The Lady Washington
berthed at the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport in Grays Harbor, WA is but one
of four wooden sailing ships bearing the same name.
The USS Lady
Washington was commissioned by General George Washington and was named
after his wife, Martha. She was the
first US military ship to be named in honor of a woman or even for a person who
was still alive. She was a row galley in
the Continental Navy, built in Boston in 1776.
Row galleys allowed movements of the ship which were not dependent
upon the wind. After an unsuccessful attach
on several British warships, the Washington
rowed out of danger and was never heard from again.
In 1787 a 90-ton brig named Lady Washington set sail from Boston Harbor as part of the Columbia
Expedition. Captained by Robert Gray,
for whom Grays Harbor is named, she sailed around Cape Horn and participated in
trading along the Pacific Northwest coast.
In the 1790s she became the first American vessel to reach Japan. Eventually, the Washington foundered in the Philippines and was lost near the
island of Luzon.
An updated replica of the 90-ton brig was built in 1989 in
Aberdeen, WA as part of the Washington State Centennial. While she is moored in Grays Harbor, the Lady Washington regularly cruises up and
down the Pacific coast on historical, educational tours. She is “Washington State’s Tall Ship
Ambassador” and State Ship. She has appeared
in numerous TV shows, such as the miniseries Blackbeard. Additionally, she was featured as the HMS
Interceptor in the film Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Lady Washington on Commencement Bay
Lady Washington at Port of Edmonds, WA
Lady Washington on Morro Bay, CA
Lady Washington ship model
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