Virginia State Fleet

Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery

Adopted on July 1, 2001

 Delegate William J. Howell representing House District 28, has sponsored House Bill 1728 that would designate the replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, the Official Fleet of the Commonwealth. This bill was brought to the Senate by Senator Thomas K. Norment, Jr., representing Senate District 3, as Senate Bill 1254. The bill was signed by the Governor on March 13, 2001 and became effective on July 1, 2001.

Roughly 400 years ago, on December 20, 1606, three merchant ships loaded with passengers and cargo embarked from England on a voyage that would later set the course of American history.

Virginia State Fleet:
Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery

The Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery reached Virginia in the spring of 1607, and on May 14, their 104 passengers all men and boys began building on the banks of the James River what was to be America's first permanent English colony, predating Plymouth in Massachusetts by 13 years.

The Susan Constant, 1606-1607

December 20 , 1606 The Susan Constant departed London accompanied by two smaller vessels, the Godspeed and the Discovery. They arrived at Virginia April 26, 1607. On May 14, 1607, the settlers were disembarked at "Jamestown island", Virginia. See list of The First Settlers. More information regarding the voyage is given at Voyage to Virginia.

The Susan Constant and the Godspeed departed Virginia for England on June 22, 1607, leaving the pinnace Discovery for the use of the settlers. (Some of the men remaining would have been sailors for the Discovery.) The two vessels arrived in England (London) on July 29, 1607. Since the Virginia Company had no further use for the Susan Constant, she returned to general trade, with records of her sailing from Bristol to Marseilles as late as 1615.

The Godspeed (or God Speed), 1606-1607

December 20, 1606 The Godspeed departed London in the company of the flagship Susan Constant and the pinnace Discovery, and arrived April 26, 1607, at Virginia.

The Godspeed departed Virginia on June 22, 1607, in the company of the Susan Constant and arrived in England on July 29, 1607.

The Discovery, 1606-1607

December 20, 1606 The Discovery departed London in the company of the flagship Susan Constant and the Godspeed, and arrived April 26, 1607, at Virginia.

The Discovery remained in Virginia for the use of the settlers after the departure of the Susan Constant and the Godspeed on June 22, 1607.

Virginia House Bill No. 1728

Virginia HOUSE BILL NO. 1728

Offered January 10, 2001
Prefiled December 20, 2000
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 5 of Title 7.1 a section numbered 7.1-40.12, relating to the official fleet of the Commonwealth.
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Patrons-- Howell, Grayson (By Request), Griffith and Hall
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Referred to Committee on General Laws
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 5 of Title 7.1 a section numbered 7.1-40.12 as follows:

§ 7.1-40.12. Official fleet of the Commonwealth.

The replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised Virginia's founding fleet that brought the first permanent English settlers to Jamestown in 1607, and which are exhibited at the Jamestown Settlement museum in Williamsburg, are hereby designated the official fleet of the Commonwealth.

Virginia Senate Bill No. 1254

Virginia SENATE BILL NO. 1254

Offered January 10, 2001
Prefiled January 10, 2001
A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding in Chapter 5 of Title 7.1 a section numbered 7.1-40.12, relating to the official fleet of the Commonwealth.
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Patrons-- Norment, Trumbo and Wampler; Delegates: Bloxom, Councill, Diamonstein, Dillard and Howell

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Referred to Committee on General Laws
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Chapter 5 of Title 7.1 a section numbered 7.1-40.12 as follows:

§ 7.1-40.12.

Official fleet of the Commonwealth. The replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised Virginia's founding fleet that brought the first permanent English settlers to Jamestown in 1607, and which are exhibited at the Jamestown Settlement museum in Williamsburg, are hereby designated the official fleet of the Commonwealth.

Virginia Law

The law designating replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised the Commonwealth's founding fleet  as the official Virginia state fleet is found in the Code of Virginia, Title 1, Chapter 5, Section 1-510. Virginia symbols were re-organized under one section of the Code of Virginia in 2005.

Title 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS.
Chapter 5 - Emblems
§ 1-510. Official emblems and designations.

The following are hereby designated official emblems and designations of the Commonwealth:

Artisan Center - "Virginia Artisans Center," located in the City of Waynesboro.

Bat - Virginia Big-eared bat (Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus).

Beverage - Milk.

Blue Ridge Folklore State Center - Blue Ridge Institute located in the village of Ferrum.

Boat - "Chesapeake Bay Deadrise."

Covered Bridge Capital of the Commonwealth - Patrick County.

Covered Bridge Festival - Virginia Covered Bridge Festival held in Patrick County.

Dog - American Foxhound.

Emergency medical services museum - "To The Rescue," located in the City of Roanoke.

Fish - Brook Trout.

Fleet - Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised the Commonwealth's founding fleet that brought the first permanent English settlers to Jamestown in 1607, and which are exhibited at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.

Flower - American Dogwood ( Cornus florida).

Folk dance - Square dancing, the American folk dance that traces its ancestry to the English Country Dance and the French Ballroom Dance, and is called, cued, or prompted to the dancers, and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, the Virginia Reel, and heritage dances.

Fossil - Chesapecten jeffersonius.

Gold mining interpretive center - Monroe Park, located in the County of Fauquier.

Insect - Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus Linne).

Motor sports museum - "Wood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motor Sports Hall of Fame," located in Patrick County.

Outdoor drama - "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama," adapted for the stage by Clara Lou Kelly and performed in the Town of Big Stone Gap.

Outdoor drama, historical - "The Long Way Home" based on the life of Mary Draper Ingles, adapted for the stage by Earl Hobson Smith, and performed in the City of Radford.

Shell - Oyster shell (Crassostrea virginica).

Song emeritus - "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," by James A. Bland, as set out in the House Joint Resolution 10, adopted by the General Assembly of Virginia at the Session of 1940.

Sports hall of fame - "Virginia Sports Hall of Fame," located in the City of Portsmouth.

War memorial museum - "Virginia War Museum," (formerly known as the War Memorial Museum of Virginia), located in the City of Newport News.

(Code 1950, § 7-35, 7-36, 7-37; 1966, cc. 102, 547, § 7.1-37, 7.1-38, 7.1-39; 1974, c. 24, § 7.1-40; 1982, c. 191, § 7.1-40.1; 1986, c. 138, § 7.1-40.2; 1988, c. 317, § 7.1-40.3; 1991, cc. 71, 575, § 7.1-40.4, 7.1-40.5; 1993, cc. 251, 509, § 7.1-40.6; 1994, cc. 33, 134, 220, 464, § 7.1-40.2:1, 7.1-40.8; 1995, cc. 12, 180, § 7.1-40.2:2; 1996, c. 52, § 7.1-40.9; 1997, cc. 66, 576, § 7.1-40.10; 1999, cc. 69, 336, § 7.1-40.11; 2001, cc. 97, 134, § 7.1-40.12; 2001, c. 228, § 7.1-40.13; 2005, cc. 557, 839; 2006, c. 128; 2007, cc. 391, 685; 2008, c. 262.)