NEW LOGO FOR THE HENRY B. du PONT PRESERVATION SHIPYARD

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Last Winter Mystic Seaport Museum unveiled a new logo for the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard, the first visual graphic identity in the Shipyard’s fifty-one-year history. This branding is a celebration of the Shipyard’s commitment to traditional wooden boat and historic ship restoration.

The new logo incorporates two iconic silhouettes: the Shipyard’s main shop, which serves as the heart of the Shipyard, and the Emma C. Berry, one of the oldest surviving commercial vessels in America, which has called the Museum home since 1969. A National Historic Landmark vessel, Berry served as an active fishing vessel for nearly 60 years from 1866 to 1924 and is the world’s last authentic Noank oyster smack. Berry’s story, much like the Shipyard itself, is a Connecticut story and serves as the embodiment of Mystic’s deep connection to the sea.

Ancestor of the Morgan’s Last Captain Visits

Captain John Theofilo Gonsalves was the last Master of the last surviving wooden whaleship, our very own Charles W. Morgan. His career in whaling began at age eleven when he was a cabin boy on the bark Roman. Captain Gonsalves made twenty-four voyages on twelve different whaling vessels in his long career. He experienced so many exciting maritime tales (for example, a mutiny and nearly being sunk by a German U-boat!) that the 2022 Mystic Seaport Museum Internship program focused on the life of Captain Gonsalves for their interactive experience To Brava and Back, a campus-wide adventure that explores his life, his Cape Verdean culture, and his voyages. Captain Gonsalves’ grandson, Daniel Rodrigues, who has worked diligently to keep his grandfather’s story alive, assisted the interns by sharing his grandfather’s life story. Ninety-five-year-old “Danny” visited Mystic Seaport Museum in November to see the Charles W. Morgan once again and to participate in the interactive experience he helped the interns create! While here, he enjoyed a seat in the Captains quarters—the same place his grandfather sat and slept over one-hundred years before.

100th Birthday Refresh for the Catherine M. Wedmore

The Catherine M. Wedmore was built in Mystic in 1924 as a powered oyster-dredging boat and has been harvesting and planting oysters ever since; most recently as part of the eighteen vessel oystering fleet at Copp’s Island Oyster Company owned by Captain Norm Bloom in Norwalk, Connecticut. In recent years the maintenance of the Bloom fleet was done at a small shipyard in New Jersey, but as the vessel approaches the one hundred year mark the Bloom family thought it apropos to have the vessel return to Mystic for necessary repairs.

Catherine M. Wedmore came to the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard for the replacement of the shaft log and horn timber, two of the main components that make up the stern area of the vessel’s backbone. Once the Blooms visited the Museum’s Shipyard and met the staff, they decided to move forward with replacing a number of her deteriorated frames on the port side as well. A large portion of the white oak that is being used to repair the hull has been locally harvested in Connecticut and milled on our own sawmill. Work on this active historic vessel fits well within our commitment to preserve historic vessels and the skills required to keep them around for future generations. This project is available to view in the Shipyard into the

Sabino Returns to the Water

Steamboat Sabino is scheduled to resume operation on the Mystic River in early June as the conversion to diesel electric drive comes to completion. A team of three shipwrights and two engineers are adapting the engine room and forepeak to accommodate the new machinery. The forepeak space previously contained the boiler’s fresh water tank and the battery banks. Two 25 kw Caterpillar diesel electric generators, a diesel fuel tank, and a reduced volume boiler water tank are being installed. Shipwrights are installing a deck hatch for the engines and a sub deck to support the generators. This includes mounts for a large Timken thrust bearing and a double roller chain. A new steel tail shaft was fabricated on a lathe to accept the bearing and chain sprocket. The design includes an air-powered whistle that will sound similar to the steam whistle and a removable coupling shim that will allow the vessel to be powered by the original steam power on occasion. While preparing the hull to receive the new equipment, areas of rot were found requiring replacement of planks, covering boards, and guardrails. This area of the vessel has always been vulnerable as rain drives onto the open deck. Premium replacement timber is being used and fan ventilation of the space should ensure longevity. Look for Sabino back in the water this summer!