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 Star of India docked in San Diego | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name |
|
| Builder | Gibson, McDonald & Arnold |
| Launched | 14 November 1863 |
| In service | 1906 |
| Fate | Sold to the United States |
 United States | |
| Acquired | 1906 |
| Identification | IMO number: 8640337 |
| Fate | Operationalmuseum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam | 10.7 m (35 ft) |
| Height |
|
| Draft | 6.6 m (22 ft) (fully loaded) |
| Sail plan |
|
Star of India | |
_-_SLV_H99.220-2989.jpg) Euterpe atPort Chalmers, the port ofDunedin, in 1883 | |
  | |
| Location | San Diego Embarcadero,San Diego, California |
| Coordinates | 32°43′13.5″N117°10′24.7″W / 32.720417°N 117.173528°W /32.720417; -117.173528 |
| Built | 1863[3] |
| Architectural style | Three-masted bark |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000223[1] |
| CHISL No. | 1030[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 13 November 1966 |
| Designated NHL | 13 November 1966[3] |
Star of India is aniron-hulled sailing ship, built in 1863 inRamsey, Isle of Man, as thefull-rigged shipEuterpe. After a career sailing from Great Britain to India and New Zealand, she was renamed, re-rigged as abarque, and became asalmonhauler on theAlaska toCalifornia route. Retired in 1926, she was restored as a seaworthymuseum ship in 1962–3 and home-ported at theMaritime Museum of San Diego inSan Diego, California. She is the oldest ship still sailing regularly and also the oldest iron-hulled merchant ship still afloat.[4] The ship is both aCalifornia Historical Landmark and United StatesNational Historic Landmark.[3][2][5]
Named afterEuterpe, the Greek muse of music, she was afull-rigged ship (a ship that is square-rigged on all three masts), built of iron in 1863 by Gibson, McDonald & Arnold, ofRamsey, Isle of Man, for the Indianjute trade of Wakefield Nash & Company ofLiverpool. She was launched on 14 November 1863, and assigned British Registration No.47617 and signal VPJK.
Euterpe's career had a rough beginning. She sailed forCalcutta from Liverpool on 9 January 1864, under the command of Captain William John Storry. A collision with an unlit Spanishbrig off the coast ofWales carried away thejib-boom and damaged other rigging. The crew became mutinous, refusing to continue, and she returned toAnglesey for repair; 17 of the crew were confined to theBeaumaris Gaol at hard labour. Then, in 1865,Euterpe was forced to cut away her masts in a gale in theBay of Bengal offMadras and limped toTrincomalee and Calcutta for repair. Captain Storry died during the return voyage to England and wasburied at sea.[citation needed]
After her near-disastrous first two voyagesEuterpe was sold, first in 1871 to David Brown of London for whom she made four more relatively uneventful voyages to India, then again (displaced by steamers after the opening of the Suez Canal) in 1871 to Shaw, Savill and Company of London (which in 1882 became theShaw, Savill & Albion Line). In late 1871 she began 25 years of carrying passengers and freight in the New Zealand emigrant trade, each voyage going eastward around the world before returning to England. The fastest of her 21 passages to New Zealand took 100 days, the longest 143 days. She also made ports of call in Australia, California, and Chile. A baby was born on one of those trips en route to New Zealand, and was given the middle name Euterpe. Another child, John William Philips Palmer, was born[6] on the 1873 journey toDunedin, New Zealand, and was partially named after the captain Theo E. Philips[7] ("Born Lo 42.30 south La 0.30 west at 11 am Feb 21").[citation needed]
In 1897, after 21 round-the-world trips,Euterpe was sold, first toHawaiian owners, then in 1899 to the Pacific Colonial Ship Company ofSan 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 30 October 1900.[citation needed]
Ted_Rufus_Ross.JPG)
In 1901,Euterpe was sold to theAlaska Packers' Association of San Francisco, who re-rigged her as abarque (converting the square-rigged aftermost mast to fore-and-aft) and in 1902 began carrying fishermen, cannery workers, coal and canning supplies each spring fromOakland, California, toNushagak in theBering Sea, returning each autumn with holds full of canned salmon. In 1906, the Association changed her name to be consistent with the rest of their fleet, and she becameStar of India. She was laid up in 1923 after 22 Alaskan voyages; by that time, steam ruled the seas.[citation needed]
In 1926,Star of India was sold to theZoological Society of San Diego to be the centrepiece of a planned museum andaquarium. TheGreat Depression andWorld War II caused that plan to be cancelled, and it was not until 1957 that restoration began.Alan Villiers, awindjammer captain and author, came to San Diego on a lecture tour. SeeingStar of India decaying in the harbor, he publicized the situation and inspired a group of citizens to form the "Star of India Auxiliary" in 1959 to support the restoration of the ship. Progress was still slow, but in 1976,Star of India finally put to sea again. She houses exhibits for theMaritime Museum of San Diego, is kept fully seaworthy, and sails at least once a year. With the many other ships now in the Museum, she hosts frequent tour guide-led school tours for over 6,000 children a year, as well as a Living History Program in which students "step back in time" and are immersed in history and teamwork activities during overnight visits.[citation needed]
The 1863Star of India is the fourth oldest ship afloat in the United States, after the 1797USS Constitution, 1841Charles W. Morgan, and the 1854USS Constellation, and is the oldest ship in the world that still sails regularly. Unlike many preserved or restored vessels, her hull, cabins and equipment are nearly 100% original.
Star of India is docked at theMaritime Museum of San Diego, just south ofSan Diego International Airport, on the west side of North Harbor Drive at approximately Ash Street – all within thePort of San Diego tidelands. This location is slightly west of downtown San Diego, California. The other ships belonging to the Maritime Museum are always docked to the north ofStar of India. Her nearest neighbour – since 2007 – isHMS Surprise (a.k.a. HMSRose), a replica of a Britishfrigate.
When she sails,Star of India often remains within sight of the coast of San Diego County, and usually returns to her dock within a day. She is sailed by a skilled volunteer crew of Maritime Museum members, who train all year. She has become one of the landmark ships in San Diego's harbor.
From August to September 2009,Star of India was removed from display to a local drydock facility for a required Coast Guard inspection and various maintenance below the waterline, at a cost of approximately $225,000, and 3–4 weeks off display.
Her most recent[as of?] voyage was on November 12, 2023.
Star of India has appeared in episodes of:
At the 2013San Diego Comic-Con,Ubisoft used the ship to promote their new gameAssassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and renamed the ship for 3 days after the in-game shipThe Jackdaw.
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