I found this 1968 postcard of the Steamship Sabino to go along with my recent purchase of a vintage felt pennant. Here’s some of the history that I shared on the previous post:
Sabino (pronounced Sah-BYE-No) is America`s oldest regularly operating coal-powered steamboat. It is one of only two surviving members of the American mosquito fleet and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.
Sabino began her career in 1908 as "Tourist," a ferry owned by LaForest "Foss" Etheridge on the Damariscotta River in Maine. After sinking in 1918 and being salvaged, she was sold to the Popham Beach Steamboat Company on the Kennebec River in 1921 and renamed Sabino in honor of Abenaki sagamore Sabenoa.
Sabino was bought by Cape Shore Ferry Company in Portland, Maine, in 1927 and transported passengers to the Casco Bay islands. In 1935 she was sold to Casco Bay Lines. Still, she was put into the reserve fleet until 1956, when she was returned to ferry service due to another ferry accident.
In 1958, she was sold to Philip and Irene Corbin of Salisbury, Massachusetts. The Corbin family spent significant time repairing the vessel and bringing her up to Coast Guard regulations for a passenger`s vessel. In 1971, the Sabino was sold to C. Bruce Brown, Joseph Pulvino, and Philip Corbin`s son Jim, doing business as Steamship Sabino Inc.
The Sabino started operating on the Merrimack River on Memorial Day, running between Newburyport, Black Rocks in Salisbury Beach, and Merrimac. On high tides, it could reach Haverhill. Jazz cruises were available both day and night until 1974, when it was leased to Mystic Seaport Museum for a year to gauge interest.
During the voyage from Newburyport to Mystic Seaport, the Sabino was almost lost due to large waves that stirred up coal and blocked the bilge pumps, causing the engine room to flood. However, a gasoline pump kept her afloat, and she was pulled from the water in Groton, Connecticut. The Mystic Seaport shipyard experts restored her, and she became a popular exhibit, prompting the museum to purchase her. Under the museum`s care, Sabino was fully restored and continues to operate as a working exhibit, offering rides to visitors.
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