Effie M. Morrissey

Image courtesy of sailernestina.org

Launched on February 1st 1894 from the James and Tarr Shipyard, the Effie M. Morrissey, a gaff rigged schooner, set out of Gloucester, Massachusetts and fished from there for over a decade. Her first excursion returned enough fish to pay for her construction. She also fished out of Digby for some time. Yet her role in New England's fishing industry pales in comparison to her other accomplishments.

After changing hand in ownership several times, the vessel was purchased by a notable early twentieth century Arctic explorer, Captain Bob Bartlett. The schooner's new owner came from a Newfoundland family that upheld a long tradition of seafaring. The Morrissey's new proprietor had her outfitted to handle the treacherous Arctic seascape - Capt. Bartlett installed an ancillary engine and refinished her hull; efforts which would ultimately propel her through the ice of the Arctic.

Between 1926 and 1945, the Effie M. Morrissey made a total of twenty trips, captained by Bartlett. Some of the most remarkable of these trips were her voyages to Greenland, the Aleutian Island and the Bering Strait, Frobisher Bay and much of the Labrador Coast. Her expeditions were financed by some of the most paramount museums and organizations in the world. Perhaps the most noteworthy financiers of her trips to Greenland were George Palmer Putnam and Professor William H. Hobbs, on behalf of the Museum of Natural History in New York. Also worth mentioning is the Smithsonian Institution, the United States National Museum, the United States Armed Forces and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The Morrissey's contributions to science and exploration are innumerable. 

Following the passing of Capt. Bartlett, the vessel served as a packet ship, carrying cargo throughout the South Pacific. Once again, she changed hands, and later worked as a Trans-Atlantic packet ship, mainly serving Cape Verde. It was here that she was renamed Ernestina, after the Captain Henrique Mendes' daughter. It was also in Cape Verde that she fell into utter disrepair. 

Fortunately, the United States became interested in the Ernestina in the 1960's, and in 1982 her hull was replaced and she sailed back to North America under a crew of Cape Verdean sailors. The Schooner Ernestina is the one of the oldest Grand Banks fishing schooners in existence. Furthermore, she is the only surviving nineteenth century Grand Banks fishing schooner built in Gloucester. 

Today, Ernestina is a National Historic Landmark, and is kept at Steamship Wharf in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She embarks on educational trips with her crew, and is the official maritime vessel of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To visit her and learn more about educational programs, visit www.ernestina.org

Sources

"History." Schooner Ernestina. Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey Association, Inc., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013.

United States of America. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places. MARITIME HERITAGE OF THE UNITED STATES NHL THEME STUDY LARGE VESSELS: Schooner Ernestina. By James P. Delgado. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1990. NFS Form 10-900. Web.