FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM returns to Derby Wharf

The FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM enters home port on a wet afternoon.

NPS PHOTO

Welcome home! After nearly three years, FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM splashed off the marine railway without incident on Thursday, April 17, 2019. She returned to Salem Maritime National Historic Site at high tide on Monday, April 22 under her own power. Deputy Regional Director Rose Fennell joined Captain Jeremy Bumagin, First Mate John Newman, NPS staff and volunteers aboard FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM on her return trip home from Gloucester to Salem.

The three-masted ship is completely down-rigged and had been undergoing extensive repairs at Gloucester Marine Railways since July 2016. As FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM arrived in Salem Harbor, she was greeted and assisted by her friends, schooner FAME of Salem, Essex Heritage's landing craft NAUMKEAG, and the tug TOWLINE. "Welcome Home" festivities began at 1:00 PM on Derby Wharf and the ship returned around 2:00 PM. As part of the festivities, the first floor of Pedrick Store House (The Sail Loft) was open to learn from rangers and volunteers about work on the ship and music provided by Emerald Rae & Larry Young.

Despite the rainy weather, a few hundred people including city leaders, community partners, friends, and neighbors lined Derby and Central Wharves welcoming FRIENDSHIP back to port waving white handkerchiefs. FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM had sudden transmission problems while pulling into Derby Wharf, but due to the skills and training of the staff and all volunteer crew and a couple of support boats, NAUMKEAG and TOWLINE, she was maneuvered back to her berth. While there was some contact between the bow and the wooden deck at Pedrick's Warehouse, the damage to the deck was slight and FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM suffered only superficial damage that will be easily fixed.

Once safely docked, speeches were made and FRIENDSHIP OF SALEM once again welcomed the public aboard to experience the top deck of the ship. An additional afternoon of open ship will occur this Thursday, April 25 from 3:30pm-5:30pm. More work is slated for FRIENDSHIP in the near future, as there is a project on the horizon to replace the ship's deck. This will fully correct the problem of fresh water getting inside and rotting wood that caused such a long haul out this time. This project is slated to start late summer/fall of 2019.