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March 12, 2012 — Allegheny students will be participating in a three-week voyage on the Flagship Niagara – a voyage that is also open to the general public – from May 31 to June 19. The voyage onboard one of the nation’s maritime icons will take participants to some of the most famous historical areas on the Great Lakes.

Participants will live in an environment reminiscent of the original Niagara, a War of 1812 warship. Meals are cooked on a wood-burning stove, and participants sleep in hammocks. Students and other participants also learn how to sail the ship by taking part in the day-to-day activities aboard the Niagara.

“While the ship charges tuition for the three-week voyage, the experience remains one of the most affordable opportunities of its kind in the United States,” said Caleb Pifer of the Flagship Niagara League. “The ship routinely has everyone from high school students to retirees onboard.”

In addition to the Allegheny voyage, two other voyages are open to the public: June 22 to July 12 and July 11 to 31.

One of the largest tall ships in North America, the Niagara is widely regarded as the most historically authentic. The ship is a reproduction of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s victorious flagship from the Battle of Lake Erie. The current Niagara, which was built in Erie in 1988, has Erie as its home port.

The Niagara is operated by the Flagship Niagara League and owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information on upcoming voyages, contact the Erie Maritime Museum at 814-452-2744 (extension 223) or sail@flagshipniagara.org.