''Swift of Ipswich'' is a

topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

owned and operated by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute's '' TopSail Youth Program'' as a sail training vessel for

at-risk youth An at-risk student is a term used in the United States to describe a student who requires temporary or ongoing intervention in order to succeed academically. Richardson, Val, comp. "At-Risk Student Intervention Implementation Guide." The Education ...

History

Originally built in

Ipswich, Massachusetts Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A reside ...

as a private yacht, ''Swift of Ipswich'' is a reduced-scale

replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...

of ''Swift'', an American

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

from the Revolutionary War which was captured by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, transported to Britain, and deconstructed. The drawings produced from the original ''Swift'' have been used as the basis for several

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 ...

designs, mostly due to their completeness in an era which produced few detailed drawings (most ship designs having been scale models which have not survived intact). Soon after completion, ''Swift of Ipswich'' was sold to actor

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

and transported to

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

, where she served as his private yacht and appeared in numerous Hollywood films. After being sold by Cagney in 1958, the ''Swift'' was used for various purposes, such as harbor tours, before being acquired by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute in 1991. Swift of Ipswich participated in the ''Clash of the Tall Ships II'' in Long Beach Harbor in January, 1998.

Reconstruction

After the delivery of the twin

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. Older ...

s '' Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson'', ''Swift'' went into semi-retirement while fundraising proceeded to begin an extensive rebuilding, necessary after over 65 years of wear, tear, and exposure to salt water. Currently, work has begun on the reconstruction, although no firm completion date has been given.

References

External links

''The Swift of Ipswich''The Los Angeles Maritime InstituteThe Los Angeles Maritime MuseumTall Ships America
{{coord missing, Los Angeles County, California Museum ships in California Sail training ships Tall ships of the United States Schooners of the United States Training ships of the United States Replica ships Ships built in Ipswich, Massachusetts 1939 ships