It was built in 1863 as the Euterpe, a full-rigged iron ship. After a full career, the Euterpe was purchased in 1901 by the Alaska Packers Association, who rerigged her as a barque. In 1902, she began sailing from Oakland, California to the Bering Sea each spring, returning each fall with a hold full of canned salmon. In 1906, the Association changed her name, for consistency with the rest of their fleet, and the Euterpe became the Star of India.
After 11 years, she was laid up in 1923 and in 1926 was sold to the Zoological Society of San Diego, California, to be the centerpiece of a planned museum and aquarium. However, the Great Depression and World War II caused that plan to be canceled; it wasn't until 1957 that her restoration began. Alan Villiers, a windjammer captain and author, came to San Diego on a lecture tour. Seeing the Star decaying in the harbor, he publicized the situation and inspired a group of citizens to form the Star of India Auxiliary in 1959 to support the restoration of the ship. Progress was still slow, but in 1976, the Star of India put to sea again.
The Star of India is now primarily a museum ship, comparable with the USS Constitution (afloat in Boston Harbor) and the USS Constellation (in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.)
General Characteristics