Matthew (ship)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A replica of the Matthew in Bristol Floating Harbour, August 2004

The Matthew was a ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 from Bristol to North America, presumably Newfoundland. After a voyage which had got no further than Iceland, Cabot left again with only one vessel, the Matthew, a small ship (50 tons), but fast and able. The crew consisted of only 18 people. The Matthew departed either 2 May or 20 May 1497. She sailed to Dursey Head, Ireland, from where she sailed due west, expecting to reach Asia. However, landfall was reached in North America on 24 June 1497. His precise landing-place is a matter of much controversy, with Bonavista or St. John's in Newfoundland the most likely sites.

Cabot went ashore to take possession of the land, and explored the coast for some time, probably departing on 20 July. On the homeward voyage his sailors thought they were going too far north, so Cabot sailed a more southerly course, reaching Brittany instead of England. On 6 August he arrived back in Bristol.

1 Replica
2 See also
3 References
4 External links
5 Gallery

[edit] Replica

A replica, built in Bristol, sailed the same voyage on the 500th anniversary of the landmark voyage. On 24 June 1997 the replica of the Matthew was welcomed into port at Bonavista by Queen Elizabeth.

The replica is 78' (23.7m) long with a beam of 20'6" (6.3m) with a draft of 7' (2.1m) and 2,360 sq.ft. of sail.^[1]

The replica of the Matthew now offers commercial harbour and offshore cruises from March to September each year in Bristol, where it is moored next to the SS Great Britain in the Floating Harbour.