Maryland Federalist is a adj=on 15 replica ship built in 1987 and now located at BWI Airport near Concourse D. The ship is a replica of the miniature ship Federalist which was built in 1788.

Original Federalist

The merchants of Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

 celebrated Maryland's ratification of the United States Constitution on April 28, 1788, by building a adj=on 15 miniature ship called Federalist. The ship was designed by Joshua Barney

Joshua Barney

Joshua Barney was a commodore in the United States Navy, born in Baltimore, Maryland, who served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Revolutionary War:...

, a native of Baltimore and commodore

Commodore (rank)

Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...

 in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

. Federalist was the centerpiece of a parade in Baltimore before being sailed by Barney down the Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

 and up the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

 to Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon

The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...

 to be presented as a gift to George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

. According to Washington's diary, Barney arrived on June 8, 1788. Regrettably, Federalist sank in a "hurricane" on July 24.

In April 2010, a partnership between the Mount Vernon Archaeology Department, the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, the Institute of Maritime History, the Maryland Historical Trust

Maryland Historical Trust

The Maryland Historical Trust is an agency of Maryland Department of Planning and serves as the Maryland State Historic Preservation Office. The agency serves to assist in research, conservation, and education,of Maryland's historical and cultural heritage....

, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources conducted an archaeological survey of the Potomac River near Mount Vernon. One of the project's goals was to locate the Federalist wreck. In October 2010, it was reported that the surveyors "... found sonar signals that may indicate that a boat of the Federalist['s] size is present." The wreck had not been positively identified as of November 2010.

Modern Maryland Federalist

Maryland Federalist was built with private funds raised by the Maryland Federalist Foundation. She was designed by Melbourne Smith and built by Allen C. Rawl. According to her builder, she was "built as a full scale historic representation of the original vessel [Federalist] from written documentation and notes that describe the original small ship designed and built by ... Joshua Barney in 1787 [i.e., 1788]." The ship is 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:...

 with seven sails to commemorate Maryland's place as the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution. She is painted in the colors of the flag of Maryland

Flag of Maryland

The flag of the state of Maryland consists of the heraldic banner of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore. It is the only state flag in the United States to be based on English heraldry. The flag of the state of Maryland consists of the heraldic banner of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore. It is...

 (red, white, black, and gold) and decorated with other state symbols. The Maryland Federalist Foundation gave the ship to the Maryland State Archives on July 1, 1988, and she is displayed at BWI Airport or in the Maryland State House.

External links

• Maryland State Archives Maryland Federalist website with links to photographs