Starting out its life under the name “Euterpe”,
this proud sailing ship was built in the
year 1863. Made of iron, the ship was
purchased in 1901 by the Alaska Packers
Association, who re-rigged her as a barque;
a barque being to any vessel with a particular
type of rig comprised of three or more
masts, fore and aft sails on the aftermost
mast, and square sails on all other masts.
In 1902 the Euterpe began sailing from
Oakland, California to the Bering Sea,
and in 1906 the company changed the name
of the ship so that it would fit in with
the rest of their fleet. Thus was born
The Star of India.
The ship’s namesake, the real “Star
of India”, is a 563.35-carat star
sapphire… the largest gem of its
type in the world. Obviously a company
would have to think highly of ship to
give it such a name. At over 1300 tons,
the star of India was a large ship for
her time, and at 62.5 meters long, 10.7
meters wide she served quite well as a
cargo ship.
The
Star of India was put out of service in
1923, sold to the Zoological Society of
San Diego in 1926, and was to be the centerpiece
of a planned museum and aquarium. The
Great Depression and World War II put
a halt to these grand designs, and she
sat rotting until 1957. Citizens of San
Diego got together to form the "Star
of India Auxiliary", and by 1959
restoration was under full sail. By 1979
she sailed again, and today the Star of
India is the world's oldest ship that
is still sea-worthy. She is now on permanent
display to the public at the San Diego
Maritime Museum.
Star
of India Travel Links |
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