Dave Thompsen Photography

Tag: tall ship

  • The Joseph Conrad

    The Joseph Conrad

    An artistic photograph of the Joseph Conrad tall ship berthed at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut.
    The Joseph Conrad
    Image of Connecticut Statehood US postage stamp
    Connecticut Statehood US postage stamp

    Inspired by the Connecticut Statehood stamp, I traveled to Mystic Seaport in 2012 to capture a photograph of the Charles W. Morgan, the subject of that stamp. Unfortunately it was being restored at the time so it was surrounded by scaffolding inside a large shipyard building. Getting a nice image proved difficult, so I opted to photograph the Joseph Conrad, another ship in the Mystic Seaport collection.

    The Joseph Conrad was built in 1882, in Copenhagen, as a training ship. It was originally named the George Stage, after the son of a prominent ship owner, Frederik Stage. In 1934, after 52 years of service and about to be retired, British Captain Alan Villiers bought and renamed her after Joseph Conrad, the author of popular seafaring novels. Two years and fifty eight thousand miles around the world later, George Huntington Hartford II bought and modernized the Joseph Conrad as a private yacht, sailed and raced her until 1939 at which point ownership was transferred to the US Maritime Commission and used once again as a training ship. Acquired in 1947, The Joseph Conrad now finds its home at Mystic Seaport as an exhibit and training vessel for the Mystic Mariner Program.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Tall Ship Kalmar Nyckel

    Tall Ship Kalmar Nyckel

    Photograph of the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel at the 2022 Portsmouth NH Tall Ships event.
    Tall Ship Kalmar Nyckel

    The Kalmar Nyckel is a full-rigged replica of the vessel that brought the first Swedish colonists to America in 1638. The pinnace design is characterized by a single-deck and a square stern and a full complement of sails including a square sprit-sail forward on the bowsprit.

    Here it is berthed at the 2022 Portsmouth New Hampshire Tall Ships event sponsored by Sail Portsmouth. Its home port is the Kalmar Nyckel Shipyard in Wilmington, Delaware where it provides educational opportunities in port and on voyages along the east coast.

  • Mayflower II

    Mayflower II

    A photograph of the Mayflower II replica tall ship berthed in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
    Mayflower II

    The Mayflower II is a full-scale reproduction of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to North America. Built in England in 1956 using traditional methods and tools, this ship is 106 ft long, 25 ft wide, and weighs 236 tons. It’s berthed on the waterfront of Plymouth, Massachusetts, not far from the landing site Plymouth Rock. The ship is a key attraction of Plimouth Plantation, a complex of museums that tell the story of  Plymouth colony and the native American culture of the area. The wharf leading to the ship includes informational displays that describe the ship and voyage it undertook in 1692 with 102 passengers and a crew of 30.

    I captured this photograph from Pilgrim Memorial State Park, a waterfront area that can be accessed from Water Street and includes walking paths, gardens, and scenic views of the harbor. I used an artistic filter to give the image a painterly feel. 

    The Landing of the Pilgrims USPS postage stamp

    This effort was inspired by the Landing of the Pilgrims postage stamp (Scott #1420) issued in 1970 to honor the 350th anniversary of that event.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.