New Maryland Dove afloat and on tour

The new Maryland Dove is a reproduction of the 17th century trading ship that accompanied the first settlers to what is now Maryland in 1634. The first reproduction, built in the 1970s, has been nearing the end of its working life, and meanwhile modern research means the new ship could be designed to be more historically accurate.

The photo (left) shows the new Maryland Dove en route to her commissioning ceremony at Historic St Mary’s City (HSMC) on Chesapeake Bay.

The boat has been built at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) by shipwrights and apprentices, with the work carried out in public view as an educational project. Naval Architect Iver Franzen, CBMM shipyard lead rigger Sam Hilgartner, and HSMC Captain Will Gates lead a discussion about the design of the ship as part of the commissioning ceremony. In the next year the new

Maryland Dove will tour Chesapeake Bay. HSMCdigsHistory.org