Friendship of Salem
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The ''Friendship of Salem'' is a 171-foot replica of the ''Friendship,'' a 1797
East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...
. It was built in 2000 in the Scarano Brothers Shipyard in
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
. The ship usually operates as a stationary museum ship during most of the year. But it is a fully functioning United States Coast Guard-certified vessel capable of passenger and crew voyages; it makes special sailings during various times of the year. The ''Friendship of Salem'' is docked at the
Salem Maritime National Historic Site The Salem Maritime National Historic Site is a National Historic Sites (United States), National Historic Site consisting of 12 historic structures, one replica tall-ship, and about 9 acres (36,000 m2) of land along the waterfront of Salem Harbo ...
, established in 1938 as the first such site in the United States. The site, which includes several structures, artifacts and records, is operated by the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
.


Construction

The replica of ''Friendship'' was commissioned by the National Park Service as ''The Friendship of Salem''. It was built using modern materials and construction methods, while retaining the appearance of the original 18th-century ship. The hull is cold molded with laminated wood and epoxy. The replica's design is based on a model in the collections of the Peabody Essex Museum. The model was built by Thomas Russell, the ''Friendship's'' second mate, and Mr. Odell, the ''Friendship's'' carpenter, as a gift for Captain William Story's infant son. Russell and Odell made the model during a voyage to China and Sumatra from June 1802 to August 1804. The replica's color scheme was taken from an 1805 painting of the ship by noted marine artist, George Ropes, Jr., who was a nephew of Jerathmiel Peirce (see below). This painting is now in the collection of the
Peabody Essex Museum The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and the ...
in Salem.


Operation

The ship is operated by a volunteer crew under supervision of the National Park Service. ''The Friendship of Salem'' sails as an ambassador ship for the
Essex National Heritage Area The Essex National Heritage Area is a National Heritage Area composed of all of Essex County, Massachusetts. It is overseen by the Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC), a non-profit organization based in Salem, Massachusetts. The commission ...
.


''Friendship'' (1797)

The original ''Friendship'' was built in
Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...
by Enos Briggs's shipyard at Stage Point on the South River for owners Aaron Waite and Jerathmiel Pierce. The ''Friendship'' was launched 28 May 1797. It weighed 342 tons and was registered at the customs house on August 18, 1797. The ''Friendship'' was 102 feet long and 27 feet 7 inches wide. She regularly recorded speeds of 10 knots and was known to have logged a top speed of 12 knots. The ''Friendship'' made fifteen voyages during her career and visited Batavia, India, China, South America, the Caribbean, England, Germany, the Mediterranean and Russia. The ''Friendship'' cleared Salem for Canton in August 1797 on her first voyage under the command of Captain Israel Williams, but changed her destination to Batavia in the Dutch East Indies. Captain Williams had a keen interest in science and was a member of the
East India Marine Society The East India Marine Society (est. 1799) of Salem, Massachusetts, Salem, Massachusetts, United States, was "composed of persons who have actually navigated the seas beyond the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Horn, as Sea captain, masters or supercargoe ...
. When the ship's supply of water gave out at , he improvised a way to distill water. On her third voyage the ''Friendship'' was commissioned as letter of marque, an armed trading vessel authorized by congress to seize enemy ships as prizes of war. Although letters of marques were similar to privateers, their primary function was trade so they carried smaller crews. During its career as a letter of marque the ''Friendship'' carried thirty men and fourteen guns to fend off French privateers. Captain William Story of Marblehead served as master of the ''Friendship'' from 1801 to 1804. Before he assumed command of the ''Friendship'' Story had served as her first officer on her first five voyages. Under his command the ''Friendship'' made voyages to Russia, Spain, Italy, China, Sumatra, and Batavia. The Friendship's voyage to Canton, China in 1803 was an exceptionally profitable one. While Story was in China with the ''Friendship'' in 1804, the artist
Spoilum Spoilum (active 1765–1805; ) was a Chinese artist active in Guangzhou between 1785 and 1810, during the Old China Trade. He was the earliest oil painter in Canton. He painted portraits of Chinese and Western merchants and sea captains in the We ...
painted his picture. After the Embargo Act went into effect on December 22, 1807, the "Friendship" returned to Salem from the Mediterranean and did not leave port until it was lifted on March 1, 1809. For two years she sat at the wharf failing to generate any profits for Waite and Pierce. Having sat at the wharf for extended period of time the ''Friendship'' was in poor condition when Israel Williams set out for Gothenburg, Sweden. He barely made it to Cape Cod when he was forced to turn back to Salem because the ''Friendship'' was leaking. After she was repaired the ''Friendship'' made three voyages to Archangel Russia under Captain John Brookhouse and Captain Edward Stanley. Unfortunately for Stanley, she was captured as a prize of war by HMS Rosamond on September 5, 1812. Stanley did not know that the United States and Great Britain were at War. The ''Friendship'' was condemned as a prize of war in the High Court of Admiralty in London on December 7, 1812. Afterwards her fate is unknown because she disappears from the records. A full-rigged model of the original ''Friendship'' was donated to the Peabody Academy of Science.


''Friendship'' (1830s)

In 1815, Jerathmiel Pierce and Aaron Waite had a second ship with the same name constructed at Portland, Maine. This new ''Friendship'' weighed 366 tons and was registered at the customs house in Salem on January 6 of the following year. Three years later she was sold to George Nichols, Ichabod Nichols, Benjamin Pierce, Henry Pierce and Charles Saunders. In 1827 the vessel was purchased by Dudley L. Pickman, Nathaniel Silsbee, William Zachariah Silsbee and Richard F. Stone who employed the vessel in the pepper trade. Charles Moses Endicott, master, anchored off the
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
town of Quallah Battoo in 1831. While Endicott and other officers were ashore engaged in the pepper trade, the first mate ignored the safety precautions the captain had instituted such as limiting the number of Malays allowed on board while loading pepper. Once Malay pirates had the crew distracted, they captured the ship, murdered some of the crew, and looted the cargo. Captain Endicott and the other officers on shore tried to return to the ''Friendship'' and render aid to the crew unsuccessfully, but were prevented by the superior number of Malay pirates. Next, they made their way to a nearby roadstead where the American vessels ''James Monroe'', ''Palmer'' and ''Governor Endicott'' were lying at anchor. Once the captains of these vessels heard Endicott's story they hauled anchor and set sail to recover the ''Friendship.'' They had hoped to pull alongside the ''Friendship'' with the ''James Monroe'' and board, but the rescue party was forced to abandon their original plan and board the ''Friendship'' with small boats instead when they learned she was inside a dangerous shoal. Captain Endicott returned to Salem July 16, 1831. Three days after the ''Friendship'' arrived in Salem her owners wrote President Andrew Jackson and demanded he take action against the Malay pirates at Quallah Battoo. Jackson dispatched the frigate ''USS Potomac'' to punish the pirates.
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...
John Downes departed New York with the frigate ''Potomac'', her Bluejackets and
Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
on the
First Sumatran Expedition The First Sumatran expedition, which featured the Battle of Quallah Battoo ( Aceh: Kuala Batèë, Indonesian: Kuala Batu) in 1832, was a punitive expedition by the United States Navy against the village of Kuala Batee, presently a subdistrict ...
, to avenge the attack on ''Friendship'' – which also helped launch the diplomatic career of New Hampshire merchant Edmund Roberts. The previous service and ultimate fate of this ''Friendship'' is unknown, but she is reported as having belonged to
Joseph Peabody Joseph Peabody (December 9, 1757 – January 5, 1844) was a merchant and shipowner who dominated trade between Massachusetts and the Far East for a number of years. Family and career He was descended from Francis Peabody of St. Albans, England, ...
, a Salem merchant and shipowner who dominated trade between Massachusetts and the
Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...
for a number of years.


See also

*
List of large sailing vessels This is a list of large sailing vessels, past and present, including sailing mega yachts, tall ships, sailing cruise ships, and large sailing military ships. It is sorted by overall length. The list, which is in the form of a table, covers vessel ...
*
List of maritime museums in the United States List of maritime museums in the United States is a sortable list of American museums which display objects related to ships and water travel. Many of these maritime museums have museum ships in their collections. Member museums of the Council of ...
*
List of museum ships This list of museum ships is a comprehensive, sortable, annotated list of notable museum ships around the world. Replica ships are listed separately in the article on ship replicas. Ships that are not museum ships, but are still actively used fo ...


References


External links


Salem Maritime National Historic SiteSalem ''Friendship'' siteLive Webcam of Friendship and surrounding area
* {{authority control Maritime museums in Massachusetts Open-air museums in Massachusetts Museums in Salem, Massachusetts Museum ships in Massachusetts Individual sailing vessels Full-rigged ships 1996 ships National Register of Historic Places in Salem, Massachusetts Replica ships