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A great ship is reborn
American schooner Invader restored In Italy

By Joseph Ditler

She set a trans Pacific sailing record in 1926 that went unbroken until 1977. Charlie Chaplin met and courted actress Paulette Goddard on her decks. Douglas Fairbanks shot the movie "Mr. Robinson Crusoe" aboard her in the South Pacific in 1932.

Despite these wonderful claims to fame, the 1905 schooner Invader has also had to endure a succession of owners ranging from smugglers and gamblers to hippies and religious fanatics. She has been run aground, caught on fire, trampled upon by tourists and experienced the worse fate of old ships, that of abandonment and neglect at human hands.

Today, despite a most unbelievable century of fleeting fame and near-fatal hard luck, Invader is resting comfortably in the waters off tiny Viareggio, Italy, about to undergo full and complete restoration.

Invader was rescued by Captain Giuliano Mussone and Blue Sea, Inc., an international shipping company dedicated to saving this great yacht. "We have selected Invader for restoration because of her extreme and unparalleled contributions to maritime cultural heritage," said Mussone. "The restoration has been conducted at a considerable financial effort. No shortcuts have been taken in the elaborate process of Invader's return to her former glory."

The schooner Invader could be called "an American legend." This Lawley-built boat was launched in 1905. At 136-feet (161-foot sparred length) the steel schooner was designed by Nat Herreshoff's nephew and student, Albert Chesebrough. Looking more like a J-Boat with her lofty rig (130-foot main), Invader was built to challenge the great yachts of the Vanderbilts, Astors, Sir Thomas Lipton and the Kaiser.

Invader has survived two world wars and the Great Depression. She served in WWII as a patrol boat disguised as a coastal trader. Invader would sail from San Diego to San Francisco and back, signaling to shore with Morse code from high in her rigging of anything suspicious along her route.

This current restoration is nothing less than miraculous. Under the careful and watchful eyes of Captain Mussone, Invader is undergoing a complete re-fit inside and out that includes but is not limited to: restoration of her 90,000 square feet of sail, replacement of her original stern and fantail, a new rudder, hull plating, keel and ballast, fuel tanks, new engines, new decks, masts and spars, interior furniture and bulkheads, and complete hardware and deck appointments — things such as brass belaying pins and elaborate fife rails.

Many annual events have been created to celebrate these magnificent old yachts. Later this year the schooner Invader will join the others at such European locales as Porto Cervo, Imperia, Porto Santo Stefano, Cannes, Monaco, St. Tropez and the Antibes. The celebration of her restoration could also find her at Antigua Race Week in the Caribbean. To date, Invader's travels have taken her from New York and Boston to the Great Lakes, Panama, the Caribbean, Hawaii, the South Pacific, San Francisco, San Diego and the waters of Northern Europe.

Blue Sea is seeking to find a buyer for Invader, someone who will appreciate the fine lines and speed off the wind of such an elegant and historic yacht. Said Mussone, "We hope it will be an American owner, someone who will bring her home, where she belongs."

Invader will celebrate her centennial celebration in 2005. Presently, Invader has left the yard and is awaiting installation of her interiors, masts and rigging. She has never looked so good, as the crowds of onlookers will attest. She is poised to take her long overdue place among the great Mediterranean fleet of classic yachts and showboats of the world. For more information on the restoration of the American schooner Invader, visit www.schoonerinvader.com.