Today the Sherman
Zwicker sails the Atlantic waters of the Northeastern United
States and Canada to ports such as Lunenburg and Halifax, Nova
Scotia, various ports along the south coast of Newfoundland and
American ports such as Boston, New York and her home port of Boothbay
Harbor, Maine.
This is all accomplished with the incredible support of volunteers taking the vessel to sea to visit coastal events and encourage the understanding of our maritime fishing heritage.
Our volunteer crew take watches, work in the galley, assist in the engine room and greet visitors when in port.
The SHERMAN ZWICKER is a wooden, auxiliary fishing schooner,
built in 1942 at the Smith and Rhuland Shipyard, Lunenburg, Nova
Scotia. The vessel was among the last of her type to be built.
She is a slightly modified traditional Banks schooner design with
a large marine diesel engine fitted as a prime mover. The hull
and lower mast rig owe more to the sailing era than to contemporary
powered fishing vessel design.
Vessels of her type were used in the Grand Banks dory fisheries
out of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and other ports until the mid-sixties;
the SHERMAN ZWICKER made her last trip to the Banks in the early
sixties. As a museum the schooner represents scores of sister
vessels which sailed to the Banks in the salt fish trade. The
SHERMAN ZWICKER represents, in a meaningful manner, the fishermen
and their trade.
