USS Lancaster Eagle

USS Lancaster Eagle
USS Lancaster Eagle on display
Artist	John Haley Bellamy
Year	1880-1881
Dimensions	19'4" (wingspan) X 10' (height)
Location	The Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Virginia

The USS Lancaster Eagle is a figurehead that was carved in 1880-1881 by John Haley Bellamy for USS Lancaster. The eagle is currently owned by and displayed at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia.

This eagle figurehead was carved for USS Lancaster (originally built in 1858) while the ship was at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard located in Kittery, Maine for repairs. There had previously been no figurehead on the ship and an eagle was chosen because of its representation of the United States and the qualities it symbolizes, which are courage, liberty and immortality. Bellamy was chosen to carve the figurehead because of his skill and the fact that his work was highly prized, and for this task he received two dollars and thirty-two cents a day for payment.

The piece took over a week to install underneath the bowsprit of the ship, which was still on the slipway at the time. The eagle was dismantled and brought to the ship, where it was then bolted together and mounted underneath the bowsprit using special scaffolding under the direction of Bellamy. Once this and the repairs of the ship were complete, Lancaster sailed off on 12 September 1881, without any type of dedication or launching ceremony.

In December 1920, Admiral Samuel Robison, Commander of the Boston Navy Yard, inquired about the eagle and its condition in hopes of acquiring it for a Boston Naval Museum that was being proposed, but was never created. No action was taken until 9 December 1921, when the figurehead was ordered to be shipped to the Boston Navy Yard where it was set up in the chain park, inaccessible to the public. There the figurehead received very little care, allowing the elements to take a toll on the piece until it became a liability to the Navy. Because of the estimated cost to restore the figurehead, over $7000, the decision was made to sell it to the highest bidder, and on 4 April 1925, it was purchased for $262.89 by the Atlantic Marine Exchange of Boston. To avoid traffic issues, the eagle was shipped by way of a barge to the shop, which was located on the waterfront.