Mystic Seaport volunteer and researcher Howard Veisz speaks about Gerda III, a wooden work boat built in 1926 to re-supply offshore lighthouses along the Danish coast. During the Nazi occupation of Denmark in World War II, she took on another cargo: clandestine groups of Jewish refugees that she transported to freedom.

Howard will discuss in-depth her profound impact upon the fate of so many Jewish people who escaped the terror of the Gestapo because of her heroic actions. By an act of the Danish Parliament, the Gerda III was donated to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City. The vessel was restored to her wartime appearance, complete with neutral flags, by the J. Ring Andersen yard in Denmark. Mystic Seaport Museum is proud to help care for the boat and exhibit her in the United States.

Learn more about the Gerda III, here.