Constructed by Gibson, McDonald & Arnold at Ramsey on the Isle of Man, this full-rigged iron windjammer was launched on 14 November 1863 under the name Euterpe (named after the Greek muse of music). The ship sailed between the United Kingdom and India, carrying jute for Wakefield Nash & Company of Liverpool. Passing through the hands of several British ocean shipping companies, in 1871 Euterpe began carrying emigrants and freight to New Zealand for Shaw, Savill & Company. These voyages, which lasted between 100 and 143 days and took the ship around the world each time, continued for the next 25 years and also included stops in Australia, California, and Chile. Sold to Hawaiian owners in 1897 and to the San Francisco-based Pacific Colonial Ship Company in 1899, Euterpe carried lumber, coal, and sugar between the Pacific Northwest, Australia, and Hawaii. In 1901, Euterpe was sold to the Alaska Packers' Association of San Francisco and re-rigged as a barque (fore- and main mast square-rigged, mizzen mast rigged fore-and-aft). Beginning in 1902, Euterpe carried fishermen, cannery workers, coal, and canning supplies each spring from Oakland, California to the Bering Sea, returning with a load of canned salmon each fall. In 1906, the Alaska Packers' Association renamed the ship Star of India. The Star of India was laid up in 1923 after 22 Alaskan voyages, and finally sold to the Zoological Society of San Diego in 1926 for use as a museum ship. With this plan abandoned due to the Great Depression and the Second World War, restoration of the Star of India did not commence until 1957 and was not completed until 1963. By 1976, the Star of India began sailing once more, and the ship is the world's oldest active sailing vessel and the oldest iron-hulled merchant vessel still afloat. She is registered as a United States National Historic Landmark and is now part of the collection of ships and boats owned by the San Diego Maritime Museum, located on the city's Embarcadero, just to the west of downtown.
Photos taken 13 January 2014
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A profile view of the three-masted steel barque Star of India, centrepiece of the San Diego Maritime Museum's collection of historic ships. Star of India was classed as a 'full-rigged' barque, that is square-rigged on all three masts).
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| A gangway leads up onto the Star of India's main deck. |
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| The main deck aboard Star of India. |
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| Looking aft on the port side of the poop deck, toward the steering position. |
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| Star of India's wheel and the binnacle housing the compass. |
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| A view of Star of India's masts and rigging, looking aft from the forecastle. |
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| Star of India's galley, at the forward end of the main deck. |
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| The boatswain's stores and workshop, at the forward end of the main deck. |
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| Star of India's richly-appointed first class saloon, located at the aft end of the ship. The Captain's cabin, Medical Officer's cabin, and charthouse, as well as first-class passenger cabins are located along the sides of the saloon. A retractable glass canopy over the table allows natural light and fresh air into the saloon. A lounge aft of the saloon offers additional seating. |
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| The Captain's relatively spacious cabin. |
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| The 'tween deck of the Star of India, containing maritime history exhibits and model ships. Originally, this deck was stuffed with cargo and, along the sides in small cabins, emigrants. |
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A view of the cargo holds on two decks, and the shafts through which cargo was lowered via the hatches overhead.
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| A workshop and cable storage in the bow of Star of India. |
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| Star of India depicted in an oil painting now hanging aboard the ship. |
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| Another artistic rendition of Star of India under full sail. |
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Looking up through a cargo hatch from the lowest deck aboard Star of India.
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Star of India - Specifications:
Displacement: 1,197 tons (as Euterpe) / 1,318 (as Star of India)
Length (at waterline): 62.5 metres (205 feet)
Beam: 10.7 metres (35 feet)
Draught (loaded): 6.6 metres (22 feet)
Depth of Hold: 7.2 metres (23 feet 6 inches)
Height (to top of mast): 38.8 metres (127 feet)
