[1] The ship's construction fulfilled Dr. Hendricks' dream to use the historic icon as an educational instrument, bridging the gap between the American way of life and the Dutch heritage in New York state.

[4] In 1988, Dr. Andrew Hendricks commissioned the construction of a full-scale replica of Halve Maen, the famed ship sailed by English mariner, Henry Hudson in 1609.

Master ship-rigger and shipwright, Nicholas S. Benton, President of the Rigging Gang of Middleton was hired to design and build the replica.

[5] Many of the plans for the Half Moon's construction were never documented, and without Benton, the New Netherland Museum had to continue the process on their own, weighing out the kinks along the way.

[6] In March 2015, the Board of Directors of the New Netherland Museum announced that the replica would be leaving New York waters, citing financial hardships.

The government of Hoorn, Netherlands became the fiscal sponsor of the ship and the Westfries Museum served as the organization responsible for the daily operations of the Half Moon.