offered free dockside tours at the Port of Portsmouth dock. A “maritime tent” offered visitors a glimpse at exhibits and a chance to encounter friendly “pirates,” along with re-enactors from Strawbery Banke.
The Coast Guard uses Eagle as a training ship for cadets. She also visits domestic and international ports as an ambassador of goodwill.
Photo: US Coast Guard News
Eagle is 295 feet and boasts over 20,000 square feet of sail. Cadets must handle over 200 lines for each major maneuver.
Built in 1936 in Hamburg, Germany, the vessel was commissioned as Horst Vessel. Nazi sailors secretly trained on board for eventual service on U-boats (Germany was forbidden from having submarines following World War I).
The United States acquired the ship after World War II as part of reparations from Germany. She was renamed Eagle, and is affectionately known as “America’s Tall Ship.”
Her home port is New London, Connecticut.
Denis Sullivan, built in 2000, reflects the type of schooner used on the Great Lakes. She logged over 5,000 nautical miles on the Great Lakes, educating people about vessels of her kind and their history.
Now owned by World Ocean School, the ship continues to provide educational opportunities. Milwaukee, Wisconsin is her home port.
Ernestina Morrisey dates to 1894, and her original use was as a Gloucester Grand Banks fishing vessel. She served as a supply ship in World War II, brought explorers to the Arctic, and sailed as a packet ship for the republic of Cabo Verde.
Photo: Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Cabo Verde returned the ship to the United States in 1965. Until 2005, she sailed as an educational vessel.
Ernestina Morrisey now belongs to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Her home port is New Bedford, Massachusetts.
She is part of the permanent fleet of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Sail Portsmouth promotes the “awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the rich cultural maritime heritage of the Piscataqua River estuary” by offering events and programs to the public, according to its website.
The organization also offers Sea Challenge, an opportunity for local teenagers to train aboard a tall ship in a weeklong program, as well as Maritime Talks for local schools and the community.
For more information or to join Sail Portsmouth, visit https://sailportsmouth.org/
Feature photo: US Coast Guard News
