Pilgrim (brig) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 United States |
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| Name | Pilgrim |
| Owner |
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| Builder | Sprague & James, Medford, Massachusetts |
| Launched | 1825 |
| Fate | Sank in a fire at sea, 1856. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Brig |
| Tons burthen | 180.5 tons burthen |
| Length | 86.5 ft (26.4 m) |
| Beam | 21.6 ft (6.6 m) |
| Notes | 1834 voyage described in Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr. |
The Pilgrim was an American sailing ship from the early 1800s. It was a type of ship called a brig, which has two masts. The ship became famous because one of its sailors, Richard Henry Dana Jr., wrote a classic book about his time on board. The book is called Two Years Before the Mast. It describes a long trip the Pilgrim made between Massachusetts and California in 1834–1835. The ship's purpose was to trade for animal hides. Sadly, the Pilgrim caught fire and sank at sea in 1856.
Building the Pilgrim
The Pilgrim was built in 1825 by Sprague & James in Medford, Massachusetts. It was first owned by Joshua Blake, Francis Stanton, and George Hallett. Later, it was sold to Bryant & Sturgis, a company in Boston.
The ship was about 86.5 feet (26.4 meters) long and 21.6 feet (6.6 meters) wide. It weighed about 180.5 tons.
A Famous Voyage
In 1834, a young man named Richard Henry Dana Jr. joined the Pilgrim's crew. He was a student at Harvard College and became a regular sailor. His journey started in Boston, Massachusetts. The ship sailed all the way around Cape Horn at the tip of South America to reach California.
The main goal of the trip was to trade goods for animal hides. These hides came from ranches near the old Franciscan missions. Dana's book, Two Years Before the Mast, tells the story of this amazing voyage. The Pilgrim sank off the coast of North Carolina in 1856 after a fire.
Life on Board
Richard Henry Dana Jr. wrote about the people who worked on the Pilgrim. Besides six to eight regular sailors, there were three officers. These were the Captain, the First Mate, and the Second Mate.
The Second Mate was in charge of one of the ship's two watches (groups of sailors working shifts). However, this officer was often alone. They were not quite part of the captain's group, nor were they fully part of the regular crew. This was probably because the Pilgrim was a smaller ship. On bigger ships, the Second Mate was clearly an officer.
The Captain and First Mate ate their meals together. The Second Mate had to eat their leftovers. There were also four special crew members who did not work in watches. These were the steward, cook, carpenter, and sailmaker.
A Modern Replica
Brig Pilgrim
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Denmark |
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| Launched | 1945 |
 United States |
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| Name | Pilgrim |
| Owner | Ocean Institute |
| Port of registry | Dana Point, California 33°27′43″N 117°42′23″W / 33.46205531371685°N 117.70629644851338°W |
| Fate | Sank at port on March 29, 2020 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 3-masted schooner, converted to brig in 1975 |
| Notes | Used in 1997 film Amistad |
A copy of the Pilgrim was located in Dana Point, California. This is the same place where some of Dana's adventures happened. This replica ship was originally built in 1945 in Denmark. It was a 3-masted schooner, used for trading in the Baltic Sea.
In 1975, the ship was changed into a brig in Portugal. It became a floating classroom for the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California. Every summer, the ship would sail around Southern California with a crew of volunteers.
The replica Pilgrim was also used in movies and TV shows. It appeared in the 1997 film Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg. It also played the "Ghost Galleon" in the TV show Power Rangers: Turbo.
On March 29, 2020, the replica ship sank while it was docked. It began to tilt to one side, and the decision was made to take it apart.
See also
- Ship replica (a list of other ship copies)
- Two Years Before the Mast (the famous book)
