Built in Dorchester, New Jersey in 1928, the Schooner A. J. Meerwald is the last of approximately 35 spoon-bowed oyster schooners built just before the decline of the shipbuilding industry that coincided with the Great Depression. Later renamed the Clyde A. Phillips, the schooner maintains many of the prominent features of her type: shallow draft, long overhanging bow and stern, and considerable beam for her length. The shallow waters of the Delaware Bay and the special stability requirements of oyster vessels made these design features necessary.

The Trust grant helped fund restoration and a historic vessels report. Following its restoration, the ship has been used for educational programs emphasizing the role of maritime activity in the history, culture and environment of the Delaware Bay. In 1998, Governor Whitman proclaimed the Schooner New Jersey's "official tall ship."

For more information, visit: http://bayshorecenter.org/a-j-meerwald/