Mystic in Stonington in Southeastern Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Training Ship Joseph Conrad
Photographed by Michael Herrick, August 26, 2013
1. Training Ship Joseph Conrad Marker
Built: 1882, Burmeister & Wain, Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 111
Beam: 25
Draft: 12
The veteran training ship Joseph Conrad sailed under three flags before permanently mooring at Mystic. Built in Copenhagen in 1882, she was named the Georg Stage. The iron-hulled vessel sailed the Baltic and North Seas on six-month training cruises, carrying 80 cadets at a time. In 1905 she sank in a collision, with the loss of 22 boys, but was raised and repaired. More than 4,000 cadets sailed on her in total over 50 years.
In 1934, Australian sailor Alan Villiers bought the ship, renamed her Joseph Conrad after the Polish-born British novelist, and continued to use her to teach seamanship. With a crew of professional seamen and paying cadets, he made a two-year cruise around the world, covering 58,000 miles.
Financier G. Huntington Hartford bought the Conrad in 1936 and converted her to a yacht with luxury accommodations. After three years, Hartford turned the ship over to the U.S. Maritime Commission. During World War II, she trained U.S. Merchant Marine personnel in Florida.
In 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed an act of Congress giving the Conrad to Mystic Seaport. Today she is both an exhibit and a training ship for boys and girls (ages
this page online
Erected by Mystic Seaport. (Marker Number 1947.1948.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • War, World II • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #33 Harry S. Truman series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1882.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 41° 21.712′ N, 71° 57.962′ W. Marker was in Stonington in Southeastern Region, Connecticut. It was in Mystic. It could be reached from the intersection of Greenmanville Avenue (Connecticut Route 27) and Bruggeman Place, on the right when traveling south. Located in Mystic Seaport. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 75 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic CT 06355, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was on the Connecticut Shoreline, in Greater New London, in Mystic and the Eastern Shore, and in the Thames River Valley. It was also in the American Northeast and in New England. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once New London County and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Training Ship Joseph Conrad (here, next to this marker); The Leadership of Indigenous Women (a few steps from this marker); Lewis Temple, 1800 - 1954 (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Training Ship Joseph Conrad (within
Photographed by Michael Herrick, August 26, 2013
2. Training Ship Joseph Conrad
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. This marker has been replaced with the identical linked markers, whose inscriptions are slightly different from this one.
Also see . . .
1. Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea. (Submitted on September 6, 2013, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
2. Joseph Conrad (ship)on Wikipedia. (Submitted on September 6, 2013, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
Photographed by Michael Herrick, August 26, 2013
3. Figurehead of the Training Ship Joseph Conrad
Photographed by U.S. Maritime Commission, circa 1940
4. The Training Ship "Joseph Conrad" (between 1939-1945)
Apprentice seamen in the United States Maritime Service manning the yards on the square-rigged training ship "Joseph Conrad", photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2013, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 1,155 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 6, 2013, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. 4. submitted on September 7, 2013.
