A piece of living history has left the dock. The Official Tall Ship of Texas, the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA, departed Galveston this June to join Sail250, a global gathering of tall ships and military vessels celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
Fresh off scheduled drydock maintenance — which included a new jibboom, a new sail for the fore topmast and a new John Deere PowerTech™ 6135SFM85 Diesel Engine — ELISSA is now underway on an approximately 2,500-mile voyage, her longest extended voyage in decades.
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“ELISSA is not simply traveling to commemorate a milestone, she is doing what she was built to do — connect communities through maritime history,” said Will Wright, chief creative officer for the Galveston Historical Foundation. “This project reflects decades of stewardship and investment, and it reinforces our commitment to ensuring that Galveston’s history continues to be told on a national stage.”
Leading the fleet into New York Harbor
ELISSA, a National Historic Landmark, will be in New York July 3-7 and will lead fellow Class A tall ships into New York Harbor on July 4, joining the largest-ever flotilla of historic vessels and sailing ships from around the world. She is among the oldest vessels expected at the New York tall ship gathering.
The voyage marks ELISSA’s first return to New York since 1986, when she visited for OpSail, held in honor of the Statue of Liberty’s centennial and the 210th anniversary of American independence.
Built in 1877 by Alexander Hall & Co. in Aberdeen, Scotland, ELISSA is a three-masted, iron-hulled baroque — square sails on the fore and main masts, fore-and-aft sails on the mizzen — and one of the few authentic 19th-century tall ships still actively sailing today. She measures 205 feet from stern to jibboom, stands 99 feet, 9 inches at the main mast and carries 19 sails covering approximately 11,500 square feet — more than one-quarter of an acre.
Unlike many vessels seen at waterfront festivals, ELISSA is not a replica. She is a surviving merchant ship whose nearly 90-year commercial career took her to ports around the world before Galveston preservationists rescued her from a scrapyard in Piraeus Harbor, Greece.
Six ports, one historic mission
Before and after the July 4 events in New York, ELISSA will make port calls at six cities, bringing her story, crew and a fully authentic 19th-century square-rigged sailing experience to communities along the route:
Pensacola, Florida | May 23–24
Savannah, Georgia | June 5–6
Yorktown, Virginia | June 12–14 — debut stop
Portsmouth, Virginia | June 19–22 — debut stop
New York, New York | July 3–7
Boston, Massachusetts | July 11–15
At each stop, the Galveston Historical Foundation will activate ELISSA as a traveling classroom and cultural ambassador through public deck tours, Salute to Sunset receptions, and special sailing events, as well as appearances at tall ship festivals and waterfront celebrations.
“For Galveston, the America250 voyage is both a national showcase and a statement of identity,” said Dwayne Jones, executive director and chief executive officer for GHF. “As a historic port city whose story is deeply tied to maritime commerce, immigration, and coastal life, Galveston will be represented on a global stage by a vessel that has become one of its most visible and meaningful ambassadors.”
A living ambassador, not a museum piece
Today, ELISSA is a fully functional sailing vessel operated by the Galveston Historical Foundation at the Galveston Historic Seaport. For nearly 50 years, GHF has led the ship’s rescue, restoration and ongoing management, investing in the preservation, maintenance and crew training required to keep the vessel seaworthy and under sail.
The ship’s sailing crew includes eight paid officers and staff and approximately 34 trained volunteers when underway. ELISSA carries approximately two miles of rope across her running rigging and lines, and navigation is conducted using both paper and electronic charts. Onboard satellite internet supports operational needs while underway.
GHF credits its volunteer program and ongoing investment in training and maritime preservation as the reason ELISSA remains a working ship rather than a static museum exhibit — preserving both the vessel and the skills needed to sail her for future generations.
ELISSA continues to sail annually during Gulf Coast sea trials and welcomes thousands of visitors each year for tours, education programs and special events interpreting Galveston’s role in maritime trade, immigration and U.S. history.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Port of Galveston served as a major immigration gateway to the United States, particularly for arrivals from Europe and Latin America. Before Ellis Island opened in 1892, large numbers of immigrants disembarked in Galveston and continued inland by rail to Texas and other regions of the country. ELISSA’s interpretive programs help connect that history to contemporary audiences.
Tickets, tours, sailing experiences
Tickets for deck tours, Salute to Sunset parties and on-board sailing experiences along ELISSA’s America250 route are available at Galveston250.com. Dates and times are subject to change based on weather and port conditions.