Jose Gasparilla ship to embark on 70th invasion of Tampa Bay; ‘Dorothy’ the tugboat makes final voyage

As the Jose Gasparilla prepares for its 70th Gasparilla Invasion, the famous ship has to undergo a refresh to prepare for the big day.

Ahead of the Gasparilla Children's Parade and the Gasparilla Invasion, a team is swabbing the deck of the ship and getting it ready for its journey through the waters of Tampa Bay.

Inside Jose Gasparilla's history

The backstory:

The Jose Gasparilla II was built in 1954 to replace an old ship, although it was the first to officially be named, the Jose Gasparilla.

"The Jose Gasparilla, she's 35 feet wide and 135 feet long," Peter Lackman, also known as 'Pirate Pete,' said.

Lackman, who was a Captain and King of Gasparilla himself, says his father, Pirate George Lackman, built the Jose Gasparilla in 1954.

"My father and my uncles and grandfather all worked the shipyard, and this was their project, to turn this barge into a pirate ship," he said.

Lackman says his father was a sailing master from 1955 to the mid-1990s, when a harbor pilot took over.

"I was in third grade and I got to ride on the ship, and it was the only time the ship did not make it from the shipyard across to Ballast Point," Lackman said. "The weather was so bad and the fog was so horrible, we had to turn around."

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Dig deeper:

Since 1954, the ship has led 70 invasions, and Lackman says there have been two years since it was built that there was no Gasparilla Invasion. Aside from some small cosmetic changes, like netting on the ratlines for safety purposes, Lackman says the Jose Gasparilla hasn't changed much since it was built.

"I think that what we do with the ship has changed though," he said. "And so, you know, primarily it was just to bring this invasion from Ballast Point to downtown. But now, for the children's parade, we come out and there's a huge fireworks extravaganza on that Saturday night."

Although the ship has many traditional fixtures and operating tools, like a wheel at the helm, none of the pirates are actually steering the ship.

Meet ‘Dorothy’ the tugboat

"The Gasparilla ship is just a barge, right?" Lackman said. "And so, she has to have propulsion some way. So, on the stern of the boat, we put a tugboat and on the bow of the boat, put another tugboat. That tugboat's name is 'Dorothy' and this, she's over 120 years old and this will be her final Gasparilla."

Dig deeper:

Lackman says Dorothy was built in Ruskin in 1898. At 30 feet long, she was originally made to haul produce from Ruskin to Tampa. She was originally built entirely out of wood, but was reinforced with steel in 1966 and doesn't have power steering.

"When my father first took over in 1955, steering and commanding the ship, he had to have someone in the forward tug and someone in aft tug," he said. "So, my Uncle Mike was in the aft tug and my Uncle Conrad was in Dorothy up front."

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This year, Lackman's uncle, Conrad Lackman, will help commemorate Dorothy's final invasion.

"This year is very special, because Conrad Lackman, who was the skipper of the forward tug, at 90 years old, will be onboard the ship up on the flybridge here," he said.

After Dorothy retires, tugboat 'Little Timmy' will replace her.

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion preps

Timeline:

Ahead of the Gasparilla Children's Parade and the Gasparilla Invasion, the ship quietly leaves its dock on Bayshore Boulevard and heads to Port Ybor for a refresh.

"Every year, the ship needs maintenance," Lackman said. "And, we use our partners here at Gulf Marine to help us keep the boat clean. At the end of a year, sitting on Bayshore, she's a dirty boat, been covered with seagulls for a year."

Before the Gasparilla Invasion, the ship stops in the Hillsborough River for the fireworks show.

"And then we're there for those nights, our ship watch," Lackman said.

He says some pirates will spend all hours of the day, for the next several days aboard the ship to keep watch over it.

"The morning of invasion, the ship comes and she ties up over at Ballast Point," Lackman said. "And then comes the Mosquito Fleet. Between 1,200 and 1,400 other boats, from johnboats to 55-foot motor yachts, will accompany the pirate ship into the Hillsborough River and all the way up to the Convention Center for the invasion."

Once Invasion Day is over, the ship still has a few more trips to make and traditions to take part in before it docks back on Bayshore Boulevard and the Gasparilla krewes start preparing for the next year.

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