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Galveston Historic Seaport - Home of the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA
ELISSA is a three-masted, iron-hulled sailing ship built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland by Alexander Hall & Company. She carries nineteen sails covering over one-quarter of an acre in surface area. Tall ships are classified by the configuration of their sailing rig. In ELISSA's case, she is a 'barque' because she carries square and fore-and-aft sails on her fore and mainmasts, but only fore-and-aft sails on her mizzenmast. From her stern to the tip of her jibboom she measures 205 feet. Her height is 99 feet, 9 inches at the main mast and she displaces about 620 tons at her current ballast. But, she is much more than iron, wood and canvas.Plan your Galveston Historic Seaport - Home of the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA visit and explore what else you can see and do in Galveston using our Galveston online holiday planner.
Unlike some tall ships of today ELISSA is not a replica, but a survivor. She was built during the decline of the "Age of Sail" to fill a niche in maritime commerce. Over her 90-year commercial history she carried a variety of cargos to ports around the world, for a succession of owners. Her working life as a freighter came to an end in Piraeus Harbor, Greece, where she was rescued from the scrap yard by a variety of ship preservationists who refused to let her die. The story of ELISSA's discovery and restoration is nothing short of miraculous, and is beautifully retold in photographs and a video presentation at the Texas Seaport Museum.
Today ELISSA is much more than an artifact from a bygone era. She is a fully-functional vessel that continues to sail annually during sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico. Thanks to Galveston Historical Foundation and its commitment to bring history to life, combined with the dedication of hundreds of volunteers who keep her seaworthy and train each year to sail her, ELISSA and the art of 19th Century square-rigged sailing are alive and well.
The name and image of ELISSA are registered trademarks of Galveston Historical Foundation.
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Galveston Historic Seaport - Home of the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA reviews
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The sailing ship Elissa and the rest of the Galveston Historic Seaport is worth a visit if you are in the area and enjoy a bit of maritime history. It’s filled with great pieces of history and it’s..... more
The sailing ship Elissa and the rest of the Galveston Historic Seaport is worth a visit if you are in the area and enjoy a bit of maritime history. It’s filled with great pieces of history and it’s..... more »
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We were a little surprised that the history associated with the ship is one of shipping things like iron, bananas and cotton but it was interesting (the adjacent museum focuses on immigration). We...
We were a little surprised that the history associated with the ship is one of shipping things like iron, bananas and cotton but it was interesting (the adjacent museum focuses on immigration). We... more »
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Great tour of the harbor. We like to find new things to do each time we visit Galveston and this was a great find! Very informative and entertaining, and supports the history and heritage that makes Galveston special.
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We visited the Galveston Historic Seaport to take a tour of the harbor and tour the Elissa. While on the harbor tour, we got to see many of the local fishing boats as well as some of the local dolphins. The tour culminated with a self guided tour of the Elissa. This is a magnificent ship that has withstood the test of time and is very well maintained. When you visit, plan on spending about an hour on the harbor tour and another hour on the tall ship and gift shop.
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