Table of Contents
Under clear blue skies, passengers aboard the replica schooner Fame experienced hands-on maritime history during a commemorative sail honoring the Hannah, the first commissioned vessel of the Continental Navy, as part of Marblehead REV250’s celebration of the town’s revolutionary heritage.
The voyage through Salem Sound drew participants eager to combine authentic 18th-century seamanship with local naval history. Passengers helped raise the vessel’s traditional sails, working together on the lines as the Fame caught wind and headed toward the historic waters where the original Hannah once sailed.
“Marblehead has been talking that they are the birthplace of the American Navy because of the Hannah,” historian and Fame Capt. Michael Rutstein told passengers during his onboard presentation about the schooner that then-Col. John Glover donated to George Washington’s cause in 1775.
The Fame, built to resemble the Hannah in size and appearance, offered participants authentic maritime experiences. Groups of friends and families settled onto the vessel’s wooden benches, some bundled in jackets against the sea breeze, as they took in views of Salem Sound’s islands and coastline.
Rutstein recounted the Hannah’s dramatic but brief career, including her fateful encounter with HMS Nautilus on Oct. 10, 1775. The British warship, mounting 14 or 16 cannons and carrying 90 men, pursued the much smaller Hannah through treacherous waters before both vessels ran aground in Beverly harbor.
“The chase is on, and for the next two hours, the Nautilus is chasing the Hannah,” Rutstein explained, describing how local militia from Salem, Manchester and Beverly rushed to support the stranded American vessel with musket and cannon fire.
The Hannah’s crew, drawn from Glover’s Marblehead regiment, had been tasked with intercepting British supply ships during the siege of Boston. Though their first capture proved problematic, the incident established precedent for what would become American naval operations.
Throughout the sail, passengers actively participated in the vessel’s operation. Some took turns pulling on halyards to raise sails while others gathered around historical artifacts and listened to Rutstein’s presentation about the complex realities behind the Hannah’s story.
The educational voyage represents part of Marblehead’s broader 250th anniversary commemorations running through 2026.
