Milwaukee City Wire

Even under new ownership, the SV Dennis Sullivan management team is vowing to uphold its long held mission.

Former owners Discovery World recently announced the 137-foot long wooden ship powered by two diesel engines has been sold to World Ocean School, a Boston-based non-profit organization for sailing education, according to a report by Milwaukee Magazine.

“We are excited to find a partner in World Ocean School that is well positioned to ensure the Denis Sullivan will continue to provide educational opportunities for students around the world and further the ship’s original mission,” Discovery World CEO Bryan Wunar said, according to Milwaukee Magazine.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Dennis Sullivan will be setting sail again this fall after being docked since 2019, largely stemming from financial issues tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, Milwaukee Magazine reported. The ship that first set sail in 2000 has always made the Great Lakes area its home while helping students connect with the waters and the sport of sailing.

Known as the world’s only replica of a 19th-century three-masted Great Lakes schooner, which ultimately became the state’s flagship, Dennis Sullivan’s next trip will be a farewell sail to the only state it has ever known, according to Milwaukee Magazine. The ship contains a computer, full laboratory and room for 50 passengers.

In the same breath, those close to the deal are touting it as a chance to provide greater opportunities for the ship to return to the waters and sailing on a year-round basis, Milwaukee Magazine reported.