By Warwick Charlton It was Warwick Charlton's dream. Against all odds, and at a time when England was still recovering from World War II, Charlton dreamed of sailing a new Mayflower to America. In 1957, a reconstruction of the ship that symbolized the Pilgrims' voyage would be a gift to show "gratitude and appreciation for what the Americans had done to help England both during and after the war." But not everyone could see the vision. "Then the pessimists opened fire.... The right wood for her could never be found, they said, nor the shipwrights to work it. And if she were built, no master could be found to sail her nor a crew to man her. How could you sail a ship like that across the fierce North Atlantic? What, no engines? Forget it!" - Allan Villiers, Men, Ship, and the Sea
