SSV ''Oliver Hazard Perry'' is a

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 ...

operated by Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI), a grass-roots nonprofit based in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

, Rhode Island. The ship is named after American

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...

(1785–1819), the hero of the naval

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the B ...

(1813).

Description

The SSV ''Oliver Hazard Perry'' measures , and is a three-masted

square-rigged Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called ''yards'' and ...

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 A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a category of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that typically provides funding and support for other charitable organizations through grants, but may also engage directly in charitable ac ...

, and public subscription. The ship, when acquired by the Rhode Island trust for $325,000, was a 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 (1813) (captured by the flotilla commanded by Commodore Perry; not the six gun sloop (1816) destroyed by Lieutenant Jesse D. Elliott in the War of 1812). 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 Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincet ...

. 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 New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

, 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. An on scene eye witness said power was not lost till grounding (sucking mud). What was lost was control in high wind. 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 The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC or NSCC) is a congressionally chartered, United States Navy, U.S. Navy-sponsored organization that serves to teach individuals about the sea-going military services, U.S. naval operations and trai ...

(USNSCC), and the Naval Academy Prep School.

References

External links

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Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island Educational Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver Hazard Perry (ship, 2015) 2013 ships Individual sailing vessels Ships built in Rhode Island Three-masted ships