A Call to the Brethren of the Coast: The Hunt for the Lost Ship Discovery
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
From the heart of Children's Day USA, we issue a call across the waves—not for plunder, but for a piece of living history. We seek a lost ship, a ghost on the tides of time, and the legacy of a master builder whose hands are now still.
We are searching for the tall ship Discovery.
She is a magnificent 40-ton Revolutionary War era replica, built by the hands of one man: Jim Oberst, a master wooden boatwright of Long Beach. He was a true romantic, an artist who spoke the language of wood and sail.
On October 29, 1983, his masterpiece, the Discovery, was hauled by a team of steeds down Marina Drive in Seal Beach and launched into the waters of the Long Beach Marina, a pirate ship born into a modern world.
But this is more than a search for a vessel. This is an act of "Living Poetry."
Jim Oberst, the builder, has passed from this world. This quest is a call from his son, on behalf of Children's Day USA—a global movement founded by the builder's wife. We seek to find the father's physical legacy, the Discovery, and unite it with the mother's spiritual one: a commitment to the well-being of all children.
Our mission is to find the deck of that ship, so that the son may stand where his father stood.
We envision a day where the global pirate community can help us find her, a day we can honor the builder and his wife together. We imagine a moment where old sea shanties are sung in her honor—songs of love long lost to the sea, finally reunited by the tide and the community that understands the call of the ocean.
To all Captains, Sailors, Shipwrights, Historians, and Brethren of the Coast:
We ask you to share this story. Look at these images. Search your logs, your memories, and the quiet harbors where old ships rest.
Vessel: Discovery
Type: 40-Ton Revolutionary War Era Replica
Builder: Jim Oberst (Hills Marine)
Launched: October 29, 1983, at Long Beach Marina, CA
If you have seen this ship, if you know her fate, or if you hold a piece of her story, you are a part of this living poem. Help us bring the Discovery back into the light.
In the spirit of adventure and legacy,
Children's Day USA
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