Excitement is building as the historic schooner Bowdoin, led by Captain Alexander Peacock, gears up for its first Arctic expedition since 2008. The Arctic voyage began in Belfast, where the crew and students held initial muster and an intensive maintenance period. The Bowdoin has been upgraded with new electronics and has undergone extensive preparations, including sanding and priming.

After the final coats of paint dried, the crew and students participated in a tradition at Maine Maritime Academy by signing the ship’s rudder. The schooner was then carefully lowered back into the water by a mobile travel lift crane and set sail for its home port of Castine, Maine.

The schooner Bowdoin, Maine’s official state vessel and the flagship of Maine Maritime Academy’s Vessel Operations and Technology program, was designed for Arctic exploration by William Hand, Jr. Constructed in 1921 at the Hodgdon Brothers Shipyard in East Boothbay, Maine, it carries a rich history of exploration under the command of Rear Admiral Donald MacMillan, who led 26 Arctic missions between 1921 and 1954 and received the Hubbard Gold Medal from the National Geographic Society in 1953.

The  Bowdoin served in the U.S. Navy on Greenland patrols during World War I and navigated the waters from Newfoundland and Labrador to Nova Scotia. Since being acquired by Maine Maritime Academy in 1988, it has been designated the Official Vessel of the State of Maine and a National Historic Landmark.

Today, the schooner Bowdoin plays a crucial role in training the next generation of mariners at Maine Maritime Academy. Engineering, science, and logistics students will gain invaluable maritime experience and international sea time aboard the Bowdoin this summer. Additionally, students from the ocean studies program will conduct scientific observations while underway.

The schooner Bowdoin is scheduled to depart Castine on May 24, visiting Boothbay Harbor, ME, from May 24 to May 29, St. John’s, Newfoundland, from June 6 to June 8, and Nuuk, Greenland, from June 14 to June 18. It will cross the Arctic Circle on June 19, stop in Sisimiut, Greenland, from June 20 to June 22, and Oqatsut, Greenland, from June 24 to June 26, before returning to Castine.

Post By: Jorge Morales-Lopez, Graduate Student, Global Logistics & Vessel Operations

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