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The ship Euterpe – today known as the Star of India – was built and launched at the port of Ramsey on the Isle of Man in 1863. After a number of careers Euterpe was purchased by the Alaska Packers Association, her rig altered to that of a bark in 1901. In conformity with the company policy of including in the name of its sailing vessels the word “star,” in 1906 her name changed to Star of India. While vessels may change their names in the course of their lifetimes, long-standing maritime tradition holds that the name on the ship’s bell must remain as it originally was. Hence today, the Star of India retains the bell of the Euterpe. To mark the passage of time, a series of eight bells was rug on the bell mounted near the wheel, every half hour in four-hour increments beginning at 12, 4 and 8 o’clock. This was answered by the bell mounted here on the forecastle. If the bell was not answered, one of the crew would be dispatched to investigate the reason why. The ring of this bell has echoed over the waters of the Atlantic, Southern, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, sounding warnings, marking the passage hours, and the change of watch. It is an audible reminder of the life of the world’s oldest active sailing ship.
