The first frame of the replica of the Revolutionary War era brig Galveztown has been erected and was celebrated with pomp and circumstance at the ceremony held in May 2008 at the Astilleros Nereo shipyard in Malaga, Spain. In attendance were LAMP archaeologists Dr. Sam Turner and Brendan Burke, along with the St. Augustine Historical Society’s Dr. Susan Parker.
Our partnership with the Spanish shipyard and maritime museum Astilleros Nereo in Malaga continues to gain interest in local and international media outlets.
Two stories were recently run in the 23 June edition of the St. Augustine Record. Click on the links below to learn more about this exciting project:
Oak from Flagler campus used to build replica of Spanish ship
Galveztown originally a British sloop
An earlier account of our partnership with the Spanish shipyard ran back in April, Lighthouse and Museum partners with Spanish boat builders.
Spanish soldiers in 18th century garb fired salutes to the City of St. Augustine and the City of Malaga during the May Galveztown frame-erecting ceremony.
Construction has begun on this historic sailing vessel, which is scheduled to cross the Atlantic (powered by sail alone) for a visit to St. Augustine by 2011. The original Galveztown played an integral role in the capture of the Florida colonies by Spain from Britain during the Revolution. The new Galveztown will sail to a variety of American ports to celebrate the under-appreciated contributions Spain gave to the American cause during the battle for Independence.
The excitement of this endeavor is exciting and word is spreading fast. I’ve come across references to LAMP and the Galveztown on Topix.com and on this Spanish blog (scroll to the bottom, you’ll find it and there’s lots of other cool nautical images to boot!).
If any of our readers out there find other references to the Galveztown, post them here! Its interesting to see how this story spreads across the world via the internet.
What starts out as felled oak logs in St. Augustine . . .
. . . is shipped across the sea to Spain and fashioned into more timbers for the Galveztown.
Bonus link for our history buffs: Read the Diary of Bernardo de Galvez, in command of the Galveztown, during his victorious attack on Pensacola in 1781.