Gazela
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2016) |
Gazela docked in Philadelphia, April 15, 2012
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History | |
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Portugal | |
Name | Gazela |
Namesake | Gazelle (in Portuguese) |
Port of registry | Lisbon |
Builder | J. M. Mendes yards in Setúbal, Portugal |
Completed | 1901 |
Out of service | Retired from fishing, 1969 |
Fate | Sold and transferred to the Philadelphia Maritime Museum, 1971 |
United States | |
Name | Gazela |
Owner | Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild |
Acquired | 1971 |
Identification | IMO number: 5126885 |
Status | Museum Ship/Training ship |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 652 deadweight, 299 gross |
Length | 177 ft (54 m). overall, 140 ft (43 m). on deck, 133 ft (41 m). on the waterline |
Beam | 26 ft (7.9 m). at maximum beam |
Height | 94 ft (29 m). from the deck |
Draft | approx. 17 ft (5.2 m). |
Installed power | Diesel - CAT 3406 540 HP |
Sail plan | Barquentine 8,910 square feet (828 m2) |
Notes | wooden hull |
Gazela is a wooden tall ship, built in 1901, whose home port is
History
The barquentine Gazela Primeiro (meaning Gazelle the First in Portuguese) was built in the shipyard of J. M. Mendes in Setúbal, Portugal in 1883. At that time the Portuguese fisheries authorities had a regulation prohibiting the construction of new vessels for the Grand Banks cod fishery. It was however permissible to modify or "rebuild" an existing vessel. The best information available indicates that the registration of a much smaller, two-masted vessel built in Cacilhas in 1883, named Gazella (spelled with two Ls), was transferred by the owners to the newly built vessel in 1901. There is no evidence that any timbers from the earlier vessel were re-used in the construction of the later one; a practice which would make no sense to a commercial wooden shipbuilder in the 1900s.
Gazela was built to carry fishermen to the
Gazela was engine-less until 1938, when a Mannheim-Benz diesel engine was installed. With the depletion of cod on the Grand Banks, vessels were being forced to fish the Davis Strait, between Greenland and Baffin Island, Canada. The contrary winds and frequent icebergs in this area made life difficult for ships without engines. To accommodate the propeller, a new rudder post was installed and her counter was extended approximately 10–12 feet, giving her a long overhanging transom.
After a remarkably long commercial career, Gazela's last voyage to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland as a commercial fishing ship was made in 1969.
Philadelphia
Gazela was purchased by philanthropist
In 1985, Gazela was transferred to the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild, the not-for-profit corporation that now maintains and operates the vessel with the help of donors and volunteers, sending her as Philadelphia's tall ship to events up and down the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Gazela spends the spring and summer months cruising the Delaware River and the Atlantic Coast. In the winter months Gazela is maintained by volunteer members of the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild.[3]
Gallery
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Diorama shot of Gazela docked at Penns Landing, Philadelphia, PA
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A small wooden dory used for bringing fish back to the Gazela
In print and film
- Civil War Gold, a National Geographic documentary chronicling the history of the SS Republic, a Civil War sidewheel steamship. 2003.
- The Widow of Saint-Pierre, a French film nominated for a Golden Globe. 2000.
- The Irish In America, a PBS documentary tracing the ethnic history of Irish immigrants to the United States. 1998.
- Interview With A Vampire, a dramatic feature film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. 1994.
- Alan Villiers; The Quest of the Schooner Argus (1951 Charles Scribner's Sons) Includes pictures and narrative of interaction with Gazela.
References
- ^ Posted Apr 18th, 2013 at 4:08pm (2013-04-18). "Gazela Primeiro: Philadelphia's Tall Ship". Yachting Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "OUR SHIPS | Philadelphia Ship Guild". Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
- ^ "Winter Work Updates". Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild. 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
Further reading
- Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild: Gazela Primeiro (1883). Retrieved 23 June 08.
- Saville, Allison (1978) Gazela Primeiro. Leeward Publications ISBN 0-915268-14-0
External links
39°56′38″N 75°08′29″W / 39.944012°N 75.141270°W