''Lady Washington'' is a ship name shared by at least four different 80-100 ton-class

Sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enco ...

and merchant sailing vessels during two different time periods. The original sailed during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

and harassed British shipping. Post war, the vessel was used as a merchant trading vessel in the Pacific. A somewhat updated modern replica was created in 1989. The replica has appeared in numerous films and television shows, standing in as other real or fictional ships.

''Lady Washington'' (18th century original)

The original '' USS Lady Washington'' was a 90-ton

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

. Her early history is documented in the ''Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War'' as well as other documents. As part of the Columbia Expedition, she left

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Sinc ...

on October 1, 1787. She sailed around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

and participated in the

maritime fur trade The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in e ...

with the coastal indigenous people of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

and in tea and

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

across the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

in China. She was the first American-flagged vessel to round Cape Horn. She was the first recorded vessel to make landfall on the Oregon coast near

Tillamook, Oregon The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 5,231 at the 2020 census. History The city is named for the ...

. John Meares claimed that she was the first non-native vessel to circumnavigate

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

. Named in honor of

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 21, 1731 — May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington served as the inaugural ...

, she was captained during the

by Naler Hatch, and post war by Robert Gray, and John Kendrick, former captain of her larger sailing partner, '' Columbia Rediviva'' and commander of the expedition. At the end of the first trading season, Kendrick ordered Gray to sail ''Columbia'' to China, while Kendrick took command of ''Lady Washington'' . Under the command of Kendrick, she was refitted in

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

as a

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Old ...

. ''Lady Washington'' became the first American vessel to reach Japan in an unsuccessful attempt to move some unsold

pelt Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanke ...

s. ''Lady Washington'' remained in the

trade and eventually foundered in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in 1797. She was lost at the mouth of the Mestizo River, near Vigan, northwest Luzon in July 1797.

''Lady Washington'' (20th-century replica)

A ship replica of ''Lady Washington'' was built in

Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen () is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 census. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis. Aberdeen is occasi ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in time for the 1989 Washington State Centennial celebrations. Aberdeen is located on

Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state, in the United States of America. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels flood ...

, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean named for Robert Gray, the man who entered the harbor under sail for the first time as master of ''Columbia''. The ship was designed by marine expert Ray Wallace and built by Richard Miles. Wallace is also known for designing the Sailing Ship ''Columbia'' in

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisi ...

alongside Admiral Joe Fowler. Named " Washington State's

Tall Ship A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or fe ...

Ambassador", as well as the State Ship, the new ''Lady Washington'' is operated by a professional and volunteer crew under the auspices of the

Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, also known as Grays Harbor Historical Seaport is a government authority created in 1986 by the city of Aberdeen, Washington, as a 501(c)(3) corporation. It was created to commemorate Washington's centenni ...

. She sails up and down the Pacific coast, educating students in the history of merchant trading, life of common sailors, and responsibilities of the ship's officers. The current replica's mainmast is rigged with a

topgallant sail On a square rigged sailing vessel, a topgallant sail (topgallant alone pronounced "t'gallant", topgallant sail pronounced "t'garns'l",C.S. Forester, ''Beat to Quarters'', Chapter VI. is the square-rigged sail or sails immediately above the topsai ...

and

topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail- ...

above a gaff mainsail, as based on the post-Macau refit configuration. Old World (UK/international) terminology refers to this sail plan as

, and New World (American) terminology refers to this as a

(Refer to the explanation sections on the

, and

sail plan A sail plan is a description of the specific ways that a sailing craft is rigged. Also, the term "sail plan" is a graphic depiction of the arrangement of the sails for a given sailing craft.> In the English language, ships were usually describe ...

pages for more information). This ship was talked about extensively on the

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

series

Prop Culture A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

. Episode four was all about Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

Film and television appearances

''Lady Washington'' has appeared and served as a set in various films and television series. * The HMS ''Interceptor'' in the film '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' * The

''Enterprise'', a namesake of the Starship ''Enterprise'', on the

holodeck The Holodeck is a fictional device from the television franchise ''Star Trek'' which uses "holograms" (projected light and electromagnetic energy which create the illusion of solid objects) to create a realistic 3D simulation of a real or imag ...

in ''

Star Trek Generations ''Star Trek Generations'' is a 1994 American science fiction film and the seventh film in the ''Star Trek'' film series. Malcolm McDowell joins cast members from the 1960s television show ''Star Trek'' and the 1987 sequel series '' The Next ...

''. * The ship used to transport Chinese immigrants to America in the IMAX film ''

The Great American West ''The Great American West'' is a 1995 film narrated by Jason Robards and recorded in the IMAX film format depicting the period of the American West's development between the Louisiana Purchase and the start of the 20th century. Filmed on dramat ...

''. * The ship played a prominent role in the miniseries ''

Blackbeard Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known about ...

''. *

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play '' Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate capt ...

's ship ''Jolly Roger'' on ''Once Upon a Time'', * As a recurring background piece in

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. * Was the reference ship for the computer animated ''RLS Legacy'' in the Disney film

Treasure Planet ''Treasure Planet'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The 43rd Disney animated feature film, it is a science fiction adaptati ...

, which was captained by Captain Amelia, the anthropomorphic cat. * Appeared in S01 E04 of

while talking about filming ''Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl''. Outside of film and television, the ship serves as the central visual element for the Christian music group For KING & COUNTRY in their music video "

Burn the Ships ''Burn the Ships'' is the third studio album by For King & Country, an Australian Christian pop duo comprising brothers Luke Smallbone and Joel Smallbone, released via Word Entertainment on 5 October 2018. It features appearances from Moriah P ...

". She also appeared in the music video for rapper Macklemore's "

Can't Hold Us "Can't Hold Us" is a song written and performed by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring American singer Ray Dalton, originally released on August 16, 2011 as the second single from the duo's debut studio album '' The Heist'' ...

References

External links

Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority
''Lady Washington''s operating organization
Maritime Heritage Network
an online directory of maritime history resources in the

{{coord missing, Pacific Ocean Replica ships Individual sailing vessels Sail training ships Tall ships of the United States Shipwrecks in the Philippine Sea Brigs 1989 ships Exploration ships Privateer ships of the United States Fur trade Symbols of Washington (state)

''Lady Washington'' (18th century original)

''Lady Washington'' (20th-century replica)

Film and television appearances

See also

References

External links