Ships of the The Jeanie Johnston -A Dream Rebuilt by Thad Koza
0
n5May 1998, 150 years after her original historic departure from Tralee, Coun ry Ke rry, Ireland, a replica of the bark Jeanie Johnston was dedicated by rhe President of Irela nd, th e Honorable Mary McAleese. W ith warm greetings to the asse mbled crowd in fog an d a driving rain at Blennerville, near Tralee, the President placed a silver medallion in to a special recess in the keel timbers . The ceremony heralded th e co nstruction of a ship that brought immigrants to Canada and America and returned to Ireland with much needed food supplies durin g th e "potato famine" of the 1840s. T he origin al Jeanie Johnston was built in 1847 in Quebec C iry, Quebec, by the Canadian shipbuilder John Munn and was bought soon after by rhe D onovan fam ily of Tralee. A three-mas ted bark, 150 ' overall, of 408 tons, she was copper-fastened and built of oak and pine. Typical of the cargo/ passenger vessels of her day, she brought timber and foodstuffs to Ireland. T he largest importers of timber in Tralee, rhe firm of John Donovan & Sons also dealt in coal , iron and slate, and had extensive flour and saw mills. When the Jeanie Johnston returned to North America, she could carry up to 200 passengers and a crew of 17 . After nine years in the service of the Donovans, the bark was sold to an English owner in 18 56 and, on a voyage in 1858, was lost at sea. All her passengers, however, we re saved by a Durch ship, and her safery reco rd remained intact, for amo ng a fleer of emigrant vessels that were often known as "coffin ships, " the Jeanie Johnston made 16 voyages from Tralee to Baltimore, New York C iry and Quebec, and never lost a passenger to disease or the sea. A full -sized replica of theJeanieJohnston, designed by naval architect Fred Walkerfor mer chief naval architect at the National Mari rime M useum in London and supervising architect for Australi a's Endeavour replica-is well underway in Blennerville. Project DirectorJohn Griffin has envisioned a ship that will be both international and in rra-national in spirit and dedication, looking to the Irish, American and Canadian ties to the ship, its history and its historic 20
voyages. T his vision has be- The Hono rable Mary gun with the multinational McAleese places a silver crew of yo ung people, in- medallion in the keel of cluding those from both the the Jeanie John sto n. north and south of Ireland, Three months later that has been working on the (below), 17frames were in place. (Photos by vessel since 1996. Blennerville has a history Thad Koza) of unique yo uth employment initiatives, h avin g already restored a local windmill and part of the T ralee and Dingle Steam Railway. T he Co mmuni ry Yo uth Tra ining P rog ram has received grants from the Department of Arts-Heritage, Gaeltacht, the Imern arional Fund for Ireland, and the Tralee U rban District Council. T he train ees will become profi cient in a wide range of shipbuilding skills under the su- take her to Baltimore/Was hington DC, pervision of architects, engineers and ship- Philadelphia, Trenton , Albany, New York, wrights. By February 1999, planking had Newport, Bo sto n, St. John , Q uebec, begun under the direction of the ship- Monrreal, Toronto, C leveland, C hi cago, wrights, including six from the US , so me of St. Johns and H ali fax. When she returns whom have recently finished work on the home, she will be the centerpiece of rhe Emigrant Research Cen rre. new Kalmar Nyckel replica in Delaware. T he l 50rh anniversary of the Fam ine T he replica is being built by Coi llre Teoranta, the Irish fo restry board. T he 120' has been declared a rime of official and keel is formed in three sections from wood formal remembrance. In recallin g those from the coumies of Monaghan, W icklow painful events, we have been reminded that and Cork. The keel and frames are oflrish a great many of those who fl ed hunger and oak, with decks of Douglas fir, and plank- injustice and left Ireland aboard ships like in g of European larch, some of which will rhe Jeanie Johnston did find a new and co me from Ireland and some from the prosperous life, and helped to build rwo famed forest of the Czars in Russia. To great n ations in North America. .t conform to rhe requiremems of the 2 1st centu ry, rhe ship will be firred with modern Marine photographer Thad Koza regularly communication, navigation and life-saving contributes to Sea Histo ry and is author of Tall Ships: An International G uide (East equipment, and with diesel engines . T he building and sailing of the com- Hartford CT Tide-Mark, J<)<J6). pleted bark is being supported by gro ups on both sides of the Atlanti c, and theJeanie The Jeanie Johnston Project, Ashe Memorial Joh nston will voyage to North America in Hall, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland; 353 the year 2000. H er planned itinerary will (66) 28888; Jax: 353 (66) 27444.
SEA HISTORY 88, SPRING 1999