The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission announced that the U.S. Brig Niagara is officially underway. At daybreak on Saturday, June 6, the Commonwealth’s flagship cast off her lines at Bristol Marine’s Sample’s Shipyard in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, marking the successful completion of her year-long, $6.9 million restoration and refit to ensure the Niagara is structurally sound and fit to sail for decades to come.
The vessel is currently navigating the 2,000-nautical-mile transit via the North Atlantic Ocean and the St. Lawrence Seaway. She is scheduled to arrive at her homeport at the Erie Maritime Museum for a homecoming celebration July 2-5—perfectly timing her historic return to kick off Erie’s Independence Day weekend celebrations.
Commanding the Niagara for her homecoming voyage is Interim Captain Richard Bailey. Captain Bailey brings over 45 years of elite tall ship command experience to the flagship. He is most widely recognized for his 16-year tenure as the Master of the HMS Rose, which he helped convert into America’s first Coast Guard-inspected Sailing School Vessel (SSV). Captain Bailey’s highly specialized expertise makes him an ideal leader to safely manage the ship’s return and operational handover upon her return to Erie.
“The departure from Maine represents a monumental milestone in the preservation of the Commonwealth’s flagship,” said Andrea Lowery, Executive Director of PHMC. “We thank the shipwrights and craftspeople at Bristol Marine for their work, and we are thrilled to have a mariner of Captain Bailey’s caliber guiding her home.”
To maximize the shipyard timeline for critical repairs and systems updates, the Niagara is making the transit home under motor power. The substantial, multi-week process of assembling her sails and traditional rigging will take place dockside in Erie after the July 4 celebrations, allowing the community and visitors to witness the complex 19th-century up-rigging process firsthand.
