Barque · United States
Elissa
A Scottish-built barque of 1877, today a National Historic Landmark at Galveston, Texas.
Technical data
- Rig
- Barque
- Flag
- United States
- Home port
- Galveston
- Built
- 1877
- Shipyard
- A. Hall & Co., Aberdeen
- Hull material
- Steel
- Length
- 61.4 m
- Beam
- 8.5 m
- Sail area
- 1,115 m²
- Sailing area
- Gulf of Mexico
Launched from Alexander Hall's yard in Aberdeen in 1877 as a sailing cargo ship under the British flag.
In 1897 a Norwegian firm bought her and, renamed Fjeld, worked her as a cargo carrier with her original rig intact. Swedish owners took her over in 1911 and renamed her Gustaf in 1912. In 1918 she was converted to a brigantine and given an engine; in 1930 she was sold to Finland and re-rigged as a schooner. From 1959 she was Greek-owned, carrying the names Christophoros (1959), Achaeos (1967) and Pioneer (1969).
In 1970 the San Francisco Maritime Museum bought her; in 1972 she went to Canada and in 1975 to the Galveston Historical Foundation. In 1977 her original name Elissa was restored and work began in Greece to make her seaworthy again, continuing through 1979–82, with Galveston as her new home port.
She sailed again in 1985 and in 1986 went to New York for the tall ship parade and the Statue of Liberty celebrations. She was named a National Historic Landmark in 1991 and is today the centrepiece of the Texas Seaport Museum.