Where Did The Mayflower Ship Sail From?

The Mayflower was an English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, the ship reached what is today the United States, dropping anchor near the tip of Cape Cod. The Pilgrims were a religious group seeking a new life and embarked on their historic transatlantic voyage on August 15, 1620.

The Mayflower was a three-masted ship, most likely between 90 and 110 feet long, carrying mostly English Puritans and Separatists. They were on two ships – the iconic Mayflower and the lesser known Speedwell – and boarded on the ship. The Pilgrims initially sailed from the Netherlands back to England on a ship called the Speedwell. In England, they met up with other passengers on the Speedwell.

The Pilgrims were hired in London and sailed from London to Southampton in July 1620 to begin loading food and supplies for the voyage. They embarked from Delftshaven on July 22, 1620, and sailed to Southampton, England to meet the Mayflower, which had been chartered by their English investors. On September 16, 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, UK, with just 102 passengers and crew on board.

The Pilgrims’ journey began in 1608, when a congregation of the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, UK, to voyage to America. The ship’s history and story start long before that, as the Pilgrims were in search of a new life and some sought religious beliefs.