NEW BEDFORD, MA (15 April 2010) — The Ocean Explorium at New Bedford Seaport is honored to announce the official opening ceremony and press conference for the newly installed exhibit, "SEA & ICE:  The Extraordinary Life of Captain Bob Bartlett", the twentieth century’s most famous ice captain.

Guests at the press opening, scheduled for 4:30 pm on Saturday, April 17, will include the

Honorable Neil Le Blanc, Consul General of Canada to New England, the Honorable Graca Fonseca, Consul General of Portugal at New Bedford, and a representative of the Honorable Pedro Graciano Gomes de Carvalho, Consul General of Cape Verde.  Each of these countries has historic ties to the Schooner Ernestina ex. Effie M. Morrissey which was Captain Bartlett’s vessel from 1925 until 1946.  New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang will be joined by Jennifer Nersesian, Superintendent of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, by Laura Pires-Hester, Vice Chair of the Schooner Ernestina Commission, by a representative of Senator John Kerry, a representative of the State Department of Conservation and Recreation, by Representative Cabral and other members of the State Senate, State House of Representatives and the City Council.  Others who will be in attendance include leaders of New Bedford's Cape Verdean and fishing communities.

Created by the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, for "Celebrate Bartlett 2009", the "SEA & ICE" exhibit chronicles the life of Captain Bartlett from his participation in the cod and seal fisheries of Newfoundland to his leading role in Arctic exploration in the first half of the last century.  Born and raised in Newfoundland, Captain Bartlett led Admiral Robert Peary's expeditions to the North Pole in 1906 and 1909.  After purchasing the Effie M. Morrissey, Captain Barltett used her to conduct many trips to the Arctic and the coasts of Greenland and Labrador, sponsored by National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History and other leading scientific and cultural institutions.  He sailed her for the U.S. Navy with Commander Alexander Forbes of Massachusetts during World War II.

The press conference will also spotlight the other distinct careers of Schooner Ernestina, ex. Effie M. Morrissey.  Launched as the Effie M. Morrissey in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1894, the vessel is the oldest surviving Grand Banks fishing schooner with ties to the Atlantic cod fishery and salt cod traditions of Gloucester, Nova Scotia, Portugal, Cape Verde, Spain, and other lands.  After Captain Bartlett’s death in 1946, the Morrissey was purchased by Captain Henrique Mendes of Cape Verde in 1948 and renamed Ernestina.  The vessel sailed carried passengers and goods between the United States and Cape Verde and among its islands.  In 1982 the people and Republic of Cape Verde presented the ship to the people of the United States.  In 1986 the Schooner Ernestina began her fourth career as a sailing school ship with home port in New Bedford.  Offering programs in environmental, cultural, science and math education as well as tall ship training in the tradition of Captain Bartlett's "Bartlett's Boys", the Schooner Ernestina is the official vessel of the Commonwealth and a mainstay of the New Bedford waterfront for more than twenty years.

The afternoon press conference will be followed by a special evening concert with performances by Newfoundland's Jim Payne and Fergus O'Bryne, and by the Schooner Ernestina's New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey Chorus.  Tickets to the 7 pm opening night event cost $15, are available at the door, and include refreshments while viewing "SEA & ICE" and browsing in the Ocean Explorium. 

The Ocean Explorium is located at 174 Union Street in downtown New Bedford and is handicap accessible via the rear entrance. 

For more information, contact Betsy Pye at 508.994.5400 or bpye@oceanexplorium.org or go to the Ocean Explorium website at www.oceanexplorium.org.