Arctic biography bowdoin schooner wikipedia

Arctic biography bowdoin schooner Built for Arctic work. William H. Hand, a naval architect from New Bedford, Massachusetts, designed the Bowdoin to the specifications of Donald MacMillan, her owner and captain for 33 years. MacMillan had spent several years in the Arctic and was well aware of the conditions his vessel would encounter. The schooner carries less sail than most, as well as a strong auxiliary engine, because the Arctic is known for either too much or too little wind.

The Schooner Bowdoin

The Schooner Bowdoin was built during the winter of , but the idea of a sailing vessel that could successfully navigate dangerous Arctic waters was first born in the mind of Donald B. MacMillan over four years earlier.

In , Donald MacMillan set out for the Arctic in command of the Crocker Land Expedition.

He and the other members of the expedition became stranded and were unable to return home until , when the third relief ship, the Neptune, successfully navigated the treacherous ice of Melville Bay. While he was waiting for rescue, MacMillan had plenty of time to think about the characteristics that a good, strong Arctic vessel should have.

After he returned to the U.S. and served in the Navy during World War I, MacMillan began raising the money needed to build an Arctic schooner. He hired William H. Hand of New Bedford, Massachusetts, to design the ship to his specifications, and the Hodgdon Brothers of East Boothbay, Maine, to build it.

Arctic biography bowdoin schooner ship Designed by William H. Hand, Jr. MacMillan , the gaff-rigged vessel is the only American schooner built specifically for Arctic exploration. She has made 30 [ 3 ] trips above the Arctic Circle in her life, three [ 3 ] since she was acquired by the Maine Maritime Academy as a sail training ship in The schooner's design and construction were carefully considered and well-executed, although neither was radical for their day.

In , the Schooner Bowdoin, named after MacMillan&#;s alma mater, was launched.

At 88 feet long, 21 feet wide, and weighing 60 tons, the Bowdoin is the smallest vessel designed expressly for Arctic work, but also one of the strongest. The ship is a two-masted auxiliary schooner, double-planked, and double-framed with white oak.

A five-foot belt, one-and-a-half inches thick, made of tough Australian greenheart, protects against ice, and the rudder is overly large for turning easily and quickly when working through narrow stretches of open water between ice packs. The Bowdoin&#;s propeller is deep under water to avoid damage, and the hull is rounded, designed to rise up out of the water when caught between ice pans or to crush ice blocking the way.

A nosepiece of steel plate weighing pounds is bolted to the hull to aid in crushing ice and protect from collisions with heavy ice.

During the Bowdoin's maiden voyage, over-wintering at Baffin Island in , the design of the ship proved to be perfect for MacMillan's Arctic work, and he sailed the Bowdoin more than , miles over 26 voyages through the frozen North in exploration and scientific studies.

The Bowdoin was invaluable to Arctic research.

In May , the Bowdoin was sold to the Navy for the duration of World War II. Under the command of Lt. Stuart Hotchkiss, the Arctic schooner helped to establish airfields in Greenland and perform hydrographic surveys.

Arctic biography bowdoin schooner company The Schooner Bowdoin was built during the winter of , but the idea of a sailing vessel that could successfully navigate dangerous Arctic waters was first born in the mind of Donald B. MacMillan over four years earlier. He and the other members of the expedition became stranded and were unable to return home until , when the third relief ship, the Neptune , successfully navigated the treacherous ice of Melville Bay. While he was waiting for rescue, MacMillan had plenty of time to think about the characteristics that a good, strong Arctic vessel should have. After he returned to the U.

MacMillan bought the Bowdoin back from the Navy in at the end of the war and continued to sail North. Nine years later, in , MacMillan and his beloved Bowdoin sailed the Arctic together for the last time. Today, after stints as a museum vessel at Mystic Seaport and as a charter ship, the Bowdoin is used at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, for training runs to Labrador and Greenland.

Once again, the Bowdoin sails the icy seas of the frozen North.

More Information and Links

The MPBN-TV documentary "The Two Lives of the Schooner Bowdoin" is now available to watch on YouTube&#;(30 minutes).

Virginia Thorndike has written a detailed biography of the Bowdoin entitled The Arctic Schooner Bowdoin (Maine: North Country Press, ).

The National Park Service's National Historic Landmark Study also provides biographical information.