Elissa Model Ship

Elissa is a three-masted barque.

About the Elissa wooden scale Model Ship

This model ship of the Elissa was custom built from the following information:

• The original construction drawings.

About the construction of the Elissa wooden scale Model Ship

• The hull is built using the Double Plank-on-Bulkhead construction method
• The bulkheads and keel are cut from marine grade pine plywood
• The first layer of planking is done plank by plank using Mahogany planks
• The second layer of planking is done using Mahogany Veneer strips
• The deck is made of Anagre, a light brown timber from the Amazon
• The gunwale and stringers are made of American Walnut
• The fife rails and pin racks are made of American Walnut
• The deckhouses and gangways are made of Teak
• The masts and yards are made of Mahogany dowels
• The sails and ropes are made of linen
• The model is painted with acrylic paint
• The ornaments are cold cast in bronze and painted

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History of the Elissa

Elissa is a three-masted barque with 19 sails, built by Alexander Hall & Co., Aberdeen, Scotland in 1877, allegedly named after the Queen of Carthage, Elissa (commonly known as Dido)

Elissa was launched under the British flag on 27 October 1877, sailing under Henry F Watt of Liverpool – who sailed twice as her captain – with a cargo of coal for Brazil.

She also sailed under Norwegian and Swedish flags. She was sold to Bugge & Olsen and renamed Fjeld. Fourteen years later the Elissa was sold to Carl Johannson and renamed Gustaf. In 1918 she was converted to a barkentine and given an auxiliary engine. Twenty-Four years later in 1930 she was sold to Finland and reconverted into a schooner.

In 1960 Elissa was sold to Greek interests and renamed Christophoros and used as a motorship in the Aegean. In 1967 she sailed under the name Achaeos and in 1969 as Pioneer.

In 1970 a maritime archaeologist, Peter Trockmorton, with the assistance of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, rescued Elissa from destruction in Piraeus. Five years later the Galveston Historical Foundation purchased her and completely restored her to her original rig. Her first voyage as a restored ship was in 1985.

When Elissa is not sailing, she is moored at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston.

Elissa remains one of the world’s oldest sailing hulls still in operation.

Member of The Nautical Research Guild

Learn more about the Elissa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elissa_(ship)