Star of India Has Returned Home, to her berth on the Embarcadero, at Maritime Museum of San Diego
February 21, 2020 marked the day, when Star of India, returned back to her home. Starting at 8pm, Pacific Tugs arrived at BAE dry-dock, and harbor pilot boards ship via Jacob’s ladder. Once fully afloat, and tow lines carefully attached, she starts exiting dry-dock at 9:30pm, to make her way back to her berth. The anticipating crowd lined up at the embarcadero to see Star’s return, catch their first glimpse right after 10pm, as she comes into view. About 11pm, her docking lines were fast, our Star of India is now back home!
Return photos by Alex Saikowski
–update posted 02-23-2020–
Maritime Museum of San Diego Announces Star of India’s Parade of Lights Home
Star of India will disembark South Bay Friday, February 21 at approximately 8:00 p.m. and make her way home to Maritime Museum of San Diego located at 1492 N. Harbor Drive at 9:30 p.m.
Photo by Alex Saikowski
SAN DIEGO (CA) —- Maritime Museum of San Diego, with an international reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining, and operating historic vessels including the world’s oldest active sailing ship, Star of India, is proud to announce completion of the once in a decade required haul out and USCG inspection. While in dry dock at BAE Systems, restoration and maintenance of Star included hull hydro-blasting, and application of anti-fouling and top side paint.
Star of India, built in 1863, has circumnavigated the globe twenty-one times. Star of India first came to the City of San Diego in 1927. It was not until 1951 when Maritime Museum of San Diego made long-awaited historical renovations to the vessel originally named Euterpe, after the Greek goddess of music and poetry. Star of India relies on Maritime Museum of San Diego volunteers and a committed staff for her upkeep.
San Diegans and visitors to our region alike will have the chance to see Star of India when she parades her brightly lit 1863 bark rig home, under tow, passing Coronado Bridge, and along the downtown San Diego city front assisted by San Diego Pilot boat and Pacific Tug Services.
Raymond Ashley, Ph.D., K.C.I., President/CEO of the Maritime Museum of San Diego states
“Star of India, a ship that is arguably the oldest active sailing ship in the world, is a symbol of our city and region. In a given year, as many as two million people view her at her bayside location in downtown San Diego and thousands of school-age children participate in overnight Living History programs.” Data on visitors and school groups show Star of India attracts more visitors than any other ship in the Maritime Museum’s current collection. Revenues generated by the ships draw help to support preservation and maintenance of the Star along with other vessels.
Dockside visits to Star of India are included with general admission to Maritime Museum of San Diego. Museum staff and sail crew will re-open Star of India to the public for the weekend.
–update posted 02-20-2020–
Entering BAE dry dock.
Photo by Mark Albertazzi
Photo by Mark Albertazzi
Photo by Mark Albertazzi
Photo by Alex Saikowski
Photo by Alex Saikowski
Getting her hull cleaned, and ready for inspection.
Photo by John Leighton
Photo by John Leighton
–update posted 02-19-2020–
Star Of India Scheduled For Once In A Decade Haul Out and Restoration Project February 11 – 21, 2020
Maritime Museum of San Diego Staff and Volunteer Sail Crew prepare world’s oldest active sailing ship to preserve for visitors, members, educators and community
SAN DIEGO, CA —- Maritime Museum of San Diego, ranked as one of the nation’s top attractions offering self-guided tours, docent-guided group tours, tall ship charters, year-round public events, educational programs, and a distinctive venue for corporate/private events, announces Star of India will be dry docked for restoration for at least 10 days in February. The ship will be closed starting Tuesday, February 11, 2020 and removed from her San Diego waterfront location at the Maritime Museum of San Diego located at 1492 N. Harbor Drive for approximately 10 days.
Raymond Ashley, Ph.D., K.C.I., President/CEO of the Maritime Museum of San Diego states “Star of India, a ship that is arguably the oldest active sailing ship in the world, is a symbol of our city and region. In a given year, as many as two million people view her at her bayside location in downtown San Diego and thousands of school-age children participate in overnight Living History programs.” Data on visitors and school groups show Star of India attracts more visitors than any other ship in the Museum’s current collection. Revenues generated by the ships draw help to support preservation and maintenance of the Star along with other vessels.
Maritime Museum of San Diego has received an award of $200,000 from the National Park Service’s Maritime Heritage Program in support of the upcoming Star of India restoration project. However, this must be matched by community funds in order to receive the whole of that sum. Community support will help ensure that Star of India, an essential element of the world’s maritime heritage, an icon of the City of San Diego and region, and a key element in defining our sense of place, community, and regional history, will serve as an inspiration, an educational tool, and a source of wonder for hundreds of years to come.
Kelli Lewis, Maritime Museum of San Diego Director of Development, adds, “Museums are often collections of artifacts, but at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, the artifacts are the Museum. The Museum is a collection of vessels where visitors are transported into history as they walk on the decks and gaze into the rigging. History is taught not just through stories and text panels but through first hand-experience and lessons learned working on and sailing these ships. The challenge lies in extending the integrity of these vessels far beyond the time and safety standards they were designed for. Hence, restoration, preservation and general maintenance are inherent to the Maritime Museum’s mission to serve as the community memory of our maritime past.”
Beginning with restoring the nearly 100-year old Star of India in 1958 and continuing through today, the Museum works on a constant schedule to restore and replace degradation of organic materials aboard all its vessels so that they can meet requirements put in place by the USCG as passenger vessels or dockside attractions. Over the past 5 years the Museum has replaced the decks aboard Star of India, rebuilt the weathered side of the 1898 Victorian-era ferryboat Berkeley, completed boiler and hull work on the 1914 steam yacht Medea, hauled out and done restoration work on the Vietnam War era PCF 816 Swift boat, the 1914 San Diego Harbor Pilot, HMS Surprise, the C.W. Lawrence Revenue Cutter replica and official tall ship of the state, Californian, and 1542 Spanish galleon replica San Salvador, built by Maritime Museum staff, volunteers and community of donors. The 1905 San Diego Butcher Boy sailboat, famous for her early days in provisioning for commercial ships travelling in and out of the San Diego harbor, and once winner of the historic Lipton Cup, has also been rebuilt from the ground up by staff and volunteers at Spanish Landing and in 2020, Star of India will be hauled out and Surprise will have all new decks and be re-planked on the starboard side.
The Maritime Museum collection of vessels includes four national and state historic registered landmarks including Star of India, Berkeley, Pilot and Swift. Maritime Museum of San Diego has been the recipient of four National Maritime Heritage Program grants in recent years. To continue preservation, maintenance and restoration projects which enable visitors, members and educational programs to thrive, Maritime Museum of San Diego is asking for the community to visit and support these on-going initiatives with membership, donations and volunteerism.
The project has been financed (in part) with Federal funds from the National Maritime Heritage Program administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior. However, the contents and opinions contained herein do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior.
For more information, please contact Director of Development, Kelli Lewis at (619) 234-9153 ext. 126
About the Maritime Museum of San Diego
The Maritime Museum of San Diego experience includes admission to a world-class collection of historic sailing ships, steam-powered boats, and submarines, each offering entertaining and educational exhibits. The 501c3 non-profit Museum enjoys an international reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining, and operating historic vessels including the world’s oldest active sailing ship, Star of India. Maritime Museum of San Diego is ranked as one of the nation’s top attractions offering self-guided tours, docent guided-group tours, tall ship charters, year round public events, educational programs, and a distinctive venue for corporate/private events. The Museum is open daily along Star of India Wharf at 1492 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101-3309.