Bath museum ready to recommission historic Mary E schooner
by Alex Lear 9 Jun 2018 08:34 PDT
The Mary E after the foremast and bowspit were installed on the Kennebec River June 1. The vessel is due to be relaunched from Maine Maritime Museum in Bath Saturday, June 9 © Alex Lear / The Forecaster
The Mary E, a storied ship due to be recommissioned Saturday, moved closer to that big day last Friday with the re-installation, or stepping, of its foremast.
Shipbuilder Thomas Hagan constructed the two-masted clipper schooner in 1906 in a Houghton shipyard, where Bath Iron Works now stands. The neighboring Maine Maritime Museum, which purchased the 73-foot vessel in early 2017 for $140,000, will host a recommissioning ceremony on the Kennebec River behind its 243 Washington St. headquarters from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 9.
The June 1 milestone brought a small crowd of onlookers, as a crew led by master shipwright Andros Kypragoras first placed the bowsprit – a spar that extends forward from the vessel's prow – followed by the foremast. A crane was used to lower each piece from the shore down to the ship, docked in the river.
Amy Lent, the museum's executive director, said she was "very excited" as she watched the hubbub along the shore as the crew prepared for the installations.
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