.gif)
Emma C. Berry (sloop)
Encyclopedia
Emma C. Berry is a fishing sloop
located at Mystic Seaport
in Mystic, Connecticut
, United States, and one of the oldest surviving commercial vessels in America. It is the last known surviving American well smack
. This type of boat is also termed a sloop smack or Noank smack. The Berry was built in 1866 at the Palmer Shipyards in Noank, Connecticut
by James A. Latham. Well smacks were designed to keep the catch alive in an internal water-filled compartment known as a wet well. Seawater circulated through large holes in the bottom planking. The Noank design was imitated in other regions of the United States
, but well smacks had appeared in England previously in about 1775.
The boat was named for the Captain John Henry Berry's daughter. In 1886 the Emma C. Berry was rigged as a schooner
then in 1916 a gasoline engine was added. It was restored in 1931 to its original condition. The Berry was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1994.
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
located at Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea, in Mystic, Connecticut, is notable both for its collection of sailing ships and boats, and for the re-creation of crafts and fabric of an entire 19th century seafaring village...
in Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic is a village and census-designated place in New London County, Connecticut, in the United States. The population was 4,001 at the 2000 census. A historic locality, Mystic has no independent government because it is not a legally recognized municipality in the state of Connecticut...
, United States, and one of the oldest surviving commercial vessels in America. It is the last known surviving American well smack
Well smack
A well smack is a type of traditional fishing boat that has a well amidships. The well was filled with circulated external water, which kept fish alive until delivered to land and sold...
. This type of boat is also termed a sloop smack or Noank smack. The Berry was built in 1866 at the Palmer Shipyards in Noank, Connecticut
Noank, Connecticut
Noank is a village and census-designated place in the town of Groton in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,830 at the 2000 census...
by James A. Latham. Well smacks were designed to keep the catch alive in an internal water-filled compartment known as a wet well. Seawater circulated through large holes in the bottom planking. The Noank design was imitated in other regions of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but well smacks had appeared in England previously in about 1775.
The boat was named for the Captain John Henry Berry's daughter. In 1886 the Emma C. Berry was rigged as a schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
then in 1916 a gasoline engine was added. It was restored in 1931 to its original condition. The Berry was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1994.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut
- List of museum ships