Elissa, Museum ship in Galveston, United States.
Elissa is an iron-hulled sailing ship measuring roughly 200 feet (61 meters) in length, moored at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston, United States. The vessel carries three masts with square rigging and still displays the tackle and fittings from the era of transatlantic merchant voyages.
Elissa was launched in Aberdeen, Scotland, on 27 October 1877 as a merchant barque. She later sailed under Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish and Greek flags, renamed Fjeld, Gustav, Christophoros, Achaeos and Pioneer. The Galveston Historical Foundation bought her in 1975 for $40,000, had her hull repaired in Greece, and towed her to Galveston in 1979 for restoration.
The barque takes her name from the legendary Phoenician princess who founded Carthage in ancient lore. Today she serves as a floating school where volunteers and visitors can experience 19th-century seamanship techniques and feel what it meant to work under sail.
Access to the vessel is via a gangway, and visitors can explore the deck as well as parts of the lower levels. The tour involves climbing stairs, so be prepared to walk steadily and wear comfortable footwear.
Elissa was the first object added to the National Register of Historic Places while outside United States territory, listed during her years in Greece. Her 19 sails were made in Maine, her masts are Douglas fir from Oregon, and her pin rail and bright work are teak.
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