Brigantine Yankee

The brigantine "Yankee" was a steel hulled schooner, originally constructed by Nordseewerke, Emden, Germany as the "Emden", renamed "Duhnen", 1919. As "Yankee", it became famous as the ship that was used by Irving Johnson to circumnavigate the globe four times in eleven years. [cite web |url= http://www.mysticseaport.org/library/manuscripts/coll/coll240/coll240.html |title= Irving and Electa Johnson Collection (Coll240) |work= Irving Johnson |publisher= Mysticseaport.com |accessdate=2007-12-10]

"Duhnen"

The "Duhnen", built in 1911, was the last schooner the Germans built before the construction of steam powered ships. It was used for recreation during World War II by the Luftwaffe, and was captured by the British and used as an RAF recreation ship. The "Duhnen" was refitted and renamed "Yankee" at the Brixham yards. The new "Yankee" was convert|96|ft|m|1 overall, with a waterline of convert|81|ft|m|1, a maximum draft of convert|11|ft|m|1. The rig was changed to that of a brigantine with convert|7775|sqft|m2 of canvas.

Johnsons

The brigantine "Yankee" was the second "Yankee" purchased by Irving Johnson and his wife, Electa . They bought it in 1946 with the help of a friend, film star Sterling Hayden. With the Johnsons, "Yankee" sailed the Caribbean and made four global circumnavigations. The Johnsons' final voyage in the "Yankee", made in 1958, was featured in the 1966 CBS/National Geographic television special, "Voyage of the Brigantine Yankee". It was scored by Elmer Bernstein and narrated by Orson Welles.

The Johnsons sold the "Yankee" to Mike Burke of Miami Beach in 1959. Burke used the "Yankee" and the schooner "Polynesia", on 10–14 day Windjammer Cruises in the Bahamas, hiring on amateur sailors.

Fate

The old schooner was wrecked on a reef a few years later, dragging its anchor in a gale off Rarotonga in the Cook Islands in 1964, owned by Windjammer Cruises, Inc. of Miami, Florida and captained by Derek Lumbers. At the time, "Yankee" was about halfway through a 14-month global circumnavigation cruise. ["Brigantine Aground in So. Pacific" (Associated Press) via Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California, Wednesday, July 29, 1964, Page 20.]

References

External links

* [http://www.mcallen.lib.tx.us/books/circumna/ci_14.htm The Circumnavigators - by Don Holm, CHAPTER 14, "The Yankees Go Around and Around"]
* [http://www.galapagos.to/SHIPS/INDEX.HTM Ships that have Visited the Galapagos Islands]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=-gLBOIhjsPQC&pg=PA489&lpg=PA489&dq=loodschooner+4+texel&source=web&ots=NMrbx42gbq&sig=NSs5l26ruKM4KTDdMqrpCfz60_c#PPA489,M1 Encyclopedia of American Literature]
* [http://www.janmaat.de/ersatz.htm Segelschonerverband (Schooner Association) - "GUD-WIN, EDITH, JUTTA, DUHNEN, ORION"] (German, but includes ship specs)