Fundraiser, dedication ceremony and public visits to highlight ship’s visit over July 4 weekend. It’s not just Rhode Island but the whole of North America that is watching as the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry becomes a reality. The 196-foot, three-masted, square rigged tall ship, currently under construction and designated by the legislature and the Governor of Rhode Island as the state’s official “Sailing Education Vessel,” is well on its way to becoming the largest civilian sail training vessel in North America and the first oceangoing full-rigged ship to be built in the U.S. in over 100 years.