The ships in the Historic Ships in Baltimore fleet are important symbols of our national heritage and are also valuable community assets. Preserving these sites for future generations to experience, enjoy, and learn from is an endeavor we can all share.
All donations benefit the ongoing maintenance and restoration of the Historic Ships and also help to provide valuable educational programming for visitors and school groups. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Historic Ships in Baltimore welcomes and thanks you for your support. We offer a variety of ways to donate, including:
Individuals can donate to Historic Ships online. You can also donate in honor of an individual, or even donate in memory of the deceased.
Monday through Friday, donors can call between 9am through 4pm to place a donation over the phone.
410-539-1797
You can send your check or money order with your name, address, phone number, and the contribution type to:
Historic Ships in Baltimore
301 E Pratt St.
Baltimore, MD 21231
Attn: Contributions
Note: Donations are being received at this address until Historic Ships in Baltimore is able to receive mail at it's Pier 1 location.
If you'd prefer to support a specific project, the following are underway or in the planning stages. Your support for these efforts is greatly appreciated.
During a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, there are enduring symbols of hope and familiarity that keep Baltimore feeling like home. Historic Ships in Baltimore’s iconic emblems – including USS Constellation, USCG Cutter 37, LV 116 Chesapeake, the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, and USS Torsk – have characterized our city’s downtown landscape for years, drawing millions of tourists annually and providing once-in-lifetime educational experiences for the City’s students.
Like many institutions, Historic Ships has been dramatically impacted by the pandemic and we need your help to stay afloat. Because of government mandated closures, these unique landmarks have been closed to the public for months with no clear end in sight. These closures have impacted revenue and resulted in the layoff of several employees. Vital maintenance, restoration and preservation projects have also been threatened because of cancellations of special events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the Constellation Cup and Captain’s Jubilee, that raise critical funds for the organization.
We are asking you to consider making a fully tax-deductible gift to support our mission to serve the community during this time of tremendous need.
Please help us keep these vital, primary sources of history afloat by making a donation today. Your investment in Historic Ships is an investment in the storied past of some of Baltimore’s most unique sites and the transformative educational experiences that they offer to students and visitors alike. With your generosity, Historic Ships in Baltimore will weather these challenging times together and we will continue to serve our community for years to come.
For more information please contact Chris Rowsom at crowsom@historicships.org
All Donors will receive special recognition in select 2020 campaign materials, including but not limited to:
*Presentation of logo size will depend on gift level. Early response ensures full inclusion in media ads and campaign material.
TITLE SPONSOR | $50,000
ADMIRAL | $25,000
VICE ADMIRAL | $15,000
COMMANDER | $10,000
CAPTAIN | $5,000
FIRST MATE | $2,500
USS Constellation was last dry docked for repairs to the ship's laminated hull planking at the US Coast Guard Yard over the winter of 2014-15. Over 4,000 square feet of the ship's underwater hull body was replaced.
The next dry docking, scheduled for the fall of 2022, will address the ship's remaining original hull planking which is leaking badly at a rate of over 1,500 gallons per hour. While the issue is very much under control and the ship is equipped with pumps to handle this amount of water entering the hull, it is not a sustainable situation.
The ship will be dry docked at the Sparrows Point Shipyard, now owned by Trade Point Atlantic and be in the large graving dock there for approximately 3 months. During that time, the ship's remaining original hull planking, over 6,200 linear feet of seam, will be caulked in the traditional method using cotton and oakum, then sealed with seam compound.
In addition to caulking the hull planking, work will be performed on the ship's bow section and spar deck. Repairs will be made to the ship's main and fore tops'l yards, and the ship's spanker gaff and mizzen lower yard will be replaced. The ship's 200 tons of pig iron ballast will be removed from the hold, cleaned and sealed, and the ship bilges and frame bays will be cleaned. The ships topsides will be surveyed and any deteriorated areas of the laminated hull will be repaired.
All of the above items, and many smaller projects will, when complete, insure that the ship is ready to take on the forces of nature as she floats at her berth for the next 20-30 years.
The project's total budget is: $3,000,000
Funds raised so far total: $2,795,000
Funding remaining to be raised to meet the budget goal: $205,000
Historic Ships in Baltimore is now working to raise the funding needed to match these awards and preserve USS Constellation. All donations are greatly appreciated and will be used directly for the dry docking and preservation of the ship.
USS Constellation is adorned with a billethead, or scrollhead, instead of a figurehead to decorate its bow. As far as we know, the billethead on the ship is original to her launch in 1854. Unfortunately, wind and weather have taken their toll and the ship's billethead is in need of stabilization.
In the spring of 2016, the billethead was removed from the ship as part of a repair project to the ship's bow section. It was determined at this time that the original billethead should be stabilized for public display in the museum gallery and a new billethead created to actually be mounted on the ship.
The plan is to photograph the original billethead to create a 3-dimensional image which can then be used to "carve" a new billethead using CNC router technology. The new billethead will be carved in sections, then the sections laminated together to create the new piece. Once done, the replica will be placed on the ship's bow.
Historic Ships in Baltimore is now collecting donations to support the billethead project. Total cost for this project is approximately $10,000, which includes creation and installation of the new billethead on the ship and stabilization and mounting of the original for public display.
The US Coast Guard Plaza is a special part of Baltimore's Waterfront Promenade situated next to the USCG Cutter 37, the last surviving warship from the attack on Pearl Harbor and one of Baltimore's National Historic Landmarks.
Hundreds of USCG Veterans and their families have installed commemorative bricks in the Plaza, and you can too. By purchasing a brick in the Plaza you can pay tribute to friends and relatives who have dedicated their lives to serving their country!
Donors can purchase a brick online. The following sizes are available:
4 inch x 8 inch brick with 3 lines of text - $125
8 inch x 8 inch brick with 4 lines of text - $300
Text is limited to 15 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation, and can include letters, numbers, and common symbols.
In-kind donations of goods and services help the museum in many ways and are often the most rewarding. The museum's staff has developed several long-term relationships with individuals and corporations who have made in-kind contributions. One of the most long-standing in-kind contributors is the Vane Brothers Company; each year, they donate tugboat and pilot services for the annual USS Constellation Turnaround Cruise.
In-kind donations also include silent auction items for fundraisers, gently used office and computer equipment, specialized additions to the ships' restorations, etc.
To learn about opportunities or to make an in-kind contribution please contact:
Managing Director
410-539-1797
If you are interested in donating an object, photograph, or document that is directly related to one of the sites that the Historic Ships operates, we would love to hear from you. Please note that our available storage space for artifacts is very limited so we can only accept items that are directly related to our ships, the lighthouse, or the crewmembers who served aboard. Acceptance of an artifact into the Museum's collection does not guarantee its public exhibition.
Please note that all potential donations must be approved by the Museum's Curator and Collections Manager before they are brought to the Museum. Please do not bring items for donation to the Museum unannounced because staff will not be able to accept them.
For information regarding the donation of an object, please contact:
410-539-1797 x 117
