Effie M. Morrissey facts for kids
Effie M. Morrissey in 1894
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United States |
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| Name | Effie M. Morrissey |
| Builder | John F. James & Washington Tarr, Essex, Massachusetts |
| Launched | 1 February 1894 |
| Renamed | Ernestina |
| Status | Training vessel |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Two-masted Gaff rigged schooner |
| Tonnage | 120 GRT |
| Length |
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| Beam | 24 ft 5 in (7.4 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails and diesel engine |
| Sail plan | 8,000 sq ft (740 m2) |
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Ernestina (schooner)
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Steamship Wharf, New Bedford, Massachusetts |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | George Melville McClain; James & Tarr Shipyards |
| NRHP reference No. | 85000022 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 3, 1985 |
| Designated NHL | December 14, 1990 |
The Effie M. Morrissey is a famous sailing ship, also known today as the Ernestina-Morrissey. This schooner (a type of sailing ship with at least two masts) was once captained by the explorer Robert Bartlett. She went on many science trips to the Arctic for museums and groups like the National Geographic Society.
During World War II, the ship even helped the United States Government explore the Arctic. Today, the U.S. government has named her a National Historic Landmark. This means she is a very important historical site. She is also the official State Ship of Massachusetts.
Contents
History of the Effie M. Morrissey
The Effie M. Morrissey was designed by George McClain in Gloucester, Massachusetts. She was built to be strong enough to handle the tough storms of the North Atlantic Ocean. She was the very last fishing schooner made for the Wonson Fish Company.
The ship was built from strong white oak and yellow pine wood. It took only four months to build her at the John F. James & Washington Tarr shipyard. She was launched on February 1, 1894. Her hull was painted black, and her first captain, William Edward Morrissey, named her after his daughter, Effie Maude Morrissey.
Fishing in the Grand Banks
For eleven years, the Effie M. Morrissey sailed out of Gloucester for fishing trips. She was known as a "high liner" because she caught so much fish. On her very first trip, she brought in over 200,000 pounds of fish! This was enough to pay for the cost of building her.
Another well-known captain of the Effie M. Morrissey was Clayton Morrissey. He later became the captain of the racing schooner Henry Ford. You can see a statue of Clayton Morrissey in Gloucester. It is called the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial.
In 1905, Captain Ansel Snow bought the ship. The Effie M. Morrissey then started fishing from Digby, Nova Scotia. A writer and photographer named Frederick William Wallace sailed on the ship in 1912. He wrote a famous poem about his time on the Effie M. Morrissey.
In 1914, the ship was sold again and moved to Brigus, Newfoundland. There, Harold Bartlett used her for fishing and carrying goods along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Arctic Exploration Voyages
In 1925, Harold Bartlett sold the ship to his cousin, Captain Bob Bartlett. Captain Bartlett was a famous Arctic explorer. He added an extra engine and made the ship's hull stronger. This helped the vessel travel through Arctic ice.
Starting in 1926, with money from publisher George Palmer Putnam, Captain Bartlett used the Effie M. Morrissey for twenty years of Arctic exploration.
Here are some of the important trips Captain Robert Bartlett made on the Effie M. Morrissey:
- 1926: An expedition to Northwest Greenland for the American Museum of Natural History.
- 1927: A trip to Western Baffin Land for the American Geographical Society.
- 1928: The Stoll McCracken Siberian Arctic Expedition to the Aleutian Islands and Bering Strait.
- 1929: A movie expedition along the Labrador Coast.
- 1930: A trip to Northeast Greenland for the Museum of the American Indian.
- 1931: The Norcross-Bartlett Expedition to Northeast Greenland. They collected plants, birds, narwhals, and seals. They also studied the ocean, maps, and weather for the US Navy.
- 1932: The Peary Memorial Expedition. This trip honored explorer Robert E. Peary.
- 1933: The Bartlett Northwest Greenland Expedition through the Hudson Strait.
- 1934: An expedition to Greenland and Ellesmere Land to collect scientific items.
- 1935: The Northwest Greenland Expedition for the Field Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.
- 1936: The Bartlett Northeast Greenland Expedition for the Smithsonian Institution.
- 1937: The Bartlett Northwest Greenland Expedition.
- 1938: The Northwest Greenland Expedition for the Smithsonian Institution.
- 1939: The Northeast Greenland Expedition.
- 1940: A Greenland Expedition where the Effie M. Morrissey sailed further north than ever before. She reached 80 degrees 22 minutes North Latitude, which is only 578 nautical miles from the North Pole.
- 1941: A Greenland Expedition into the Arctic regions. They studied the ionosphere (a part of Earth's atmosphere) in the Arctic.
- 1942: A trip to Ungava Bay and Frobisher Bay. They surveyed areas for air bases for the US Army Air Forces and the US Navy.
- 1943: A trip to Frobisher Bay to deliver supplies and do survey work for U.S. military bases.
- 1944: A trip to southern and eastern Greenland to supply U.S. weather bases.
- 1945: A trip to northwest Greenland to supply U.S. military bases.
The Ernestina: A Packet Ship
After Captain Robert Bartlett passed away in 1946, the Effie M. Morrissey was sold. She was used to carry mail and passengers between islands in the South Pacific. But she had problems at sea and had to return to New York City. In 1947, the boat caught fire while docked in Flushing, New York.
The schooner was fixed and then sold to Louisa Mendes. She began carrying goods across the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Verde. She carried food and clothing. When she reached the islands, Captain Henrique Mendes renamed the ship Ernestina, after his daughter. He used her for trade between the islands.
The Ernestina made many trips across the Atlantic. Over time, she became old and needed repairs in Cape Verde. In the late 1960s, people in the United States became interested in saving this historic ship. In 1977, the people of Cape Verde decided to give the Ernestina as a gift to the United States.
A representative from Cape Verde said:
The Government of Cape Verde offers the Ernestina as a gift to the United States of America as an expression of the high regard of the people of Cape Verde for the people of the United States and we deliver the vessel to the State of Massachusetts as a representative of the people of the United States.
A National Historic Landmark Today
In August 1982, the ship's hull was completely rebuilt in Cape Verde. Then, she sailed to the United States with a crew from both Cape Verde and America.
In August 1988, the schooner sailed back to Brigus, Newfoundland. This was the hometown of Captain Bob Bartlett. The trip was made on what would have been his 113th birthday.
In 1990, the Ernestina was named a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. Her restoration (repair and rebuilding) was finished in 1994. In 1996, she became part of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts now owns her.
The Ernestina is very special because:
- She is the oldest surviving fishing schooner from the Grand Banks.
- She is the only fishing schooner built in Gloucester in the 1800s that is still around.
- She is one of only two "Fredonia-style" schooners left (the other is LETTIE G. HOWARD).
- She is one of only two sailing Arctic exploration ships still floating in the United States (the other is BOWDOIN).
In 2014, the ship began a big restoration project. It cost $6 million and took several years. The work was done at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. After waiting for good weather, the ship arrived in Boothbay Harbor in April 2015. She was then taken out of the water for the repairs.
See also
- List of schooners
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New Bedford, Massachusetts
Images for kids
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Effie M. Morrissey in 1894
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Ernestina was depicted on the 2005 200 Cape Verdean escudo banknote
