Hauling the LA Dunton at Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic – A crowd gathered Tuesday morning at the Mystic Seaport Museum to watch as shipwrights and two 600-ton cranes haul the LA Dunton onto keel blocking in preparation for restoration work December 20, 2022.
Built in 1921 the Dunton was one of the last ships of its kind built without an engine. A National Landmark, the 123-foot fishing schooner has been at the museum since 1963 after working as a fishing and freighting vessel.
Since its acquisition maintenance has included restoration to its original design, engine removal, work on the stern, deck beams, deck planking and frames replaced, and topsides have been replanked. The vessel has never undergone a full restoration and the project will take several years.
To have space for the 101-year-old Dunton’s restoration, the shipyard converted an area formerly used as a lumberyard for a new concrete pad at the north end of the Henry B. du Pont Preservation Shipyard.