Pilgrim (brig) facts for kids
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Brig Pilgrim off Santa Barbara in 1996
The Pilgrim was an American sailing ship from the early 1800s. She became famous because one of her sailors, Richard Henry Dana Jr., wrote a classic book about his time on board. This book, called Two Years Before the Mast, describes a long journey the Pilgrim made from Massachusetts to California in 1834-1835. On this trip, the crew traded goods for animal hides. Sadly, the Pilgrim caught fire and sank at sea in 1856.
Contents
| History | |
|---|---|
 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. |
Building and Trading Voyages
The Pilgrim was a type of sailing ship called a brig. This means she had two masts with square sails. She was built in 1825 by Sprague & James in Medford, Massachusetts. Her first owners were Joshua Blake, Francis Stanton, and George Hallett. Later, she was sold to Bryant & Sturgis, a company from Boston.
The ship was about 86.5 feet (26.4 meters) long and 21.6 feet (6.6 meters) wide. She could carry about 180 tons of cargo.
A Famous Journey
In 1834, a young man named Richard Henry Dana Jr. joined the Pilgrim's crew. He was a student at Harvard College and was recovering from measles. He decided to become a sailor for a while. His journey started in Boston, Massachusetts. The ship sailed all the way around Cape Horn, which is the very southern tip of South America. Then, they headed north to California.
In California, the crew traded goods for animal hides from the ranches near the old Franciscan missions. Dana's book, Two Years Before the Mast, tells the story of this exciting voyage. It gives a detailed look at life as a sailor in those times.
The original Pilgrim sank off the coast of North Carolina in 1856. This happened after a fire broke out on the ship while it was at sea.
Life on Board: The Crew
Richard Henry Dana Jr.'s book also tells us 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 "watches" (groups of sailors who work shifts). However, the Second Mate was in a strange position. They weren't quite an officer, but they weren't a regular crewman either. This was probably because the Pilgrim was a smaller ship. On bigger ships, the Second Mate was clearly an officer. On the Pilgrim, the Captain and First Mate ate together, and the Second Mate often ate their leftovers.
Besides the officers, there were four special crew members. These included the steward, cook, carpenter, and sailmaker. They did not work in the watches but had important jobs to keep the ship running.
The Replica Ship
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Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 Denmark |
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| Launched | 1945 |
 United States |
|
| 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, or replica, of the Pilgrim was located in Dana Point, California. This is the same area where some of Richard Henry Dana Jr.'s adventures took place. This replica ship was originally built in 1945 in Denmark. It started as a 3-masted schooner, which is another type of sailing ship.
In 1975, the ship was changed into a brig in Portugal. It then became a "floating classroom" for the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California. Every summer, the ship would sail along the coast of Southern California with a crew of volunteers.
The replica Pilgrim was also used in movies and TV shows. It appeared in Amistad, a film directed by Steven Spielberg. It also played the "Ghost Galleon" in the TV show Power Rangers: Turbo.
Sadly, on March 29, 2020, the replica Pilgrim sank while it was docked in port. It started to lean to one side, and eventually, the decision was made to take it apart.
See also
- Ship replica (a list of other replica ships)
- Two Years Before the Mast (the famous book about the Pilgrim)
