The Mayflower, as portrayed by William Halsill in The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor (1882)

The Mayflower was the famous ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as Pilgrims, from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620.

The vessel left England in September in yet another attempt to reach the New World. (Earlier attempts from Southampton, England, were aborted when an accompanying ship developed problems that necessitated the ships turn around and return to England.) The Mayflower ended up making the gruelling 66-day journey marked by disease alone, but the ship, originally destined for a location at the mouth of the Hudson River, had gone off-course due to a violent storm at sea and it dropped anchor in Provincetown Harbor, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in November. Because an early harsh winter had already set in, the Pilgrims felt it was best to remain and build shelter here. To establish legal order and to quell strife within the ranks, the Pilgrims wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact aboard the Mayflower after it dropped anchor in Provincetown Harbor.

The Pilgrims used the Mayflower as their home for the entire winter, although some would go on land to explore the surrounding area. Here they found stores of food by the area's Native Americans and would steal the corn and other food supplies for their own consumption onboard. Because the Pilgrims felt the area was not suitable for settling and due to the friction they had created with the Native Americans who inhabited the area, they had already moved on to another area in Plymouth Harbor. It wasn't until March of 1621 that all the surviving passengers moved completely ashore in Plymouth. In April, the Mayflower, a privately commissioned vessel, returned to England. (The fate of the ship is uncertain, although it is believed that it was dismantled for lumber.)

The ship, which had primarily been used as a cargo ship, had a crew of approximately twenty-five to thirty men. When it set sail for the New World, there were 102 passengers also on board. One baby was born en route and another was born while the ship was anchored in Provincetown Harbor. One child had died during the journey. While in Provincetown Harbor, there was an outbreak of a contagious disease that took many lives. When it ended, there were only 53 persons still alive, half of the passengers and half of the crew. These remaining passengers became the settlers of Plymouth that became the first permanent English settlement in New England.

FYI: Another ship, also called the Mayflower, made voyages from England to the New World, bringing more passengers to English settlements, including the settlement at Plymouth. This ship disappeared in 1641 while on it's way to Virginia with 140 passengers on board.


Mayflower II

It is impossible to see the Mayflower because it no longer exists. However, after World War II, as a symbol of English and American unity, an effort was made to reenact the voyage of the Mayflower. With cooperation between Project Mayflower and Plimoth (original spelling) Plantation, an accurate replica of the original Mayflower was built in 1956. It was launched from Devon, England in the spring of 1957 and it arrived in Plymouth Harbor in June of 1957.



The Mayflower II at Plymouth's State Pier

The ship was moored at the State Pier in Plymouth, where it still remains moored. It is open to visitors so that they can experience the look and feel of what the original Mayflower was like and get an idea of what it was like to be a Pilgrim on board the Mayflower and in Plymouth during the early years of settling there.


On board the Mayflower II

Visitors not only get to see the details of the ship, from the solid oak timbers and tarred hemp rigging, to the wood and horn lanterns and hand-colored maps, but they get to explore the cramped quarters of the ship's passengers and more "spacious" Master's cabin. There are people ("Pilgrims") on board in period clothing who will tell tales and answer questions, as well as demonstrate many of the chores and responsibilities that took place on the Mayflower. The Mayflower II is also very much seaworthy and has set sail on occasion to the thrill and excitement of onlookers.