Swift of Ipswich

Swift of Ipswich is a topsail schooner owned and operated by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute as a sail training vessel for at-risk youth.

History

Originally built in Ipswich as a private yacht, "Swift of Ipswich" is a reduced-scale replica of "Swift", an American privateer from the Revolutionary War which was captured by the Royal Navy, transported to Britain, and deconstructed. The drawings produced from this have been used as the basis for several tall ship designs, mostly due to their completeness in an era which produced few detailed drawings (most ship designs having been scale models which have not survived intact). Soon after completion, "Swift of Ipswich" was sold to actor James Cagney and transported to Los Angeles, where she served as his private yacht.

After being sold by Cagney, the "Swift" was used for various purposes, such as harbor tours, before being acquired by the Los Angeles Maritime Institute.

Reconstruction

After the delivery of the twin brigantines "Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson", "Swift" went into semi-retirement while fundraising proceeded to begin an extensive rebuilding, necessary after over 65 years of wear, tear, and exposure to salt water. Currently, work has begun on the reconstruction, although no firm completion date has been given.

References

*Irving Johnson
*Nautical terms
*Rigging
*Tall ship

External links

* [http://lamitopsail.org/ The Los Angeles Maritime Institute]
* [http://www.lamaritimemuseum.org/ The Los Angeles Maritime Museum]
* [http://sailtraining.org/ The American Sail Training Association]