This past November the “Star of the Sea” made history in San Diego celebrating its 150th anniversary at the downtown harbor. The historic Star of India “windjammer” vessel which is known as the oldest active ship once again was set to sail November 2013. 150 years after
Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address and iron 280-foot three-masted barque ship was set for haul from the downtown harbor destined for Point Loma.
The Star of India was originally named the Euterpe named after a Greek muse known as the “Giver of delight”. Euterpe was originally used to haul cargo until 1871. After battling harsh waters and hazardous collisions the ship continued as a merchant ship which soon after transported emigrants to New Zealand. Soon after, prior to its retirement the ship was known for its Salmon trading in the Alaska waters where then name Star of India. The Star of India has been retired since 1926 then was restored in the 1960’s and is held at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. As a downtown harbor flagship, the Star of India hosts countless tours and events for more than 6,000 people annually.
In addition, every other year, with a volunteer crew, the boat heads out to the Pacific Ocean to set sail to different harbors for different stop overs. This year on the ships 150th anniversary sailed to Point Loma which marked its anniversary of its first sail. This sail included captain and his crew stern “ship jargon”, blue skies, gentle breezes, live music, and even mock attacks with cannons. Since the ship is 150 years old it is engineless, webbed with sails, tugs, and to make the journey even more distinctive the boat cries and booms from each stem and stern. This journey was known as blissful and truly memorable for crew and others on board.