Port, H. Lee White Museum Hosts ‘Liberty Clipper’ Schooner, ‘When And If’ Schooner

by ChirelloMarketing | June 24, 2025 2:00 pm

The Port of Oswego Authority (POA) and the H. Lee White Maritime Museum (HLWMM) recently hosted a visit from the Liberty Clipper (above) two-masted schooner, said Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, POA. The Liberty Clipper docked outside the museum at the West Pier Sunday afternoon and will depart Thursday for the Toronto Waterfront Festival, June 28-29.

OSWEGO, NY – The Port of Oswego Authority (POA) and the H. Lee White Maritime Museum (HLWMM) recently hosted a visit from the Liberty Clipper two-masted schooner, said Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, POA. The Liberty Clipper docked outside the museum at the West Pier on Sunday afternoon and will depart Thursday for the Toronto Waterfront Festival, June 28-29.

            The clipper, based in Portland, ME, was purchased in October 2023 by Zoe Moncheur and Captain Dylan Salzmann, and they are actively involved in its restoration. Moncheur grew up in New Zealand, and Salzmann is from Blue Hill, ME. They are participating in Tall Ships Great Lakes 2025, which is part of the Tall Ships Challenge, an annual event organized by Tall Ships America alternating among the Great Lakes, the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America (www.tallshipsamerica.org[1]). Dr. Bob Morgan, HLWMM board vice president, said that the museum is working with the Liberty Clipper and other tall ships to possibly secure a return visit to Oswego on Labor Day weekend this year.

            According to its bio, The schooner Liberty Clipper was built in 1983 at the  Blount Shipyard in Rhode Island. With a steel hull, she is a modern replica of a Baltimore Clipper style schooner, which were widely used during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Known to be some of the fastest sailing vessels of their day, many Baltimore Clipper schooners were used as Privateers during the War for Independence and the War of 1812 and were also utilized in many large ports as pilot ships to guide visiting vessels into the harbor. For the past two decades she has been providing guests the opportunity to experience a traditional sailing vessel in Boston Harbor. She is outfitted with space for 24 overnight guests in 12 bunk-style cabins. Basic specifications are: draft, 8’; beam, 25.5’; sail area, 4,300 sq. ft.; sparred length, 125’; rig height, 72’; and power, Detroit 6-71 generating 256 hp.

            Also scheduled to stop at Oswego on route to the Toronto Festival is the 63.5 ft. long schooner yacht, When And If, built in 1939 for General George S. Patton. It’s owned and captained by Salzmann’s brother, Seth.  According to the ship’s website (www.sailwhenandif.com),When And If was commissioned by Patton himself from naval architect John Alden and built to sail around the world “When the war is over, and if I live through it,” Patton said. The vessel is constructed of double planked mahogany over black locust frames and an oak keel. She was launched in November, 1938, and Patton took delivery in 1939. When And If remained in the Patton family until 1972, when she was donated to the Landmark school for children with Dyslexia in Pride’s Crossing, MA.  Since then, the When And If passed into private ownership and eventually found a summer home in Salem, MA. Seth Salzmann leased the When And If in 2015 and 2016 and was able to purchase her in 2017. Ultimately, Seth Salzmann wants to fulfil When And If’s destiny to sail her around the world.

            Cradled on the pier and under construction at HLWMM is the  85-foot topsail schooner SV Ontario.  “The HLWMM plans to complete construction of the schooner for multi-faceted educational programming,” Morgan said. “It will be the only ship of its type of US registry on Lake Ontario, dedicated specifically to public service.” SV Ontario is a multi-year ship construction project dedicated to Oswego’s rich heritage as a shipbuilding and maritime capital in the 1700s and 1800s. Since 1988, more than 200 volunteers have dedicated their time to building the steel hull schooner. Materials have been donated and some labor.  The HLWMM is undergoing a fundraising drive to pay for expenses and professional services. For further information, or to support the project, contact Morgan or museum Executive Director Mercedes Niess at [email protected]. or www.hlwmm.org[2].

The Port of Oswego’s strategic location at the crossroads of the Northeastern North American shipping market, puts them less than 350 miles from 60 million people. For more information on the Port of Oswego, visit www.portoswego.com[3].

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