The Susan Constant — a “floating classroom” that has welcomed countless visitors aboard over the past three decades — is commonly moored at Jamestown Settlement alongside re-creations of the Godspeed and Discovery, designated “the official fleet of the Commonwealth” by the Virginia General Assembly.

The Susan Constant, the largest and flagship of the three re-created ships at Jamestown Settlement, has been around for more than 30 years. The 120-ton vessel was constructed in 1990 at the museum along the shores of the James River, where a sprawling lumberyard dotted the landscape. The ship was initially commissioned for $2.1 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia for research, architectural design, materials and construction.

Susan Constant Restoration 

The $4.7 million undertaking to repair and restore the wooden, 120-ton cargo vessel, was approved in the spring of 2024 by the Virginia General Assembly.

After 33 years of maritime education, the “floating classroom” traveled on June 17, 2024 to the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut to begin work estimated to last two years to preserve it for future generations. 

Under the helm of Captain Eric Speth, longtime director of Maritime Operations for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, a 15-member sailing crew took the estimated 515-mile journey over a period five days to the Mystic Seaport Museum Shipyards. Instead of sails, they traveled using diesel engines to reach their destination.