An Inner Harbor landmark will look different over the next six months as the USS Constellation undergoes renovation to get ready for next summer’s tourist season, including the SAIL250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore festivities in June and July.
The Living Classrooms Foundation’s Historic Ships in Baltimore division, the steward and operator of the 1854 sloop-of-war, will start removing the ship’s lower masts this week as part of a “Rigging Renovation Project” that will continue until next spring.
As part of the effort, the ship’s rigging, including the lower masts, will be removed by a large crane on a barge and placed under a covered work tent on Inner Harbor Pier 1. A crane will be at the site on Thursday morning, when representatives of Historic Ships in Baltimore, led by Executive Director Steve Bountress, have scheduled a media briefing to explain the process.
Unlike some previous renovation efforts, the Constellation will not have to be moved to another location for the rigging renovation work to be completed. The Constellation is closed to visitors this week because of the crane operation but it will reopen this weekend. The Constellation and its education center on Pier 1 will be open to visitors while the renovation work is underway.
“This project on the USS Constellation, a National Historic Landmark, is a vital, comprehensive renovation of the rigging to ensure the vessel’s long-term preservation and structural integrity,” Living Classrooms Foundation Development Officer Tracy Baskerville said in a media advisory. “To be completed by April 2026, the renovation ensures the ship is ready for the busy spring and summer visitor season as well as SAIL250 Maryland & Airshow Baltimore presented by Northrop Grumman.”
The Living Classrooms Foundation is a lead producer of the SAIL250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore activities planned for June 24 to July 1 in Baltimore City and Baltimore County to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The weeklong event will feature visiting tall ships and naval vessels, festivals, flyovers and the United States Navy Blue Angels. The Living Classrooms Foundation is also collaborating with Create Baltimore to provide educational programming for the Top of the World Observation Level on the 27th floor of the Baltimore World Trade Center, 401 E. Pratt St.
Hands-on education
Located next to Inner Harbor Pier 1, the USS Constellation is the last sail-only warship designed and built by the U. S. Navy and a sculptural centerpiece of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor development. It carries on the name of the USF “frigate” Constellation, which was commissioned in 1797.
The Constellation is part of a fleet of seven vessels operated by Historic Ships in Baltimore. Others are the submarine USS Torsk; Lightship Chesapeake, which for decades marked the entrance to the Chesapeake and Delaware bays; 77-year-old Chesapeake Bay buy boat Mildred Belle; the world’s only pungy schooner Lady Maryland; the iconic skipjack Sigsbee; and USCG Cutter 37, the last warship still afloat to witness the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Rigging on a ship is the system of ropes, cables and spars that supports the masts and controls the sails. There are two types: standard rigging, which is the fixed rigging that supports masts, and running rigging, the ropes used to adjust and control the position and shape of the sails. For museum ships such as the USS Constellation, rigging replacement is typically planned every 20 years or so to ensure safety and long-term preservation.
During the renovation process, the Historic Ships education team will create a hands-on education and observation station on Pier 1 for students, residents and visitors. In addition, the project will incorporate Living Classrooms’ workforce development programming, allowing participants to work alongside professional maritime riggers, gaining work readiness skills while contributing to a high-profile historic preservation effort.
$70 million campaign
The mission of Living Classrooms Foundation is to strengthen communities and inspire children, youth, and adults to achieve their potential through hands-on education, workforce development, health and wellness, and community safety programs that use urban, natural, and maritime resources as “living classrooms.”
Started in 1985, the foundation is in the midst of a $70 million fundraising campaign, and part of the money raised will pay for the Rigging Renovation Project. More information about Living Classrooms Foundation and Historic Ships in Baltimore is at www.livingclassrooms.org and www.historicships.org.
