New Bedford State Pier
P.O. Box 2010
New Bedford, MA 02740
508-992-4900
The historic Schooner Ernestina has fulfilled several roles during her 100+ year sailing career.
Launched in 1894 as the Effie M. Morrissey, the vessel served as a grand banks fishing schooner out of the port of Gloucester, MA, until 1914. From 1914 to 1926 the Morrissey sailed the coastal regions of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador as a packet ship.
In 1926, the Morrissey began twenty years of arctic explorations, coming within 600 miles of the North Pole in 1940. In 1948, the vessel was renamed Ernestina and began twenty-five years of transatlantic packet trading between New England and the Cape Verde islands.
This trading legacy established strong cultural ties between the City of New Bedford and the people of the Cape Verde islands.
The Ernestina is the only remaining wooden sailing ship to have brought immigrants to the United States. In 1976, the Ernestina was invited to lead the Bicentenial parade of sail past the Statue of Liberty into New York harbor.
The Republic of Cape Verde presented the Ernestina as a gift to the people of the United States of America in 1982. The vessel is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
with New Bedford as its home port. From 1983 to the present, the Ernestina has served as a cultural and educational vessel offering training programs and seminars, some of which are under sail.
The Ernestina is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and is a U.S. Coast Guard Certified vessel. The Ernestina's home berth is located adjacent to The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and is specifically listed in the legislation that established the park.
