Revisiting Mystic Seaport (with pics)

[Subnuts]

This Monday I revisited Mystic Seaport, and armed with a half-off coupon, dragged my mother in tow. She hadn't been there since the early 60s, back when it was basically two ships and a couple old buildings. Much to my surprise, she really enjoyed the visit, though spending five hours on all those hard wooden floors and decks can be awfully tiring!

The pictures from my last trip can be seen here: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom//showthread.php?t=197810
I tried to avoid taking pictures of things I'd photographed the last time, or visiting all of the same exhibits I'd already seen. Needless to say, I wish I could have returned on Tuesday - I swear I only saw half the seaport this time!

This is the Roann, one of the last of the eastern-rig draggers, a type of fishing trawler that was common off the New England coast from the 1920s through to the 1970s. As anyone who has ever played a Sonalysts sim knows, these boats go whump-whump-swish-whump-whump-swish.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7415/9070743991_821d3f7b9c_b.jpg

I can't identify the motor launch in the foreground. Snazzy little boat either way. Behind the Roann you can see the Sabino, a little steam-powered river boat built back in 1908. More on her later.
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Mystic Seaport is a working museum, so naturally there's always something go on. Here we see a tin roof being moved into position.
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There's a shipbuilding exhibit at the shipyard, although the lighting inside was kinda lousy and I only got one good shot. This is a pair of lower frames from a ship whose name I can't remember. Trivia time: the part of the forward frame that overlaps the keel is known as the "floor," so if anyone tells you that ships don't have floors, they're full of BS.
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The Charles W Morgan is the world's only surviving wooden whaling ship, and almost certainly the Seaport's pride and joy. In one month she'll be returned to the water after a five-year restoration, and a year from now she'll put to sea for the first time since 1922 for a tour of New England harbors. Hopefully, of course!
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A year ago, the entire ship was surrounded by scaffolding, covered in a weatherproof tent, and almost entirely unpainted and unplanked. The difference from May 2012 is startling.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5325/9070752059_7a11e79637_b.jpg

The entire hull was replanked, recaulked, and repainted in the last year.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9070753443_5fc0ac637c_b.jpg

You still have the walk up 40 feet of stairs to get onboard the ship, which was too much for my Mom to handle. Here we see some painting in progress, although I don't think the cherry picker is authentic 19th century shipyard equipment.
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Steve has got to do something about his model building.
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Making her look good as new!
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5441/9072986282_6d8e5443a4_b.jpg

[Subnuts]

Interesting little detail here: the iron bars over the mess room skylight, which protects the glass in heavy seas.
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The only picture I took when I went inside. I'm 6' 1" and had to duck to avoid hitting the beam in front of me. The deck in the room ahead of me was at least a foot lower!
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The Sabino out for her morning test run.
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Any good shipyard needs a large supply of wood on hand.
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Here's a picture demonstrating that 19th century merchant ships had terribly inefficient hull shapes.
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There were a number of projects going on inside the shipyard when I visited. Off to the left, you can see the ramp that will let visitors board the Morgan when she returns to the water. The object in the top center is the Morgan's foremast top, the red and black object is the ship's rudder, and below that you can see see a guy working on some floors (no really, they're called that).
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7426/9070910991_0d2f88cf0b_b.jpg

I really like the simple but beautiful lines of this boat. She's the Emma C Berry, built in 1866, and the last surviving American-built "well smack." Smacks were built with watertight holds in their midships section which would be used to keep fish alive until the boat could return to harbor.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7447/9070901461_2145d322b6_b.jpg

Pretty elegant scrollwork for a 19th century working boat!
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The Oyster Sloop Nellie of 1891.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5501/9070897887_a4d79f79ab_b.jpg

[Sailor Steve]

Those bars over the windows aren't iron, they're plastic. I know, I built that model when I was a kid. :O:

Seriously, those are some great shots! :rock:

[nikimcbee]

Never had time to visit Mystic when I was there.:wah: Thanks for the pix!:salute:

[Subnuts]

The Nellie and Emma C Berry again. What can I say? Old boats are the best boats.
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For $5.50, you can go onboard the Sabino for a narrated half-hour trip down the Mystic River. Some people probably won't agree with me, but I think she's adorable. :sunny:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5335/9074820023_b61a1af1ab_b.jpg

That motor launch again. There has to be some kind of story behind it - that drop keel and oversize rudder is just too unique for a mass-produced craft.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2838/9074818367_eff7abcdf0_b.jpg

The deck of the Roann. I tend to take pictures that will only interest one in a million people.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/9074815815_5de06b802f_b.jpg

Getting ready to go onboard the Sabino. Just like the Titanic, except it's only a thousandth the size and much less likely to kill you.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/9077042574_524bf74811_b.jpg

You can actually watch the engine room "in action" after you go onboard and anytime during the trip. It's a pretty simple affair - basically just a boiler, a little two-cylinder reciprocating engine, a few gauges, some steam pipes, and a warning bell.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/9074810977_2e9f2f2834_b.jpg

The Western-Rig Dragger Florence, built in 1926 and still being used to carry students to collect specimens from local waters. As you can tell, 20th century fishing boats aren't anywhere near as nice looking as their 19th century counterparts.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/9081289804_1cbe6db461_b.jpg

And just to drive that point home, another picture of the Emma C Berry, taken from the upper deck of the Sabino.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2863/9077037846_d44d0c9011_b.jpg

I only managed to get a couple shots in after the Sabino got underway, but here's a nice (I think) profile view of the sail training ship Joseph Conrad.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5476/9079061747_d225d584ec_b.jpg

[Sailor Steve]

What can I say? Old boats are the best boats.

Some people probably won't agree with me, but I think she's adorable.
There's a saying among WW1 flying afficianados: A real airplane has two wings and a round engine. Well, a real ship has wooden walls and sails.

The deck of the Roann. I tend to take pictures that will only interest one in a million people.
I guess that makes me one in a million. I'm downloading all your pictures. :sunny:

[fireftr18]

Years ago, my wife and I drove to New England for vacation. The car happened to break down in Mystic. If it weren't for that, we probably would've missed the Seaport Museum. It turned out one the best stops we made. The Charles W Morgan was open for tours at the time and we went on it. It was floating, but not seaworthy. And as I am typing this, I am looking at a framed print of her.

:salute:

[Rockstar]

That motor launch, the one with the retractable keel and barn door rudder, maybe itself unique. But the design is a common enough for a lot of shoal draft boats. Id wager she could sail on the morning dew. :arrgh!:

[Spiced_Rum]

Thank you Subnuts. Some great pictures and it looks like a good place to visit one day. :up: I had to look up where it is located, their website provides directions:

Our Address

Mystic Seaport
75 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic, CT 06355

GPS Coordinates

Latitude N 41 21.594 (41.3599)
Longitude W 71 57.810 (-71.9635)

Mystic Seaport is located about 10 miles east of New London in Connecticut’s “Ocean Corner”–part of the Mystic Country region.

http://www.mysticseaport.org/ (http://www.mysticseaport.org/)

[bertieck476]

Lovely photos of some lovely boats, we have a strong tradition of working boats on the Essex and Kent coasts in England I myself have an Essex oyster smack, I can post some pics if you folks would like to see them, just out the door now so it would have to be tomorrow.
Bert.

[Catfish]

Wow phantastic photos, and what a nice site to be !

Thanks for posting :up:

[Jimbuna]

Crackin photos of a place obviously well worth visiting...thanks for sharing :up:

[Subnuts]

Thanks to everyone who liked my photos. But as they say on late-night infomercials, "but wait! there's more!"

Another view of the Conrad. You really do get a much better view of the Seaport's vessels from the Sabino.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/9081286118_c8ecee6502_b.jpg

As big as the Morgan looks in this picture, it's still only half as long as the Type VII we all know and love.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3833/9081284764_51f11d15f5_b.jpg

This ship isn't part of the Seaport's collection, so enjoy the filler shot.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/9079056463_15319769a3_b.jpg

So here's some more stuff that one in a million people will appreciate. I went down to the lower deck to check out the Sabino's engine room before she returned to the pier. The boiler is aft of the engine. I'm not sure if this arrangement was common on smaller steam-powered ships like the Sabino, but I've never seen it on larger ships.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/9079053789_e8a3aa755a_b.jpg

Chuga-Chuga-Chuga-Chuga-Chuga.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5544/9079052303_3b23feb747_b.jpg

Funny how this still-running boat has a better-preserved engine room than many of the museum ships I've seen.
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The Seaport also has a large number of indoor exhibits. One of the most interesting ones is the James Driggs Shipsmith Shop. This building was actually built in New Bedford in 1885, brought to Mystic in 1944, and still creates replacement parts for many of the seaport's ships and boats.
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[Gerald]

This was nice photos, thanks for sharing :yep:

[AVGWarhawk]

Beautiful shots! It has been a long time since I visited Mystic. Thanks for sharing!

[Sailor Steve]

The boiler is aft of the engine. I'm not sure if this arrangement was common on smaller steam-powered ships like the Sabino, but I've never seen it on larger ships.
Actually the famous WW2 battleships HMS Nelson and Rodney had the boilers aft of the engines.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HMS_Nelson,_outline_and_plan_(Warships_To-day,_1936).jpg

[Subnuts]

Actually the famous WW2 battleships HMS Nelson and Rodney had the boilers aft of the engines.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HMS_Nelson,_outline_and_plan_(Warships_To-day,_1936).jpg

Well, that's just because those ships were weird.

The manliest, most American barometer ever made. The curator at the nautical instrument shop was completely humorless and didn't really like it when my aunt Katie asked if chronometers were ever stolen for their black market value. Thankfully, all the other curators loved talking to people!
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Walking along the riverside, I noticed a blue crab staring back at me! Too bad the picture came out like crap.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/9090457402_dda3bee68b_b.jpg

Another interesting building is the ropewalk, a 250-foot long portion of the 1,000-foot long Plymouth Cordage Company. Many of the historical buildings at Mystic are the real deal, and actually provided gear and equipment for ships built in New England in the late 1800s. They were later dissembled, moved to Mystic, and rebuilt their. The ropewalk was long and dark, and this in the only good shot I got. Again, I'm sure there are those here could stare at a pile of ropes for five minutes.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/9090457012_d0740a5420_b.jpg

The Joseph Conrad was originally the Danish sailing ship George Stage. The Australian sailor Alan Villiers saved her from the scrappers in the early 1930s, and sailed her around the world in 1934 through 1936. With the name change came a new figurehead.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/9090455750_bf6ef0b2f0_b.jpg

Real Age of Sail geeks came name each of these ropes. These means I'm not a real Age of Sail geek.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/9090454584_52525465df_b.jpg

In science fiction, spaceships are twice as big on the inside as they are on the outside. In real life, ships are half the size on the inside as they are on the outside. The Conrad is only 110 feet long from the tip of the forecastle to the stern.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/9090453280_29a9bd9195_b.jpg

A pirate's life is the life for me... unless you have vertigo, that is.
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Normally, at around 2:00 the Seaport does a demonstration of working aloft onboard the Conrad. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough volunteers on hand to perform it, so we were treated to a couple of sea shanteys by the museum staff and by Danny Spooner. I later learned the Danny Spooner is a bit of a legend in the Australian folk music scene, and has been putting out albums since 1965!

One man did go aloft, and although he was wearing a safety harness and didn't go any higher than the main topsail yard, quite a few people in attendance were still cringing!
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5502/9112310208_83b54a5d51_b.jpg

This is an anchor from a British 74-gun ship. The official story is that it's owner lost it during blockade duty during the War of 1812. It's as big as you'd expect.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5350/9112304182_52b09a8317_b.jpg

And here's a model of a 74-gun ship, which the plaque says was built in 1722. The curator told us this model was built at the same rate the ship was. Basically, the model-builders would go down to the shipyard, add whatever parts to the model which had been added to the ship, and return the model to the Admiralty so they could gauge the process of the ship's construction. This have them more time with ridiculous bureaucracy and red tape.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5454/9110083749_aa29d1bf3d_b.jpg

[Sailor Steve]

Well, that's just because those ships were weird.
I can't argue with you there. I was just sayin'...

The manliest, most American barometer ever made.
That is something special. All carved by had, of course.

Walking along the riverside, I noticed a blue crab staring back at me! Too bad the picture came out like crap.
Still, I can see him smiling for the camera. I wonder if his picture came out any better.

Real Age of Sail geeks came name each of these ropes. These means I'm not a real Age of Sail geek.
Neither am I, really. I do have a book with every single one named, so I can find out quickly if anyone should wonder.

One man did go aloft, and although he was wearing a safety harness and didn't go any higher than the main topsail yard, quite a few people in attendance were still cringing!
Thirty years ago I would have gladly volunteered for the top. These days I can't climb the ratlines, so vertigo isn't a question.

There is a wonderful scene at the end of one of the Hornblower episodes that has Ioan Gruffud and some other cast members standing atop the highest yard while the ship is underway!

Basically, the model-builders would go down to the shipyard, add whatever parts to the model which had been added to the ship, and return the model to the Admiralty so they could gauge the process of the ship's construction.
And that's how you build a truly accurate model! :rock:

[Subnuts]

Time for some odds and ends.

The museum has a pretty impressive collection of figureheads, though me, being Mr. Observant, can't remember the names of the ships they came from. Here's three of them.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2874/9110082491_cde4cac593_b.jpg



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Wall of scary looking stuff. Anybody else see the tiny anchor?
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/9088240287_5935157cbc_b.jpg

The famous Mystic River bascule bridge.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/9081280654_d3c7a4cdee_b.jpg

Closeup of the Sabino's funnel.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/9074812171_5a7c077f37_b.jpg

Inside the General Store. The curator spent a while explaining how the "plunger" you see in the bottom left corner worked. It was actually part of a 19th century "washing machine."
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7374/9077060644_2f673159ee_b.jpg

The Pharmacist's office. Mystic Seaport has a number of buildings in it's recreated village, like a general store, pharmacist, cooperage, school, church, and a couple of old homes. Some are more interesting than others. YMMV.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3819/9074824865_1287374e9c_b.jpg

I wonder how many people were killed by these "miracle cures" back then?
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3718/9074829993_d94180a794_b.jpg

A really ornate cast iron furnace. Nobody would ever put this kind of a craftsmanship into such a utilitarian device these days. Then again, I'm convinced that everything looks the same now.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3678/9074828629_b213942919_b.jpg

[Subnuts]

Okay, let's wrap this up.

A little thing I cobbled together to show how far the Morgan has come since May 2012.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/9131781006_5492e81b68_b.jpg

The shipyard gets visitors after closing.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3711/9073131690_db53c797de_b.jpg

Every good medicine shop had at least one of these.
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I don't know why I took so many pictures of the Roann, so here's another.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/9073130382_a9ca56840f_b.jpg

I suppose I find old fishing boats more interesting than the dozens of McMansions on the other side of the river.

[Sailor Steve]

Did anyone else notice the creepy faces in the anchor?

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a325/SailorSteve/b8769e76-0e1f-41fc-b4f6-9580bb567825_zps5d8c0135.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/SailorSteve/media/b8769e76-0e1f-41fc-b4f6-9580bb567825_zps5d8c0135.jpg.html)

[fireftr18]

About the ropewalk. I remember an old ropewalk building across the street from the Seaport Museum. When I was there, one of the guides told us it was in such bad shape that they couldn't open it to the public, but there were plans to restore it. Is that the same building you have in your picture?