As you approach the Elissa, you can hear the water from the gulf softly lapping at her sides, and the soft creaking of wood as the ship rolls gently with the waves. You fell the breeze coming into the port and can almost imagine being back in time, about to begin your adventurous journey on the high seas.
The Elissa is a square-rigged, 3 masted, iron-barque tall ship, and is one of only three of her kind left in the world, she, in fact, a survivor, and example of living history, not a replica. She is a seaworthy, fully functioning ship, with a long and storied past in her more than 140-year history. She has had more days at sea than any other Tall Ship.
She began her journey in Aberdeen, Scottland, as a British Cargo Ship in 1877. But she isn't new to Galveston, she is, in fact, a part of Galveston's History, having sailed into the port of Galveston 1883 and 1886 and leaving port filled with Texas Cotton.
She was commissioned by Henry Fowler Watt, at a time when the wind-powered sailing ships were on a decline as their sisters, the steamships were on the rise. Steamships needed less crew, which made them more cost-efficient, and after a financially disastrous voyage in 1897, Watt ran out of money and was forced to sell the Elissa to a Norwegian firm.
During 1918 a motor was added and her rigging was progressively removed until by 1940 she was just a motor ship. Her time in Scandinavia lasted until 1959, during which she was passedtomany Finish and Swedish owners and was renamed almost as many times.
In 1959 she was sold to Greek owners and continued to sail out of Piracus carrying whatever cargo the owners could find. As the task became more and more difficult, she eventually would wind up in the hands of smugglers using her to illegally import cigarettes into Italy. By 1969 her activities had become infamous. The Italian government made official complaints to Greek authorities about her. She was seized and sent to salvage.
The Galveston Historical Foundation saw her as a symbol of the Gulf Coast historic beginning when Galveston's exported goods were worth an estimated 20 times of those being imported. The waterfront generated enough wealth to build the historic mansions along Broadway and the beautiful buildings along the strand.
The Galveston Historical Foundation purchased her from the Greek scrapyard in 1975 for $39,000. Restoration began in 1978, on July 20th 1979, 93 years after her last visit, she arrives in Galveston and restoration continues until 1982. Today she is moored at Pier 21 beside the Texas Seaport Museum and is open for self-guided tours. For more information on days and times please visit https://www.galvestonhistory.org