ERNESTINA-MORRISSEY
Ernestina-Morrissey
Built in 1894 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with a total length of 156 feet and a wooden hull. Built to operate with a crew of 10, she has a draft of 13 feet, a beam of 24 feet and three inches, and a rig height of 115 feet. Her sail area is 8,323 feet. Originally named Effie M. Morrissey. This schooner has seen many adventures and has been through multiple iterations, from Gloucester grand banks fishermen to Arctic Explorer to World War II survey and supply vessel to transatlantic packet ship, to environmental maritime sciences, educator, and cultural ambassador.
When she was launched in 1894, she quickly became a workhorse of the sea. She plied the waters of the North Atlantic, bringing in some of the most sought-after catches of the day. She weathered the rigors of the rough seas and was always reliable.
In 1914, The Arctic Explorer, Robert A. Bartlett, purchased the vessel and renamed it Effie Morrissey. Bartlett made several voyages to document flora and fauna of the extreme north. Some of those sailing on board included the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Cleveland Museum of natural history. During world war II, the Effie Morrissey was transformed into a United States Naval service vessel, Serving as a supply ship between bases in Greenland and the Arctic.
Between 1946 and 1965, She served as a transatlantic packet ship transporting cargo and immigrants for the Republic of Cabo Verde, also known as Cape Verde, a group of islands 385 miles off the coast of Western Africa. In 1982, she was gifted by the Republic of Cabo Verde to the people of the United States and was transformed into an environmental maritime and sciences education vessel in Massachusetts. Known today as the Ernestina-Morrissey, she has undergone restoration and is certified as a sailing school and passenger vessel. Today, the home port for the Ernestina-Morrissey is New Bedford, Massachusetts.
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