“The last days of the schooner america:
a lost icon at the annapolis warship factory”
by David Gendell
Foreword by Gary Jobson
Cover art excerpted from a painting by Russ Kramer
Available in hardcover from Rowman & Littlefield / Lyons press
“A text of flawless prose with an eye to the sheer physical beauty and excitement of the great vessel.” - Ocean Navigator
“In The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at the Annapolis Warship Factory, Mr. Gendell writes with authority on the subsequent history of the America.” - The Wall Street Journal
“…a methodically researched history…. Gendell, the cofounder of SpinSheet magazine, is an adept storyteller….” - SAILING magazine
“A beautifully crafted story about the fascinating, sad fate of this engineless vessel that sailed for nearly 100 years. - Tom Whidden, America’s Cup winning tactician, 1980, 1987, 1988
“The Last Days of the Schooner America is an extraordinary story brilliantly told by David Gendell… Meticulously researched and filled with insights from an author who is also a seasoned sailor, you will find yourself turning pages and hoping for a miracle at the end.” - John Kretschmer, author of Flirting with Mermaids, Sailing a Serious Ocean, and At the Mercy of the Sea
“The Last Days of the Schooner America is a fast-paced, eye-opening read. The research and descriptions are amazing. An inspiring home-front World War II story runs through the book and is expertly woven into the schooner's final years. A must read for all who love sailing and history.” - Terry Hutchinson, skipper, New York Yacht Club’s American Magic campaign for the 37th America’s Cup
“With rich page-turning prose that reads like a novel, Gendell gives us a work of creative nonfiction that evokes not just one yacht but two fully conceived and populated worlds with ninety years between them. Together with its ample notes and sources, the book will satisfy history geeks through a northeast winter, or armchair readers through a good long gale. Last Days is a story for the ages—an essential addition to America’s yachting heritage.” - Tim Murphy, Cruising World editor-at-large and author, Adventurous Use of the Sea: Formidable Stories of a Century of Sailing from the Cruising Club of America
“In his meticulously researched account that reads like a novel, Gendell lets the waning years of the schooner America highlight the important contributions of the Annapolis Yacht Yard, the Naval Academy, and the people of Annapolis during the World War II era. The book kept this Naval Academy history major enthralled!” - Rear Admiral Robb Chadwick, USN (Ret.), 87th Commandant of Midshipmen, United States Naval Academy
“David Gendell has produced a well-written and compelling chronicle of the most famous schooner in history, focusing on the never-before-told story of her final days ashore in his native Annapolis and the tragically unsuccessful effort by committed believers to restore the iconic vessel during World War II.” - Bill Bleyer, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of Long Island and the Sea: A Maritime History and The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound
“There is no doubt that David Gendell tells a good story, and his account of the legendary schooner America is one of his best: true and detailed, well-sourced, and fun to read.” - Jane Wilson McWilliams, author, Annapolis, City on the Severn: A History
About the Book:
The schooner America was a technological marvel and a child star. In the summer of 1851, just weeks after her launching at New York, shecrossed the Atlantic and sailed to an upset victory against a fleet of champions. The silver cup she won that day is still coveted by sportsmen. Almost immediately after that famous victory, she began a decades-long run of adventure, neglect, rehabilitations, and hard sailing, always surrounded by colorful, passionate personalities. America ran and enforced wartime blockades. She carried spies across the ocean. And she was on the scene as yachtsmen and business titans spent freely and competed fiercely for the cup she first won. By the early twentieth century, she was in desperate need of a thorough refit. The old thoroughbred floated in brackish water at the United States Naval Academy, stripped of her sails and rotting in the sun. Refitting America would be a massive project—expensive and potentially distracting for a nation struggling to emerge from the Great Depression and preparing for a world war. But the project had a powerful sponsor.
“The Last Days of Schooner America” traces the history of the famous vessel, from her design, build, and early racing career, through her lesser-known Civil War service and the never-before-told story of her final days and moments on the ground at Annapolis. The schooner’s story is set against a vivid picture of the entrepreneurial forces behind the fast, focused rise of the Annapolis Yacht Yard as the United States prepares for and enters World War II.
To bring this unique story to life, Annapolis sailor David Gendell delved into archival sources and oral histories and interviewed some of the last living people who saw America at the Annapolis Yacht Yard.