Elissa (ship)

The tall ship Elissa is a sailing ship originally launched on October 27, 1877. This iron-hulled, three-masted barque, currently moored in Galveston, Texas, is one of the oldest ships still sailing.

Related Topics:
Tall ship - Sailing ship - October 27 - 1877 - Barque - Galveston, Texas

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The Elissa was built in Aberdeen, Scotland as a merchant vessel in the time when the use of steamships was overtaking sailing ships. The ship survived numerous ownership changes, renamings and modifications, including the installation of an engine and the incremental removal of all her rigging and masts. According to the descendants of Henry Fowler Watt, the Elissa's builder, her name was taken from the epic poem The Aeneid, in which a Phoenician princess named Elissa becomes Queen of Carthage.

Related Topics:
Aberdeen - Scotland - Merchant - Steamships - Engine - Rigging - Mast - The Aeneid - Phoenician - Carthage

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The Elissa was rescued from destruction by ship preservationists who found her languishing in a salvage yard in Piraeus, Greece. In 1975, she was purchased for $40,000 by the Galveston Historical Foundation, her current owners, who began the process of restoration and repair. In 1979, after a year of repairs to her hull in Greece, the Elissa was towed to Galveston, where the restoration process continued.

Related Topics:
Piraeus - Greece - 1975 - 1979 - Hull

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The Elissa made her first voyage as a restored sailing ship in 1985, traveling to Corpus Christi, Texas. A year later, she sailed to New York City to take part in the Statue of Liberty's centennial celebrations.

Related Topics:
1985 - Corpus Christi, Texas - New York City - Statue of Liberty

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When not sailing, the Elissa remains moored at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston. Public tours are available year-round when the Elissa is docked.

Related Topics:
Moored - Texas Seaport Museum

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