Ship Model, Schooner <I>Fredonia</I>
date: label: date made
content: 1889
label: ship built
content: 1889
label: ship sank
content: 1896-12
name: label: designer
content: Burgess, Edward
label: shipbuilder
content: Adams, Moses
notes: label: Description
content: This model represents the fishing schooner <I>Fredonia</I>, designed by the well-known yacht designer Edward Burgess of Boston. Burgess designed several America’s Cup racing yachts, including the <I>Puritan</I>, the <I>Mayflower</I>, and the <I>Volunteer</I>, which successfully defended the cup in 1885, 1886, and 1887, respectively. From Burgess’s plans, Moses Adams built the <I>Fredonia</I> in 1889, at Essex, Mass. The schooner measured 111’-6” long, with a beam (width) of 23’-6”, and a depth of 10’-3”. Adams also built the schooner <I>Nellie Dixon</I> from the same plans in East Boston that year.
label: Description
content: After launching, the <I>Fredonia</I> was used as a yacht and made a transatlantic cruise before being refitted for work in the offshore fisheries. The vessel became known for its speed, and attracted attention for its fine lines. Its clipper-style bow with carved trail boards led to a long bowsprit (a spar extending forward from the bow that carried the jib). The design influenced fishing schooners for years to come, and vessels built on the <I>Fredonia</I> model came to represent the quintessential New England fishing schooner.
label: Description
content: The <I>Fredonia</I>’s influence belied its short life. In 1896 the vessel met with disaster while fishing for cod on the Grand Banks. During a December storm the <I>Fredonia</I> sank, with all but two of its crew of 23 saved by other schooners fishing in the area.
place: label: where ship was built
content: United States: Massachusetts, Essex
label: where ship sank
content: Canada: Newfoundland and Labrador, Grand Bank
label: geographic area
content: United States: New England
topic: label: Subject
content: Engineering
label: related event
content: The Development of the Industrial United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
label: See more items in
content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
label: See more items in
content: On the Water exhibit
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transfer from U.S. Fish Commission
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.076253
label: catalog number
content: 076253
label: accession number
content: 28022
objectType: label: Object Name
content: schooner
label: Object Name
content: ship model, schooner
label: Object Name
content: model, rigged schooner
label: Other Terms
content: schooner; Maritime; Fishing
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: textile (part: sails material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (part: fittings material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 61 in x 7 ft x 12 in; 154.94 cm x 2.1336 m x 30.48 cm