CMM-PR-08-27
VISIT THE HISTORIC MANITOU AT THE CALVERT MARINE MUSEUM
May 15, 2008, 20:34
Get a glimpse of one of the finest marine vessels ever built in Solomons in the 1920s and 1930s as the historic Manitou is on exhibit in the boat basin at the Calvert Marine Museum. Built in 1937 at the M. M. Davis Shipyard in Solomons, for James Lowe of Chicago, as a racing yacht, the Manitou features oak keel and frames, mahogany planks, teak decks with mahogany capped rails, and interior paneling in exquisite butternut finished in teak and mahogany. The vessel is 62-feet long, with a main mast standing 81’ tall. She was given to the United States Coast Guard Academy at New London, CT in 1956. While there she was used for sail training and was raced by a Coast Guard crew.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy, an avid sailor, chose Manitou as a Presidential yacht and was used by him until his death. Manitou was purchased by the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship at Piney Point, Maryland, in 1968 from the U.S. Government, and she remained there until 1999 until she was acquired by James Lowes’ granddaughter.
The vessel will be on display at the museum until June 3. Stop by and see this fine sample of our historic boatbuilding heritage of the Solomons area. The public is invited to view the Manitou from the boat basin, however, the interior is not open for public touring.
