As part of an effort to get its fleet of historic ships and other vessels ready for the summer tourist season, the Living Classrooms Foundation last fall launched a six-month, $1 million campaign to renovate the rigging on the USS Constellation. Now complete, the “rigging renovation project” was the first comprehensive conservation of the ship’s three masts and rigging since 1999.
On Wednesday, the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) recognized the effort with a 2026 Maryland Preservation Award for Excellence in Restoration, one of 10 awards it gave this year to acknowledge outstanding achievements in preserving and promoting Maryland’s historical and cultural resources.
The award was presented on the roof of the Constellation’s education center by MHT Director Elizabeth Hughes to Steve Bountress, executive director of Historic Ships in Baltimore, a division of Living Classrooms Foundation. The award was out of the ordinary because it given for work on a floating vessel rather than a building. It was the only maritime restoration project to be recognized by the Trust this year.
Located next to Pier 1 near Pratt and Light streets, the Constellation is one of the nation’s most significant historic vessels and a sculptural centerpiece for Baltimore’s Inner Harbor development. The last sail-only warship designed and built by the U. S. Navy, it carries on the name of the USF “frigate” Constellation, which was commissioned in 1797.
The Living Classrooms Foundation launched the restoration to ensure that the vessel is in top condition for the summer. Technically considered a tall ship, it will play a prominent role during SAIL250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore presented by Northrup Grumman, a weeklong event taking place in Baltimore City and Baltimore County from June 24 to 30.
Fourteen other tall ships will sail into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor during the event and will be open for tours, as will the Constellation, to help celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. As Baltimore’s permanent tall ship, the Constellation is expected to anchor the celebration.
“Today we celebrate a major restoration effort focused on one of Baltimore’s most recognizable historic vessels,” Hughes said at the ceremony. “The USS Constellation is the last surviving Civil War-era naval vessel still afloat and one of the most important maritime landmarks in the United States. Preserving a wooden sailing ship of this scale requires constant care and highly specialized expertise, particularly when it comes to the vessel’s rigging system, which is essential to both the ship’s structural stability and its historic authenticity. “
The project involved the full removal, inspection, conservation and replacement of major rigging components on the ship. The work required careful coordination, crane-supported operations, and specialized maritime preservation skills to protect the ship’s historic fabric while returning the vessel to a safe and historically accurate condition.
Skilled riggers employed traditional maritime techniques and historically appropriate materials to ensure the project reflected the ship’s original design, function, and appearance. Beyond technical restoration, the vessel served as a “living classroom,” providing hands-on training for participants in the foundation’s Maritime Workforce Skills Training Program.
Unlike some previous restorations, the Constellation did not have to be moved to another location for the rigging renovation work to be completed. A crew of 10 worked on the project starting in November and through the winter. Two years of planning was required before the renovation began.
“What makes this restoration especially significant,” said Hughes, who also serves as Maryland’s State Historic Preservation Officer, “is the way the work was carried out in full public view. Observation areas on Pier 1 allowed students, residents and visitors to watch the restoration process firsthand and learn about the traditional trades involved in maintaining historic vessels. The project also incorporated workforce development opportunities through Living Classrooms, giving participants hands-on experience working alongside professional riggers and preservation specialists in a nationally significant project.”
The completion of the rigging renovation project, Hughes said, “ensures that USS Constellation will continue to serve as an educational resource, a centerpiece of Baltimore’s waterfront and an important symbol of Maryland’s maritime heritage for years to come, including during the upcoming SAIL250 celebrations.”
The Constellation is one 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.
Most of the funding for the rigging renovation project came from the State of Maryland and the rest was provided through Living Classrooms and Historic Ships fundraising efforts.
More information about Living Classrooms Foundation and Historic Ships in Baltimore is at www.livingclassrooms.org and www.historicships.org. More information about SAIL250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore is available at www.sail250md.org.
