Starting in 1939, the Western Union schooner was used to lay, inspect and repair underwater telegraph cables from Florida to the Caribbean Islands. The vessel’s hull held 20 miles of cable per voyage and is credited with laying more than 30,000 miles of cable until her first retirement in 1974. She then served several purposes, including starring in movies, until finding her home at the Lands End Marina. The boat was listed as a U.S. National Register of Historic Places, was fully restored in 2011 and is considered the flagship of both Key West and Florida. This grand wooden ship is available for tours and short sightseeing cruises.
