Mayflower

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For other uses, see Mayflower (disambiguation).

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall (1882)

The Mayflower was the ship that transported the Pilgrims from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, in what would become the United States, in 1620. It left Plymouth on September 6, and dropped anchor near Cape Cod on November 11 (both dates according to the Old Style, the Julian Calendar). This voyage was inspired by the successful establishment of the first permanent English settlement, Jamestown, by the London Company of Virginia in 1607.

[edit] Ship

The Mayflower was used as a cargo ship, trading (often in wine) between England and other European countries, principally France, but also Norway, Germany, and Spain. At least between 1609 and 1622, it was mastered by Christopher Jones, who was Captain on the transatlantic voyage, and based in Rotherhithe, London, England. It is likely that the ship was broken up for scrap lumber in Rotherhithe in 1623, the year after Jones's death. The Mayflower Barn, just outside the Quaker village of Jordans, in Buckinghamshire, England, is said to be built from these timbers.

The ship likely had a crew of 25-30; however, only the names of five of these are known including one, John Alden, who chose to stay in Plymouth Colony.[1]

Details of the ship's dimensions are unknown; but estimates based on its load weight and the usual size of 180-ton merchant ships in the period give her a length of 90–110 feet (27.4–33.5 m) and a width of about 25 feet (7.6 m).

[edit] Replica

Careful research went into designing a replica, the Mayflower II (launched September 22, 1956), to make it resemble its namesake as closely as possible. This vessel is now part of the Plimoth Plantation living museum, near Plymouth, Massachusetts.

[edit] Pilgrims' voyage

The Mayflower Memorial in Southampton.

Initially, the plan was for the voyage to be made in two vessels, the other being the smaller Speedwell. The first voyage of the ships departed Southampton, England, on August 5, 1620; but the Speedwell developed a leak, and had to be refitted at Dartmouth.

On the second attempt, the ships reached the Atlantic Ocean but again were forced to return to Plymouth because of the Speedwell's leak.

After reorganisation, the final 66-day voyage was made by the Mayflower alone, leaving Plymouth on September 6. With the crowding of 102 passengers plus crew, each family was allotted very little space for personal belongings.

At one point, the ship's main beam cracked and had to be repaired using a large iron screw.

The intended destination was a section of land in the area near the Hudson River, in "North Virginia". The ship, however, was forced off course by poor weather on this leg of the voyage (the first leg had enjoyed finer weather). As a result of the delay, the settlers did not arrive at the future site of Plymouth Colony until the onset of a harsh, New England winter. The settlers had failed to reach Virginia, where they had permission from the London Company to settle.

To establish legal order outside of this jurisdiction, and to quell increasing strife within their ranks, the settlers wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact after the ship dropped anchor near Cape Cod on November 11.

On April 5, 1621, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth Colony to return to England, where she arrived on May 6, 1621.

[edit] Passengers

The 102 passengers on the Mayflower were the earliest permanent European settlers in New England; some of their descendants have taken great interest in tracing their ancestry back to one or more of these Pilgrims. (See The Society of Mayflower Descendants, "List of passengers on the Mayflower" for a complete accounting. See also "List of Mayflower passengers who died in the winter of 1620–1621".) Throughout the winter, the passengers spent time ashore preparing homesites and searching for food but partly remained based aboard the Mayflower. Only about half of the settlers would still be alive when the Mayflower left in the spring. Governor Bradford noted that about half the sailors died also.

[edit] Second Mayflower

In 1629, a ship called the Mayflower made a voyage from London to Plymouth Colony carrying 35 passengers, many from Leiden. This was not the same ship that made the original voyage with the first settlers. This voyage began in May and reached Plymouth in August.

[edit] Popular culture

The voyage and the ship later became famous as an icon of a perilous one-way trip to a new life, with many things named after it.

• The Mayflower is the emblem of the English football club Plymouth Argyle F.C., who are known by the nickname of "The Pilgrims".
• Songwriter Paul Simon mentions the ship in his song "American Tune".
• Folk/Rock singer Bob Dylan mention the ship in his song "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" on the album Bringing It All Back Home.
• The space shuttle in the movie Airplane II: The Sequel is called "Mayflower One".

[edit] External links

• Mayflower II at Plymouth Plantation Museum
• Mayflower passengers from MayflowerHistory.com
• Mayflower history from MayflowerHistory.com
• Pilgrim Hall Museum of Plymouth, Massachusetts
• General Society of Mayflower Descendants
• The Mayflower And Her Log; Azel Ames, Project Gutenberg edition.
• The village of Jordans and the Mayflower today
• The Straight Dope: "Did the Pilgrims land on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer?"
• Mayflower Descendants Chart.
• Pilgrims and the Mayflower Mayflower Interior Pictureden:Mayflower