Dear friends and fans,
On October 23, 1988, Pride of Baltimore II was commissioned at Broadway Pier in Fells Point, just blocks from where the famed Baltimore Clipper Chasseur, the original “pride of Baltimore,” was launched in 1812.
Under a cloudless sky, more than 1,000 people gathered to celebrate the commissioning of Pride II. Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke called Pride II, “a symbol of the best instincts of our community.” The U.S. Naval Academy Band played “Anchors Aweigh,” and a flotilla of boats accompanied the ship as she got underway on the first leg of her maiden voyage.
But the commissioning was more than a new beginning. It was also a moment of remembrance. Those gathered on the pier and aboard the ship carried memories of the original Pride of Baltimore and the four crew members lost with her in May 1986: Captain Armin Elsaesser III, Jeannette F. “Nina” Schack, Vincent “Vinny” Lazzaro, and Barry Duckworth.
After eighteen months of work, Pride II was ready “to not only carry on the mission of her predecessor, but to make her own history as Maryland’s ambassador to the world.” — Susan M. Stewart, from Sailing with Pride by Greg Pease.
A Summer of Preparation
Following her launch on April 30, 1988, Pride II spent the summer being fitted out for service. According to the ship’s designer, Thomas Gillmer, much of the summer was devoted to making the spars and completing the rigging. Two of the upper spars, ordered from Oregon, did not arrive until mid-July, delaying the rigging work and sail trial.
By September, the ship was ready for builders’ trials and shakedown sails. Trips to Cambridge and Oxford on Maryland’s Eastern Shore gave the builders and crew an opportunity to see how the new vessel handled under sail. Gillmer was pleased with the results:
“I think we’re really quite satisfied. She handles nicely and comes about easily.”
Bosun Chris Burtis also noted that the crew was beginning to mesh as they gained experience aboard the new ship.
On October 5, Pride II made a shakedown sail down the Bay to Annapolis. In its coverage the following day, The Daily Record quoted Captain Jan Miles describing the trip as “very, very enjoyable,” as preparations continued for the ship’s commissioning later that month.
A Commissioning to Remember
Thirty eight years ago last week, October 23, 1988, a crowd gathered at Broadway Pier in Fells Point to commission Pride of Baltimore II into service. City and state officials delivered dedications and Reverend William N. McKeachie of Old St. Paul’s Church blessed the ship.
Commander Patrick Dunne, captain of the submarine USS Baltimore, then gave Captain Jan Miles his commissioning orders.
“Captain Miles, assume command of the Pride of Baltimore II and place her in commission.”
Miles answered, “Aye, aye, sir. I am in command. Pride of Baltimore II is now in commission.”
He turned to his crew and ordered the raising of the flag. Two crew members hoisted a replica of the fifteen-star, fifteen-striped U.S. flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. The flags of Maryland and Baltimore and a white, yellow and black Pride of Baltimore II pennant followed.
At the helm was Mike Mefferd, one of the ship’s builders, who recalled the emotion of the moment:
“I don’t know if it’s the weather or all the people, but I got a chill today.”
For those who had spent eighteen months building Pride II, departure brought mixed emotions. Shipwright Peter Boudreau, who commanded the first leg of her maiden voyage, reflected on the difficulty of letting go of a vessel into which they had poured so much work.
“As builders, you know that the inevitable time to go has come,” he said. “But you get so wrapped up in building a ship like this that there’s a little sadness in letting it go.”
Paul Powichroski, the ship’s engineer and one of her builders, described the people who worked on the boat as “members of the Pride Family.” Several shipwrights and artisans sailed on portions of the maiden voyage, and four remained aboard as members of the permanent crew.
As Pride II pulled away from the dock, firing her cannons in salute, the Navy band struck up “Anchors Aweigh.”
The Pride is Back
Just four days after the commissioning, The Baltimore Sun published an editorial titled “The Pride Is Back,” reflecting on what the ship meant to the city and its people.
The editorial considered the curious combination of tradition, present-day enthusiasm, and optimism for the future that gives a community its civic pride. The original Pride of Baltimore, it noted, had embodied the vitality, openness, and friendliness of the region through her travels around the world.
The editorial closed with a question that captured the spirit of the occasion:
“Baltimore’s Pride is back. Did anyone ever seriously doubt that it would be?”
With her commissioning complete and her maiden voyage underway, Pride of Baltimore II was ready to carry on the mission of her predecessor while beginning to make her own history as Maryland’s ambassador to the world.
