A reproduction of the historic Maryland Dove ship is scheduled to tour the Chesapeake Bay this year.
The ship, which is regularly docked in St. Mary’s City, travels to other ports a few times each summer. This year, the first stop on its Bay tour will be Baltimore’s Fells Point.
The 84-foot long vessel will be docked on June 20-22 at the Broadway Pier. There guests are welcomed to climb aboard for free deck tours.
Construction on the ship began in June 2019. All work was completed in public view, allowing spectators to witness each stage of the project. And in August 2022, the ship was launched.
The new iteration of the ship was built by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, a non-profit dedicated to preserving and exploring the history, environment, and culture of the Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, it was designed to represent the original Dove; a small 17th-century ship used in shallow waters that sailed to the Maryland colony in 1634.
Iver C. Franzen Maritime, LLC, a local firm specializing in historic naval architecture, was selected by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum to design the new Maryland Dove.
Visitors can regularly check out the ship at its home in St. Mary’s City’s outdoor museum. Guests can board the ship, chat with the crew, learn about life aboard a trading vessel, gain insight on how sailors navigated by the stars, find out what they ate on long voyages, and learn how colonization affected the land, people, and the culture.
Historic St. Mary’s City Commission Director of Education Peter Friesen said in a statement, “We look forward to partnering with fellow heritage areas to help connect the traveling exhibit with communities further away than our typical audience.”
After its visit to Fells Point, the ship will make stops in Havre de Grace, Cambridge, and Crisfield.
For additional information please visit MarylandDove.org.
