The restored, 1925 fish boat, the Shenandoah, will soon be available for public viewing at the Gig Harbor History Museum, the vessel is now housed in the fully-enclosed Maritime Heritage Gallery.
The 65-foot Shenandoah was built at the Skansie Shipyard in Gig Harbor, Washington, commissioned by Pasco Dorotich to use as an Alaskan cannery tender. The vessel was used later as a purse seiner for 73 years by the Dorotich family and the Janovich family. The Shenandoah retired as a fish boat in 1998, and is one of only a handful of historic seiners in existence.
Tony Janovich donated the Shenandoah in 2000, after which she was hauled out of the water in 2003. The vessel was paraded down the streets of Gig Harbor to an empty lot located adjacent to the present-day Harbor History Museum. While a cover was built above the vessel, the harsh weather took its toll. Thanks to a capital campaign begun by the History Museum, about $2.8 million was raised to construct an enclosure for the vessel. Construction began in late summer, 2023 and now Shenandoah is snug in her ‘Maritime Gallery.’
In the meantime, the Shenandoah is nearing completion after many years of restoration work. Shipwright Riley Hall and his team of volunteers went to work in 2018 to restore the vessel. Previous shipwrights, Mike Vlahovich and Nate Slater, along with museum volunteers devoted thousands of hours, but Shenandoah was still in rough shape when Hall took over. Hall grew up in Gig Harbor and learned his trade at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island.
After returning from the East Coast, Hall has been putting together the pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle, for Shenandoah; a 4-ton 1936 engine that came off the Norman B, a historically accurate fish boat of the era, has been dropped in place, and parts and materials from her peers, the Majestic and the Fort Bragg have also been provided. Hall and his crew have worked through each section of the vessel to remove rot, treat fungus, and restore timbers and knees. For educational purposes, Hall applied a clear coat on the port side of the hull so visitors can see what Shenandoah’s original, restored planks look like as well as the original bow configuration from 1925. This technique reveals the delicate conservation and restoration process used to treat the vessel. The starboard side of the hull is fully restored with frames, paint, and authentically rigged as a power-block purse seiner.
The Museum’s website puts it this way, “Dry-docked in the Harbor History Museum’s Maritime Gallery, she’s had a full career as tender, seiner, and now as teacher.” The Maritime Gallery, now fully enclosed and part of the Gig Harbor History Museum, will likely reopen intermittently to visitors in January, 2024, with the entire gallery complete with new exhibits open in early 2025, just in time to celebrate Shenandoah’s 100th launch anniversary.
Other Museum exhibits include artifacts and images from the early logging, farming, and fishing days. Children love seeing the 1893 one-room Midway Schoolhouse that was moved to the Museum site in 2009. The Harbor History Museum is located at 4121 Harborview Drive and is currently open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm; call 253-858-6722, or see the museum website to check hours.
Photos: Gig Harbor History Museum
