The Trojan of Genova Story
This painting in the Camolgi Maritime Museum commemorates the courage and skill of Captain Avegno in navigating the uncharted waters from Ship Island into the Port of Gulfport.
The Trojan was built at Kempt, Nova Scotia, in 1884 by George Armstrong, who owned it, along with a cadre of local investors, until late 1899. It was then sold to the Mortola family of Genoa, Italy, the port where it was registered for the rest of its career.
The saga of the Italian ship Trojan, in 1902 the first vessel to sail into the new Port of Gulfport, has been presented from the American perspective for more than 100 years with little variation beyond misspelling Captain Philippo Avegno’s last name. As the story goes, oil-rich Captain Joseph T. Jones, co-founder of Gulfport and the only person known to have built a deepwater seagoing port entirely with his own money, secretly paid Captain Avegno $1,000 to prove the safety of his new port by sailing into the harbor. Jones had promised to indemnify any damages which, it turned out, were only those of souvenir-seeking spectators who walked off with all the Trojan’s silverware.
The Trojan sailed in to the new harbor of Gulfport unassisted on January 24, 1902. She arrived very high in the water, indicating she had no cargo when she arrived. This presented a double threat of navigating an unknown channel, and knowing that sailing without cargo or ballast could capsize his boat in heavy wind. Photograph by Willis Vail Paul Jermyn Collection #884
Russell Barnes, Coast Maritime Historian and ship model maker
Russell Barnes, Coast maritime historian and ship model maker, uncovered the Italian connection in 2019 while he was researching the Trojan in order to build an accurate 1/96-scale model of it.
Barnes contacted Captain Bruno Malatesta of the Society of Shipmasters and Marine Engineers in Camogli, a colorful village a few miles east of the Italian Riviera, who revealed more of the story.
It seems Captain Avegno is not only remembered, but regarded as a local folk hero. Captain Malatesta said a painting of the Trojan covers one wall of the Museo Marinaro Gio Bono Ferrari showing the vessel under full sail on the open ocean, proudly flying the Italian flag. He gave the Historical Society of Gulfport a copy of the painting, which now hangs in the case that will display Barnes’s model.
According to the Italian account, Captain Avegno arrived at Ship Island, where up to that time all cargo had been handled, and found an American Clipper, two Norwegian ships and a larger French vessel ahead of him.
The four, led by the older French captain, were refusing to sail the new channel into the port because they feared sailing into unknown dangers — no charts had yet been published, and no pilot was available.
The local authorities, said to be desperate to open the new port, summoned the captains to a council meeting at town hall. The four remained adamant they would not risk their vessels. Only the newly arrived Captain Avegno, the most senior of the captains, accepted the challenge of entering the port as a matter of pride for the Italian navy.
For several days he personally conducted soundings — these eventually formed the basis of the nautical charts of the channel. Gulfport was greatly relieved and excited when he pronounced it possible to sail into the “virgin pier.”
As the Trojan entered the channel, he called the soundings himself from astride the bowsprit. No one in the crew made a sound; it was reported, knowing their national honor was at stake.
Great cheers and jubilation broke the tense silence as the Trojan successfully docked.
The story concludes with Captain Avegno accepting an engraved silver cup on behalf of his country and being paraded through the town in the sheriff’s carriage.
The Italians’ chronicle has Captain Avegno making one final gesture that may have further antagonized the four other captains. He graciously acted as the new port’s first pilot and brought their ships, still waiting at Ship Island, into safe harbor at the Port of Gulfport.
In 1906, the Trojan was sold to another Genoa-based family and renamed the Arno. On December 11, 1911, badly damaged in a storm off the coast of Brazil, it was assumed lost at sea after the crew was forced to abandon ship. They were rescued by a passing vessel.
The Historical Society of Gulfport is working to discover more about this forgotten history of Captain Avegno and the Trojan and tie it in with the traditional account. More might come to light later this year when a representative of the Society of Shipmasters and Marine Engineers in Camogli, Italy, visits the Gulfport museum.
The Historical Society of Gulfport invites you to learn more of Captain Avegno’s adventures by following the progress of the building of the ship’s model of the Trojan to be displayed at the Museum of Gulfport History, housed at the Union Railroad Station in Gulfport.
The traditional details of the founding of the Port of Gulfport are from the book “Gulfport: Beginnings and Growth” by Henry Black
The details of the Italian account of Captain Philippo Avegno are taken from the book "VELIERI DI CAMOGLI" Civic Maritime Museum of Camogli "Gio Bono Ferrari" Carlo Gatti
Lloyd’s of London Register of Shipping, 1885, 1902, 1910, 1911 Original British certificate of Registry for Trojan, 1884, Public Records Office, London
Barnes contacted Captain Bruno Malatesta of the Society of Shipmasters and Marine Engineers in Camogli, a colorful village a few miles east of the Italian Riviera, who revealed more of the story.
It seems Captain Avegno is not only remembered, but regarded as a local folk hero. Captain Malatesta said a painting of the Trojan covers one wall of the Museo Marinaro Gio Bono Ferrari showing the vessel under full sail on the open ocean, proudly flying the Italian flag. He gave the Historical Society of Gulfport a copy of the painting, which now hangs in the case that will display Barnes’s model.
According to the Italian account, Captain Avegno arrived at Ship Island, where up to that time all cargo had been handled, and found an American Clipper, two Norwegian ships and a larger French vessel ahead of him.
The four, led by the older French captain, were refusing to sail the new channel into the port because they feared sailing into unknown dangers — no charts had yet been published, and no pilot was available.
The local authorities, said to be desperate to open the new port, summoned the captains to a council meeting at town hall. The four remained adamant they would not risk their vessels. Only the newly arrived Captain Avegno, the most senior of the captains, accepted the challenge of entering the port as a matter of pride for the Italian navy.
For several days he personally conducted soundings — these eventually formed the basis of the nautical charts of the channel. Gulfport was greatly relieved and excited when he pronounced it possible to sail into the “virgin pier.”
As the Trojan entered the channel, he called the soundings himself from astride the bowsprit. No one in the crew made a sound; it was reported, knowing their national honor was at stake.
Great cheers and jubilation broke the tense silence as the Trojan successfully docked.
The story concludes with Captain Avegno accepting an engraved silver cup on behalf of his country and being paraded through the town in the sheriff’s carriage.
The Italians’ chronicle has Captain Avegno making one final gesture that may have further antagonized the four other captains. He graciously acted as the new port’s first pilot and brought their ships, still waiting at Ship Island, into safe harbor at the Port of Gulfport.
In 1906, the Trojan was sold to another Genoa-based family and renamed the Arno. On December 11, 1911, badly damaged in a storm off the coast of Brazil, it was assumed lost at sea after the crew was forced to abandon ship. They were rescued by a passing vessel.
The Historical Society of Gulfport is working to discover more about this forgotten history of Captain Avegno and the Trojan and tie it in with the traditional account. More might come to light later this year when a representative of the Society of Shipmasters and Marine Engineers in Camogli, Italy, visits the Gulfport museum.
The Historical Society of Gulfport invites you to learn more of Captain Avegno’s adventures by following the progress of the building of the ship’s model of the Trojan to be displayed at the Museum of Gulfport History, housed at the Union Railroad Station in Gulfport.
The traditional details of the founding of the Port of Gulfport are from the book “Gulfport: Beginnings and Growth” by Henry Black
The details of the Italian account of Captain Philippo Avegno are taken from the book "VELIERI DI CAMOGLI" Civic Maritime Museum of Camogli "Gio Bono Ferrari" Carlo Gatti
Lloyd’s of London Register of Shipping, 1885, 1902, 1910, 1911 Original British certificate of Registry for Trojan, 1884, Public Records Office, London
