''Sabino'' (pronounced Sah-BYE-No) is a small wooden, coal-fired steamboat built in 1908 and located at the
Mystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport Museum or Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the United States. It is notable for its collection of sailing ships and boats and for the re-creation of the craf ...
Museum in
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton, Connecticut, Groton and Stonington, Connecticut, United States.
Historically, Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in ...
. It is one of only two surviving members of the American mosquito fleet, and it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.
[ and ]
It is America's oldest regularly operating coal-powered steamboat.
History
''Sabino'' was built in the W. Irving Adams shipyard in East
Boothbay, Maine
Boothbay is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,003 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Back Narrows, Dover, East Boothbay, Linekin, Oak Hill, Ocean Point, Spruce Shores, and Trevett. The Boothbay regi ...
, and the 57-foot vessel was christened as ''Tourist'' on May 7, 1908. She began her career as a ferry for the Damariscotta Steamboat Company on the
Damariscotta River
The Damariscotta River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 tidal river in Lincoln County, Maine, that empties into the Atlantic Ocean. ''Damariscotta'' ...
in Maine...owned by LaForest "Foss" Etheridge.;
The "Tourist" sank in 1918 due to an accident but was salvaged. On October 8, 1921, she was sold to the Popham Beach Steamboat Company on the
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...
, and the new owners changed the vessel's name to ''Sabino'' in honor of
Abenaki
The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predom ...
sagamore Sabenoa.
On July 23, 1927, ''Sabino'' was purchased by the Cape Shore Ferry Company in
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
. She ferried passengers from Portland to the many islands of
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its south ...
, and
sponson
Sponsons are projections extending from the sides of land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to provide protection, stability, storage locations, mounting points for weapons or other devices, or equipment housing.
Watercraft
On watercraft, a spon ...
s were added in 1928 to help stabilize her in the open water of the Bay. She was again sold in 1935, this time to the
Casco Bay Lines. After a few years, she began to show her age and was put into the company's reserve fleet. She was returned to regular ferry service in 1956 when another ferry ran aground. However, her usefulness to the Casco Bay Lines was short-lived and she was sold to Red Slavit in 1958, who sold her to Philip and Irene Corbin of
Salisbury, Massachusetts
Salisbury is a small coastal beach town and summer tourist destination in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of Boston on the New Hampshire border. ...
, soon after.
The Corbin family spent a great amount of time repairing the vessel and bringing her up to Coast Guard regulations for a passenger vessel. In 1971, the ''Sabino'' was sold to C. Bruce Brown, Joseph Pulvino, and Philip Corbin's son Jim, doing business as Steamship Sabino Inc. Jim was made part of the corporation because neither Pulvino nor Brown had any practical experience running a steamboat. Brown was an insurance salesman and Pulvino was an aeronautical engineer with the General Electric Company in Lynn, Massachusetts. The ''Sabino'' had run on the river a year before but had no licensed captain or engineer. In order for her to do real business, they needed a licensed captain and a licensed engineer. Capt. Dana Terell from Cape Elizabeth, Maine was hired as the captain, and Pulvino approached the Commander of the US Coast Guard in Boston and asked for an engineering license. He was told that experience was needed as a seaman in the engine room. Pulvino explained the situation and it was agreed that, if he could pass the examination to be a marine engineer, the Commander would issue a license limited to the ''Sabino''. Pulvino passed the exam along with his mentor John Clements, and he was issued a limited license.
The ''Sabino'' began operating from Newburyport on the Merrimack River on Memorial Day, running between Newburyport and the Black Rocks in Salisbury Beach in one direction, and Newburyport and
Merrimac, Massachusetts
Merrimac is a small town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, and on the southeastern border of New Hampshire, approximately northeast of Boston and west of the Atlantic Ocean. It was incorporated on April 11, 1876. It is situated alo ...
, in the other direction. On extreme high tides, she would make it all the way to Haverhill. She operated both day and nighttime jazz cruises on the Merrimack River until 1974, when she was leased for one year to the Mystic Seaport Museum to determine if a steamboat would appeal to the museum's patrons.
The ocean voyage between Newburyport and Mystic Seaport was almost the demise of the ''Sabino''. She hit large waves on the trip which stirred up all the dormant coal from the bilge and blocked the onboard bilge pumps, causing the engine room to fill with water. Luckily, there was a large gasoline-powered pump on board that was used to keep her afloat. She limped into
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town in New London County, Connecticut located on the Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy. The Naval Submarine Base New London is ...
, to be immediately pulled from the water. The Mystic Seaport shipyard experts recalked her bottom, and she became a popular attraction, prompting the museum to purchase her. Under the museum's care, ''Sabino'' received a complete makeover. The seaport has operated her as a working exhibit since, giving rides to visitors (except during a full restoration from 2014 to 2017, and during 2020 due to the COVID pandemic).
In 1992, she was designated a National Historic Landmark.
Operation
''Sabino'' is operated by a captain, one or two engineers, and two deck hands. The captain does not directly control the direction or speed of the vessel. Instead, the captain relays his commands through a sequence of bells and gongs to the engineer, who controls the engine. ''Sabino'' has an average speed of and will consume 60 tons of coal annually. It is estimated that ''Sabino'' carries approximately 33,000 passengers per year.
Current status
''Sabino'' currently operates regularly at the Mystic Seaport giving patrons tours of the
Mystic River
The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts, in the United States. In Massachusett, means "large estuary," alluding to t ...
.
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]
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut
This article describes National Historic Landmarks in the United States state of Connecticut. These include the most highly recognized historic sites in Connecticut that are officially designated and/or funded and operated by the U.S. Federal Go ...
*
*
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
Video Clips of Sabino
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabino (Steamer)
National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut
Tourist attractions in New London County, Connecticut
Steamboats of the United States
Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Museum ships in Mystic, Connecticut
1908 ships
National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut
Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut
Ships built in Boothbay, Maine