Historic ship tells story of American Revolution

On Monday, a replica of a historic privateer docked at the Independence Seaport Museum started to be dismantled, the first step in bringing this piece of history to the Museum of the American Revolution.

This boat, a half-replica of a historic privateer, is set to be installed in the Museum of the American Revolution at Third and Chestnut streets, which will open in April 2017. Visitors will be able to board the ship and learn the story of James Forten, a 14-year-old free African-American who worked on the boat as it fought the British Navy.

While Congress created a navy in 1775, they could not compete with British sea power and relied on privateers — privately owned vessels licensed by Congress or the states to attack British ships and disrupt trade.

This replica is 45-feet long incuding beakhead and bowsprit, and is designed as a conglomeration of multiple aspects of Revolutionary era boat design. Building the boat took 10 to 12 months, according to the Seaport Museum, and it is made of more than 1,000 pieces.

The Seaport Museum said that the privateers’ exhibition will serve to educate the public about how black and white citizens served side by side during the Revolutionary War at sea.

Visit AmRevMuseum.orgfor more information.