Pinnace Virginia, Image: Maine’s First Ship

A reconstruction of the pinnace Virginia is nearing completion after being under construction for over a decade in Bath, Maine. The original 51-foot pinnace, built in 1607 by the Popham Colony at its settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec River, was the first English ocean-going ship built in the Americas. If all goes well, the new Virginia will be launched into the Kennebec River on June 4th.

The new Virginia’s keel was laid in 2011, said Maine’s First Ship Executive Director, Kirstie Truluck. Research, planning and construction, however, dates back to 1994 when the remains of the Popham Colony were discovered at the southernmost end of Phippsburg.

Before the vessel is launched, Truluck said to the Portland Press Herald that building crews will still need to complete the electrical and navigation systems, finish painting, and build the remainder of the dock systems. The reconstruction will also be equipped with a motor.

Once in the water, crews will need to finish the pinnace’s rigging and get the vessel certified by the Coast Guard before it can set sail. Truluck estimated the Virginia could be completed in summer 2023.

Truluck noted the original Virginia was built in about four months without modern tools, but the shipbuilders’ livelihood depended on finishing the vessel. The reconstruction, on the other hand, has been built by an ever-changing army of volunteers. The pandemic also pushed back the schedule.

“The reason it has taken so long is it has been a process of getting volunteers and then getting the material – some through donations and some through purchase when the resource was there,” said Truluck. “It has been a classically Maine project of Yankee ingenuity, problem-solving, and the kindness of strangers. Those have been the resources to get this ship built, and to me, that’s the greatest part of the story.”

Four centuries later, volunteers recreate Maine’s first ship