In March and April, the three masted, full-rigged Perry was visited by 25,000 people during deck tours in Jacksonville, Palm Beach, and the ports of call of the Tall Ships Gulf Challenge in Galveston, Pensacola and New Orleans. The ship will resume teen voyages, open to all 14-18 year olds, this July and August along the Eastern Seaboard.
Last year, two groups of Midshipman candidates from NAPS sailed for five days each aboard Perry, which also is Rhode Island’s Official Sailing Education Vessel.
“This program gave our Midshipman candidates a taste of the sea that we can’t give them with our current resources,” said former NAPS Commanding Officer Mike Doherty. “It’s a bit of a wake-up call, a reality check, and it gets them excited about being a navy sailor. The expectation is that these individuals are going to be the core leadership of their class, and if they go to the Naval Academy with some seagoing experience and a little salt, it will make their experience richer.”
SSV Oliver Hazard Perry’s main mast towers 13 ½ stories high, and collectively, her 19 wooden spars weigh almost 36 tons and total 25,182 board feet – enough to build a house of over 3700 square feet. With 20 sails totaling 14,000 sq. ft. and seven miles of rigging, Perry is the first ocean-going full-rigged ship to be built in the U.S. in 110 years, second in size only to the Coast Guard’s Barque Eagle.
SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is not a replica but a modern, steel-hulled vessel purpose-built for training and education to the highest modern safety standards. She sails in New England and the Canadian Maritimes during the summer and in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean in the winter with 17-19 professional crew and up to 30 students and faculty.
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More About OHPRI
Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island’s mission is to provide innovative, empowering education-at-sea programs that promote personal and professional growth. The mission is achieved by partnering with schools, organizations, and universities for unique experiential learning opportunities that incorporate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) educational concepts. The non-profit organization offers a variety of onboard learning experiences to program partners as well as the broader public and also participates at festivals and other events to reinforce the importance of and interest in Rhode Island’s and America’s maritime history.
U.S. Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led the first U.S. naval victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
For more information on SSV Oliver Hazard Perry and its programs, visit www.ohpri.org or contact gretchen@ohpri.org, 401-841-0080. Follow OHPRI on Facebook and Twitter for current news and developments. Track the ship’s voyages (updated every four hours) here. #OHPRI
