Elissa

An iron barque built in 1877 by Alexander Hall & Co., Aberdeen, Scotland, as Yard No. 294. Her dimensions were originally given as 149'6"×28'0"×14'5" and tonnage 431 GRT, 409 NRT and 391 tons under deck. She has a raised quarter deck of 34 ft and a forecastle of 19 ft.

1877 October: Launched at the shipyard of Alexander Hall & Co., Aberdeen, for Henry F. Watt, Liverpool. Assigned the British Registration No. 78726 and signal WVKG. Captain G. Wheaton was appointed master of the ship.
1889: Captain J. Williams was given command of the ship.
1897: Sold to A/S Fjeld (Bugge & Olsen), Larvik, Norway, and was renamed Fjeld. She was kept in the South American trade with Captain H. Andersen as master.
1912 February 22: Sold in Le Havre to Holmström & Co., Torekov, Sweden, for SEK 18.000.
1912 March: Sold to H.A. Höglund & Carl Constantin Johansson, Kalmar, Sweden, for SEK 19.000 and renamed Gustaf. Captain Gustaf Walfrid Nilsson, Kalmar, became her master. The Swedish measurements were: 49,97×8,56×4,47 meters and 432,17 GRT.
1914: In command of Captain Johan Walfrid Johansson, Kalmar.
1914-1915: Re-rigged to a barquentine during the winter. Captain Carl Victor Eliasson, Oskarshamn, took over as master.
1915 October 26: Sold while in Sundsvall to Nils Österman & Co., Stockholm, for SEK 40.000.
1916 May 22: Sold to August Gilbert Melin, Marstrand, Sweden.
1916 August 9: 90 % of the shares were bought by Rederi AB Åse (Beril William Egnell), Marstrand, for SEK 72.000.
1917: Laid up at Marstrands Varv and was repaired.
1918: An Avance oil-engine was installed.
1918 September 27: Sold to the Sven Salén, Göteborg, for SEK 423.000.
1919 September 23: Sold to William Millar, Gothenburg, for SEK 297.000. Captain Eliasson handed over the ship to Captain Gustaf Arth. Johansson Bartley, Gothenburg.
1920 April 21: The command of the ship is taken over by Captain Axel Wilhelm Gustaf Osterman, Lekåsa.
1922 July 27: New master Captain Carl Wilhelm Olsson, Ryssby.
1923: In command of Captain Sven Carlsson, Göteborg.
1923: In command of Captain Axel Hjalm. Wallin, Göteborg.
1923: In command of Captain Sven Carlsson, Göteborg.
1924: In command of Captain Carl WilhelmOlsson, Kalmar.
1929 September 25: Sold to AB John Millars Eftr. (Ernst Ludvig Ramberg), Göteborg, for SEK 5.500.
1929 October 31: Sold to Erik Nylund, Mariehamn, Åland, for SEK 23.000.
1936: The masts were removed and the sailing ship bow altered in the re-building to a motorship.
1942: Sold to AB P. Molander Oy, Björneborg, Finland, but registered in Sideby.
1950: Transferred to Molander Oy Telmita AB, Kristinestad.
1956: Sold to Rederi AB Gustaf (Hugo Boström), Helsingfors.
1959 December: Sold to A. Kavadas & D. Vassilatos, Piraievs, Greece and renamed Christophoros.
1968: Sold to M. Christidou, P. Konidaris et al., Piraieus, and renamed Achaios.
1970: Seized by Greek authorities.
1970 November: Bought by the marine archaeologist Peter Throckmorton from a Greek ship breaking yard and was renamed [New] Pioneer.
1975 October: Sold to the Galveston Historical Foundation for USD 40.000 who bought the ship with the intention to restore her to sailing order.
1979 July 20: Arrived in Galveston.
1982 July 4: Opened to the public as a floating museum.
1986: Sailed to New York to participate in the Tall Ships' parade.

Presently a museum ship in Galveston, TX, from where she also makes her yearly sailing.

Select Bibliography

Square-rigged ships, general references.
Båtologen Vol. 30 (1992), Part 3.
Bixel, Patricia Bellis: Sailing Ship Elissa.
Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX, 1998. 8vo, 144 pp, ill.
Ericsson, Anders: Svenska barkskepp och fullriggare under cirka 100 år.
Unpublished manuscript in the Sjöhistoriska Museet, Stockholm.

Updated 1999-06-29 by Lars Bruzelius.

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