Dove Facts

Facts About The Maryland Dove

 

Captain:   Will Gates


Physical Dimensions:

  • Length Overall: 76 feet.
  • Length on Deck: 56 feet.
  • Length at Waterline: 51 feet.
  • Beam: Overall 17 feet.
  • Draft: 7 feet.
  • Displacement: 42 tons.
  • Height of Main Mast: 64 feet.
  • Sail Area (approximate): 1,965 sq. ft.
  • Power: 2 Lehman 4-cylinder, Super 90 Engines

 

Architect: William Avery Baker (deceased) of Hingham, Massachusetts. Mr. Baker was the designer of several historic vessels, including the Adventure, a trading ketch of the 1670s; the 1776 whaleboat Middlesex; and the Mayflower II. Mr. Baker served as curator of the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Museum at MIT.

 

Builder:   James B. Richardson of Cambridge, Maryland. The 70-year-old Mr. Richardson was coaxed out of retirement in 1977 to begin construction on the Maryland Dove. A lifelong resident of the Eastern Shore, Mr. Richardson came from a long line of shipwrights. He and five assistants worked for fifteen months on the Maryland Dove at his boatyard off the Choptank River on Lecompte Creek. Jim Richardson died in 1991.

 

Launch Date:   August 14, 1978

 

Commissioned:   October 8, 1978

Home Port:   Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland, located in Southern Maryland on the St. Mary’s River.

 

Owner:   The Maryland Dove is owned by the State of Maryland and operated and maintained by the Historic St. Mary’s City Commission.

 

The Maryland Dove has been used in several promotional and feature films. She is also available for dockside receptions at Historic St. Mary’s City and other ports that she visits. For details on arrangements please contact Historic St. Mary’s City.

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