A. J. Meerwald, Restored schooner in Commercial Township, New Jersey, US.
The A. J. Meerwald is an oak-hulled two-masted schooner built for oyster dredging on Delaware Bay, listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. The working deck is open and wide, designed to handle heavy dredging gear, with wooden masts and traditional rigging that remain largely intact.
The vessel was launched in 1928 and spent decades working the oyster beds of Delaware Bay until the industry declined sharply in the mid-20th century. It was later taken over by the Bayshore Discovery Project, which restored it and put it back on the water as a sailing educational platform.
The A. J. Meerwald carries the official title of Tall Ship of New Jersey, a recognition that reflects how deeply the vessel is tied to the identity of this coastal area. On deck, you can still see the kind of rigging and equipment that defined daily work on the water for generations of local families.
The home port is Bivalve in New Jersey, but the vessel regularly sails to other locations along the coast for educational programs, so it is worth checking in advance whether it will be in dock. Those who want to go aboard should reach out to the Bayshore Discovery Project for schedules and sailing opportunities.
The A. J. Meerwald is one of the very few surviving wooden oyster schooners of its type that still actually sails. It was built without an engine at a time when motorized vessels were already common, because New Jersey law required oyster dredging to be done under sail to protect the beds from overuse.
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