The Star of India is one of the most famous and important historic ships afloat. Built in 1863, she’s the oldest active sailing vessel in the world and the oldest iron-hulled merchant ship still on the water. She has sailed twenty-one times around the world, surviving the tempests of Cape Horn. She has been caught in a devastating cyclone, trapped in Alaskan ice, and even went aground in Hawaii. She still plies the Pacific Ocean with a volunteer crew. And her hull, cabins and equipment are almost completely original.
So it isn’t surprising the deck needs a bit of help.
The Star of India needs YOUR help!
Why should you help? Read this amazing message from the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s website:
“…Our museum is working as part of an international effort to see Star of India inscribed, along with other great historic ships, by UNESCO as a multi-national world heritage site. Like the Parthenon, the Pyramids, and the Great Wall of China, such a distinction would…see that she lives forever.”
Wow!
Right now, the main deck and poop deck need replacing. The wooden decks have come to the end of their lifetime. The Star of India “was recently awarded a $192,000 National Parks Service Maritime Heritage Grant, one of very few such awards and a testimony to both her historical significance and to the viability of the project for extending her life. However, these funds are available to Star of India only if they are matched by an equal amount contributed by those who love her and want to see her sail for generations to come.”
With YOUR contribution, you can become part of an eternal legacy and help to preserve an important part of world (and San Diego) history. That’s big, very important stuff!
Please visit this webpage to learn how YOU can help!
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Cool San Diego Sights! 
Fascinating! When I saw the name Euterpe, I thought, ‘Sounds familiar…I wonder if she ever…’ then scrolled a little further and saw the Port Chalmers photo. I’m certainly no expert on the days of sail, so I must have come across her when I was looking at early photos of Otago.
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It’s a small world! During 25 years of her active life, Euterpe made 21 passages to New Zealand carrying passengers and freight from England–a trip that took from 100 to 143 days! (Maybe back then the world wasn’t so small–that’s an awfully long trip!)
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Yes – I just went and did a rummage in my bookcase and found a book called “Over the Mountains of the Sea – Life on the Migrant Ships 1870-1885” by David Hastings, and saw that Euterpe features there. So that’s why the name and photo were so familiar. Sadly, the only other surviving immigrant ship is Edwin Fox – it would cost a fortune to restore her.
http://www.edwinfoxsociety.com/
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Cool! I’ll check out your link!
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