Friendship

Sometime in the Spring of 1998, workers at Scarano Boat Building tore down the wall of the warehouse facing the Hudson where Friendship had been taking shape and laid tracks to the river's edge. The completed hull rolled down the tracks to splash into the river on her side to begin her trip down the Hudson River and through the Cape Cod Canal and head north along the coast to the National Park Service's Salem Maritime National Historic Site where the final stages of construction took place.

Entrance	Inside
Laminates	Knees

Unlike many replicas, this ship is designed to sail. Laminate epoxy construction makes the replica stronger than the original while eliminating the threat of dry rot that can threaten conventional wooden construction after as little as ten years. Beneath an exterior that appears much like the original are two engines, two generators, a modern galley, fire-fighting equipment and a wheel chair lift from the first deck to the second. Where the original used cargo as ballast, the replica uses 100 lead blocks, each weighing 3000 pounds.

The Hull The Bow Below waterline Aft

Below Waterline Forard The Bow

Friendship is the largest wooden sailing ship built in Scarano Boat Builders' 25-year history and will be the largest, full-rigged, US built vessel in the modern era of tall ships. Rigging and final outfitting took place at Derby Wharf.

Plans for the ship were drawn up by Bay Marine Inc., based upon a 9-ft. model of the Friendship at the Peabody Essex Museum. Each of the 39 frames on each side of the ship was laid out on full sized patterns with an accuracy of 1/16 of an inch. Each frame was constructed from 16 layers of Douglas Fir which were bent to shape and glued together with Resorcinol epoxy.

Framing Frame Layout Laminate

The Frame Adding a Frame

In addition to the five carpenters at Scarano Boat Builders working on Friendship, the National Park Service, the government of Massachusetts, the government of Essex County, many local businesses, and hundreds of Salem residents helped make Friendship a reality.

Salem School Children

Salem School Children

The Framework

More Framing

From The Keel

The Keel

Worker

August 27, 1998

Friendship Launched

Photo: Tim Roske


The Friendship Launch

August 31, 1998

Friendship arrives in Salem

At Sea


At Sea


Arrival


Arrival

September 1, 1998

Friendship in Salem at Central Wharf the day after the celebration.

In Salem
Bow	Stern
Dressed for the Party
The Rigging Shed

September 26, 1998

Celebration for Friendship's arrival.

Over 3,500 people attend the Celebration at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. The USS Constitution Color Guard, the children of the Saltonstall and Phonex Schools, the Paul Madore Chorale, the Glover Regiment, and the Salem High School Band performed.

Artist and sculptor W.K. Gilbert carves the Friendship figurehead commissioned by the Phoenix school.