S.S.S. Lotus

The S.S.S. (Sea Scout Ship) "Lotus" is a gaff rigged schooner operated and maintained by Sea Scout Ship 303 of Webster, New York.

History of the Lotus

The keel on "Lotus" was laid down in 1917 and the boat was completed in 1918, in Rocky River, Ohio. Designed by the naval architect William Hand Jr., and christened with the name of "Miss Gloucester", she was designed as a pleasure yacht for sailing on the Great Lakes.

As "Miss Gloucester", she was commissioned by Thomas B. Van Dorn, to be the Van Dorn family yacht. The Van Dorn family sailed her on Lake Erie and perhaps Lake Huron.

In 1922, the ship was sold to Steven Comstock of Newark, NY. He moved the ship to Sodus Bay, on Lake Ontario, and renamed her "Lotus", after the wild water lilies that grew in the bay.

"Lotus" was sold again in 1938, to Dick Todd and Ken Cooley. They renamed her again, this time to "Dickens", a combination of their first names.

In 1943, Ezra Hale and his partners bought the ship and changed her name back to "Lotus". Ezra Hale and John Trahey donated "Lotus" to the Otetiana Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 1971, specifying that Sea Explorer Ship (now Sea Scout Ship) 303 be the ones to use it. The Sea Explorer Ship 303 had begun in 1965, and used a variety of power cruisers before the Lotus was donated.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to keep up with the required maintenance and by 1991 "Lotus" needed serious restoration. With the support of sponsors the Webster Kiwanis, the money was raised for a restoration, soliciting donations from individuals and corporations. A matching funds grant was also received from New York state, which brought the total amount of money raised to $150,000.

"Lotus" was trucked to Rivendell Marine, in Rhode Island, in 1991. The refit was complete in 1993, and should see "Lotus" well into her 100th year. [ [http://ithilien.mine.nu/lotus/index.php "Lotus" Website and original source of Lotus history by Anitra Setchell] ]

Present

"Lotus" is sailed each summer by members of Sea Scout Ship 303 around all of Lake Ontario. "Lotus" visits many harbor festivals, and reenactments each year including Alexandria Bay Pirate Week, Oswego Harborfest, and reenactments in Sacketts Harbor.

"Lotus" has also participated several times in Operation Sail.

pecifications

Dimensions

*Length : convert|48|ft|m on deck, convert|60|ft|m from the tip of the bowsprit to the end of the main boom
*Beam : convert|12|ft|m, 3 inches
*Draft : convert|4|ft|m, 9 inches
*Weight : 16 tons (approximate)
*Total Sail Area : convert|950|sqft|m2

Engine

*Yanmar convert|88|hp|abbr=on four cylinder, turbo-charged diesel with sealed heat exchange

Materials

*Masts : Sitka Spruce
*Frames : Oak
*Original Hull Planking: Long-leaf Yellow Pine
*Replacement Hull Planking: Mahogany
*Main Deck : Vertical-grain Douglas Fir
*Cockpit Deck : Long-leaf Yellow Pine
*Original Cabin tops : Canvas

ee also

* Sea Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)

External links

* [http://www.seascout.org/about/history/photos/2002-SSSLotus-1.jpgPhoto of the "Lotus"]
* [http://www.seascout.org/ships/shipsinfo.php3?shipidin=202&title=1 Official Ship 303 page on the Sea Scouts website]
* [http://home.capecod.net/~rivendell/rivendellprojects.html#lotus Rivendell Marine "Lotus" Restoration, 1991]
* [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6077896867&ref=ts SSS 303 Lotus Facebook Group, Maintained by the crew]
*youtube|jf4oePxLX9o|Slideshow of Cub Scouts Sailing on "Lotus", September 2005

References