Our Mission

What is the U.S. Brig Niagara?

The U.S. Brig Niagara is Oliver Hazard Perry’s relief flagship from the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 where she helped secure a decisive victory against the British. She is an important element of our history as citizens of Erie, as Americans, and as global citizens. Our lives, history, industry, and cultural identity have been intimately tied to seafaring on the Great Lakes and beyond. 

Niagara, constructed in Erie along with other American ships, played a pivotal role as Oliver Hazard Perry’s flagship in the decisive Battle of Lake Erie. This battle marked the first instance of a complete capture of a British Naval squadron, turning the tide of the war in America’s favor. Perry’s iconic “Don’t Give Up The Ship” flag became emblematic for the US Navy.

Today, Niagara also serves a significant role in contributing to Erie by attracting tourists, representing the city and state across the Great Lakes, and generating substantial economic benefits during events like the Great Lakes Tall Ships Challenge festival every three years.

What is happening?

Niagara’s safety and future are in jeopardy. A handful of volunteers and the Niagara community are trying to ensure that she is cared for by people who can maintain and operate her safety, successfully, and transparently as an actively sailing vessel and an ambassador for the people and history of Pennsylvania.

As a historic wooden ship, she requires specialized care and maintenance from those few remaining skilled experts who know how to operate a historical square rigged vessel . These are technologies and skills from bygone eras that are largely maintained by passing the knowledge and practices down from one generation to the next through hands-on learning. Ships must be built, maintained, and sailed in order to keep not just the story of the specific ship alive, but also preserve the skills of seafaring itself so we can create the next generation of Niagara crew. The best way to share this knowledge with the public is to let them board the vessel and participate under skilled guidance on short and long term sail training experiences. 

It’s also a visceral way to convey the experiences of the sailors and marines who participated in the War of 1812 and the Battle of Lake Erie that Niagara participated in. 

Who is involved?

The U.S. Brig Niagara is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the PA Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the agency charged as steward of Niagara. Niagara is berthed behind the Erie Maritime Museum (EMM) – a facility chartered as a support to the U.S. Brig Niagara so that she could have a place to be accessible to the public during the winter months when she could not sail; Niagara first sailed in 1990 and the Erie Maritime Museum first opened in 1998. Since 1981 the nonprofit Flagship Niagara League (FNL) has provided support to the ship, and later the museum. FNL became the operator of the Niagara following PHMC’s attempt to shut down the sailing program following 2009 budget shortfalls.

Changes came: In 2020, the previous Erie Maritime Museum Site Administrator Walter Rybka (senior captain of Niagara, historical scholar, and author) retired. In 2021 when the 10-year contract governing the Flagship Niagara League’s relationship with the state expired, PHMC’s behavior towards the vessel and the League took a dramatic turn towards unpleasantness. This included a refusal to negotiate a new contract with FNL for over one year, even in the face of pressure from legislators.

Where we are now

On December 12, 2023, The PA Historical and Museum Commission abruptly severed their contractual relationship with the Flagship Niagara League, effective Dec 31, 2023. There is no one currently employed by PHMC who has the skills or knowledge to properly care for the ship. In particular, the new Erie Maritime Museum Site Administrator has no maritime experience at all but is designated as the supervisory authority for all things related to Niagara, her maintenance, and her operation.

PHMC has made a vague promise that she will sail after extensive maintenance but have not been clear on the plan to achieve those things. This behavior of abstract policy and poor communication is consistent with their behavior of the past several years. They have demonstrated a poor track record at making good or timely decisions and have shown a general disregard for skilled people outside of their own ranks.

This has not inspired confidence among the volunteers and supporters of Niagara.

What is being done about it?

There has been large amounts of secrecy around these matters for the past several years and we intend to shine light into that darkness. We have called for a public forum in Erie where community members and state legislators can ask the PA Historical and Museum Commission to explain their actions, provide details and clarity on their plans, and answer questions from the public. We started a petition to apply pressure for the public forum and to demonstrate how many citizens of Pennsylvania and beyond care about Niagara’s future. We have made several Right to Know Requests for government records related to Niagara and will be sharing them here on this blog.

If PHMC is going to care for the ship they need to demonstrate that they have the capacity to do so. We want a detailed plan that demonstrates their understanding of the sailing regulations, Niagara‘s needs as a wooden vessel, conventions and expectations of/for sailors, and that shows respect for the skills required of maritime experts. We look forward to providing an avenue for a dramatic increase in transparency, and forum for trying to hold PHMC accountable if they don’t fulfill their promises. 

Come sail with us on this journey.. and… Don’t Give Up The Ship!

Sincerely,
Steven Perry, Ginny Sivak, Kathleen Zawrotniak
Niagara volunteers and supporters, and the creators of this blog and petition

See a list of all of our contributing writers