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Construction of a Replica Baltimore Clipper

The classified advertisement, placed by the City in the Baltimore Sun on September 24, 1975, seeking proposals to design and construct the first Baltimore Clipper to be built in 150 years, stated that the ship was to be "an authentic example of an historic Baltimore Clipper. The ship is to be between 85' and 90' on deck, fully operable, capable of being sailed, and equipped with replica cannon. Construction materials, methods, tools, and procedures are to be typical of the period." In a word, the ship was to be a replica, built by hand with traditional materials and methods as far as practicable.

Tools Montage
The design/construction contract was awarded to the International Historical Watercraft Society, a corporate designation of master shipwright Melbourne Smith of Annapolis. Smith had extensive experience with traditional ship repair and construction and was an ideal candidate for the task. Design of the vessel was the responsibility of noted naval architect, Thomas Gillmer, long-time professor of naval architecture and engineering at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis.

The vessel was built during 1976-77 in the open-air Clipper Shipyard on the west shore of the Inner Harbor adjacent to the Maryland Science Center. Work proceeded seven days a week and was followed closely by thousands of Baltimoreans and visitors who watched with fascination as the ship emerged from her keel in the makeshift yard.

Tools Montage
Most of the work was done by hand using traditional methods and tools - the adz, the caulker's hammer, a ship's saw. Some of the experienced shipwrights were from Central America, associates of Melbourne Smith in a Belize shipyard where they had built and repaired boats for the Caribbean trade. Others were experienced sailors and hands from Maryland who wanted to share in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of building an "old style" ship in the traditional way. A master blacksmith, or rather a shipsmith, set up shop on site and forged thousands of special fittings for the vessel. By the time of launch, just ten months after the keel was laid, fifteen devoted craftspeople made up the building crew.

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