Chronicle (1966)

Elissa (1980x13)

: 14, 1980

The Elissa was a square-rigged sailing ship built in Aberdeen in 1877 at a time when sailing ships still commanded the seas. Her home port was Liverpool and she had 20 years as a successful trader before being badly damaged in a storm off the coast of Ireland. She was sold, and over the years her appearance was completely transformed. Her masts were cut down, an engine installed, and in the 1960s the shape of her sleek bow was altered to camouflage her activities as contraband smuggler in the Aegean. The Elissa had twice put into the port of Galveston in Texas in the 1880s. This historical connection provided the necessary excuse for the Galveston Historical Foundation to spend nearly two million dollars on her rescue and her restoration. When the Elissa is finally restored she will be the oldest operational iron sailing ship in the world. This film is the story of the Elissa, her history, her restoration in Greece and her journey to Galveston.