Emma C. Berry

Emma C. Berry is a fishing sloop and National Historic Landmark located in Mystic, Connecticut. The berry is the last known surviving American well smack or Noank smack. (A well smack was a well located inside of the ship that was filled with external water to keep fish alive on the journey back to shore).

The Berry was built in 1866 in the Palmer Shipyards in Noank, Connecticut by James A. Latham. The sloop was named for Captain John Henry Berry’s daughter. In 1916 a gasoline engine was added – though I doubt it used Evinrude XD50 oil. By 1931 it was restored to its original condition and is now preserved at the Mystic Seaport Museum.