The U.S. Brig Niagara, the historic recreation of the 214-year-old warship that helped win the Battle of Lake Erie, has been given a new $6.9 million lease on life.
And she’s headed for her home port at the Erie Maritime Museum.
After spending the last year at Bristol Marine‘s Sample Shipyard in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, Pennsylvania’s flagship left on the morning of June 6 to begin a journey of 2,000 nautical miles that’s expected to bring her back to Erie on July 2.
Timing has been planned to have the Niagara in Erie to serve as a centerpiece to the local celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
Under the command of interim Capt. Richard Bailey, the Niagara is sailing from the Atlantic Ocean into the Gulf of St. Lawrence before passing through the St. Lawrence River, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lake Ontario and Welland Canal before returning to Lake Erie.
An improved Niagara returns to Erie
The ship that returns home to Erie, escorted by a parade of other vessels, will be different in some important ways than the one that left Erie in May of 2025.
A refurbished Brig Niagara gets ready to leave Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
New diesel engines are driving new propellers that were installed last year in Cleveland. Hidden from view, the Niagara has been updated with new generators, plumbing and electrical systems.
Much of the work employed more traditional skills of a shipwright.
Rotted hull blanks were removed and replaced along with structural timbers and gun ports. Shipyard workers in Maine also re-caulked the deck and painted the boat.
The Niagara, which returned to the water on May 14, will be motoring, not sailing, back to Erie.
According to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, which owns and operates the Niagara, the multi-week process of assembling her sails and rigging will take place dockside in Erie after the July 4 celebration.
More: Brig Niagara Captain Greg Bailey to step down before return to Erie
In a statement, Andrea Lowery, executive director of PHMC, thanked the shipwrights and craftspeople at Bristol Marine for their work.
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“The departure from Maine represents a monumental milestone in the preservation of the Commonwealth’s flagship,” she said.
Cal Pifer, CEO of the Hagen History Center, said the Niagara will be welcomed back to Erie on July 2 by a parade of 40 boats, including the Lettie G. Howard and the Victorian Princess.
Pifer, who helped organize that parade, said he will be watching and expects a lot of other people will as well.
“I’m excited to see it come home,” he said. “I’m like a kid at Christmas.”
Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Brig Niagara is homeward bound for Erie after repairs in Maine