HMS Surprise (replica ship) facts for kids
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|} The ship known as "HMS" Surprise is a modern tall ship built in 1970. It was constructed in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. This vessel was originally named HMS Rose and was designed to look like an 18th-century British Admiralty warship. It was based on the original drawings of HMS Rose, a 20-gun ship from 1757.
Contents
- The Ship's Early Life as HMS Rose
- Becoming HMS Surprise for the Movies
- Renamed and Sailing Today
- Interesting Facts About the Ship
The Ship's Early Life as HMS Rose
The ship was built to be a very close copy of the original Rose. However, it also needed to be useful for business. The person who ordered the ship, John Fitzhugh Millar, gave the designer, Phil Bolger, copies of the old British drawings. Bolger changed the bottom part of the hull (the ship's body) to make it sail better against the wind. This meant it could sail closer to the wind than many other ships with square sails.
The Rose was built at the Smith and Rhuland shipyard in Lunenburg. This shipyard was famous for building large, successful replica ships. They had also built HMS Bounty in 1960 and Bluenose II in 1963.
The United States Coast Guard checked and approved the ship. For its first ten years, the Rose was in Newport, Rhode Island. It sailed in Newport Harbor and was also a popular attraction at the dock.
In 1972, the Rose was used in a TV movie called The Man Without a Country. The movie makers didn't have enough money to take the ship out sailing. So, all the scenes were filmed with the sails up while the ship was tied to the pier.
In 1984, the ship was bought by Kaye Williams. It was in bad shape at the time. It was moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, and used to train people how to sail in the 1980s and 1990s. The HMS Rose Foundation, based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States, ran these training programs. The ship's figurehead (the statue at the front) had to be replaced twice. One was damaged in a storm in 1998. The crew playfully called the figurehead "Chester."
In the late 1990s, a book publisher rented the Rose for a party in New York. The party celebrated a new novel by Patrick O'Brian. O'Brian himself was there. He mentioned to the Rose's captain, Richard Bailey, that if the ship was painted like an 1805 warship, it would look exactly like the frigate Surprise from his books. Captain Bailey quickly had his crew repaint the ship. O'Brian was so impressed that he changed his mind about letting his books be made into movies. The publisher then started looking for a Hollywood company to make a film.
Replica HMS Roseoff Massachusetts in 1971, painted like its namesake
Becoming HMS Surprise for the Movies
In March 2001, the ship was sold to the 20th Century Fox film studio. It went through many changes to be used in the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. In the film, it played the Royal Navy frigate HMS Surprise. The movie's story was based on several of Patrick O'Brian's books.
To make it look like the movie ship, its back end (stern) was reshaped. All the modern structures on the deck were removed. The single steering wheel was replaced with two wheels. Special fighting platforms were added to the masts, and new sails were fitted. The figurehead was also replaced to match the movie's look.
Renamed and Sailing Today
After the movie was finished, the ship was first leased and then bought by the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The museum worked to get the ship ready for sailing again, which it did by September 2007. The ship was officially renamed "HMS Surprise" to honor its important role in the film.
The Surprise sails several times a year. It often sails with the museum's other tall ships, like the schooner Californian and the old 1863 barque Star of India. In 2010, the Surprise played another movie role. It was HMS Providence in the Disney adventure film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Interesting Facts About the Ship
Even though the ship is called HMS, which means Her (or His) Majesty's Ship, it has never actually been part of the Royal Navy. The "HMS" part is just for its name.
In 1991, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a law about the HMS Rose. This law made the ship an official vessel of the Connecticut Naval Militia. The law said that the H.M.S. Rose Foundation was in charge of taking care of the ship. Even when the ship was sold to 20th Century Fox, this law was not removed and is still in effect today.
HMS Rosein 2000, painted to look like the original Surprise, arriving in Baltimore
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | HMS Surprise |
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry |  United States |
| Builder | Smith and Rhuland Shipyard, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia |
| Launched | 1970 |
| Renamed | HMS Rose (1970-2007) |
| Homeport | San Diego, California |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Active Museum Ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 500 long tons (508 t) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Height | of Rig 130 ft (40 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Propulsion | Twin Diesel (300 HP Each) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship, sail area 13,000 sq ft (1,200 m2) |
| Armament | 28 x 9 pound cannons (non-operational) |
