2007-04-25 16:20:18 -

ERIE, Pa., April 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students of history and sailing will have the perfect opportunity to learn both this summer through a special arrangement with the Erie Maritime Museum and the University of Pittsburgh and Edinboro University.

Two college-level history courses with credit are being offered aboard the U. S. Brig Niagara. The courses will offer a unique perspective on the history of the War of 1812 because the students will live, work and sail onboard a traditional, 19th-century replica naval warship.

Edinboro's three-credit course, "Maritime History," runs May

31 - June 21. The Pitt class, "Maritime History of the Great Lakes," is a four-credit offering and runs July 12 - Aug. 2. History professors will lead the academic portion of the program, with the ship's crew taking on seamanship training so students can safely climb the masts, work the sails, run the rigging and sail the ship.

"The combination of college course study and hands-on training aboard the Niagara is a great way to learn. It will appeal to students with a sense of adventure and a desire to experience learning in an authentic setting," said Niagara Captain Wesley Heerssen Jr.

Dockside training, daysails and overnight training out of Erie will take place aboard the brig, a two-masted sailing vessel with square sails. Students will gradually build their skills in preparation for a longer, eight-day trip on Lake Erie. Non-credit courses are also offered through the Erie Maritime Museum.

For more information on the history courses and sailing program, contact Heerssen at (814) 452-2744, ext. 218, or at wheerssen@state.pa.us. Information on the Niagara and the Maritime Museum is available at http://www.brigniagara.org/.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The U.S. Brig Niagara is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and is operated with the assistance of Flagship Niagara League Inc., a private, 501-c3, non-profit company. The U.S. Brig Niagara is inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard as a sailing school vessel and operates as such in the summer months only. The ship is available for public viewing year- round at the Erie Maritime Museum unless she is underway on a training mission or visiting another port.

The vessel's hull is 123 feet long (198' overall length) and has overnight berthing for 18 professional crew and 22 trainees. There are several ways the public can sail on board: as a daysail student, as a three-week live aboard trainee, or as a trainee intermittently throughout the summer (if the person is a local Erie volunteer and attended the winter sail training program).

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

CONTACT: Jane Crawford (PHMC)

(717) 783-9882 Wesley Heersen Jr. (Brig Niagara) (814) 452-2744, Ext. 218

Source: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission