• Earlier this summer, a fund raiser held at Harbour Court in Newport, R.I., attracted 200 supporters–including Governor and Mrs. Carcieri, URI Dean Winnie Brownell and several other educators and state dignitaries–and raised almost $50,000 for the ship, named after Rhode Island’s famous war hero;

• In June, the ship’s overseeing non-profit organization Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) moved into its new offices at the namesake 1750 Buliod-Perry House on Washington Square, where a partnership with the Naval War College Museum and the Newport Historical Society will create a public presence for the historical significance of the ship and the Perry family;

• More recently, the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust has come aboard with a $100,000 grant, adding to a growing list of supporters that includes trade groups, individuals in the private sector, corporations, and educational institutions;

• And last, but not least, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) just accepted the plans for going forward on modifications to the 130-foot steel hull of the ship, which is currently at Promet Marine in Providence. (An animated 3-D drawing of the ship’s hull can be found at http://www.baymarine.us/animation/animation.html)

“We’re constantly making progress,” said OHPRI Chair Bart Dunbar.  “We’ve hired our first staff member, Alden Tucker, who will run the OHPRI office, and with the ABS approval, we can proceed with necessary adjustments to the hull before additional work begins.”

According to Captain (USCG Ret.) Rick Williams, who oversees the construction of the ship, ABS approval is a critical step along the way to complying with U.S. Coast Guard requirements and the national and international rules for shipping.

“The ribs (steel longitudinal supports) have to be strengthened in some places, which we expected, and some of the existing welding needs to undergo non-destructive testing,” said Williams.  “This is all good news from the perspective that it supports the original research we carried out before purchasing the hull.”

OHPRI bought the hull from an organization in Ontario for $325,000.  It had cost almost $3 million to build, but the Canadian group derailed before the ship–intended to be a replica of the British ship HMS Detroit captured by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in the War of 1812–could be completed.  That’s when Dunbar, Williams, and others, many of whom were responsible for bringing past Tall Ships Festivals to Newport, decided it was time for Rhode Island to have its very own Tall Ship to join the 75 Class A (largest category) ships engaged in experiential education worldwide.

“The ship’s tie to the Rhode Island-born Commodore Perry came as an added bonus,” said Dunbar, “and already, with the help of the University of Rhode Island in hosting an Educational Symposium, we have engaged top educators in the state in discussing the endless possibilities for the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry’s integration into Rhode Island school curriculums.”

After its decks and accommodations are completed and some of its systems installed, the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry will move-under its own power–to Newport’s Louis Jagschitz State Fishing Pier where it will be fitted out with masts, spars, rigging, sails, and electronics. Rhode Island workers will be employed (Dave Bonney of Bay Marine in Barrington is the ship’s naval architect), and in Newport, the ship will be a magnificent work-in-progress that can be followed by the public and enjoyed as an educational experience for all ages.

“When it sails in 2012, the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry will be a 207-foot, three-masted, square-rigged tall ship and sailing school vessel, representing all of Rhode Island,” said Dunbar.  ”It will be an experiential learning platform, used by secondary schools and universities, and a magnificent symbol of our maritime heritage.”
For more information or to contribute to the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry project, visit www.OHPRI.org or contact Vice-Chair Perry Lewis at OHPRI headquarters, Buliod-Perry House, 29 Touro Street, Washington Square, Newport, R.I., 401-841-0080.

CONTACT:  Barby MacGowan, Media Pro Int’l, barby.macgowan@mediapronewport.com, 401-849-0220,

or Judith Enstone, TSRI, stoutco@aol.com, 401-423-3550

“Having the Navy League on our team,” says OHPRI Vice-Chair Perry Lewis, “carries significant weight for a project that has such obvious connections to the sea and Rhode Island’s maritime heritage, which includes our being home to Naval Station Newport, which includes the Naval War College and the Naval Academy Prep School.

The Newport Navy League was formed in 1957 to provide active support to the Navy in Rhode Island.  Also working as a non-profit, the organization is dedicated to educating citizens about the importance of sea power to U.S. national security and supporting the men and women of the sea services and their families.

“Our Board voted to support the Oliver Hazard Perry in light of what potential the ship has as an experiential learning platform for students,” said Navy League President Mike Slein, “and as a possible training ship for cadets.  We support three Sea Cadet groups here, which consist of junior high and high school kids, and it’s a natural tie-in to get them involved when the ship is ready to sail.”

The steel hull of the Oliver Hazard Perry is currently at Promet Marine in Providence, R.I.  Over the next two years, with the help of OHPRI supporters and a multitude of marine trades programs, the deck, masts, rigging, sails and electronics will be added.  The ship, expected to be commissioned in 2012, will sail as a 207-foot three-masted, square rigger–the largest privately owned school ship in America.

For more information, visit www.OHPRI.org or contact Perry Lewis at OHPRI headquarters, 401-841-0080.

“We have interest in marine and environmental studies and programs across the curriculum,”  said Winnie Brownell, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Rhode Island (URI), where OHPRI held its first Educational Symposium in March.  “One thing we know about learners today is that they respond positively to experiential learning.  The old days of the ‘sage on the stage’ are pretty much over.”

Educators from across the state agreed about the endless possibilities of the Oliver Hazard Perry as an at-sea experiential learning platform.  URI’s Professor of History and Archeology Rod Mather presented his dream scenario of a 6-9 credit course aboard the Oliver Hazard Perry in Bermuda, where he runs an underwater archeology field school. “We are limited in what we can do there by very small boats that can go only a certain distance offshore.  With the Oliver Hazard Perry, we would be able to expand our research programs and combine them with such interdisciplinary subjects as humanities, social sciences, maritime history, literature of the sea, anthropology, natural resource economics, oceanography, engineering, even applied mathematics—there are no real limits on the kinds of things we could do.”

To address how the ship would successfully adapt to the needs of different groups with different curriculums, Bay Marine’s Dave Bonney, who is serving as OHPRI’s chief naval architect, presented Oliver Hazard Perry’s renderings and plans for development. He explained that deck plans include spaces for portable Lab Vans, which are modular science laboratories managed and distributed on behalf of the National Science Foundation by the University of Delaware (for the East Coast Van Pool) and Oregon State University (for the West Coast Van Pool). “There are dry labs, wet labs, isotope labs, cold labs, and clean labs,” said Bonney, also pointing out that some colleges, like URI, own their own lab vans. “They are an easily transported, affordable way to customize a journey for, let’s say, science experimentation on one excursion and scuba diving on the next.”  The Oliver Hazard Perry also incorporates traditional classroom space below decks along with berthing, which can accommodate 38 students on overnight sails.

Caroline Goddard, a B.A. graduate in Visual Art from Brown University, shared her experience from a six-week semester at sea with the Massachusetts-based Sea Education Association.  “It wasn’t an approach to sailing in the way we might think, as recreation for the affluent, and it certainly wasn’t about sitting in a deck chair eating tropical fruit.  Instead it was about the historical process, the traditions and also that sailing was – and still is — a way of life for many people. We learned about the oceans, how to navigate, and how to run the ship. It challenged me socially, physically and mentally and taught me about what I can do when pushed. It has been a constant source of inspiration in my art work and is making its way into my senior thesis.”

Speaking to the opportunities for secondary and middle school teachers was Jim Young, Head Master of Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, R.I.:  “It’s a very special conversation beginning.  It’s like building the Great Wall of China in a day, because the kinds of things we can do and envision doing with the Oliver Hazard Perry are extraordinary.”

Young described a pilot program at Rocky Hill where a catamaran is used on Narragansett Bay and the Sakonnet River to bring math, Latin, photography and physics lessons to life for his students. “You can learn all those things in a classroom, but until you touch them, smell them, feel them, they never come alive.  The Oliver Hazard Perry will allow that.  It’s learning for life, learning that is not limited to something between the covers of books.  And let’s imagine that kids from our different schools across the state — public, independent private, at-risk, Montessori, parochial — can sail together.  They are not passengers but active crew members, studying a rigorous curriculum and participating in social and collaborative learning, creative problem solving and innovative thinking, living in a small space where they learn to appreciate and respect others around them.”

OHPRI’s Chairman Bart Dunbar explained that the Oliver Hazard Perry has the capacity–with a proposed schedule of day trips (for 85 students) and semester weeks, to log 12,000 student days at sea. “The beauty of partnering with different programs across the state means that the economics are spread out, so no one program has to carry a huge financial burden,” he said. “And we are not limited to working solely with secondary/middle schools and universities.  In our backyard is the Naval War College and the Naval Academy Prep School and a multitude of marine trades programs that can coordinate with the actual building of the ship over the next two years and its schedule, once completed, of two four-week periods shore-side each year for maintenance and repair.”

For more information and to view a video recap of OHPRI’s March Educational Symposium, co-hosted by the URI Foundation, visit  http://bit.ly/OHPedusemrecap. The full video of the event can be found on the University of Rhode Island’s You Tube channel at  http://bit.ly/OHPeduseminar.

Fund Raiser Rings Bell for Experiential Learning
As a second act to its successful Educational Symposium held in March, the non-profit Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) organization has planned a fund raiser in Newport, R.I., for Friday, May 7, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. The theme is “Setting Our Course” and will include the opportunity to tour a “Modular Science Lab,” emblematic of those that will be carried on the Oliver Hazard Perry’s deck while underway.

“The Education at Sea Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry is a living, breathing thing,” said OHPRI Chair Bart Dunbar, explaining that the ship’s steel hull is currently undergoing modifications and inspections at Promet Marine in Providence.  “With the modular science lab on-site at the fund raiser, we can illustrate the caliber of programs that our state’s secondary and college educators are so excited about. It is a chance to celebrate our progress thus far and showcase the potential this ship has to shape Rhode Island’s future through programs designed to involve science, oceanography, navigation and math as well as sail training, the marine trades and Rhode Island’s fascinating maritime heritage.”

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will precede a silent auction at 6:30 and a live auction at 7:30.  The fund raiser is by invitation only, and those interested in attending can learn more and sign up at www.OHPRI.org or contact Perry Lewis at OHPRI headquarters, 401-841-0080.

Lab Van Exterior

Lab Van Interior

OHPRI Education Symposium 2010

The ship, as it exists now, is a 138-foot steel hull, which OHPRI bought from an organization in Ontario for $325,000. It had cost almost $3 million to build, but the Canadian group derailed before the ship–intended to be a replica of the British ship HMS Detroit captured by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in the War of 1812–could be completed. That’s when Dunbar and others, many of whom were responsible for bringing past Tall Ships Festivals to Newport, decided it was time for Rhode Island to have its very own Tall Ship to join the 75 Class A (largest category) ships engaged in experiential education worldwide. The ship’s tie to the Rhode Island-born Commodore Perry came as an added, most fortunate, bonus.

“It will be a great asset for the state,” said Paul Harden, the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation’s manager of business and workforce development, “in creating short-term jobs while building the vessel and also long-term jobs (when it operates) as an education vessel.”

Harden was among those who met with Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) on Tuesday at Promet Marine Services in Providence, where the Oliver Hazard Perry is dry- docked (for American Bureau of Shipping and Coast Guard inspections and surveys) and workers were enthusiastic about discussing the project.

The plan is for Promet, a repair facility for large ships, to complete the building of the decks and accommodations and install many of the systems before the Oliver HazardPerry moves—under its own power–to Newport’s Louis Jagschitz State Fishing Pier where it will be fitted out with masts, spars, rigging, sails, and electronics. At both venues, Rhode Island workers will be employed (Hall Spars in Bristol, Hood Sails in Middletown, and Newport Shipyard are all slated to be involved, while Dave Bonney of Bay Marine in Barrington is the ship’s naval architect), and in Newport, the ship will be a magnificent work-in-progress that can be followed by the public and enjoyed as an educational experience for all ages.

“Once the ship is operational,” said OHPRI’s Vice-Chair Perry Lewis, “we anticipate an annual payroll of about $1 million.” He added that on April 1, OHPRI’s offices will be moved to the Oliver Hazard Perry House on Washington Square and an Executive Director will be hired. A partnership with the Naval War College Museum and the Newport Historical Society will create a public presence for the historical significance of the ship and the Perry family.

The positive impact the ship will have on so many levels was quickly embraced by Congressman Kennedy. “Everything you hit is a ten-strike: history, education, local jobs,” he said, after a full briefing and before boarding the ship, where from its deck a bird’s eye perspective of Promet and Providence Harbor could be had.

Though OHPRI’s funding has been and will be largely from private sources, the organization has begun the process of applying for a $1.5 million Rhode Island State guaranteed bond and hopes to receive at least some federal funding.

“Federal assistance would get the pump primed for matching dollars and further pledges,” said Dunbar, who is pleased with OHPRI’s private fund raising efforts despite the suffering economy. “Just in the last six weeks, we have raised over $150,000 with our Plank Owner program ($1000 or more to be an original partner in the ship’s development), and we have made great strides in developing partnerships for significant educational programs.”

The Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS), Rocky Hill School and URI have shown interest in exploring options, and according to OHPRI’s Fund Raising Chair Tom Goddard, the project has become as much about building a schoolhouse as it has about completing a Tall Ship. “It’s an experiential platform from which students and college kids can learn about navigation, math, oceanography, sail training, the marine trades and this state’s fascinating maritime heritage,” he said, explaining that the Oliver Hazard Perry’s design drawings allow for 38 students on overnight offshore sails and 85 for day sails. “It’s modeled most closely on the Sea Education Association program in Falmouth, but this is for Rhode Island.”

Educational Seminar

OHPRI has announced an Educational Symposium that will be held on March 12 in partnership with the University of Rhode Island and the Newport County Chamber of Commerce. It will gather educators from secondary to college levels to discuss the seemingly endless possibilities for the Oliver Hazard Perry’s integration into Rhode Island school curriculums. “They will learn more about the ship and what she can do for the education system in this state,” said Dunbar, “and we will hear from them what needs they have and programs they want so that we can plan and design appropriately.”

With OHPRI’s intention to be a partner with Rhode Island’s educational systems as well as its marine trade industries, it is no doubt the Oliver Hazard Perry will make a very large impact on this very small state, creating jobs and inspiring young people with diverse educational possibilities, personal growth and memories to last a lifetime.

For more information or to contribute to the Oliver Hazard Perry project, visit www.OHPRI.org or contact Perry Lewis at OHPRI headquarters, 401-841-0080.

“This gathering is for secondary and college level Rhode Island educators, school leaders and any and all other interested parties,” said OHPRI Chair Bart Dunbar. “They will learn more about the ship and what she can do for the education system in this state,” said Dunbar, “and we will hear from them what needs they have and programs they want so that we can plan and design appropriately. We are fortunate in that, already, we have made great strides in developing partnerships with Rhode Island institutions for significant educational programs.”

The moderator for the symposium will be Capt. U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.) David V. V. Wood, former captain of the USCG Cutter Eagle. In addition to an introduction and history of the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry there will be sessions addressing OHPRI’s vision and new initiatives, the ship’s architecture, marine technology expectations, and integration into school curriculums, including middle and secondary school educational opportunities and undergraduate educational interests. Students and teachers who have experienced Tall Ship educational programs will also be part of the presentations.“The project has become as much about building a schoolhouse as it has about completing a Tall Ship,” said OHPRI’s Fund Raising Chair Tom Goddard. “It’s an experiential platform from which students and college kids can learn about navigation, math, oceanography, sail training, the marine trades and this state’s fascinating maritime heritage.”

Goddard explained that the University of Rhode Island, Rocky Hill School and the Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS) are a few of the many who have shown interest in exploring options, and currently OHPRI is co-writing a grant request with Rocky Hill School for submission to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

The Oliver Hazard Perry’s design drawings allow for 38 students on overnight offshore sails and 85 for day sails. Currently the ship’s hull is undergoing surveys and inspection at Promet Marine Services in Providence, where its deck and accommodations will be built and many of its systems installed. The SSV Oliver Hazard Perry will then move—under its own power–to Newport’s Louis Jagschitz State Fishing Pier where it will be fitted out with masts, spars, rigging, sails, and electronics. At both venues, Rhode Island workers will be employed (Hall Spars in Bristol, Hood Sails in Middletown, and Newport Shipyard are all slated to be involved, while Dave Bonney of Bay Marine in Barrington is the ship’s naval architect), and in Newport, the ship will be a magnificent work-in-progress that can be followed by the public and enjoyed as an educational experience for all ages.

The symposium will be held in the Rhode Island Room at the URI U Club, 95 Upper College Road, Kingston, Rhode Island. The event is free and refreshments will be served. For more information and to register, visit www.OHPRI.org or contact Perry Lewis at OHPRI headquarters, 401-841-0080.

Tall Ships Rhode Island Changes Name to Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island

NEWPORT, R.I. (November 20, 2009) - Rhode Island’s Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry will be towed next week from Newport Harbor to Providence, where she will undergo major steel and mechanical work at Promet Marine Services.  Departure has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 24, with towing provided courtesy of Reagan Construction and its tugboat Hope. Launch service - for VIPs and media gathering for the occasion - will be donated by Oldport Marine.

“We are calling it a shave and a haircut, but it’s actually preparation for Phase II construction,” said Perry Lewis, vice chair of the non-profit Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) organization (formerly Tall Ships Rhode Island), about the 132-foot steel hull’s visit to Promet. He explained that the shipyard specializes in high quality ship repair and accommodates ocean going vessels with deep-water docking facilities on nine acres of Providence River waterfront.  “The ship’s bottom will be power washed and zincs and anti-fouling paint applied; the now-iconic bulwarks will be cut off in preparation for the new deck; and survey work, an ongoing process for U.S. Coast Guard certification, will continue with every plate in the steel hull scheduled for inspection while the hull is out of the water.”

Since the Oliver Hazard Perry arrived in Newport at the end of October 2008, OHPRI has generated significant financial support toward the completion of the vessel, which will be a working education at sea ship, privately run but belonging to and representing the people of Rhode Island.

According to OHPRI Advisory Board Chair Tom Weschler, who estimates a cost of $5.7 million to complete the Oliver Hazard Perry, the organization underwent its own makeover to more clearly define its mission.  “Tall Ships Rhode Island changed its name to Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island and incorporated Education at Sea into its logo to make clear we are building a school ship and to better reflect our ongoing commitment to education,” he said.

The project’s extended focus has received enthusiastic response from Rhode Island’s public, independent and charter schools, as well as universities and trade schools. These institutions will utilize the Oliver Hazard Perry for experiential education and marine certification programs. This interest has prompted Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island to organize a statewide symposium in February 2010 to enable Rhode Island’s institutions to develop their programs and partnerships with Oliver Hazard Perry.

NewportFed Makes Donation

The newest corporate supporter of OHPRI is NewportFed, which - through its NewportFed Charitable Foundation - has pledged $10,000.00 over the next two years to support the school ship Oliver Hazard Perry and its Education at Sea programs.  Once it is sailing in 2011, the Oliver Hazard Perry will measure in at 207 feet in length and boast a majestic three-masted, square rig that stands 13 stories tall. It will be a working vessel, supporting itself from educational programs, with an office, staff and crew that has a budget of $1 million each year.

“It is our honor and privilege to provide financial assistance to this important slice of history and wonderful educational resource for young people,” said Kevin McCarthy, President and CEO of NewportFed, which is headquartered in Newport and has six bank locations in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Two New Ways to Give

To complete the building of the Oliver Hazard Perry, the largest active education at sea Tall Ship in the U.S., the non-profit Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) organization is soliciting a limited number of “Shipbuilding Syndicate Members” at four levels of participation between 2009 and 2011.  (Benefits for each level are described at www.OHPRI.org.)

The Shipbuilding Syndicate Member levels are (with vacancies remaining):  two $250,000 Members (2 remaining); eight $100,000 Members (6 remaining); ten $50,000 Members (5 remaining), and twelve $25,000 Members (10 remaining).

In addition, membership can be acquired at the Plank Owner level.  Naval tradition defines a Plank Owner as an individual who is a member of the crew when a ship is being built and commissioned.  In 2009 and 2010, OHPRI seeks 180 Plank Owners at four distinct levels of participation.  (Benefits for each level are described at www.OHPRI.org.)

The Plank Owners levels are (with vacancies remaining): twenty $10,000 Plank Owners (17 remaining); twenty $5,000 Plank Owners (15 remaining); forty $2,500 Plank Owners (37 remaining); one hundred $1,000 Plank Owners (82 remaining).

“We are making strong progress toward constructing the three masted education at sea Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry and further developing the Newport-based program that owns and operates it,” said OHPRI Chair Bart Dunbar.  “The Shipbuilding Syndicate Member and Plank Owner giving programs allow us the privilege of permanently recognizing our most important supporters. Full subscription to these two programs will secure the $2.6 million (combined with a pending $1.5 million Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation guaranteed loan) of philanthropic and in-kind support needed to complete construction and commission the most advanced education at sea Tall Ship in the U.S. for the benefit of our next generation of young people, mariners and marine tradesmen and women.”

To contribute to the Oliver Hazard Perry project, visit www.OHPRI.org or contact Perry Lewis at OHPRI headquarters, 401-841-0080, or David Guertin at Vantage in Philanthropy, david@vantageinphilanthropy.com, 401-619-3990.

Visit www.OHPRI.org to learn more about this project.

Tall Ships Rhode Island Changes Name to Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island

NEWPORT, R.I. (June 1, 2009) – The 132-foot hull of Rhode Island’s Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry has a new home for the summer.  It sits comfortably and rather ominously (due to its impressive size) on a Tall Ship mooring in Newport Harbor, awaiting its transfer to Warren, Rhode Island’s Blount Marine for construction of its deck and interior. The final fitting out of its spars, rigging and hardware will take place on the Newport waterfront at a location accessible for public viewing. When it is ready to sail in 2011 the Oliver Hazard Perry will be a 207-foot, three-masted square-rigged Class A Tall Ship, taller than the Trinity Church steeple, which currently stands as the most iconic structure on Newport’s historic waterfront.

Now adorned with a splash of white topside paint to make it stand out in the harbor, Oliver Hazard Perry’s black hull was bought last fall by the non-profit organization Tall Ships Rhode Island (TSRI), and towed 892 miles from its former home in Amherstburg, Ontario to  a berth provided by Bowen’s Wharf. Then in May, with a tow sponsored by Gencorp Insurance Group (East Greenwich, R.I.), and Hunt Marine (Warwick, R.I.) the ship moved across Newport Harbor to the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court for an “All Hands on Deck” fund raiser.  The gala affair, with Governor and Mrs. Donald L. Carcieri leading its Honorary Chairs, raised over $50,000 and confirmed Rhode Island’s and the Tall Ship community’s long-term commitment to the Oliver Hazard Perry project.

“We are very excited that so many people – history buffs, Tall Ship aficionados, yachting enthusiasts, marine education and community leaders — have rallied behind this,” said TSRI Chair Bart Dunbar, who explained that the Oliver Hazard Perry will be a 21st Century version of the naval vessels used in the Battle of Lake Erie, where Rhode Island war hero Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry commanded a victorious fleet.  “Bank Newport was the first business to step up to the plate, with a $25,000 grant, and now it has guaranteed a $1.5 million loan to further support the construction stages of the ship.  When completed, the Oliver Hazard Perry will be the largest privately owned, active sailing training ship in the United States, exceeded in size only by the Coast Guard’s barque Eagle.”

With this extraordinary ship, TSRI, which has been dedicated to education at sea for more than a decade, plans to proudly proclaim and advance the Ocean State’s rich maritime heritage: past, present and future. The ship will integrate with the school systems, Rhode Island’s marine trades industry and the various waterfront-related programs in the state for both youths and adults. In the summer, it will sail in New England with trips to Canada and the Great Lakes, while in the winter it will sail in the Caribbean. Plans are for it to play a significant role in the country’s planned Bicentennial Celebration of the War of 1812.

TSRI has now raised over one-third of the $5.7 million dollars needed to complete the transformation of the Oliver Hazard Perry.  Much of the construction’s first phase has been completed: the steel hull has been built, fuel and water tanks installed, and shafts and propellers fitted for a twin-engine propulsion system. Steel platforms await the ship’s twin generators, while initial work on a bow thruster and a mechanically sophisticated rudder system has begun.

”Once completed, the Oliver Hazard Perry will be owned and operated in trust for the people of Rhode Island by Tall Ships Rhode Island,” said Dunbar. “She will be based in Newport, serve America and sail the world as an ambassador of our proud state.”

The success of the completion of the Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry relies on the generosity of donors and supporters, both large and small, from individuals and businesses to students and corporations. The project is supported by the Governor’s office, the Newport County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and the Newport City Council, among other organizations. To make a gift or donation to the project, contact Perry Lewis at the TSRI office, 49B Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, R.I., 02840, tel. 401-841-0080,   http://www.tallshipsrhodeisland.org/

CONTACT:

Barby MacGowan, Media Pro Int’l, barby.macgowan@mediapronewport.com, 401-849-022o.

Judith Enstone, TSRI, stoutco@aol.com, 401-423-3550.

In the early afternoon of May 8, Hunt Marine Tugs & Barges (Warwick, R.I.) will tow the Oliver Hazard Perry from Bowen’s Wharf to the pier at Harbour Court giving onlookers around the waterfront a great perspective of the impressive hull.  The tow, sponsored by Gencorp Insurance Group (East Greenwich, R.I.), will have the Oliver Hazard Perry in place and ready for viewing starting at 5:00 p.m.  Governor and Mrs. Donald L. Carcieri lead the honorary chair committee for the reception and auction which takes place from 6:30-9:00 p.m.   The most coveted item of the evening will surely be the limited tickets to be one of the first 100 onboard for the day sail maiden voyage of Oliver Hazard Perry when she sails into Narragansett Bay.  To attend “All Hands on Deck,” please call TSRI at 401-841-0080 or visit www.tallshipsrhodeisland.org where additional information is also available.

TSRI, dedicated to education at sea for more than a decade, has raised close to a third of the $5 million dollars needed to purchase and complete the transformation of the Oliver Hazard Perry.  Anticipated to set sail in 2011, the ship will have a second deck added seven feet above the current one that will allow cabins, classrooms and workstations to be accommodated, including some with handicap access.  The transformation of the hull – into a 207-foot-long, three masted, square rigged sailing ship that stands more than 13 stories tall – will make her the largest working Class A Tall Ship with U.S. Coast Guard certification.

TSRI will operate the Oliver Hazard Perry as a working sail training vessel to provide opportunities for young people from every segment of society to experience an ocean voyage and to learn from the maritime technical training onboard.   During the ship’s development the project will not only benefit Newport’s waterfront-related business organizations but also the marine trades which will create training and job opportunities that are vital to the state’s economy.

CONTACT:

Barby MacGowan, Media Pro Int’l, 401-849-0220.

Judith Enstone, TSRI, 401-423-3550.

“BankNewport is proud of its long partnership with Tall Ships Rhode Island,” said Kelly, referencing the many successful Tall Ships Festivals that TSRI has brought to Rhode Island shores since its inception in 1992, “and we commend your unwavering commitment to construct the Oliver Hazard Perry, a significant economic development, educational, and cultural benefit for Newport and the State of Rhode Island.”

Since its August acquisition of a 132-foot steel hull (that arrived at Bowen’s Wharf in Newport at the end of October), TSRI has generated $1.6 million in financial support and contributed value toward the Oliver Hazard Perry project, which is a $5.3 million endeavor.

“We are very appreciative of the timely support of many private donors and now welcome BankNewport as an important donor to this project,” said Dunbar.

Anticipating that other business leaders will take note, Dunbar explained that TSRI has established an ambitious, but necessary, 18-month $2.2 million charitable contributions goal so that the ship can be completed in 2011. The expeditious timetable includes significant shipyard work to be completed at Blount Boats in Warren, R.I., and the utilization of many more Rhode Island marine trades businesses to fit out what will become the largest privately-owned sail training vessel in the United States.

Tom Goddard, chairman of the TSRI Fundraising Committee, said, “In the immediate economic climate, the Oliver Hazard Perry is, first and foremost, a job-retention project for Rhode Island’s marine trades and is perfectly aligned with the government’s response plans to stimulate our economy. Our hope is that the private sector in Newport and throughout Rhode Island will also be attracted to a triple bottom line of economic, cultural and educational benefits. This is obviously the case with BankNewport’s generous grant.”

Once it is sailing in 2011, the Oliver Hazard Perry will measure in at 207 feet in length and boast a majestic three-masted, square rig that stands 13 stories tall. It will be a working vessel, supporting itself with educational and sail training programs, with an office, staff and crew that has a budget of $1 million each year.

BankNewport, founded in 1819 and currently holding $1 billion in assets, is an FDIC-insured savings bank and is a subsidiary of the Mutual Holding Company, OceanPoint Financial Partners, MHC. Along with its other OceanPoint Financial Partners - OceanPoint Insurance Agency, Inc., Smith Mack & Associates, Meredith & Clarke, and Narragansett Underwriting Group - BankNewport is proud to serve the financial needs of customers from banking and insurance offices located throughout southeastern New England.

The success of the Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry relies on the generosity of donors and supporters. To learn more about making a tax-deductible contribution, contact Perry Lewis at TSRI, tsri07@verizon.net, 401-841-0080, or David Guertin at Vantage in Philanthropy, david@vantageinphilanthropy.com, 401-619-3990.

Visit http://www.tallshipsrhodeisland.org to learn more about this project.

NEWPORT, R.I. (Nov. 6, 2008) – Aboard the 132-foot steel hull of Rhode Island’s future Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry, Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri ceremoniously raised his state’s flag today, after proclaiming that the vessel, during its construction and when it is sailing, will not only symbolize the state’s rich maritime history but also represent the importance of the marine trades to Rhode Island’s sound economic future. Once it is sailing in 2011, the Oliver Hazard Perry will be a fully operational, sailing school vessel measuring in at 207 feet in length and boasting a majestic three-masted, square rig that stands 13 stories tall. 

“Rhode Island is known for its rich maritime heritage,” said Governor Carcieri, noting particularly its ties to the formation of the American Navy and its stature as the current home of the U.S. Naval War College and Naval Education and Training Center.  “That’s why it is very fitting for the Ocean State to have its own Tall Ship.”

The hull arrived at Bowen’s Wharf in Newport at the end of October, having been bought from a Canadian group by the non-profit Tall Ships Rhode Island (TSRI), Inc., best known for bringing to Rhode Island the magnificent Tall Ships events of 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2007. The organization has just over $3 million left to raise of the projected $5 million it will take to complete the Oliver Hazard Perry as Rhode Island’s own. 

Drawings prepared by naval architect Dave Bonney  of Bay Marine, Inc. (Barrington, R.I.) show how the hull will ballast lower in the water once outfitted.  In addition, a second deck will be added seven feet above the current one, allowing cabins, classrooms and work stations to be accommodated below it, while the towering rig will give it the signature profile of the warship captured by renowned Rhode Island naval war hero Oliver Hazard Perry when he secured victory for the United States in the War of 1812.

“Not only will the Oliver Hazard Perry help fuel our economy by creating jobs in the boat building industry in Rhode Island, but it will also be a great educational tool for our students,” said Carcieri.  “I know that there are plans to have students in our schools help build this vessel, and once it is complete it will offer students an opportunity to learn about sailing.”

Prior to the flag ceremony–which included a musket salute by the Artillery Company of Newport and the hoisting of the American flag as well as one emblazoned with Perry’s famous “Don’t Give up the Ship” battle cry–the Governor took part in a presentation by TSRI to the public and the press at nearby Seaman’s Church Institute. TSRI Chairman Bart Dunbar reminded the audience that his organization, formed originally in 1992 as Tall Ships Newport, always has been dedicated to education at sea and has facilitated offshore experiences for many young adults since its inception, one as recently as this past summer aboard the Tall Ship Spirit of South Carolina. 

Introduced by Dunbar was Michael Jarret, an instructor at Chariho (RI) Career and Technical Center who has recruited dozens of students from its Marine Technology Program to participate in TSRI’s past programs. “I’ve been teaching since the early ‘90s and this is hands-down the most rewarding experience to see the gains made by these young adults when they go offshore aboard a Tall Ship,” said Jarrett. 

Accompanying Jarret was Stephanie Roberts (S. Kingstown, R.I.), a graduate from the Chariho program who now attends Massachusetts Maritime Academy as a freshman. Roberts participated on a TSRI trip aboard the Prince William during the Amica Insurance Tall Ships Rhode Island 2007 with 35 other young adults.  “I had never been on the ocean before and it made me think of what I really wanted to do with my experiences,” said Roberts, who came smartly dressed in her cadet uniform.

TSRI’s Director of Operations is Captain Richard Bailey (Wellfleet, Mass.), who commanded the 179 ft. HMS Rose when it was the largest active wooden Tall Ship in the world.  “That ship is now a museum ship sitting at a dock,” said Bailey, emphasizing that the Oliver Hazard Perry, will be U.S. Coast Guard-certified, under the Sailing School Vessel Regulations, for ocean voyages.  “When it is completed, the Oliver Hazard Perry will be the second largest sail training ship in America, next to the U.S. Coast Guard’s barque Eagle.”

Dunbar added that the ship’s educational programs would be geared to school students during the winter and fall and community organizations, such as Sail Newport, Save the Bay, and the Providence Community Boating Center, in the summer.  TSRI also will coordinate with several groups locally and regionally that are in the business of training professionals at sea.”

“We are very confident that we will have a program that will do the state of Rhode Island proud,” said Dunbar.

For more information on the Oliver Hazard Perry, contact Perry Lewis at the TSRI office, 49B Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, R.I., 02840, tel. 401-841-0080, http://www.tallshipsrhodeisland.org/