Baltimore’s Maritime Heritage

Baltimore’s Maritime Heritage. Pride of Baltimore II. , The world’s only authentic sailing reproduction of an 1812-era Baltimore Clipper. Pride of Baltimore II is more than a spectacular ship---it is a living, working symbol of Baltimore’s maritime heritage. With her sharply raked masts, abundance of sail, and sleek profile, Pride of Baltimore II captures the public’s imagination whenever she travels around the nation and the world as a sailing goodwill ambassador. Whether at home in Baltimore or abroad, she provides a unusual educational platform for American history and the Chesapeake Bay during the early 19th century. , The original Baltimore Clipper ships were the life blood of the fledging American Navy during the War of 18 12 as it fought against Great Britain’s huge armada. American privateers, many sailing out of the Chesapeake Bay in clipper ships built in Baltimore’s Fell’s Point neighborhood, captured or sank some 1,700 British merchant vessels during the war. Pride II and her crew represent the spirit of the original Baltimore Clipper privateers, whose severe impact on British shipping during the War of 18 12 led to the attack on Baltimore and the bombardment of Fort McHenry., The Pride of Baltimore Lives On , [Illegible] The first Baltimore Clipper built in 130 years, the original Pride sailed over 150,000 nautical miles in nine years before she was struck by a squall and tragically sunk off the coast of Puerto Rico in 1986 taking her captain and three crew members with her., Today, Pride II continues the work of her namesake. Since her commissioning in 1988, she has called on over 200 ports in 37 countries in the Americas, Europe and the Far East, covering some 200,000 nautical miles. When in Baltimore, Pride II offers programs for school groups, day sails for the public, and guest crew berths between ports of call., Chesapeake Connection , During the War of 18 12 private ship owners were licensed by the American government to act as privateers, or legal pirates, supporting the U.S. Navy against Great Britain. A majority of these privateers hailed from ports in the Chesapeake Bay, causing the British admiralty to call Baltimore and the surrounding area “a nest of pirates.”