Surprise (schooner) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Surprise (schooner)
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 Location in Maine
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| Location | Camden Harbor, Camden, Maine |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1917 |
| Architect | McManus, Thomas F. |
| Architectural style | Two-masted schooner |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000771 |
| Added to NRHP | June 14, 1991 |
The Surprise is a cool old sailing ship called a schooner. She has two tall masts! Built way back in 1917-1918, she used to be a racing boat. Now, you can find her in Camden, Maine. She takes people on fun daily trips around Penobscot Bay. This special boat is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places because she's so important!
Meet the Surprise Schooner
The Surprise is a wooden sailing ship with two masts. She is about 44 feet (13.5 meters) long. Her widest part, called the beam, is about 12 feet (3.7 meters). The part of the boat that goes underwater, called the draft, is about 6 feet (2 meters) deep.
The boat's frame is made from strong oak wood. Her outer planks, which are like the skin of the boat, were originally yellow pine. Some of these have been replaced with beautiful mahogany wood. The deck, where people walk, is made of fir wood.
Inside, the Surprise is set up for passengers to enjoy day trips. There's also a special room in the back for her engine. She usually sails with four main sails. These include the main sail and smaller sails called staysails.
A Look at Her History
The Surprise was built in 1917-1918 at the Worrell Shipyard in Rockport, Maine. She was one of seven schooner yachts designed by Thomas F. McManus. He was a very famous boat designer at that time. The Surprise is the only one of those seven boats still sailing today!
Her design is special because it shows a change in how schooners were built. Before, many were for work, like fishing. But the Surprise was made for fun and racing! She was built for a man named M.S. Kattenhorn. His family owned her for many years, using her for racing and pleasure trips until the 1960s.
Even though her first plans included an engine, it wasn't added until after the Kattenhorn family sold her. In the late 1980s, the Surprise was changed to carry tourists. Now, she offers short tours of Penobscot Bay from her home in Camden, Maine.
