DOUG SPALDING LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
Discovery
The third of Jamestown Virginia's "Sister Ships" was to be launched earlier in the year but fell a bit behind schedule. Today is November 13, 2006 and she leaves the shop for the ways within the week. Launch date is set for December 11th, 2006, assuming no glitches arise.
Photo quality is less than I like but the shop was dark and my flash just couldn't seem to cut through. I'll try to improve on the photos at launch time. I was fortunate to catch up with Captain Eric Speth from the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation when I stopped in Boothbay Harbor this morning and he gave me a personal tour of this 50' ship. If I thought the Godspeed was small for a trans-oceanic trip then this one is even worse. To learn more about the history of the 3 ships and Jamestown visit here: http://historyisfun.org/jamestown/jamestown.cfm
 |
|||
|
|||
|
The Building of Discovery
Imagine taking a 30,000 board-foot pile of tropical hardwood, a heap of bronze rods and fastenings, two 75 horsepower Lugger diesel engines, miles of rope, yards of sailcloth, iron bars, gobs of bedding compound, gallons of paint, fittings, caulking cotton, sealants, a hodgepodge of electrical wire and supplies, tanks, hardware, lead ballast, and a ton of miscellaneous materials and, in 12 months time, turning it into the highest quality replica of a 17th century sailing vessel! In December 2005 the yard crew at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard (formerly Sample's) in Boothbay Harbor accepted that challenge. Led by Project Engineer Eric Graves, the highly skilled crew took on (and held to!) a tough building schedule, stubbornly meeting and overcoming every obstacle. Launching is scheduled for Monday, December 11 at 2:30 p.m. The original Discovery was the smallest of three vessels that landed in Virginia in 1607 to found Jamestown, America's first permanent English settlement. The new Discovery will join replicas Susan Constant and Godspeed at Jamestown Settlement history museum in time for the 400th anniversary commemoration in 2007 of Jamestown's founding. Visitors to Jamestown Settlement will be able to board the Discovery and learn from historical interpreters about the 1607 voyage and life at sea in the 17th century. The $1.68 million vessel boasts an overall length of 50'10", a 13'8" beam, a 6'6" draft, and a 45-ton displacement. Its sails and rigging were made by Wilson Sail Loft in East Boothbay and the masts and spars were constructed by Jim Elk in Bar Harbor. Locust deadeyes and blocks for the rigging were made by Mark Stimson of Fairfield, Iowa. The fairing and painting was done by George Leon and his crew from Boothbay Yacht Refinishing. With 40 employees, Boothbay Harbor Shipyard is the largest company in the US that works solely on traditional plank-on-frame wooden vessels. The yard has become well known for high quality yacht restoration, as well as larger shipbuilding and repair. The 120' three-masted ship Bounty is presently hauled out for a major rebuild on the Shipyard's 700-ton marine railway. Capt. David Stimson, General Manager at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, is assembling a crew to sail the vessel to Jamestown sometime in early January. When asked how he felt about delivering an unheated ship in midwinter, Stimson's only comment was "Brrrrrrr." The public is invited to attend the launching of Discovery on Monday, December 11 at 2:30 p.m. at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, 120 Commercial Street, Boothbay Harbor, Maine. There will be music provided by the regionally famous "Shipyard Band" and refreshments will be served. |
Click on the images for a larger view
|
As always, the first thing I look for is Newman's knees. This little ship has a lot of em |
Each mast has 4 lodging knees to help hold the shape against the stress of the movement of the vessel and the mast. In addition to the lodging knees the space where the mast fits also has several hanging knees. You can see both here |
This image gives a bit of the idea of how dark it must have been during the voyage across the Atlantic. This view is in the hold of the ship. Visitors to Jamestown will not be allowed into the hold or anywhere below decks. |
|
The light is terrible but you can get a feel for how the deck looks looking aft |
Standing about a third of the way back from the bow this view shows the bow, capstan holder and some of the detail of the decking as it steps down towards the bow of the ship. This ship is basically built of the same angelique as Godspeed. To see and feel this wood, stop by the house |
Here the capstan hangs in preparation for lifting it into place on the foredeck. The capstan is used to do heavy lifting of the anchors, sails and some cargo |
|
This view is of the stern of the ship as seen from the floor of the shop |
It's hard to see through all the staging, but this is a view of the bow from the floor of the shop |
Discovery rests on the rails prior to December 11, 2006 launch at 2:30PM |
|
Port side of Discovery before launch with Bounty in background |
Some of the rigging |
3 cannon from Bounty stand ready for launch salvo |
|
The bright blue sky suddenly turned black, as if to dare the ship to enter the Atlantic |
Riding the rails into the water-she's nearly there as thousands watch |
Discovery floats free at 3:30PM |
|
Permission is granted for a few lucky folks to go aboard. Here we see the capstan, now installed on the foredeck with the Bounty in the background |
A simple black walnut tiller to steer |
A second cannon off to the side salutes the newly launched Discovery |
|
As we leave the yard dusk settles in for Discovery's first night afloat |
Sam & Susan Manning and friend salute the launch of Discovery Credit for photo to Julia Lane |
The sun filters across the bay to wash Discovery in her first sunset afloat Credit for photo to Julia Lane
|
| I felt privileged to be at the launch of Discovery. Meeting the architect, builders and owner of the vessel was hard to describe | It was a day full of lively discussion and abject loneliness |
Return to Doug's Main Page Contact Doug
