SSV Oliver Hazard Perry

SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is a tall ship operated by Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI), a grass-roots nonprofit based in Newport, Rhode Island. The ship is named after American Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819), the hero of the naval Battle of Lake Erie (1813).

The SSV Oliver Hazard Perry tall ship in New London, Connecticut, on Sept. 9, 2015.
History
United States
NameOliver Hazard Perry
NamesakeOliver Hazard Perry
OwnerOliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island
OperatorOliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island
BuilderSenesco Marine, North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Maiden voyage16 July 2015
HomeportNewport, RI, USA
Identification
Nickname(s)The Perry
StatusAs of July 2015 underway
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeSail Training Vessel
TypeTall ship
Tonnage471
Displacement550
Length
  • 196 ft (60 m) sparred
  • 132 ft (40 m) o/a
Beam38 ft
Height130 ft
Draft13 ft
Deckssteel, wood overlay anticipated
Installed power2 Deere 99kW gensets, CAT 30 kW emergency genset.
Propulsion2 CAT C12 385 hp each
Sail plan
Complement49
Crew17

Description

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The SSV Oliver Hazard Perry measures 207 feet (63 m), and is a three-masted square-rigged vessel, making it the largest privately owned tall ship and largest civilian sail training vessel in the United States. The Oliver Hazard Perry sails as Rhode Island’s Official Sailing School Vessel and "good will ambassador" for the state, as well as a "floating classroom". It teaches students STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) lessons while applying it to the practical activities they learn how to do on the ship. It is being financed through a tax exempt 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, and public subscription.[2][3]

The ship, when acquired by the Rhode Island trust for $325,000, was a 138 feet (42 m) steel hull, built by an organization in Ontario. It had cost almost $3 million to build. However the Canadian group derailed before the ship could be completed, leaving the Rhode Islanders at liberty to purchase it. The Canadians had intended it to be a replica of the 20-gun British ship HMS Detroit (1813) (captured by the flotilla commanded by Commodore Perry; not the six gun sloop HMS Detroit (1816) destroyed by Lieutenant Jesse D. Elliott in the War of 1812).[4]

On July 16, 2015, the Perry set sail for the first time on a voyage to Portland, ME. During that voyage it made a stop in Provincetown, MA. While in Maine the Perry participated in the parade of sail during the 2015 Portland Tall Ships festival. The ship also made a visit to New London, CT, for the 2015 Connecticut Maritime Heritage Festival.

On October 15, 2017, the ship lost power while leaving the Newport, RI seafood festival. It drifted into several boats and sat grounded overnight in Newport Harbor.[5] An on scene eye witness said power was not lost till grounding (sucking mud). What was lost was control in high wind.[6] After repairs were made, the ship set sail again, fulfilling its mission as an educational vessel, hosting students from high schools, the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC), and the Naval Academy Prep School.

References

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  1. ^ "The Oliver Hazard Perry Ship: Specs & Construction". ohpri.org. 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  2. ^ "RI's Tall Ship SSV Oliver Hazard Perry: Building a Floating Classroom, One Plank at a Time". Newport Now. July 22, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  3. ^ "Rhode Island's Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry: Creating jobs & education". Boat Building.net. February 17, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  4. ^ MacGowan, Barby (17 Sep 2010). "SSV Oliver Hazard Perry - Sailors Read and Kirby join advisory board". Sail-World. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  5. ^ http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20171015/ris-tall-ship-oliver-hazard-perry-loses-power-in-newport-harbor-drifts-into-boats-runs-aground
  6. ^ Torkin, Nikolay (16 October 2017). "Tall ship SSV OLIVER HAZARD PERRY still aground, Rhode Island". Maritime Bulletin. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
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