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Maine's First Ship Will Sail Again

After more than a decade of research and planning, the reconstruction of the first ship built in Maine was kicked of with a keel-laying party on July 3. The project started in 1997 when a group of Bath residents formed a non profit organization called Maine’s First Ship (MFS). The group was dedicated to researching and reconstructing the pinnace Virginia, which was built by the members of the short-lived Popham colony (1607-1608), located at the mouth of the Kennebec River. The hope was to launch the vessel in 2008 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the colony.

For the first few years the focus was on researching Virginia’s design and excavating the location of the Popham colony. Fund-raising proved difficult, so the MFS board decided to proceed on a smaller scale. Last summer, construction of a 17th century rowing/sailing craft called a shallop was completed. Fifteen students from Morse High School in Bath, under the guidance of shipwright Will West and science teacher Eric Varney, built the 18-foot Jane Stevens.

The enthusiasm generated by the completion of Jane Stevens revived the Maine’s First Ship project. As part of the celebration of Bath’s Heritage Days, the keel was laid for the reconstruction of the pinnace Virginia at the Bath Freight Shed. The original Virginia was built ten miles south of Bath.

In 1607, King James I of England sponsored two expeditions to North America. Most are familiar with the settlers who landed in Jamestown, Virginia. Of more relevance to Maine, however, was the northern expedition. It was led by 58-year-old George Popham, described by a contemporary as, “an honest man but with an old and unwieldy body.”

With a company of 120 men composed of gentlemen, soldiers, artisans and farmers, Popham landed on the coast near present-day Phippsburg. The colonists faced a daunting agenda. They planned to fish, trade for precious metals, spices and fur, as well as to search for the Northwest Passage. Finally, they planned to use local timber to develop a shipbuilding industry. Unfortunately, within a year the colony failed due to a combination of circumstances, including the death of Popham and a brutal Maine winter.

The genesis of the present-day idea began with a 17th-century map of Fort St. George, which was built at the mouth of the Kennebec River by the Popham colonists. John Hunt, a draughtsman in the ill-fated expedition, drew the map. In the left-hand corner there is a drawing of a single-masted sailing vessel, which may very well be a pinnace. Tony Gibbs is a former editor of Yachting magazine and a resident of Bath. According to Tony, “Everything grew from that map.

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