America's Most Historic Tall Ships

With summer rapidly approaching, you might find yourself already contemplating sun-drenched afternoons with the wind in your hair. If your ultimate getaway includes a seafaring experience mixed with a little American history, North America has plenty of historic vessels to visit, board and sail upon.

In the United States, the National Register of Historic Places includes more than 120 vessels, of which many are well-preserved tall ships or other non-motorized sailing vessels that chronicle the history of the continent through tales of exploration, war and commerce. Ready to chart a course? Start with these vessels.

The oldest commissioned warship in the world, and America's Ship of State, the USS Constitution first entered service in 1797 in Boston, Massachusetts, where her fittings were crafted by a Boston coppersmith known as Paul Revere. The three-masted, wooden-hulled vessel earned her nickname "Old Ironsides" in the War of 1812 when cannonballs appeared to bounce of her sides. Today, the vessel continues to be operated by the U.S. Navy and is open, free of charge, throughout the year.

Connecticut's Mystic Seaport is home to the largest collection of watercraft in the United States and includes four National Historic Landmark vessels. Among them, the Charles W. Morgan, constructed in 1841, is the last remaining whaleship in the world. Also housed here is the Emma C. Berry (1866), one of the oldest surviving commercial vessels in America, and the L.A. Dunton (1921), which was likely the last engine-less fishing schooner ever constructed.

The original U.S. Frigate Constellation, built in 1797, was initially constructed as a merchant vessel, but eventually was deployed to the West Indies to protect American interests there. After an illustrious career, she was broken apart in 1853. Her successor, the U.S. Sloop of War Constellation was built in 1857 and also went on to gain recognition, including making one of the first vessel captures of the Civil War. A major renovation occurred in 1999 and she now enjoys a permanent berth in the Baltimore Inner Harbor.

Berthed at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, the Star of India is the world's oldest active sailing ship. Initially launched as the Euterpe in 1863, she had inauspicious start to her sailing career, suffering through a collision, a mutiny and a devastating cyclone. She later went on to circumnavigate the globe some 21 times, with each journey lasting up to a year.

Dating back to 1871, the Lewis R. French is the oldest commercial sailing vessel and the oldest windjammer in the United States. Today she has been fully retrofitted and operates multi-day sailing excursions off the coast of Maine. Also making their home in Camden Harbor is the Grace Bailey (1882), which once carried granite that was used to build Grand Central Station, and the Mercantile (1916), which designed to bring cargo to shallow water ports that larger vessels could not access.

Built in 1871, the Stephen Taber is the oldest documented sailing vessel with continuous service in the United States. Today, the Stephen Taber offers multi-day sailings that specialize in Maine's fall foliage season. Rockland is also home to the Isaac H. Evans (1886), also known as the Boyd N. Sheppard, which was once used as an oyster drudger. Today, the vessel offers dinner cruise sailings featuring, what else, some of the finest oysters in Maine. The Schooner American Eagle (1930) also ports at Rockland. The last fishing vessel built in Gloucester, Maine, the American Eagle fished off the waters of Maine until 1983 and has since been fully restored and regularly sets sail on three, four-, five-, and six-night cruises taking in the lighthouses, wildlife and the region's stunning scenery. She is also one of the few remaining sailing vessels licensed for international travel.

Making her home at the Texas Seaport Museum, the Elissa is a three-masted, iron-hulled sailing ship built in 1877 as a cargo vessel. After sailing the world for nearly 90 years, she ended up in Greece, where maritime preservationists fought to keep her alive. She continues to be a fully functional vessel and sets sail annually to participate in sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico.

Built in 1877 as a cargo freighter, the Governor Stone spent much of its career delivering goods throughout the Gulf Coast. Restored several times, the vessel was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1991. Today, the Governor Stone serves as an educational vessel demonstrating the "labor intensive traditions of the Gulf Coast," and also participates in community events throughout the Gulf region.

At Oyster Bay, New York (once the home of Theodore Roosevelt), the Christeen (1883) docks at the Waterfront Center. The oldest oyster sloop in the United States, the vessel offers daily harbor tours, sunset cruises, brunch cruises and marine discovery sailings onboard the historic ship.

Docked at the South Street Seaport in New York, the Wavertree was built in 1885 and served as a cargo ship for many years, both crossing the Atlantic and sailing around the tip of South America. She was grounded in 1910 after losing her masts in a massive storm in South America. She was later rescued in 1968 and towed to New York to become the centerpiece of the new "Street of Ships" at South Street Seaport. The Wavertree shares its home with the Light Ship Ambrose (1907), which was built as a floating lighthouse, and became the first lightship to be outfitted with a radio beacon to help with navigation in 1921. The Lettie Howard (1893) also makes her home at South Street Seaport, although during the 2018-2019 season she begins an extensive sailing program celebrating the bicentennial of the Erie Canal.

Balclutha, took her maiden voyage in 1886, setting a course from Cardiff, Wales to San Francisco, California, with a 26-man crew and a cargo consisting of more than 2,500 tons of coal. She was later transferred to Hawaiian registry in 1899 and became the last vessel to fly under the flag of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In the early 1900s, it was renamed the Star of Alaska and then in the 1930s took the name Pacific Queen, which is also when she played a starring role in the film Mutiny on the Bounty. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985, she now makes her home at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. The park also houses the C.A. Thayer (1895), which was designed to haul lumber, and the USS Alma (1891), the last-of-her-kind scow schooner, designed with a flat-bottomed hull, so she could navigate the shallow waters of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta.

The Edna E. Lockwood, housed in St. Michaels, Maryland, was built in 1889 as an oyster dredger and was among the last vessels of her kind to perform that task. She later served as a cargo ship before being donated to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in 1973. The vessel started a massive restoration in 2016. It is anticipated she will be re-launched in late October of this year during OysterFest.

Built in 1892, the Priscilla was originally an oyster dredging vessel. After an extensive renovation, she became a passenger cruising vessel in 1963. She continues to offer regular sailings for guests, but she also participates in goodwill events at various ports of call throughout the region.

Launched in 1900 as the Edwin & Maude, the vessel was designed to haul lumber, which it did for more than 40 years. During World War II, it assisted the war effort by reporting the status of the anti-submarine minefield located at the entrance of the Chesapeake Bay every time it passed by. In 1954 the ship was renamed Victory Chimes and by 1962 it would become a passenger vessel. In 1987, Victory Chimes was acquired by Domino's Pizza and re-named the Domino Effect, but by 1990 it would change hands again. Purchased by the captains overseeing its restoration, it once again became the Victory Chimes. In 2003, more than a hundred years after it entered service, the Victory Chimes was immortalized on Maine's state quarter.

Built in 1913 in Maine, the USS Adventuress was designed to serve as an Arctic expedition ship for a wealthy businessman with his heart set on acquiring a Bowhead Whale specimen. On the inaugural voyage, the passenger list included Roy Chapman Andrews-who served as the inspiration for Indiana Jones -who conducted ground-breaking research on dwindling fur seal populations. During World War II, the Adventuress patrolled the San Francisco Bay for the U.S. Coast Guard. Today, it serves as an educational vessel that explores the waters and the ecosystems around Puget Sound.

Bowdoin was commissioned in 1921 for Arctic explorer Donald B. MacMillan and is the smallest vessel ever designed for Arctic exploration. MacMillan sailed the vessel to the Arctic 26 times, covering 300,000 miles, during her career. Today, the ship is located at the Maine Maritime Academy, where it provides sail training for students and the general public. It is also Maine's official state vessel.

In 1920, a newspaper in Halifax, Canada challenged the fisherman of Gloucester, Massachusetts to a race. Although the Roseway was designed as a fishing vessel, it was mostly used in the annual races that followed. During World War Ii, it became a navigational ship. During that time, all navigation lighting was turned off in the harbor, so it was up to the Roseway and other pilot ships to escort vessels through the minefields and anti-submarine netting. Today the vessel summers in the North East, mostly in Boston, and winters in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and conducts regular sailings and educational programs in both locations. It is the only remaining vessel designed to beat the Nova Scotians in the annual fishing races.

Also calling Gloucester home is the Schooner Adventure (1926), which fished cod and haddock in the Atlantic Ocean from Newfoundland to Nantucket and was the biggest moneymaker of all time during its fishing career. The vessel is now available for charter events and scheduled community sailings.