Godspeed, under Captain Bartholomew Gosnold

Bartholomew Gosnold

Bartholomew Gosnold was an English lawyer, explorer, and privateer, instrumental in founding the Virginia Company of London, and Jamestown, Virginia, United States...

, was one of the three ships (along with the Susan Constant

Susan Constant

Susan Constant, captained by Christopher Newport, was the largest of three ships of the English Virginia Company on the 1606-1607 voyage that resulted in the founding of Jamestown in the new Colony of Virginia.-History:Susan Constant was rated at 120 tons. Her keel length is estimated at 55.2 feet...

and the Discovery

Discovery (1602 ship)

Discovery was a 20-ton "fly-boat" of the British East India Company, launched before 1602.Discovery was the smallest of three ships that were led by Captain Christopher Newport on the voyage that resulted in the founding of Jamestown in the new Colony of Virginia in 1607...

) on the 1606-1607 voyage to the New World for the English Virginia Company of London. The journey resulted in the founding of Jamestown

Jamestown, Virginia

Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...

 in the new Colony of Virginia.

History

All 39 passengers and 13 sailors she carried on that voyage were male. The route included a stop in the Canary Islands

Canary Islands

The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...

 and, with better wind, would have taken about two months to traverse; instead, the voyage lasted 144 days. The 40-ton Godspeed was a brigantine

Brigantine

In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...

 estimated to have been 68 feet (21 m) in length.

Replicas

In 1985, a replica of Godspeed (only 48 feet on deck and no motor) sailed from London back to Virginia. She had a crew of 14 and stopped at many places that the original Godspeed visited including the Canary Islands and various places in the Windward Isles before sailing to Jamestown.

The most recent replica was built in Rockport

Rockport, Maine

Rockport is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,209 at the 2000 census. Rockport is a popular tourist destination and art colony.-History:...

, Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

, and completed in early 2006. Its length over all is 88 feet (27 m), with the deck 65.5 feet (20 m) long, and the main mast 71.5 feet (21.8 m) tall, carrying 2420 square feet (225 m²) of sail. Replicas of the Godspeed and her sisters in the 1607 voyage, the larger Susan Constant

Susan Constant

Susan Constant, captained by Christopher Newport, was the largest of three ships of the English Virginia Company on the 1606-1607 voyage that resulted in the founding of Jamestown in the new Colony of Virginia.-History:Susan Constant was rated at 120 tons. Her keel length is estimated at 55.2 feet...

and the smaller Discovery

Discovery (1602 ship)

Discovery was a 20-ton "fly-boat" of the British East India Company, launched before 1602.Discovery was the smallest of three ships that were led by Captain Christopher Newport on the voyage that resulted in the founding of Jamestown in the new Colony of Virginia in 1607...

, are docked in the James River

James River (Virginia)

The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...

 at Jamestown Settlement

Jamestown Settlement

Jamestown Settlement is a name used by the Commonwealth of Virginia's portion of the historical sites and museums at Jamestown. Jamestown was the first successful English settlement on the mainland of North America...

 (formerly Jamestown Festival Park), adjacent to the Jamestown National Historic Site

National Historic Sites (United States)

National Historic Sites are protected areas of national historic significance in the United States. A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject...

.

Modern depictions

In May 2007, the United States Postal Service

United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 issued the first 41 cent denomination first class stamp. The stamp had an image of the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery.

The Godspeed was also depicted on Virginia's coin of the 50 State Quarters

50 State Quarters

The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of circulating commemorative coins by the United States Mint. Between 1999 and 2008, it featured each of the 50 U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter....

, in celebration of the quadricentennial of Jamestown.

Further reading

• Price, David A. Love and Hate in Jamestown. Alfred A. Knopf (2003). Chapter 3.
• http://www.qsl.net/wa4chq/godspeed.html for more information about the 1985 Voyage of Godspeed.