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Spirit of South Carolina blends old, new technology
By Dennis Quick
Senior Staff Writer
To understand the building of the Spirit of South Carolina, the 140-foot, two-mast pilot schooner under construction in downtown Charleston, you have to go back in time to 1879.
That was the year the pilot schooner Frances Elizabeth was built in the Samuel J. Pregnall & Bros. Shipyard, which was located just a few hundred yards from where the Spirit of South Carolina is being erected on Concord Street, across from the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation. The Spirit of South Carolina’s construction is based on the original plans for the Frances Elizabeth.
However, in building the Spirit of South Carolina—a roughly $4 million vessel, funded by private donors and state and federal grants, that will serve as a tourist attraction, an educational facility and a seafaring ambassador for South Carolina—shipwright Mark Bayne and his crew are not following the Frances Elizabeth plans to the letter.
“We’re using marine-grade plywood under the teak deck,” Bayne said, explaining that such plywood, unavailable in the Frances Elizabeth’s day, is used to support the deck and prevent leaking.
A 59,000-pound lead keel was attached to the bottom of the Spirit of South Carolina’s hull to add more ballast, or stability, to the ship. Lead was not used in the keels of 19th century boats, Bayne said.
Unlike the Frances Elizabeth, which operated solely on sail power, the Spirit of South Carolina has a pair of diesel engines donated by Cummins Marine.
Also, the Spirit of South Carolina’s interior consists of separate compartments—among them cabin berths, an engine room, a galley and an area serving as combination classroom and berthing cabin—whereas the interior of the Frances Elizabeth, a cargo ship, was open so the ship could carry as many goods as possible, said Tony Arrow, captain of the Spirit of South Carolina.
Why these technological discrepancies? The Frances Elizabeth was built strictly to haul cargo, with little concern for the crew’s comfort or safety. With the Spirit of South Carolina, safety and durability are of prime importance, Arrow explained.
“We’re certified as a sailing-school vessel and a passenger vessel,” he said.
“Human life was considered cheap back then,” he said, referring to the Frances Elizabeth’s era. “And boats were disposable. They had a short life span. Boats were built to last 10 years.”
Arrow said the Spirit of South Carolina is being built to last 50 years or longer.
As with the Frances Elizabeth, the Spirit of South Carolina is being built with live oak and long-leaf yellow pine for the planking and deck beams. Tropical woods such as angelique are being used for the ship’s keel and rudder. Tar is used as an adhesive and sealant and to help prevent the wood from rotting.
The procedure for building the Spirit of South Carolina follows traditional shipbuilding of the Francis Elizabeth’s day. First the keel is constructed and then the ribbing for the hull’s frame is made. The hull’s planks are then shaped and fitted, the stem and stern are built and then deck beams and planks are installed. After that, work begins on the ship’s interior.
Bayne, who has been building boats for nearly 30 years and co-owns Sea Island Boat Builders LLC on the Isle of Palms, harbors no romantic notions about historical shipbuilding.
“It’s fun, but it’s a lot of work,” said Bayne, whose staff of 10-15 began building the ship in 2002, stopped for 18 months while the shipbuilding program reorganized and then resumed construction in February 2005. “Every part has to be fit and cut.”
The Spirit of South Carolina is scheduled for completion in spring 2007. Beginning with the 2007-08 school year, the ship will launch its educational programs incorporating math, science and history lessons, beginning with fifth- and sixth-graders and extending to high school and college students from across the state, said Arrow, who has been involved in maritime education for about 20 years.
Sailing programs offering navigation and seamanship training will teach at-risk youth discipline and teamwork skills, plus offer them opportunities for internships in maritime trades.
Dennis Quick is senior staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dquick@charlestonbusiness.com.
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