Irving Johnson (Tall ship) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The twin 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:...

s Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson are the flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

s of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute's (LAMI) TopSail Youth Program, a non-profit organization created as a character building organization to help at risk

Disadvantaged

The "disadvantaged" is a generic term for individuals or groups of people who:* Face special problems such as physical or mental disability * Lack money or economic support....

youth prepare for life through the discipline and teamwork required to safely handle a tall ship

Tall ship

A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall Ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival....

. They join LAMI's topsail

Topsail

A topsail is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails.- Square rig :On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a square sail rigged above the course sail and below the topgallant sail where carried...

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....

s the Swift of Ipswich
Swift of Ipswich
Swift of Ipswich is a topsail schooner owned and operated by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute's TopSail Youth Program as a sail training vessel for at-risk youth.-History:...

and the Bill of Rights in introducing youths to the subtle but profound influence presented by the sea

Sea

A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...

.

Named for sail training

Sail training

From its modern interpretations to its antecedents when maritime nations would send young naval officer candidates to sea , sail training provides an unconventional and effective way of building many useful skills on and off the water....

pioneers Irving and Electa "Exy" Johnson

Irving Johnson

Irving McClure Johnson was an American author, lecturer, adventurer, and sail training pioneer....

, the brigantines take on a proud history initiated by their namesakes. Seven time veteran circumnavigators

Circumnavigation

Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...

of the world on board two different boats both named Yankee, each trip with a new crew of boys and girls armed only with a sense of adventure and curiosity. For 25 years beginning in the late 1930s, Irving and Exy did what was thought impossible, and lived a life now legendary.

As the Yankee was home to the Johnsons and their family of fellow shipmates, TopSail was envisioned after that model to become a second home to the many youths who come on board where they can safely dream and discover, learn and grow as they pass through turbulent times at school, in their neighborhoods and in their own lives as teenagers today.

Construction

The brigantines are based on original plans designed in the 1930s by Henry Gruber but never built. Noted yacht

Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

designer

Naval architecture

Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...

W.I.B. Crealock

William Ion Belton Crealock was a yacht designer and author. He was one of the world's leading yacht designers from the 1960s through the 1990s, and his yachts were owned by the famous and wealthy, including Walter Cronkite and William Hurt.-Early years:Crealock was born in Westcliff-on-Sea,...

was brought in to adapt the plans to meet modern Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

regulations and to fit LAMI's own stringent specifications based on their years of trial and experience. Master shipbuilder

Shipbuilding

Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...

Allan Rawl was retained to oversee the project and direct the many carpenters, electricians, engineers and riggers hired or volunteering as shipwrights.

With the arrival of a truckload of South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

n Purpleheart hardwood

Hardwood

Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...

for the keel

Keel

In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...

in 2000, the Twin Brigantine project was kicked off right in the parking lot adjacent to LAMI in the heart of San Pedro

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California

San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...

, CA

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Over the course of the next two years, the project evolved as a living history project open to the public to view and witness as the hulls were framed out with American White oak

White oak

Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...

and fastened with bronze

Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

. Launched

Ship naming and launching

The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...

on 27 April 2002, they were proclaimed as the "Official Tall Ship

Tall ship

Ambassadors of the City of Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

" by Mayor James Hahn

James Hahn

James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn is an American politician. Hahn was elected the 40th Mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He served until 2005, at which time he was defeated in his bid for re-election...

and witnessed by Exy Johnson

Irving Johnson

Irving McClure Johnson was an American author, lecturer, adventurer, and sail training pioneer....

herself before motoring out to a fitting out berth where the interiors were finished and completed as their masts

Mast (sailing)

The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...

stepped, rigged

Rigging

Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:...

and sail

Sail

A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...

s bent on. They were commissioned

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

on 28 March 2003.

Layout and facilities

Within her 90 feet (27.4 m) length on deck

Deck (ship)

A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...

and 21 feet (6 m) beam

Beam (nautical)

The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...

she's divided into three cabins

Cabin (ship)

A cabin or berthing is an enclosed space generally on a ship or an aircraft. A cabin which protrudes above the level of a ship's deck may be referred to as a "deckhouse."-Sailing ships:...

. 12 bunk

Bunk

Bunk may refer to:* bunk , absurd, ridiculous, nonsense, wikt:Bunkum * Bunk , truancy, to "play hookey", to "cut" or "skip" class* Bunk bed, a type of bed in which one bed is stacked over another...

s, a head

Head (watercraft)

The head is a ship's toilet. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the ship.-Design:In sailing ships the toilet was placed in the bow for two reasons...

and enclosed shower are forward. 18 bunks, two additional heads, another shower and a large common area amidships. Also amidships to port are a large refrigerator and freezer and access to the deck

Deck (ship)

through the galley above.

The galley features a six burner propane

Propane

Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...

stove forward, a day fridge to port and spacious counter space with two deep sink wells to starboard, the galley is comfortable to work in with ports all around, providing plenty of light and ample ventilation.

To aft

Aft

Aft, in naval terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning, towards the stern of the ship, when the frame of reference is within the ship. Example: "Able Seaman Smith; lay aft!". Or; "What's happening aft?"...

lies the chart house with a large chart

Nautical chart

A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent coastal regions. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water and heights of land , natural features of the seabed, details of the coastline, navigational hazards, locations of natural and man-made aids...

table and a wrap around settee that can be used for teaching, eating or even charting. The nav

Navigation

Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...

station to port is comfortable and readily accessible from the helm

Ship's wheel

A ship's wheel is the modern method of adjusting the angle of a boat or ship's rudder in order to cause the vessel to change its course. Together with the rest of the steering mechanism it forms part of the helm. It is typically connected to a mechanical, electric servo, or hydraulic system...

. Radar

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

, GPS, VHF and SSB

Single-sideband modulation

Single-sideband modulation or Single-sideband suppressed-carrier is a refinement of amplitude modulation that more efficiently uses electrical power and bandwidth....

are all readily accessible. Below lies the master's

Master mariner

A Master Mariner or MM is the professional qualification required for someone to serve as the person in charge or person in command of a commercial vessel. In England, the term Master Mariner has been in use at least since the 13th century, reflecting the fact that in guild or livery company terms,...

cabin, an officer's cabin with two bunks, 4 crew bunks aft, a head with enclosed shower and access to the engine room below. An on deck cockpit provides additional teaching space as well as a pleasant location for al fresco dining.

A 3208 V8 Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...

diesel engine

Diesel engine

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

provides auxiliary power producing 315 bhp at 2600 rpm while a Northern Lights 16 kW electrical generator

Electrical generator

In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...

powers the creature comforts on board. Coupled with a Village Marine 50 gph watermaker, she's fully capable of extended passages off shore.

Two and a half miles of running rigging

Running rigging

Running rigging is the term for the rigging of a sailing vessel that is used for raising, lowering and controlling the sails - as opposed to the standing rigging, which supports the mast and other spars....

support a total of 5032 square feet (467 m²) of canvas on two masts

Mast (sailing)

and 13 sail

Sail

A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...

s, easily staying in light air and comfortable rail down in a stiff breeze at nine knots. Controlled by 85 lines on deck, there are plenty of opportunities for participants to learn and do.

Grounding

Irving Johnson was renowned for his innate knowledge of the South Pacific, making him a natural choice in advising the Pacific Fleet the intricacies of various tides, swells, currents, depths and shoals around the treacherous reefs and atolls of the South Seas.

On March 21, 2005, Irving Johnson went aground on a sandbar outside the entrance to Channel Islands

Channel Islands of California

The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...

Harbor. All crew and passengers were rescued safely, but the vessel was stranded on the beach for several days before being pulled off. The local Coast Guard said no other vessel had ever survived being grounded through so many tide cycles intact. Suffering from serious damage which compromised the forward portion of the vessel and flooded the vessel with seawater, she underwent an extensive reconstruction and was returned to service in early 2006.

Construction

Layout and facilities

Grounding

External links

See also