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Armed and fully rigged at last Providence shows a clean pair of heels off Newport in October 1977, sailing the waters where her predecessor earned immortality two centuries earlier. Photos: Seaport '76.
By R.ADM John R. Wadleigh, USN (ret.) and Charles W. Wittholz, NA
The Providence Sails Again: Reproducing John Paul Jones's Favorite Command 200 Years Later Our founding fathers came to America by sea, through the sea we as a nation have survived-and will! Seaport '76 Foundation Ltd. was formed in 1973 as a nonprofit organization in Newport, Rhode Island, to bring life to this history in the Bicentennial era. Seaport '76 undertook as its first major project, the building of an operational reproduction of the Continental Navy sloop, Providence, formerly the Rhode Island sloop Katy. First ship of the first colony to have a Navy; first authorized ship of the Continental Navy; first combat command of John Paul Jones; and first ship from which American Marines landed in an amphibious operation, this 90-ton craft of two hundred years ago speaks proudly for the maritime heritage. How to transform an idea, conceived by the founder of Seaport '76, historian John Millar of Newport, into a viable project? Millar had already built a reproduction of HMS Rose, the British frigate which harassed Colonial Rhode Islanders and caused the colony to form its own navy in May 1775. Rose, built in Canada out of Millar's own funds, came to Newport in 1970. Rose has had troubles. Built of wood and outside the United States, she was not certified by the Coast Guard, and her owner had a long and painful battle before finally 22
making her available for public display. A far different course of acton was required to build Providence. In late 1974 a new and expanded Board took on this task with myself, John Wadleigh, as president. At this time the American Bicentennial was grinding slowly ahead and initial support was sought there. Coincidentally a membership had to be built-when the new Board took over, less than 25 were on the roster. Starting with less than $1,000 in the operating account, by spring of 1975 Seaport '76 obtained $32,000 through the Rhode Island Bicentennial Commission, its largest single grant. As required by law this grant was matched with private funds, raised through an expanded membership and distinguished Advisory Board. So funds were available to begin. Consideration was given to remodelling an existing fishing trawler of about the same size. This idea was discarded after available hulls on the East Coast were inspected. Another plan was to construct a new wood reproduction. But rough cost estimates for an authentically designed and constructed vessel were out of sight, and feedback from various organizations and individuals who now operate historic type sailing craft showed that they almost all had serious and cost-
ly maintenance problems. How about using fiberglass for the hull and producing a 1775 ship using 1975 techniques together with 1775 hull form, rig and fittings? In Newport, the Solna Corporation, who had recently started production of fiberglass sailboats in a US Navy surplus building in Coddington Cove, agreed to produce the hull and decks for $64,000. Charles Wittholz was retained as naval architect to draw up working plans. A 1777 painting of Providence in action by Francis Holman, a rough drawing of the vessel presented by John Millar, and several models existed. It was decided to build the reproduction as close as possible to the original in all respects except that the hull would be of fiberglass. The vessel was to have her original topsail sloop rig and a complete operational armament of one pound swivel guns and four-pounder deck cannon! The accompanying drawings show a very substantial vessel for her length on deck of just under 65 '. Modern yachtsmen might regard Providence as boxy and unavoidably a slow sailer . But her particulars reveal a good combination of stability and favorable ratios of sail area (driving power) to resistance (wetted surface), adequate lateral plane, and a prismatic coefficient and longiSEA HISTORY, FALL 1978